Thermo-Spa?

[rkukl]

Why not Thermo-Spa?

Why Thermo-Spa?


I am new to this forum and am in the research stage of getting a tub. I hope but assume that this may be “beating a dead horse” but when I searched for Thermo-Spa I didn’t get may useful hits.
So here goes:
I was convinced that I would not get a Thermo-Spa as I had heard and read on the net they were not a good as other brands. I also heard from my local Hot Springs dealer how they were energy inefficient and how any one would buy one was beyond him.
I had setup an appointment before my Hot Springs visit so hey what the heck lets let the guy come and hear what he has to say.
Thermo-spa sales guy arrives right on schedule and proceeds with his pre rehearsed done it a hundred times pitch. I tell him up front and in simple English NO SALE TONIGHT! We need to look at more tubs and take our time to decide. OK, he says and seems fairly low pressure.  I kind of like what I see some of it no, much of it makes total sense. I like that there are lots of jets in the lounge area. I have leg and muscle problems and it seemed the other tubs I looked at didn’t have many jets in the lounge area. So this is a plus. I kind of like that the tub is not foamed so when a problem occurs it will be accessible. So he get ready to finish and must call in to the office. Again I say NO SALE TONIGHT, and further NO TONIGHT ONLY PRICE! What ever price you quote has to be good for 30 days I say. OK says he and I hear him tell his manager this. He and his manager do try the well we have a model just like you want already made and can save bucks, no I say. OK and that is the end of it. But, I do like what I saw, expensive, yes, not something you buy often so maybe why not. I am about 90 minutes from the factory so I ask can I visit. Sure is the answer so I plan to head down the week after next and that’s it he leaves no problems no real pressure like I had expected. Right now I’m sure leaning toward getting a Thermo-Spa.

So back to my question Why or Why not Thermo-Spa?


Rich

[hottubdan]

Can you wet test the one you want?

[Spatech_tuo]

EVERY time someone mentions Thermospas gave them a presentation they ALWAYS have the "we have one that someone else purchased that we can sell you at a discount" and all the other in-home tricks.

You can't test them so you have to hope it will fit well and don't assume they all feel the same, they do NOT. You never know until you wet test, regardless of brand.

I would question their quality and you will not have a local dealer if things go wrong so warranty service will be iffy (they'll say otherwise so get the number of who they say will serive it and call to see if that person actually exists and is willing/affiliated). The whole "we don't foam it so fixes are easy" in their case may be a blessing if it's not well made and has issues but what you really need is a spa that won't need leak fixes.

The whole full foam versus non-foam story can be confusing. The full foam makers that are known for quality have very few instances of leaks in foam and insulate very well so don't worry about that if it's a well made spa. There are quality non-foam makers that also do a good job of insulating but you need to be choosy here or you end up with an energy pig. Some do it well, some don't; I'm not sure where T-spas falls in that crowd.

Lastly, get thier final "manger's special on this one of a kind floor model" and then go to some of your local dealers and compare.

[Chas]

Ask the salesman to leave. Just do that. See how amazingly hard it is to get them to actually DO it.

I think that alone would put me off.

 8-)

[drewstar]

The sales presentation you got, and the offer about "finding a spa already made for a few bucks less" is classic Thermo spas technique. I've heard the exact same story from several other folks here.  I have no doubt that if you wait, in a few weeks, they'll come down even further on the price.  


Shop around and wet test.  I think that if compare the Thermal Spas to other major brands you'll see a world of difference.    At the very least you owe it to yourself to know what other tubs are out there and what they offer. I belive once you educate yourself about quality tubs, you'll find that Thermo spas really aren't anything special, and are overpriced.  I honestly belive that if you buy quality, the Thermal vs Foam issues isn't a concern. (I actually prefer the foam).  But there are quality tubs other than TS you should take a close look at.  JAquizzi, Coleman and Artic all make Thermal (no foam) spas.   And if you want to consider Fullfoam, Hotsprings, Caldera, Tiger River, come quickly to mind.

Don't make your mind up on any of them until you've shopped around and actually wet tested several competeing brands.  

[glfahlc]

my wife and reluctantly i had made a deal and even drove to the factory to wet test. the problem was the tub we purchased isn't the one we tested. so i came home after  and did more research into thermospa and found more complaints with their tubs than satisfactions. we took a $2000 hit but decided this wasn't the company or the tub we should invest in.

[cburk0677]

I wouldn't buy a thermospa just based on the appearance. They look like they were made in the 80's. When you compare the tubs on their website with Hotsprings, Sundance, or Jacuzzi the Thermo Spa's look like crap.

[Brewman]

Exactly why it's necessary to shop the competition.  No other way to know.  

[East_TX_Spa]

This post has been floating around the internet for a couple of years.  I always found it to be very interesting reading:

you must be one of the hired guns they use to respond to bad posts on the internet. let me tell you that thermospas is the best sales job anyone can get. salesman make $150,000 plus per year. they are given a price sheet where the par price(the rock bottom price thermospas can sell a spa for with the salesman making only a flat $100 commission)is listed in between the model numbers on the price sheet, it's hidden in between the front and last number on the fake serial number. the salesman can sell a spa for any number they want above par and than they split that amount 50/50 with the company! they usually start with showing the highly inflated "retail" (they don't have any dealers that sell thier spas anywhere close to the high prices they charge with thier in home program)price sheet and than offer you a first night discount called the "factory direct" price.they usually give thier pitch than at the end they do the classic "drop" where they call in and ask the sales manager for a better price if the customer buys that night! its the old tin man routine and it makes alot of money. the head of the outfit is andy tournas and he does extensive training with the salesman and teaches them how to alway make the sale that night, if they dont sell that night than a manager will call the customer a few days later and offer a "special" deal and sell it fot par, its called the rehash program. i found all this out the hard way, i paid way too much for my spa. my friend got the exact same spa for thousands less than me. dont fall for thier trade in scam either, all they do is raise the price of thier spa and reduce it by the supposed amount they offer you for your trade. its a laugh, as i said they have salesman making thousands in a single night, not bad if they can sleep with the guilty conscience. good luck but i would never buy from them again

Also, there's an organization called the Better Business Bureau that monitors manufacturers and retailers:

http://www.connecticut.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bureau=walling&compid=25002672&language=&code=

Terminator

[drewstar]

This post has been floating around the internet for a couple of years.  I always found it to be very interesting reading:

you must be one of the hired guns they use to respond to bad posts on the internet. let me tell you that thermospas is the best sales job anyone can get. salesman make $150,000 plus per year. they are given a price sheet where the par price(the rock bottom price thermospas can sell a spa for with the salesman making only a flat $100 commission)is listed in between the model numbers on the price sheet, it's hidden in between the front and last number on the fake serial number. the salesman can sell a spa for any number they want above par and than they split that amount 50/50 with the company! they usually start with showing the highly inflated "retail" (they don't have any dealers that sell thier spas anywhere close to the high prices they charge with thier in home program)price sheet and than offer you a first night discount called the "factory direct" price.they usually give thier pitch than at the end they do the classic "drop" where they call in and ask the sales manager for a better price if the customer buys that night! its the old tin man routine and it makes alot of money. the head of the outfit is andy tournas and he does extensive training with the salesman and teaches them how to alway make the sale that night, if they dont sell that night than a manager will call the customer a few days later and offer a "special" deal and sell it fot par, its called the rehash program. i found all this out the hard way, i paid way too much for my spa. my friend got the exact same spa for thousands less than me. dont fall for thier trade in scam either, all they do is raise the price of thier spa and reduce it by the supposed amount they offer you for your trade. its a laugh, as i said they have salesman making thousands in a single night, not bad if they can sleep with the guilty conscience. good luck but i would never buy from them again

Terminator

Reminds me of my exploits when I was buying vinaly replacement windows  a while back.   I never met a worse bunch of slick talking sleexy sales folks in my life.

[rick]

The thing with Thermospa is they brag about factory direct sales,  no dealer bumping up the cost.  

But in the end they cost MORE than the best spas around.  


Go figure.

[Brewman]

It's the mistaken idea that somehow buying "factory direct" is less expensive than buying through the dreaded dealer- middleman.  

Product needs to be distributed- peroid.  And it costs money either way.  To me it seems more efficient and beneficial to the consumer to let the factories do what they are optimally set up for- designing and producing the product.

It has to be more efficient for a factory to sell and deliver spas in larger lots to relatively fewer customers( a few hundred dealers)  than trying to have their own sales, delivery and service units trying  to cover the whole continent dealing directly with the public.

I'd rather have Sundance concentrating it's resources on product development than spread out and having to cover the stuff the dealers do as well.  I'm of the opinion that is actually a less expensive way of doing business.  

[loosenupspas]

you have to look at those thermospas in person.  they are odd looking.  that are retail outlets around. spa manufacturers in florida is one.  they do a big home show business with thermos.  they just look uncomfortable......

[East_TX_Spa]

I gotta agree with all the other folks, especially cburk and his 80's comment.  They look just like all the crappy old generic spas we haul off for folks when they buy a new HotSpring Spa.

**No legitimate company drops the price thousands of dollars on a whim....period.**

I know of 4 that evidently do it on a regular basis.

Terminator