First-Timer, any help appreciated

[Erie.mon]

I am getting my backyard ready and planning to get a hot tub next month. I have looked at various dealers and there are alot of nice units out there, but nobody touches the Costco/Sams Club pricing...Is there any reason I should be afraid of these?

[Mendocino101]

Costco/Sam's are great for certain things but make no mistake they are a business for PROFIT and in order to hit the price points they want something has to give and in this case its in the insulation first and than it typically goes down from there. I know from the manufacturing side of things that while it appears to be very much the same product it is not, they will shave weight and thickness of metal on some items for example. While they are a large retailer they are other ways for competitors to off set their buying power. The bottom line is they are great for many items, spas are just not one of them. At least many feel that way as the attention of a dealer is lost and you are on your own for many things.

[Pathfinder]

Welcome to the board   you have already kind of answered your question.  With the low pricing you are already questioning the quality of the spa   Costco  they are just a "me too" store  Which means they just added spas because they saw the potential profits of what they would make without having to do any work. They get good pricing buying in volume so the tubs are even cheaper for them to buy and add a huge mark up.   I beleive there are some happy owners somewhere but if you think your getting a $10,000  
tub for $6500  your really getting a fully marked up $6500 tub for $6500.  Just My Educated Opinion

[Vanguard]

The biggest drawback is the lack of support you will get from Costco.  They know nothing about hot tubs or how to take care of them.

A hot tub is a product that you want to have someone local to help you take care of the spa should you have any issues.

The only exception I know of with Costco is the Highlife by Hot Spring on Costco.com.  They don't sell that spa in the brick and mortar stores.  The local Hot Spring dealer will not only deliver your spa, but they will also service the spa while under warranty.  However, the warranty is only one year and you'll get a better warranty for a little more on the price by going to a local dealer of all major brands.

I'm partial to Hot Spring.  Just my opinion.  The best thing to do is go visit the different dealers in town and then wet test the spas you like.  Wet testing is the only way you can know for sure if you like the spa.

Good luck and keep asking questions and then let us know what spa you choose.

[ndabunka]

I am getting my backyard ready and planning to get a hot tub next month. I have looked at various dealers and there are alot of nice units out there, but nobody touches the Costco/Sams Club pricing...Is there any reason I should be afraid of these?

Welcome to the forum.  There is a LOT of good (unbiased) help in here.  Some are dealers, others (like me) are just Hot Tub owners.  95% of the tubs you are looking at from those particular stores are not what you currently think they are.  They ARE low priced and there is a reason.  Often, they cost you twice, three times or even 10 times more to run than a good name brand spa.  Do you REALLY want to increase your electricity bill by $100/month like others who have bought those and learned the hard way.  Or would you rather spend a little more and have a mild $10/month increase in your electric bill (like I did with my Jacuzzi)?

Note: The "highlife" form Costco may be the exception to the above statement.  I think that with Costco's liberal policy, you could always return it two months after you get it if the power bills did happen to increase dramatically.  As a point of reference, you can buy a VERY good, name brand fairly large, well insulated Hot Tub from one of the major manufacturer's for between $5,500 and $6,500 so don't think that the name brands will be $8K or $10K like many are trying to get out of you.  A "reasonable" dealer will match a good tub to your needs.