" Dealers" Warranty/Trip Charges

[Reese]

I may not be as well off financually as you are and I need this hot tub for my wifes medical problems, I don't have medical coverage because I can't afforde it and when I ask my dealer to cut the cost my $500 they would not even think about it,,, so yes I am looking for a better price for the tub my wife likes and yes it makes me mad that now I might and probebly will get charge a trip charge ( $65.00 trip charge to go 3.85 miles to fix my spa under warranty) If I dont get the tub from local dealer, and not only that but when the heater goes out under warranty the heater only cost $50 if I did the repair myself Im sure this would void the warranty.

Given your situation and expertise, I would think a used tub is the way to go.  Then the warranty won't be an issue, and all the money you save will help toward medical expenses.  Perhaps the dealer you are battling with even has something in his warehouse waiting for a repair before resale, or could find a warranty return at the factory, perhaps the model your wife wants!  You could do the work yourself and save even more money.  With your background, evaluating a used tub should be a piece of cake, and repairs even easier!

[sledjunkie]

Reese -

Thanks for sharing your story.

Shame on that snowmobiler for not carrying a spare belt. Always carry a spare belt. Snowmobiling 101.

Also I think your Uncle was wrong for not selling him a belt. That was just a stupid move on his part. Is that why he's out of business, for pulling stunts like that? Word get's around in those northern most small towns.

So are you saying your Uncle was upset because he bought his snowmobile somewhere else?
Similar to how Mr. Texas is won't take care of customers who go elsewhere for a better deal?
Taking care of the customer regardless will most likely help your business as when you take care of them, the customer will probably come back and buy something someday. If you turn them away, they will never come back.

If you can't sell something because your price is higher than someone else, either lower your price to make the sale, or don't sell. But don't be upset.

That's business.

All of us shop for a good price, whether it be home depot, sears, buying a car, a house, computer, etc.

And you wonder why Spa prices are so high.

[sledjunkie]

Clover -
I wouldn't teach my two daughters to lie, not at the young age their at now.
However, when they get older, you better beleive I'm going to teach them the real world. How to negotiate with salesman, etc...

[Brewman]

Ok,

Here's another scenario.

The local dealer goes out of bubusiness 1-2 years after I buy my spa from him.

He charges a $65.00 trip charge to go 3.85 miles to fix my spa under warranty, so now the closest dealer in 85 miles away. I wonder what he's going to charge?

Can someone give me some input on this?

I'm sorry Brewman but these are things I have to worry about, I may not be as well off financually as you are and I need this hot tub for my wifes medical problems, I don't have medical coverage because I can't afforde it and when I ask my dealer to cut the cost my $500 they would not even think about it,,, so yes I am looking for a better price for the tub my wife likes and yes it makes me mad that now I might and probebly will get charge a trip charge ( $65.00 trip charge to go 3.85 miles to fix my spa under warranty) If I dont get the tub from local dealer, and not only that but when the heater goes out under warranty the heater only cost $50 if I did the repair myself Im sure this would void the warranty.

I wouldn't own any appliance that was not made my whirlpool and defiantly only buy washer and dryers ( side by side ) that are made by whirlpool they are the best,

but thats,

just me

You can wonder what the 85 mile away dealer is going to charge all you want- nobody here can give you that answer, because as you're finding out it varies by dealer policy.  There is no pat answer to this question.  Unless you know it's a specific dealership and you ask them what their policies are.  
 Nobody can tell you the policies of a theoretical dealer.

The thing you can control is that you can choose to buy a spa from a dealer that charges no trip fee to you if they make a warranty call.  

As long as that dealer stays in business you're covered.

If they go under, change brands, or you move away and take your spa, all bets are off, and that's where the "what if...." stuff gets fuzzy.  

My answer to you is that most dealers probably have the lattitude to impose trip fees if that's how they wan't to run their business.

[East_TX_Spa]

Similar to how Mr. Texas is won't take care of customers who go elsewhere for a better deal?

If they buy somewhere else, they're not my customer.  They are the other dealers customer.  We take care of ALL of our customers, they should take care of theirs.

If they cannot service THEIR customer, why should we?  Maybe they shouldn't sell a spa to someone if they are not going to service the spa afterwards.  We have our OWN customers to take care of and it would not be fair to them.

Been doing it this way for 21 years, OUR customers are happy, so don't fret about it sledjunkie.  Dealers aren't important anyway so why do you even care?

Terminator

[sledjunkie]

Just called a dealer.
06 Opal $8200. And he didn't get into specifics, but he did say their price includes an upgraded cover, and maintenance free cabinet. He said any other option would be extra.

[Reese]

Also I think your Uncle was wrong for not selling him a belt. That was just a stupid move on his part. Is that why he's out of business, for pulling stunts like that? Word get's around in those northern most small towns.

No, he retired after a long, successful run.  You are right, word gets around in a small town, and... he regularly worked 12 hour days, and would work all night to get his customer back on the trails, if need be.  That was the main word got around, along with the fair deals he gave loyal customers.  He felt that if it was common knowledge that you could save a few bucks by buying out of town, and still have the convenience of local parts and service... he wouldn't have a business.  I'm sure he encouraged any local gossip that made it clear that where you purchased your sled was important.  He enjoyed his relationship with his customers, there was always somebody hanging around the shop.  He really didn't need a customer like you appear to be from your comments.  
 
Now that I think about it, my uncle made a point of getting to know everyone before getting around to trying to make a deal, so he would have picked up on the lack of respect you have for people who sell things for a living. If all you were interested in was price, he would have probably quoted you a high one, knowing you were shopping a 100 mile radius, and not wanting to give you a good quote to use to negotiate somewhere else.  Perhaps that is why you think you were able to "save thousands".  I have to think that many dealers can spot a "shopper" easily, and are not going to give their best price to someone who isn't likely to buy from them.

Perhaps your shopping techniques and the winning personality you have displayed here did indeed get you the deal of the century.  It is really hard to compare an price on a current model that has been upgraded from the previous year, and can be custom ordered... to a year old carryover that evidently nobody else wanted, and the dealer wanted to get rid of enough that he sold it to someone who is far enough away that follow-up chemical/accessory sales are unlikely, and providing warranty service to will require a 4 hour round trip.  Hmmmm!

[Brewman]

We had one character here a few years ago, posted under the name of "Needsaspa" or "Wantsaspa" or similar, and this person was so fixated on getting the best possible deal in the universe, I'm not sure he ever got any spa.  

And he and his "deal" were only a couple hundred bucks appart, if he was being honest.  And the price he was at was really good, again if he was being honest.
But he felt that if the dealer could come down a thousand, he should be able to come down a few hundred more.    

So to him, saving that last coupe hundred bucks was more important than getting his spa.  


He probably still has that offer "on the table", only the spa model was like 3 years ago.  

[morecowbell]

Terminator nailed it.
Customers should expect top notch service from the spa dealer they spent their money with.
My company has a roughly 12,000 person customer base that keeps us very busy.
Top notch dealers are focused on servicing customers who purchased from them.

[sledjunkie]

We agree to disagree..
 
 

[SerjicalStrike]

If they buy somewhere else, they're not my customer.  They are the other dealers customer.  

That sums it up.  They chose not to buy it from you, you choose not to service them.  I totally agree with you Term.  

[Spatech_tuo]

We agree to disagree..
 
 

Whew, I guess this means we're allowed to believe as we see fit without being told how we should feel. Thanks.

[JUST ME]

Hi All,

This is my last reply on this post, if some of you want to keep arguing about this subject so be it.

This is what I have said in the past about how a post with replies can get so out of hand.

It looks to me that Reese would love to become a senior member so he/she just post posts with no regard to the subject matter. I originally asked for dealers and he/she rang in so many times it was not funny. Now he/she argues with Sledjunkie.

He/she loves that there Uncle took someone for a ride.

but thats.

just me

[Gary]

Similar to how Mr. Texas is won't take care of customers who go elsewhere for a better deal?

If they buy somewhere else, they're not my customer.  They are the other dealers customer.  We take care of ALL of our customers, they should take care of theirs.

If they cannot service THEIR customer, why should we?  Maybe they shouldn't sell a spa to someone if they are not going to service the spa afterwards.  We have our OWN customers to take care of and it would not be fair to them.

Been doing it this way for 21 years, OUR customers are happy, so don't fret about it sledjunkie.  Dealers aren't important anyway so why do you even care?

Terminator

Taken care of people that did not buy a spa from you is a way of gaining that customer, they will needs chemicals... and if you do a good job that same person will tell their friends where to shop for a spa.

I can understand your point but is seems a little short sited to me.

[East_TX_Spa]

Taken care of people that did not buy a spa from you is a way of gaining that customer, they will needs chemicals... and if you do a good job that same person will tell their friends where to shop for a spa.

I'll be happy to sell them chemicals.
And we do a good job.  But, what's to keep them from telling their friend to go buy a spa from another dealer across state the same way they did?
"Hey, go buy a spa from Doololly Spas, but get East Texas Spa to service it.  That's what I did."

Well, he's wrong.  We won't service it.  Tis much ado about nothing, though, as I only know of 2 instances where this has happened, and it was several years ago.

Terminator