I Think We Got a Floor Model

[stuart]

Afterthought;

I was thinking about this and had a few questions....

1. What did the dealer say about the used cartridges?
 
2. Did you want a $1000 credit on the deal because you thought the "Demo" should be discounted that much or because felt the dealer was being deceitful?

3. Did anyone ever give you a chance to talk with the owner of the store?

As a Marquis dealer I'm sorry for your experience....As a dealer advisory board member I would personally love to get to the bottom of the whole thought process to see that Marquis dealers as a whole take experiences like this and learn from them.

[stuart]

I see that you posted one of the answers while I was typing....

[drewstar]

Hey bohms, i think the quickest way to light a fire under their butts would be to call your credit card company and dispute the charges. Otherwise they could string you along for 60 - 180 days, then you would be past the time window Credit Card companies allow disputes. (Hopefully you paid on an AmEx because with them, the cardholder is always right, no questions asked).

Amex? really? That's good to know. I use visa and twice I had to dispute a payment.  Each time it took several months for final resolution (even though the $$ was credited back to me). I had to document everything in painfull detail, an had  to agree that what ever the decison by the abbritrators was, I was obligated to. Credit card disputes are not fun, but if that's your final option, then so be it.  Good luck, Document everything and ensure the CC fully understands your issue.

[bohms]

Stuart - the dealer never gave a response about the used cartridges (neither did the owner).  I kept bringing it up but they never gave me a straight answer in email or over the phone.  When the Sales Mgr came to my house he even went as far as to give a hypothetical about it....."Maybe your salesguy told someone at the store to put new cartridges in so that it would be delivered with new cartridges and that person misunderstood him and put in used cartridges".  WHAT???!!!!!  I laughed at him when he told me that.
I wanted a $1,000 credit for both reasons.  First because I was sold a "wet test" tub when I thought it would be new and second b/c they were deceitful.
Let me be straight.....we absolutely LOVED the tub and I still think Marquis makes a great product.  In the end it came down to principal and there was no way we were going to accept them cleaning the tub and giving us a $150 gift certificate to their store after all the lies we were told.  NO WAY!!!  The owner said that it was a valuable lesson for them but I'm not so sure I believe him.

[jfish63]

I for one am glad you stuck to your guns. In this day and age too many people are taken advantage of because they simply don't stand up for themselves.

[bohms]

Thanks Jfish - I agree.  We don't like to be taken advantage of and I really think that they thought that we would back down and keep the tub.  I'm no fool.

[sledjunkie]

Great news. You should be proud of yourself..

Remember the primary goal of a salesman is to $sell$, not to look out for your best interests.

[Bonibelle]

Bohms, I am so sorry for you that the anticipation of spatopia has become a nightmare for you. I am especially sorry because you loved your tub and had already resolved the issue that is typically the most difficult...spa selection. You got to see the worst behaviour from a sales person, manager and even the owner. But you have to also put in perspective the efforts of Stuart to try to make things right for you as he is a wonderful representative of a great spa manufacturer. I can say that because I own a Marquis and contrary to what Sledjunkie posted, my sales person has become a friend who I not only trust but honestly enjoy talking to and sharing information with...My dealer has been supportive and his technical staff is second to none. So I will tell you first hand, that your experience is not representative of  what I have found in the spa industry, particularly from Marquis.  And there is no way any of this is good news...Good news would be all of us wishing you happy soaking, not happy shopping.....again.
Best of luck,

[gores95]

Bohms,

I feel your pain especially hard in light of the fact that I visited the same store and talked with Jason who I think was your salesman.  Ulimately we decided on another spa but Rix DID have a good reputation (not any more).

All that being said I wonder at times if forums such as these actually work to the detriment of the consumer.  Its really easy to sit here and try to instigate an agressive response by the consumer but in the long run who really wins?  The suggestion to stop the Amex payment was given to you by someone in this forum.  The only thing I may have done differently would have been to wait a couple of more days before cancelling with Amex and definitely waiting for a response from Jeff Shaw.  Certainly talking with a "mediary" could only have helped.  

I just think that things have a habit of spiraling out of control...especially on an internet site where you sit there and read responses and most suggest that you get a credit or tell the spa dealer to come get the spa.  Well they called you on it and the spa is gone.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE this site and all the dealers/consumers have offered me a great deal of help but sometimes decisions are personal and cooler heads at times need to prevail.  Rix has been in business for MANY years and it sounds like both you and the dealer got stubborn and in the end NO ONE WINS!  If it took another week or two Amex would still have allowed your chargeback and at least you would have exhausted all options.  The other issue is you loved your Marquis tub and there is no other local Marquis dealer around here.  Unfortunately you lose here as well.

In the end I would have done everything you did but wait a little longer to see if a reasonable solution could have been made.  That would include SPEAKING to the owner of the store and Jeff Shaw.  That also would mean perhaps the $1000 could be bargained.  Perhaps $500 refund and a store credit, etc.  

Lastly emails are nice but conversation is key.  I also wonder if I would have opened this issue up in the Forum.  I probably would have just to get some suggestions but you should take all our advice with a grain of salt!  

I wish you all the best in your continuing quest for Spatopia.

Marc

[drewstar]

Gores,

excellent advice with the grain of salt line. every post here is just personal opinon and folks need to understand and consider the source before taking anyones advice. However, I'm with the submitter on this.  For me, the worst thing a salesperson can do is set false expectations. For me, it's unresonable to get a used tub, get the run around, and then expect to settle for something less.  $150 store credit? that's worth what, $50 to the dealer and $150 to you. Not good enough for me.  Floor model tubs have been reported to sell several hundred to thousands less than a new in wrapper tub.

Yup, the relationship with the dealer is soured.  But fortunaltey there are many more tubs that are just as good, if not better than marquis.   The dealer not only lost a sale, but gave those spa dollars to his competition and now has someone vocalizing a legit, negative experinece about them.  The dealer should have jumped all over this and never let it get to this point.  Never. His loss.  :-/

[MarKee]

I can't believe the dealer would take back the spa without trying to resolve the situation.  Although I don't have both sides of the story, it sounds like the customer was right in this situation.

As a sales person for Marquis Spas, I would have never let this situation get this far.  The way I look at it, if I don't sell someone a Marquis and they buy a different product, I have done them a disservice.  

[rick_in_cleveland]

Thats one of the problems with Email and forums, everything becomes a knee jerk reaction and sometimes we need to sit back and let things digest.

[bohms]

Gores - I wouldn't have had a problem waiting a couple more days, the dealer was the one that wanted to come and get it quickly.  To be honest, I'm glad he did b/c I don't think I could have handled going back and forth with them any longer.  The owner never wanted to get on the phone with me - he kept throwing it back to the Sales Mgr (Jason).  
Markee - in the dealer's eyes, they DID try to resolve it by offering me a tub cleaning and the $150 gift certificate.
The reason why I posted on this forum was to see what other people thought.....mainly, just to see if we were crazy for getting so upset.  My husband and I made our own decisions.....do I regret anything?  NOT ONE THING!!!

[Spatech_tuo]

Gores - I wouldn't have had a problem waiting a couple more days, the dealer was the one that wanted to come and get it quickly.  To be honest, I'm glad he did b/c I don't think I could have handled going back and forth with them any longer.  The owner never wanted to get on the phone with me - he kept throwing it back to the Sales Mgr (Jason).  
Markee - in the dealer's eyes, they DID try to resolve it by offering me a tub cleaning and the $150 gift certificate.
The reason why I posted on this forum was to see what other people thought.....mainly, just to see if we were crazy for getting so upset.  My husband and I made our own decisions.....do I regret anything?  NOT ONE THING!!!

Bohms,
While we wince at the entire situation, I for one think you handled things just fine based on what you've said. This is a dealer-to-customer issue, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with the manufacturer or dealers in general. It sure sounds like they compounded one problem with another. I don't blame you for rejecting a $150 store credit 9and cleaning of the spa) but I also don't blame the dealer for rejecting the $1000 counter offer. It sure seems like they walked away quickly from a situation that they could have at least tried a little harder to resolve to some satisfaction on both sides before throwing their hands up. Was there further negotiation to get it somewhere in between or did they just tuck their tail in shame and decide to turn the page?

[NWHotTubber]

The reason why I posted on this forum was to see what other people thought.....mainly, just to see if we were crazy for getting so upset.  My husband and I made our own decisions.....do I regret anything?  NOT ONE THING!!!

No you are not crazy!  

I for one would not want to buy a used product for new prices.

Glad you are not second guessing your decision.  I would not regret anything either.  Good for you!!

Also, in times like these remember...  Everything happens for a reason, this probably saved you later aggravation.  You are better off knowing now, rather when you needed service down the road...  The dealer really flubbed this one up good.  

You will find a great spa dealer willing to take care of you and your service needs!