Down East Spas (Master Spas) Windsor SE

[runnergirl]

I am getting a wide range of quotes for the Down East Spas (Master Spas) 2007 Windsor SE model.  I live outside of Philadelphia, PA and the best price I have is $7150 delivered, with the standard Down East warranty, standard light package (no perimeter LED upgrade), steel frame (not pressure treated wood), ozonator, 81 standard jets (not stainless).  Can anyone comment on dealers in a reasonable radius that have bettered this price or if this price is actually reasonable?  Also any comments on RECENT experiences (2006-2007 equivalent models) with this spa are appreciated.

[Bonibelle]

I have a friend who has a Down East, I will call and ask about her reliability experience so far. She did not wet test and found that the tub fits her husband and son well, but she doesn't have one seat that she is comfortable in.

[Bonibelle]

I have sent you a PM, there is a Master Spa dealer in West Chester, Pa

[Chris_H]

http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=691&hl=

Here is a post from one of West Chester Spa's former customers.  I always thought is was funny.  I think there is another dealer in Bucks county.  There are plenty of other manufacturers.

[Bonibelle]

Hi Chris, I wasn't recommending them, just saying that they are there. I think the Master Dealer in Elkton just went out of business, is that right?

[Chris_H]

Quite frankly, I don't follow the comings and goings of this manufacturer.  I know there was a dealer in Bally, PA that recently stopped selling Master.  I just posted that link because the guy that wrote that about WCS must have posted that same story about 350 times on poolsearch.com and I always thought it was hilarious.

[East_TX_Spa]

Also any comments on RECENT experiences (2006-2007 equivalent models) with this spa are appreciated.

Welcome to the forum!

I am happy to share my most recent experience from the end of last year:

http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1163025624/0

My advice?  Keep running away as fast as you can.

Good luck!

Termy

[Bonibelle]

Why hilarious? I guess I can see the dealers perspective and this is so weird but I am almost positive that my friend bought their hot tub at the same annual show(maybe the year before) that this poster is referencing.  At that same time, I was talking to one of the Master salesmen and he said that they do, in fact, bring in high pressure sales people to run those events and it angered him because they got commissions right away and were gone.  He had to stay at the store and did not have the same opportunities for sales. I asked if the prices were better at the sales events and he indicated that they would be...It all sounded strange to me, so I avoided it all together.
Runnergirl, you will find many negative posts about Master marketing but we do have some happy Master Spa owners. Spend some time reading through all the posts.

[Steve]

http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=691&hl=

Here is a post from one of West Chester Spa's former customers.  I always thought is was funny.  I think there is another dealer in Bucks county.  There are plenty of other manufacturers.

Nice find Chris! I just responded to that post by Larry of West Chester Spas and I can't believe that companies still do business this way. It just pisses me off to see a dealer not refund a deposit after only a week and try to defend their actions like it makes sense.  ::)Business must be so bad that they rely on these deposits to stay in business!

Commissions should be paid after delivery and not until then. PERIOD! I give a rats ass whether it's a show team or not and because they have no clue on how to run a business, the customer is left with the cost. Someone needs to put this moron out of business!

[Bonibelle]

But Steve, what about the 3 day right to cancel?  Are you saying that for hot tubs there should be more than 3 days, because as far as I know, that is pretty much standard.

This is a simple example but I ordered a mattress and the 3 day right to cancel was followed by a clause that said anything beyond the 3 days, and before delivery, would be subject to a cancelation fee.

If it makes you guys feel any better, I pass WCSpas and can tell you he must live on air...he never has anyone in his parking lot and about 3 years ago I stopped in there to look. I waited about 20 minutes. No one was in the show room...I mean NO sales people I thought that was really strange! They must be a part of some other business, or make their money on these shows that everyone is talking about. :-/

Wonder if that customer had any resolution through the BBB? Probably not, they don't seem to do much. Steve, do you know how this turned out?

[stuart]

The 3 day right to cancel in most states is for an in home purchase not a showroom purchase.

We sold the SE for $5995 before we dropped the line...that was 3 years ago and I've seen them sell from $5600 to $9000. With the dog and pony show that Master is doing all over the country there is little consistancy to stories, price or even dealerships.

That is a great massaging spa...I question the manufacture but the spa itself seems to perform well.

[runnergirl]

What Spa Co have a good reputation--we have also looked at cal spa, coleman, sundance (although rather pricey).  This is our first hot tub buy, any information on how to chose and sift through the endless information would be helpful.  

[drewstar]

What Spa Co have a good reputation--we have also looked at cal spa, coleman, sundance (although rather pricey).  This is our first hot tub buy, any information on how to chose and sift through the endless information would be helpful.  

Those companies have good reputations.  Others include Hotspring, Tiger River, Caldera, Artesian, Artic.

There are many choices.  What are you looking for in a tub? Size, lounger, price range, features?

[windsurfdog]

rg,

I have a MasterSpas LSX with which I am extremely pleased.  Check out my review here.

Three suggestions:
1.  Don't discount MasterSpas products because of what you read at this site.
2.  Don't buy a MasterSpas product or any other product without doing some extensive shopping including wet testing.  You may find the Windsor model fits you like a glove...or not.
3.  Don't buy from a parking lot sale.  Deal with a dealer who will be there when the parking lot hawkers are long gone.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask any more questions about my MasterSpas experiences...they've all been great!

[money4mice]

I too am in the market for my first spa.  I just got off the telephone with a friend of a friend who owns a Master Spa she bought 3 years ago from niagra Polls in Bristol, PA.  She said she does not know her model, but is very happy with her spa.  She has had a few leaks, but service was good.