For sure. If they work, a salt system and the Clear Ray/UV system are both an effective way to maintain a hot tub AND a sales tool.
If they don't work, they're just a sales tool.
Interesting thought. So, you're saying that a non-functional system, added on at extra cost is a "sales tool?"
I have found that honesty is always the best policy in any sales presentation. "If they don't work," then I say so, and discourage the use of them. I don't want to just put one spa in the backyard of my customer, I would like to be there when they move to a new home, upgrade to a newer tub, need a cover, and when they walk their friend or co-worker into my store to buy THEIR new tub. So selling somebody anything which doesn't work is counter-productive at best, and dishonest at worst.
If I have a system which works well, I will offer it, and answer questions about it as honestly as possible, up to and including saying something like this, "you can buy several lifetime's worth of Dichlor for the price of this system. But it's not about the nickles and dimes you save, it's about the luxury of silky, soft water. Is it going to be worth the extra money? Only you can decide."
Or, in the case of an ozone system (standard on our Highlife™ Collection), I say,"you can soak chlorine free. You still use some chlorine to shock once a month, or as an added safety measure when you entertain a crowd, but for day-to-day use, you soak chlorine free."
I have carefully thought those through, and they are true in my experience and in the experience of my customers.
I have only sold a handful of ACE systems, and they went to people who had owned tubs before but wanted a more advanced system of chem care with buttons to push instead of bottles to handle. They have all had good results - one cell went bad on us, (hopelessly clogged up) and Watkins sent me a replacement, free, along with a redesigned filter standpipe to keep it from happening again. The customer and I were both very impressed.
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