Spa Buyers Guide
Congratulations, you have officially decided to take the plunge into your very own spa.
Whether it is an impulse decision or whether you have been thinking about it for years,
doing your research about spas will certainly payoff for you in the long run. With over
an estimated 250 spa manufacturers in the U.S., the shopping experience can many times
turn into an utter nightmare unless you know what to look for. We, at West Coast Aqua
supply, have pooled together over 30 years of spa experience into this easy to follow
spa buyers guide giving you all the information you need to make an educated decision.
So lets get started.
When it comes to owning a spa, there are many questions that you should ask yourself.
First off, how much will I have to spend on operating costs? How much work will it be to
maintain my spa water? How often will I be in need of service? If I do need service,
where will I get it and how soon will they respond to my call? How readily available are
parts for my spa and how far in the future will they be available? What type of foundation
and electrical requirements will I need? And last but not least, how much will this spa
project cost me? All of these questions need to be answered before making a purchase
decision or you may wind up with something that causes more stress than it cures.
Ultimately, we all have a budget in which we can afford to allocate toward a spa purchase.
Some of us have more to spend than others, however, the purchase price of the spa should be
one of the last things considered when out looking for your new tub.
Follow this example: Mary Jones got into a car wreck injuring her lower back. Her doctor
recommended a spa for therapeutic relief of her pain. The insurance paid her $3,000 toward
the purchase of a spa, so she set out to find the one she wants. On the way to spa store
she comes across a parking lot full of spas with a giant sign reading, " Huge factory spa
sale", so she decides to stop in and look. The sales person shows her a 5 person spa with
60 jets and two 5 horse power jet pumps for only $3,500. He also states that the same spa
retails for over $6,000 but because its factory direct she is saving $2500. Amazed that she
could take the same $3,000 payout from her insurance and purchase a spa valued at $6,000,
she instantly makes a purchase.
Lets jump ahead now 6 months. Mary has owned her spa for half a year now, however she
has only used it for about 2 months, here's why: after Mary received her spa, she expected
the delivery crew to put the spa in her backyard, but they didn't. Curbside delivery is
all that was included stated the delivery crew. So after calling four strong neighbors
to help her get the spa in place, she finally got ready to plug in her spa and begin to
fill it. The only problem is, her spa doesn't run on a standard household outlet because
it has 2 jet pumps and a large electric heater. She is then told that she must now hire
an electrician to run power to her spa at a cost of $800. Upset and frustrated, Mary agrees
to the electrician. After the spa was wired, filled and ready to use Mary climbed in for
the very first time. As she moves from seat to seat, she realizes that only one the seats
actually fit her. Not thinking much of it, she decides that it will become her favorite
seat. She sits in her favorite seat, which is loaded with jets from top to bottom and proceeds
to turn them on. Instantly she is blown out of her seat with such force that she nearly goes
under water and the sound coming off the jet pumps was so loud that she could barely tolerate
the noise. Conscious of her surrounding neighbors and the hour of night in which she was in
it, she turned the jets off and just sat in hot water. A month goes by and Mary gets her monthly
utility bill and she is shocked to see that it had increased by $70. Afraid that the cost of
her spa would be so high to operate, she turns the temperature down in order to save money.
Now all she has to do is heat it up when she is ready to use it. The following night Mary
comes home from work with a stiff back so she decides to use her spa. She walks outside to
turn up the heat. An hour passes and the spa is not yet hot so Mary concedes and goes to bed.
What Mary originally perceived to be a great deal turned out to be a very poor choice? continue--
|
