Strong Pools & Spas Outlet, Inc.

We have contacted the customer directly to resolve the issue. He will be retracting his complaint. The customer purchased a spa as is no warranty. The dealer that he purchased it through has since closed. This product was purchases through a third party
retailer

I apologize for the delayed response. I will have a response to this case asap! thank you

To Whom it may Concern: I have included a Copy of emails sent from *** *** along with responses from customer service and Ryan F* Strong R & D Manager I have also looked at enclosed pictures from the spa in question In my opinion, as with the opinion of Ryan and customer
service This yellowing of the spa is due to excessive chemical build up and improper water chemistry In our warranty, which is included stated under Exclusions is the following:
Any damages caused by improper maintenance of spa water chemistry or by undissolved spa chemicals which may cause bleaching of the spa shell and erosion or discoloration of stainless jetsRyan sent an Email 01/06/with instructions how to try to take these stains off from chemical and water miss management*** *** stated Strong refused to stand behind our product Clearly everyone may see this is not the case as we have attempted to try to communicate with ** *** how to rectify the water and chemical miss management** *** also stated if we did not remedied, he was going to warn other customers via the internet and other media I would suggest to *** *** to make sure he is not improperly making statements about Strong that are not trueStrong Spas will continue to try to assist *** *** in his attempt to clean the chemical and water stains from his spa Strong will also continue to honor there Limited warranty as statedThank You,
Nevin P***
National Sales Director
Strong Spas

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response. More specifically:
I reviewed Strong Spas' latest correspondence and REJECT it. 
It is indicative of Strong Spa's poor customer service.  Instead of standing behind their product they launch accusations and lame excuses at their customers. 
To be more specific, I will set forth several simple facts and concepts that refute Strong Spa's flawed response:
1. The hot tub's shell stained permanently within 6 month's of purchase because it is defective. We maintained the spa in compliance with the manual. Strong Spa's opinion that we did not properly maintain the spa, based only on their review of my PICTURES, is unreasonable and insulting. Where is their evidence of our alleged neglect? Moreover, Strong's attempts to avoid liability for their defective hot tub by referencing loopholes in their warranty is equally unconvincing.  The shell is defective. 
2. Aside from the warranty, under BASIC CONTRACT LAW, a company cannot sell defective products to its customers and then avoid all responsibility for producing shoddy merchandise. A customer who purchases a hot tub has a very reasonable expectation that their tub will not be permanently stained within 6 months of purchase. Just like a customer who purchases a car has a reasonable expectation that their paint won't peel off or their steering wheel won't fall off within 6 months. I am certain that any judge in small claims or other court in the State of New Jersey would agree.  
3. Aside from basic contract law, Strong Spas should be reminded of The New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act. Consumer fraud is "any unconscionable commercial practice, deception, fraud, false pretence, false promise or misrepresentation" in connection with the sale of goods....N.J.S. 56:8-2. Strong Spas on its website promises "years of enjoyment, worry-free" and boasts about the "quality" and "durability" of its products. These promises do not ring true. 
4. On January 6, 2016, in an email sent to me at 3:53pm, Strong customer service representative Darrell B[redacted] provided me with the following advice from Strong's R&D Department regarding cleaning the stains in my defective hot tub: 
REPLY FROM R&D DEPARTMENT:
Always start off with the least aggressive method and work your way up. I would try your suggestion [low suds cleaner and a magic eraser] first and if that does not work, go to a more aggressive solvent. If that does not work, the sure fire method is actual material removal. Resin is the same color throughout, so sanding with gradual reduction in coarseness to eventual polish would leave shell in like new condition if done correctly.
I called [redacted] after that email and asked him who would he suggest to perform such "sanding" work. He suggested that I call a Strong Spas recommended local servicer in my area, [redacted] (Telephone ####-###-####). 
Strong Spas customer service representative Darrell B[redacted] again reiterated in a follow-up email to me on January 8th, 2016, at 9:16am that “Sanding with gradual reduction in coarseness to eventual polish would leave shell in like new condition if done correctly”.
When I texted [redacted] (the professional that Strong Spas recommended to me) on February 11, 2016, to ask whether he would repair my hot tub by "sanding" it, [redacted] texted me back that he "would not suggest sanding" my hot tub as a course of action.
So perhaps Strong Spas should get its story straight. Strong's R&D Department suggested that I should "sand" my brand new acrylic hot tub shell, whereas Strong Spa's own recommended servicer TOTALLY CONTRADICTED this and told me that the hot tub shell should NOT be sanded. 
 
In conclusion, my suggestion is that Strong Spas take back their defective spa, at their own cost (including shipping), and return my $2000. 
Alternatively, Strong Spas may REPAIR our spa, at their own expense, and restore the inner shell to a stain-free condition and ensure that such staining does not happen again. 
 
I am eager for this matter to be concluded ASAP.  
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Strong Spas has Shipped [redacted] a new spa.  The tracking number is via [redacted]  Nevin ** P[redacted]National Sales ManagerStrong Spas3204 Point Township DriveNorthumberland, PA 17857[redacted]@strong9.com###-###-#### EXT: [redacted]###-###-####...

 CELL

As we are now able to get refunded for our purchase we accept their response.  A final copy of the email is attached.
[redacted]/[redacted],
Costco.ca  has also been in contact with us, I let them know that we are having a carrier pick up the spa tomorrow and at the time it was unclear to me if you were going to request a refund or replacement.
If you have already let them know you are requesting a refund, [redacted].ca will process the refund for you.
I also would like to apologize for the issues you had trying to have this problem resolved.
Good luck in your new home.
Thank you,
 
[redacted]
###-###-####/###-###-####-fax 
A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted] And [redacted]

To whom it may concern:  Strong Spas Rockport Premium sold by [redacted] is built under a UL Listing Product.  Strong is sorry you need warranty work on your spa.  We have a customer warranty  team in place and a respond by customer service, govern by dates purchased and...

customer registration is bonded by a written warranty.  Strong will address your questions as follows:
Foamed in heater lines:  [redacted]
Water Group produces all of our control boards / heater assemblies. 
[redacted] is the single largest producer of spa control packs in the industry, and
has all of their systems UL tested prior to distribution.  The heater is
contained within the control pack, so there are no external wires to the heater
that can be buried in foam.  Furthermore the electrical connection is
raised well above the floor with “foot pads” and the only electrical connection
made into the pack is required to be GFCI protected
Filter System :      The
floating weir design is produced by [redacted] Plastics, which is also the
producer of the water pump in question.  This filter is designed to meet
all UL testing requirements, and is meant to be used in conjunction with the
water pump.  This filter is placed prior to the pump so that debris is not
able to enter and damage the pump if introduced into the spa water
Our Testing :    The components used all meet UL requirements and the
combination of these within a spa are then further tested and given a listing
number by Intertek testing labs.   All of our spas are built in
accordance with ETL standards and our listings can be found at Intertek’s
website. 
Please if you need  further assistance please contact our customer service at ###-###-#### or from our website, parts maybe ordered from www.strongspas.com

I purchased one of these almost three months ago. It was damaged and broken from day one. Nice product with horrible service. Just put out like 15th request to finish up details of problems. Finally was told how to fix a problem by myself. I did no big deal but took weeks to get answers. They did finally help fix another problem with a batch of filters that had to be bad. Look over your shell good if you go this route. If it is damaged in any way don't accept we will get it fixed in any way. Unfortunately buyer be ware. Because of service follow through (this is my very first logged complaint) I would never buy this again. Good product crap service follow through.

Review: 47 days waiting for a repair, and the Spa is not repaired yet!I bought an [redacted] Spa [redacted] from [redacted] in May 2013. Unfortunately, in less than a year and a half, the SPA had two major mechanical issues. This first defect was repaired to my satisfaction. However, I called the service department on September 2nd and reported than we had yet another issue with the SPA. The STRONG person who answered the phone was very professional and promised to send a technician to check it out and do the repairs. I had to call another 3 times before I was informed that they found someone. When I called back a 4th time, I was told that the technician had called me on my cell phone but I did not return the call. Unfortunately, my cell did not show any inbound from the technician or the service company. Nevertheless, I called the service company 2 or 3 times and left messages. It seemed that it is a one-person service because the technician finally called me back to inform me that he was on vacation, and will not be able to make the repairs until September 26 or 24 days after my first call. After checking the damage (a burst pipe), the technician said that he will order parts and come back to make the repairs. Multiple phone calls later, the technician finally showed up on October 7 with the necessary parts and, big aha, discovered that he needed yet another part. I did not her back from the technician or your technical department until I called them back on October 18 to be told that the part has been shipped but they do not have any idea when the repairs will be made. We have been at this for over a month and a half and yet no end in sight. I had to call Strong service department 8 times and the technician no less than 6 times; yet our Spa is still not repaired. I think you will agree with me that this is poor customer service and it reflects negatively on the company. Meanwhile, the temperature is going down and we now have a risk of freeze damage.Desired Settlement: I expect that the Spa to be fixed to my satisfaction before October 29.. nearly 2 months after my first service call. I want the company to assume any damage due to freezing since I cannot winterize the Spa.

Business

Response:

I apologize for the delayed response. I will have a response to this case asap! thank you

Review: I contacted [redacted] at customer service on 5/20/14 and told him that I purchased a [redacted] spa, which was delivered last August to my house and now I have several leaks with the hoses and one (1) major leak with the gasket located on the motor. In addition, I told them that the 8 panels that came with it does not fit correctly. Several of them are soo large that they will not fit inside the panel holes and the others are too small for the holes and fall right out. [redacted] could not help me until my warranty information was inpthe information that was under my serial number was all wrong (name, address, phone number, etc) which had another name, address, etc listed instead of mine. He told me that he did not know how to do this so he would need to talk to someone to help him and would call me back that day. He never called back. Therefore; I called them on 5/21/2014 and talked to him who referred me to his supervisor [redacted]. I explained to her of what I said above and she put me on hold to make some phone calls for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. She finally came back and said we can not fix this under warranty because the company you purchased this off of purchased it off us without a warranrty. I also came to find out that the company I purchased the spa from is no longer in business, they went bankrupt. She said they could fix it if I pay for a service call $75.00, plus parts, plus $50.00 per hour. This only covered the leaks. The panels she said are not covered under warranty because the company or I never called them prior to my call on 5/20/2014 and informed them that I had a problem with the panels. I said the warranty information that she was telling me I was not aware of as that was never conveyed to me by anyone nor was it in writing. I told her what I do have is the warranty information that was given to me at the time of purchase which matches their information on their website that states less than a year from the date of purchase this defect (leaks) are covered under warranty and any defects with the shell (panels) is covereved lifetime. She apoligzed that she could not do anything more for me . I thanked her and hung up.Desired Settlement: To honor their warrantly information as it is published and the brochure that was given to me at the time of purchase.

Business

Response:

We have contacted the customer directly to resolve the issue. He will be retracting his complaint. The customer purchased a spa as is no warranty. The dealer that he purchased it through has since closed. This product was purchases through a third party retailer.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: I orderd a swimming pool 9 weeks ago and still do not have all the parts. We are wating on a 18x54 Pool liner. I am told that thay get a truck with pools and pool parts every tusday and thirsday that means that thay have had 18 trucks loads of pools and parts and we can not get the liner we need.Desired Settlement: I would like My money back so I can go and buy a pool. I know a place that has one in stock.

Business

Response:

this issue has been resolved and the customer has recieved all of the purchased products. we were having an issue getting the liner from our distributor. I have a signed document attached from the purchaser that the problem has been resolved.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,