Watkins Manufacturing Corp

Review: The hot tub arrived and was installed August 2013. Would not turn on. No help after dozens of calls to Watkins Manufacturing. Finally, they sent me a replacement power supply cord, but I had to search for a repairman. Found one and he was able to repair the hot tub and it ran for the first time. I paid the repairman out of pocket. No help whatsoever from Watkins Manufacturing. Now a control knob is leaking. Dozens of calls to Watkins Manufacturing for this new issue has gotten me no where. Watkins Manufacturing customer service has done nothing to address these issues.Desired Settlement: Watkins Manufacturing must come to my home and remove the hot tub and reimburse me for the purchase price, installation labor costs and repair costs I paid out of pocket.

Business

Response:

Thank you for advising Watkins Mfg. of a Revdex.com complaint filed by [redacted] of Fortson, Georgia. As an initial aside, though she stated that her spa was delivered in August 2013, the transport service that delivered her spa confirmed that they brought it to Ms. [redacted]'s home on July 17, 2013. Our records show that her first call to Watkins was in August 2013 and that she spoke to [redacted]., Service Rep. [redacted] mailed a new power cord to Ms. [redacted] that same day, at no charge. We did not hear from her again until she spoke with [redacted] A., Service Rep in February 2014. [redacted] sent a replacement knob to Ms. [redacted] at no charge. That part was, most likely, en route to her when she submitted her complaint to the Revdex.com.

Though Ms. [redacted] stated in her complain that she had placed "dozens" of calls to Watkins for assistance, we do not have record of multiple calls from her. We have since spoken to representatives at Lifesmart and Lowe's, where she purchased the spa, thinking that she had, perhaps, been calling one of those locations.

[redacted]., Service Rep, did call Ms. [redacted] on March 6th to confirm that the spa did not require any further parts. He also provided her with the name and contact information for the authorized service provider in her area. [redacted] said that he confirmed that Ms. [redacted] understood at the end of the conversation that she was to contact that service provider to schedule a mutually acceptable service date/time for a spa repair. She was also advised that she will be responsible for the labor to install the parts sent to her by Watkins.

We were sorry to read that Ms. [redacted] was not happy with the service she received from Watkins; we were glad to send parts to her at no charge in August 2013 and in February 2014. With the work done by the skilled technician, we do not anticipate that her spa will require further service. If it should, the local dealer is available to assist her.

Best regards,

[redacted], Specialist

Watkins' Consumer Service Center

Review: I purchased a hot tub in PA.,from one of their dealers in 6/2009.

By 8/2009 I had problems with the hot tub working. After 3 service trips leading up to 11/2009 two pressure switches and a pump was replaced that burned out.I contacted the deal and left many messages and also [redacted] customer service with no return call. Again in 2010 experienced more problem, I called the dealer and got play off and no visit.In 10/2010 the same motor that was replaced 11months before again burned out.Dealer replaced. I again called and emailed customer service no return calls but eventually I got an email saying [redacted] talked to their dealer and the dealer said I was satisfied. I never said that .I said I had a lemon,and for over a year I can not got anyone on the phone. Again in 2/2014 the motor burned out again. I called the dealer and was told $700 plus labor to install. So I spent $7600.00 on a hot tub and in 4 years6months I had to install 4 pumps.These pumps by the makers standards are to last 7 to 10 years not 1 year, or 11 months, or 4 months. I also noticed defects in the structure so I took pictures and forwarded them to customer service at [redacted]. I was basically told well that's what happens after 5 winters /summers . And that my tub was not defective or a lemon. I spent a lot of money and is it understood that after $7600.00 and the 2 year warranty that I was to spend about $1000. a year to keep replacing motors on this tub.Desired Settlement: I asked from the first 3 months of ownership to the dealer and [redacted] the maker for a replacement.

If they have such a great product than I got the 1 in 5000 that was not.

I would like to gather other people that had these problems and get a class action suit against them for a refund

Business

Response:

[redacted], [redacted] Spa/[redacted] Install Date 6-14-2009

Thank you for notifying [redacted] Mfg. of a complaint filed by Mr. [redacted] about his LaPalma model spa. A part of Mr. [redacted]'s spa purchase was a limited warranty that provided for the parts and labor to resolve manufacturing defects for various periods of time, e.g. Shell Leak Warranty for 5 years, Plumbing Leak Warranty for 2 years, Component Warranty for 2 years, etc. There is no warranty provision for the complete replacement of a spa for any reason.

[redacted] does not agree with Mr. [redacted]'s assertion that his spa is a "lemon". During his Component Warranty coverage period, the 2 speed pump was replaced two times, in November 2009 and again in September 2010. The pressure switch was also replaced under warranty, at the same time as the pump, in November 2009. These are the only services the spa required during warranty. [redacted] would certainly prefer that no spa require service but we offer a warranty because we know that sometimes it is required.

[redacted] did first hear from Mr. [redacted] in September 2010 at which time we worked with his dealer to ensure the spa was repaired and working well. We did not hear from Mr. [redacted] again in March 2014. In his spa review of 3-7-14, he submitted commentary that was rejected by the 3rd Party site moderator for including money amounts, one of their criteria for rejecting a submission. This only served to upset Mr. [redacted] further. I tried to explain to him that this rejection occurred before his survey made it to [redacted], but he has continued to send negative comments to various websites.

On March 20, 2014, I emailed Mr. [redacted] to address each of his claims and complaints about the LaPalma spa. I also advised that I have reviewed his spa's service history with [redacted], the senior technician at his local dealership in Pennsylvania. [redacted] has confirmed that the spa has not required service or parts replacements since 2010. To the best of our knowledge, the spa has worked without incident or service need from September 2010 until February/March 2014.

To bring this matter to a resolution, I have advised Mr. [redacted] that since it has been three-and-a-half years since they have seen the spa, [redacted] will pay for a service call by the authorized dealer to assess the overall condition of his spa and to advised Mr. [redacted] what will be needed to bring the spa into good working order. He can then determine what he wants to do. I further advised him that [redacted] will determine with the dealer how we may participate to def[redacted] his expenses for the repair needed. As his spa's warranty for components did expire in 2011, Mr. [redacted] may want to have the spa services by another technician of his own choosing; if he does have work done by a party other than the authorized dealer, he will need to negotiate all costs directly with that party.

Best regards,

[redacted], Specialist

[redacted]' Consumer Service Center

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Regards,

I contacted the Dealer and [redacted] in February this year about the repeated problems that occurred with this model hot tub. Yes under the 2 year warranty they put in 2 replacement pumps after the brand new one from [redacted] the maker of the hot tub went bad for a total of 3 motors in less than 2 years. Communications did break down in 2011 because of no return phone call by the dealer and the maker [redacted].All I received was an email from [redacted] saying they contacted the dealer and he said I was satisfied. I called many times in the first year and second year of ownership asking for the owner "DAN" at their Dealership and I received no return call back.Again in February of this year when the motor went bad again.I got a return call from the dealer days latter telling me the motor would cost $700. plus install. I went with buying the motor myself and I installed the new motor.I waited weeks for a response from [redacted] and got nothing. After I tried to write a negative review is when they sent me an email saying oh they are sorry to here this ,but I don't have a lemon. I do not see it this way. The Facts a $7600. purchase price of a hot tub that is on its 4th. pump in 4years 6 months of ownership. So it is ok to spend almost $8000. and on average replace a motor every year for over $700. plus install for the rest of its life.

NO its not ok ,its a LEMON

POOR SERVICE BY DEALER AND HOT TUB MAKER NOT TO RECOGNISE THIS

OH on 3/20/2014 by this service rep. I was told they were going to call me on a Monday 3/24/14 to set up that free service visit to look at the Hot tub.Never happened. In the mean time I purchase a replacement pump,and installed it myself.

The Tub broke in February in the state of Pennsylvania the temperature were below freezing and I could not wait for [redacted] and there story's to continue.The pump that broke was responsible for circulating the heat in the tub.No pump no heat the water would have frozen and destroyed the shell.

Again I will always refer this Hot Tub as a LEMON,and how the [redacted] company did not recognize this.

Business

Response:

Prior to his Revdex.com rebuttal on 4-7-14, Mr. [redacted] accused [redacted] of less-than-honorable business practices and deception. Now he discloses for the first time that he has been purchasing spa pumps from a source(s) other than the authorized dealer and has worked on the spa himself. He complained in emails that "...there must be some miscommunication between you [[redacted]] and your dealer. I have had more repairs than that," and "It seems 2 to 3 years after selling the hot tub the maker finds out the parts are bad and switch to different ones" and "why in 4 years,and 8months this tub burned through 4 pumps."

Now we know that there was no miscommunication between [redacted] and the dealer; that the spa service history held by both is accurate. The dealer has only replaced the pump twice, not the four times claimed by Mr. [redacted]. The dealer has not replaced any parts on this spa since December 2010. Because he has installed parts he purchased elsewhere, [redacted] has no way of knowing why his spa may have "burned through 4 pumps."

[redacted] has no way of verifying whether the parts Mr. [redacted] has been purchasing from independent sources since December 2010 were new, refurbished or correct for his spa. It is a moot point at this time. As the spa is 2.5 years beyond component warranty coverage and has been worked on by someone other than an authorized service provider, [redacted] rescinds our recent request of the authorized dealer that they evaluate the current condition of this spa. It will be up to the authorized dealer whether they want to provide further component service to this spa should Mr. [redacted] request it.

[redacted] has fully honored the warranty that was a part of the spa purchase in 2009. One portion of coverage remains in affect through June 2014, that of the 5 Year No Leak Shell Warranty. Should this spa's shell need a leak repair prior to July 1, 2014, Mr. [redacted] should contact the authorized dealer to determine the cause of the leak and advise him if it will be covered by the warranty.

We appreciate Mr. [redacted]'s purchase of a spa from an authorized dealer five years ago and are disappointed that neither the product, the local dealer or [redacted] met his expectations. He does have a wide choice of other spa brands to choose from when he is ready to purchase again; we wish him well in that endeavor.

Review: Purchased a Hot Springs Spa from Atlantic Spas in Raleigh NC. Product to manufactured by [redacted] and was shipped from CA to residence. Within a month after having the hot tub we have nothing but trouble with maintaining the water system. Water remains cloudy after following the maintenance instructions. Local dealer completes system start up. Continue to have to use an abundance of chemical to maintain any clarity of the water. The dealer came out to drain the tub, complete a terminal cleaning and refilled with a pre-filter and switched chemicals to a more expensive product. Within 3 weeks water was cloudy with a yellow film like substance that builds up on the foam that created and within the filter box. We clean filters weekly to clean any build-up. Local dealer has had impeccable cust service, however, [redacted] has not engaged even with the pressure from the local dealer. We purchased the tub for 6800.00 and have not been able to enjoy it. [redacted] reach out to us over 30-days ago with no follow up.The have taken samples of our water and [redacted] has yet to follows up. In speaking with out local dealer, they feel the tub is potentially defective citing past issues with the acrylic coating or plumbing system.Desired Settlement: Replacement. -

Business

Response:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. [redacted]'s Revdex.com complaint about cloudy water issues in his new HOT SPRING Jetsetter model spa, serial #[redacted]. Per the spa's serial number, it was manufactured during the 4th Quarter of 2013 and shipped to the authorized dealership on March 7, 2014. It was installed at Mr. [redacted]'s home on March 24, 2014. The issues of cloudy water, foamy water, and discolored water are not created by the fact of the spa or by the operation of the spa when filled with water and heated. Water issues are caused by an interaction between the water put in the spa and any other substance that is either in the spa's plumbing or on the spa's shell surface or in the water source (well, city or lake water). We are, frankly, stumped on what might be causing the water in this particular spa to discolor and foam. Mr. [redacted]'s locally authorized dealer has been terrific in their focus and efforts to flush, clean and refill the spa to no avail.[redacted] is currently investigating whether, during the manufacturing process, a topical cleaning or polishing agent was applied to the shell of the spa while the spa was on the production line. We have seen this condition on a few spas, but in no consistent order or pattern of production. If there was a substance in the water we use to fill and test the spas, we believe we would see the same cloudy water issues on all the spas manufactured on a given day or during a specific period of time and this simply is not the case. I have now spoken to Mr. [redacted] and to Ms. [redacted] at the authorized dealership to advise that even though the spa is not the cause of the cloudy, foamy water, we will be providing a new Jetsetter spa at no charge to Mr. [redacted]. The dealer will receive delivery of the new spa and take it to the [redacted] property; the dealer will remove the original spa, serial #[redacted], from the property on that same trip. Once the new spa is in place at Mr. [redacted]'s location, [redacted] will continue to work with the dealer to determine the disposition of the original unit. [redacted] does appreciate Mr. [redacted]'s purchase of a Hot Spring spa and does sincerely apologize for the lapses in communication with him about the matter. Though we were conferring with our engineers and testing lab in the meantime, we could have done a better job in keeping Mr. [redacted] informed along the way. With the provision of the new spa to Mr. [redacted], we believe that this matter will be closed. Should he have additional questions or concerns, Ms. [redacted] and her team at the dealership remain available to directly assist Mr. [redacted]; [redacted] remains available to consult as needed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: Hot Spring Spa (Prodigy) purchased in 2007. Spa has a faulty ozonator which service has failed to repair. The product is seven years old and that is how long the problem with the ozonator has been going on. Now it is out of warranty. The ozonator is now only working intermittently. Conversation with the Hot Spring Spa service contractor has been tumultuous.Desired Settlement: Watkins Mfg Hot Spring Spas service contractor has been unable to fix problem in seven years. Watkins Mfg. should replace the ozonator free of charge due to it having been a problem since the purchase of the spa.

Business

Response:

Thank you for notifying Watkins of a recent complaint filed by Ms. [redacted] of Phoenix, AZ.

Ms. [redacted] owns a spa that she purchased in Sept. 2007. A part of her purchase was an accessory called an "ozonator", an optional part that is not required for the proper, safe operation of a spa. An ozonator is not a stand-alone water sanitizer; rather, it is used with granular or stick chemicals, different water chemistry routine choices available to all sap owners.

The ozonator accessory came with a one year warranty from Watkins that began with the delivery of her spa in September 2007 and ended as of September 2008. Though one of her comments in her Yelp review and in her Revdex.com complaint narrative she alludes to a five year warranty, the ozonator had a one year warranty and was not covered by her spa's 5Year Component warranty. The Spa Warranty Terms & Limitations sheet specifically advises that "Spa covers and other spa accessories are specifically excluded from this warranty, although they may be covered by other warranties. Please check with your Hot Spring dealer for details." The 5 Year coverage for the vital components in her spa, e.g. the heater, circulation pump and jet pump, did expire as of September 2012.

Ms. [redacted] first contacted Watkins about her ozonator in May 2014, 5 and 1/2 years beyond the expiration of the ozonator's warranty coverage. As her first contact did not include any identifying information, I invited Ms. [redacted] to provide more information, e.g. her name, spa serial #, delivery date, so that I could pull her specific warranty service records and speak with the local service provider in Phoenix. While I did do a record-search and did speak with Paul [redacted], the service provider in Mesa, AZ, I am remiss in providing a response before now. For that, my sincere apologies to Ms. [redacted].

Using her name and spa serial #, I found that no service provider has ever submitted a warranted-service claim to Watkins in her first 6+ years of ownership. Mr. [redacted], her locally authorized service provider, submitted information to me last week that show his first service to this spa was in February 2009, one and half years after the spa was delivered and five months after the ozonator warranty expired. Mr. [redacted] charged (and Ms. [redacted] paid) for his service trip and the ozonator check valve that was replaced during the February 2009 call. Mr. [redacted] stated that while he made other trips, he only charged for 3 calls, that first one in February'09 and then one in June'09 and another in June'13. Other than those 3 trips, he has provided all service to the [redacted]es at no charge.

Mr.. [redacted] further reported that upon his inspection of the spa over the years, the frequent cause for non-operation of the ozonator and jets was not due to a malfunctioning of the spa but directly due to dirty filters, clogged tubing or an airlock in the plumbing line, all conditions directly due to the spa owners. Mr. [redacted] cleaned their filters, unclogged the ozone tubing, etc. at no charge to the [redacted]es when the work could have been done by them. Though Ms. [redacted] states in her Yelp complaint that "we never knew how he fixed it", Mr. [redacted] asserts that he explained the proper water chemistry and filter cleaning techniques to the [redacted]es on multiple occasions, showing them how they could prevent the need for service calls in the future.

While Mr. [redacted] came to their home several times over the years and provided non-warranted service/assistance, he chose not to charge Ms. [redacted], nor bill Watkins for his work except for the 3 occasions mentioned above. He has recently performed a service call and identified the GFCI as needing replacement. Though Ms. [redacted] complains that Mr. [redacted] charged her $120 for the first call and an additional $149 in May'14 to return to the site with the correct part, Mr. [redacted] is adamant that this is incorrect information; that she was not charged for the second visit.

In closing, Ms. [redacted]'s complaints focus on the performance of the ozonator, an optional accessory not required for proper operation of the spa. During the first 6+ years of spa use, neither Ms. [redacted] nor any authorized service provide contacted Watkins or submitted a warranted service claim ticket for any spa component or accessory. As her ozonator is now 6-7 years old, it is likely that it no longer produces much or any ozone. While it may still product bubbles, it is likely that these are oxygen bubbles that have not been converted to ozone.

Watkins will not provide any replacement components or accessories for this spa at no charge. As there is no further accessory or component warranty coverage and she has stated she does not trust the locally authorized service provider, Ms. [redacted] is free to hire a spa service provider of her own choosing.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint. We thank Ms. [redacted] for her spa purchase in 2007 and will continue honor that portion of her spa warranty that remains in effect. As an ozonator is not required for the proper operation of her spa, she can choose to either purchase a new ozonator or choose a different water chemistry routine for use in her spa. For non-warranty service, she may choose to hire the authorized service provider or hire an independent provider of her own choosing.