A great deal of costs and fees are associated with Home Shows. How can these shows offer you such amazing deals when they have to pay thousands of dollars just to rent a booth? Short answer; your pockets. The booth is just the start of what we find to be the enormous expense train that is spa shows. Once booth cost are paid, hot-tub "expo specialist" typically have to pay for electric, water usage, utility fees, etc Followed by sales men who are then paid between 3-10% depending on how bad you are finally "popped" for.. (more on this later)
Example: Salesperson Phil sold Adam his spa for $8,500. Because Phil did a good job at closing Adam without dropping his advertised price or offering him warranty coverage, Phil will get top commission for closing Adam at full pop.
So if you purchased a hot tub that is typically $6999 at a store you could pay upwards of a 15-25% premium and end up paying $8500 at a "special spa or home show".
Believe it or not there are "hired guns", sales people who travel from weekend to weekend to these shows and are programmed to close and take your hard earned money at all cost. These "hired guns" are generally instructed to say anything to close your deal. These hired guns typically live all over the country and are flown in for a weekend just for the event. Because these hired guns are not associated with a traditional, stable place of business, these sales persons can say almost anything with little, to no recourse. Pushy and aggressive behavior is typically an understatement. If you're not ready to fork over your hard earned cash, you're often considered useless to these "hired guns"...
Countless isles at a convention center, or long lines at a shopping mall are no place to make a relaxation investment of thousands of dollars to last for years to come. It is wise to make your decision in peace, and at your local brick and mortar we suggest you even schedule a private wet test of your desired model, or consultation in your own back yard before you accept delivery.
That's not an offer you'll hear from the hired guns at the hot tub booths. The invitation to try out the tubs at the home show is going to mean a dry run - not that you'd want to strip down to swimsuits there anyway - when what you really need is a "wet test" before you buy. You need to feel the jets and make sure the water depth fits your height and the seating fits your body.
Cattle Wranglers, Stockmen, or Sheep Musters are many nick names for the special weekend "sales representatives" given to the most successful spa show representatives. Many of these "cattle wranglers" at home shows will put on the pressure and close deals as fast as they can to earn their commission and keep your deposit. The claims and counterclaims for their products will boggle your mind. You are likely to hear that if you're not going to buy today, they can't help you because they work on commission, and that these deals "won't last". They'll try to sell you what's on hand, and if your order something like a custom color it could take months for delivery, that is if you receive it at all.
Don't fall for the "This price is only good right now!" When the "home show" price says 50 percent off, chances are that's their regular price you're looking at. Frequently the home show price is even higher than the "regular price" . The sellers have to recoup the high cost of the booth and expenses...from you.
The #1 most important factor in purchasing your hot tub. Quite possibly a "cattle wranglers" favorite customer, is the customer who fails to ask about service. Cattle Wranglers love not answering this question because these traveling shows don't have to offer you any service once the spa is delivered, and often are not liable to negative feedback or reviews once unsatisfying service is completed, if ever attempted at all. Traveling shows leave with the show, and often without a local showroom or anyone to answer to, much less provide service after the sale.
The #1 complaint of anyone from what we have read online is SERVICE after the sale.
A hot tub is often the third most expensive purchase many americans acquire trailing only your home, and your vehicle. A hot tub is not only fun, entertaining, or a show piece, but also an intimate, physical extension of its owner. It is highly inadvisable to make a purchase of such importance, and magnitude under stressful conditions and shenanigans put on by spa-shows. The ability to service a spa post-sale, is equally important to obtaining your desired hot tub for the best possible price. The lack of liability, and accountability that spa shows evade is simply unacceptable in this modern era of technology and information. Before buying from anywhere, especially a spa-show, ask yourself two questions. 1. "What will happen if everything I'm being told turns out to be inaccurate?" and 2. "How can I tell if the person selling me this hot tub has provided inaccurate information to the person, or town before me?"
It is our opinion that if you don't fall for the "sale", you will not only save yourself a great deal of money, but you may also find the opportunity to find your truly desired hot tub at your local brick and mortar.