Shopping for a spa in Canada can be a daunting experience. It can be confusing to work your way through multiple isles of spas without really knowing the differences between them. To help make your experience easier, here are five great buying tips. If you follow these tips, you can avoid falling into five common traps that many spa buyers make.
- The Online Price Trap
Many people are suckered into believing that the best spa prices are to be found online. Stores such as Amazon and its ilk have driven home the message that online retailers have lower overheads and can pass their savings on to the consumer in the form of lower prices. You can avoid this trap by educating yourself about the different types of spa on offer. Instead of a new spa, you may do just as well with a certified pre-owned spa that has been reconditioned and is sold with a full warranty on parts and labor. - The Price Point Trap
This trap is where shoppers look primarily at the price first, when selecting a spa. Avoid this trap by always trying a spa before you begin looking at prices. Ideally, you need to try a spa wet, but sitting in a dry spa is equally helpful. Are the seats comfortable? Are they deep enough? Does the spa have the hydrotherapy jets where you need them? Test spas before you buy and then start looking at price points, not the other way round. - The Jet-Price Trap
Instead of going out first and figuring out which spa fits you best, it’s easy to fall into the jet-price trap. You may see an ad for a seven-foot spa with a stereo, lights and 50 jets. To avoid falling into this trap, you really need to educate yourself about spa jets. When you read the word ‘jet’ in an advert, your first question should be ‘What type of jet?’. Cheap two-dollar jets are about the size of an Oreo cookie while good hydrotherapy jets are the size of a small bowl and contain dozens of nozzles. It’s really easy for manufacturers to pack in lots of tiny jets and then boast about their spa’s jet count. Always compare like for like and don’t fall into the jet-price trap. - The Claim To Fame Trap
Many showrooms make unsubstantiated claims about being the largest dealer in the area or about being the best company for customer service. None of that matters. You don’t want to save a few thousand dollars on a spa and then regret not buying a model with foot jets or shoulder jets if that’s what you really wanted. What matters is that you do your research and take your time to test spas and find the one that works best for you, even if that means buying a reconditioned spa to come in within your budget. - The Home Show Trap
We’ve all been to home shows in the hope of spotting a great deal, but few of us know how these shows work. Spa companies have to pay to rent the space, pay crews to deliver and set up the spas and then often pay sales teams to come in and sell. It’s unlikely that the ‘great deal’ you see on a spa is actually that great when you look at how much margin there needs to be to make the show worthwhile for the spa dealer. You can avoid this trap by shopping at your local dealer or looking for hot tubs in a factory-direct showroom. The overheads are lower and you are more likely to find a spa that actually fits you, as opposed to one that promises to save you a lot of money.
Conclusion
Knowing about these five spa buying traps should help you avoid making a decision you later regret. What do you think of our advice? Leave us a comment or question below!
