Hot tub - issues - what would you do?

R

RubyBlueZ4MC

Veteran
 West London
Hello all!
After my thread earlier in the year we took into account all of your valued opinions (ok not the ones about pampas grass and nsfw pics) and ended up deciding to purchase a 4 person hottub from a special department at our local garden centre. It cost us over £4000.
It was installed 29 days ago and we absolutely loved it and were sure we made the right decision. However after 10 days and about 3 uses, the last where we took it up to its highest heat of 40 deg we noticed a crack near the filter which had appeared from no obvious actions (I know what you lot are thinking and no there was none of that!).
We immediately spoke to Which about our consumer rights and they advised us that since the product did not adhere to the expected quality standards and that we were within 30 days that our rights entitled us to request a full refund. We went for this option but the company offered us an exchange of another new product and as we had thoroughly enjoyed having the hottub we agreed on this. It was delivered today but the cable is not as long as the previous one and we cannot plug it in! Also they say that the lid needs to be changed as in theory our existing one should have fit but they are saying that this is a touch bigger and the clasps will not fit so they will arrange a new one to be delivered.
We are exasperated :headbang: and very aware of day 30 being tomorrow. We sent them an email with formal letter attached rejecting the product and then promptly received a phonecall from the owner saying she will endeavour to get the issues sorted asap and todays issues were not fed back to her by the delivery team. We are not sure what to do as logic tells us to save ourselves more hassle and reject and take refund. However, we are pretty sure she will agree to an elongation of the grace period where we can request a refund if there are issues should we chose to keep it. She quoted she wants happy customers regardless of our final decision. Personally I have lost confidence in the product as it shouldn't have cracked in 10 days of mild usage.
However we like the product in the time we have used it (see below) and want to keep it (without further issues). We have all agreed to sleep on it and chat tomorrow regarding decisions.
What would you clever people recommend?

19665289_10101560388226894_1264769495820377745_n.jpg
 
If you really want the hot tub (it sounds like you do) I would give the replacement a chance, it sounds like the seller is keen to do the right thing to make you happy with it & you have the guarantee to cover further issues.
I'd stick with it.
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
If you really want the hot tub (it sounds like you do) I would give the replacement a chance, it sounds like the seller is keen to do the right thing to make you happy with it & you have the guarantee to cover further issues.
I'd stick with it.
Rob
Click to expand...

This

They seem to want to help which is good.

I am guessing if it goes wrong after the 30 days you have a warranty too?
 
hopz121 said:
They seem to want to help which is good.

I am guessing if it goes wrong after the 30 days you have a warranty too?
Click to expand...

They have been decent in handling it so far yes.
There is a warranty for two years on the shell covering any water leaks and a one year warranty on the electrical bits. I need to clarify though whether the warranty would cover another chip forming in the shell for example, as that isn't a leak.
But if something did go wrong, would I end up kicking myself (read this as Ruby kicking me) for not getting rid of it, as even with warranty it would still be some form of hassle.
 
That's a risk you will have to take on the chin, something can go wrong with any purchase after a period of use :?
Rob
 
What do you do??? You stop wasting your time by taking photograph, then let the water feel your (plural) warmth.
 
if you have good response from the dealer then go with that, chances are many will listen to your calls and do ,,,,not a lot
 
sticky said:
if you have good response from the dealer then go with that, chances are many will listen to your calls and do ,,,,not a lot
Click to expand...

Yeah we've had past issues which is why we are cautious however this business is a family one and they really have been doing everything they can to resolve the issues rapidly up until now!
 
The seller appears to to be responding well to the issues. Of course that won't change the built quality of the product. My understanding of the 30 day rule, is it reboots each time you receive a new replacement, worth checking that for peace of mind, if you accept the replacement. :)
 
For the value of the product, and if there is no real inconvenience to you, I would try a replacement if offered. 30 days is only for a full refund and as long as you notify within that time it's an option for you - your preference though so you need to decide what you want.

Within 6 months a fault is presumed to have been present at the time of purchase and the burden of proof is reversed, i.e. the retailer must prove you caused the fault. If an attempt at repair or replacement has failed, you have the right to reject the goods for a full refund or price reduction - if you wish to keep the product.

If you have paid any amount for the product on credit card you also have the option to pursue your card issuer under s71 of The Consumer Credit Act - useful if the firm goes bust or to save the costs of enforcing against the retailer.
 
On a side note, how do you get in and out of your patio door as it looks completely blocked by your lovely new purchase :wink:

Stuart
 
Stuartt said:
On a side note, how do you get in and out of your patio door as it looks completely blocked by your lovely new purchase :wink:

Stuart
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Probably hard to tell from that pic but there was ample space in front of the open doors. In fact the fit was rather perfect.
 
Thank you all for your input, its nice to get opinions from knowledgable people when trying to make a big decision. We ended up deciding to take the refund as we didn't think we have full trust in the product anymore and would be waiting for something to go wrong. We are rather upset as we really liked it but don't think we can have anymore ongoing sagas after a few things going wrong over the past year and writing too many complaint letters. For a product that we thought would help with stress it just started causing too much of it. Maybe in a year or 2 we will think about looking elsewhere for a replacement.
 
If you do revisit hot tubs, consider hotspring. We are are really happy with ours and they come with a great warranty which we haven't had to use :thumbsup:
 
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