HotSpring Spa of North County

I am updating because I found a great spa guy to come out and fix our spa who charged me about $ 350 less than the quoted price from HotSpring Spa of North County. One of the reasons why it was so much cheaper is because the new Spa guy was able to switch out the heating element only, rather than replacing the entire heater– WHICH THE OWNER OF HOTSPRINGSPA OF NORTH COUNTY SAID WAS NOT POSSIBLE!!!
Hot Spring Spa of North County has proven themselves to be overly aggressive, incompetent, untruthful, and not particularly helpful. Seriously– if I had to do it all again, I would purchase from some other place.
I also noticed that only good reviews are active for this store. Makes me wonder if they are reporting the bad reviews to make them «go away».

Carsten, the owner: I could tell you some things about this guy. He’s the owner, and even though he’s an older gentleman, he knows hot tubs. If you aren’t careful, he’ll sell you a hot tub without you ever considering to buy one! Jokes aside, he’s old-​school when it comes to business, and he is a salesman. But he doesn’t rip off the customer at all, in fact he looks out for them by giving them «discounts» and informing them of the over-​priced add ons that are a waste of money. I would recommend doing research before coming into the store because Hot Springs Tubs are truly the best, and the product really sells itself. The store has excellent service and the tech guys are amazing, experienced and professional. They are truly the best part of the company. Hot Springs N. County offers delivery/​installation, transportation, repairs, delivery of chemicals and they will take away your old tub if you replace it. The store has a floor-​model of every tub Hot Springs has, and they sell a good variety of quality products. They also have furniture, outdoor furniture, saunas, chemicals, and basically everything you need when it comes to saunas, pools, and hot tubs. The employees are treated well, I know from first hand experience. When you need service done, ask for Luke or Mark. All around its a good store. But watch out for Carsten, he’s a slick one. Rest assured, he does know alot about tubs and saunas so he’s telling you the good and the bad if you come into buy.

My mom ordered a jacuzzi cover and although it took three more weeks than was quoted to install it the company was very nice when they came out.

Without question the ONLY place to buy a Hotsprings hot tub in San Diego county. When I decided to replace my old broken early 90s hot tub I did a lot of research both online and over the phone. The first thing I discovered was that Hotsprings was the tub to buy, based on everything from consumer reports to owner satisfaction ratings over 1, 5, and 10 years. The low cost of ownership because of industry leading insulation and dependency finalized the decision. The next step was which dealer, I called both in SD and even some in other states to make sure the pricing wasn’t fixed locally (it wasn’t) I called both dealers a number of times and while I received several incorrect answers from the centrally located dealers staff, I always talked to the owner a man named Carston at this location and was provided a wealth of information that was honest and accurate. It is now 1 week after having my spa installed and no matter what happened or how many questions I had the answer before during and after installation was always No Problem. For instance the breakers in my old sub box kept tripping, No Problem a licensed electrician came out at 7 am the next morning and swapped out the box at no additional charge. The techs that delivered and installed were knowledgable and patient. This is what making a large purchase for your home used to be like. If you buy a Hotsprings Hot Tub in San Diego and you. Don’t buy it here, you paid too much to the wrong person. I strongly recommend Carston and his team for all things Hotsprings.

Star rating changed due to threats via e-​mail. Original rating was one star, it should still be one star. I can’t take the daily pile of e-​mails from the faceless (I suspect, but do not know) marketing team. The bad review is deserved. Here is my review:
So, I decided to buy a spa. I shopped. I compared. I found Hot Spring Spa. I called and was treated, if not rudely, at least dismissively. Despite the fact that I was ready to drop $ 15,000 or so, I ignored that. I went online to see they were «award winning.» The «award» is from Consumers Digest. Consumers Digest, not to be confused with the reputable Consumer Reports, is a buy-​your-​review publication. So, between the tepid customer service and the dodgy «award» I left an appropriate review (accidentally confusing the two publications — apologies to Consumer Reports).
MONTHS later I received notice from Unilocal they had pulled my review for lack of personal experience. The same day I received multiple e-​mails from «Hannah» (who swears she does not work for the company) telling me about the nice old couple who run the business, accused me of having it in for the dear old couple, and of having no contact with the company, and then she vomited advertising for the store. I had to tell her (2x!) to leave me alone.
If Unilocal reps want to read the e-​mail string, they are welcome.
Next day, I went online and SURPRISE a new website.
I own a small business and know how hard it is to run one. I shop small whenever it is possible, even if I have to overpay to do it.
I have no problem with someone getting a new website or updating their image. I have no problem with a marketing person doing her job. I have a big problem with bullying. If they had approached me nicely and asked what they could do to make it better, I would have changed the review IMMEDIATELY. Instead, they ignored me for months and then blindsided me to get the review pulled. I did not deserve the first dose of «cranky» and I definitely did not deserve the second dose of «busybody.»
BTW I am buying a spa. From Costco.
After I posted this new review, David D picked up where Hannah left off. My e-​mail box is filling up with ugly e-​mails from… marketers? relatives? David says, «…you will leave this world a miserable hag who leaves poison everywhere you go.»
Hard to believe, but, 2 days later I heard from Hannah again. «Go away» does not seem to compute with her.
⁷⁄₁₂. Hannah is back (2x) now calling herself «nice G». Today she says «…I’m not going to be Mr. Nice Guys (sic) «. I’ve reported to Unilocal

Hot Springs of NC and Carsten did exactly as promised. He told me 2 weeks wait time I didn’t really believe it because just about every other dealers in So ca said it was a 4 – 5 weeks turn around time from date of sale.
Well 2 weeks it was on the dot and Carsten even offered to deliver on July 4^th but I opted for next day the 5^th. A 4 man crew came and did their job without any problems in exactly 2 hrs. This was all standard part of the sale’s price that included the nice cradle cover, the steps, starter cleaning kit, and a few rubber duckies.

We have been researching & shopping for a hot tub for a while but as somebody who never had a spa before, it was long & arduous journey as there are so many brands & models to choose from it can be very overwhelming.
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He had spent many years in Vietnam with the culture/​people and therefore made us very at ease and didn’t push any hard sale tactics.

The 1^st time I was in the store (last week) there was a puppy, he said it was his wife’s, it was barking he started yelling at it and then went and grabbed one of its toys and hit it with it!!! I should have left then
I went in today to return a few of the things I bought last week
I have never been treated so badly, This CRABBY man was actually yelling at me and shaking his finger in my face… (for buying a cover on line and not from him)
Not sure how they have been open this long but you can bet I will NEVER be there again. WOW in 55 years I have never been treated as badly as this…

I have been a longtime customer of Hot Spring Spa of North County and I absolutely love them! The staff is knowledgeable and very informative and I always can count on getting a truthful answer regarding parts, chemicals, service, etc. They have been in business since 1985 so they know their stuff. The service technicians and front desk personnel are all very knowledgeable and friendly. The prices are totally reasonable as they get all their parts and covers direct from the factory. The chemicals are of high quality. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy a spa or if you need parts or service for your Hot Spring Spa these guys are the way to go!

I contacted this business after seeing an ad for a spa sale. My first encounter on the phone was with a woman who was extremely rude. She apparently didn’t like that I had done my homework and found a particular high end spa for a better price elsewhere. I was hoping they would at least consider a price match. I like to spend my money locally and support the community I live/​work in, so I called back later in the day and got a different sales person (her husband). He was just as rude if not more so than his wife, which they also happen to be the owners. If this is how you’re treated before the sale imagine what it will be like if you ever need service. Beware!