Most Internet-savvy people will by now have bought at least one CD or similarly low-value item over the Internet, and have probably felt pretty comfortable doing so. But how would their blood pressure fare if the mouse pointer was hovering over the ‘Buy Now’ button for a product costing a few thousand pounds – a hot tub, for example, and they hadn’t even seen one in the flesh, let alone tried it out? Spasearch takes a look at the whys and wherefores of online hot-tub purchase.
Risking your shirt?
Internet shopping is undoubtedly quick and easy. In fact, a significant percentage of the UK population will have done most or all of their Christmas shopping on the Internet at the end of last year. Simply select the products you require, click on the Buy button, and after supplying your credit-card and address details, your purchases materialise via the post or a courier within a few days.
Which is all very well for relatively low-priced and low-risk items such as books and CDs, but what about when the stakes are much higher – for example, when the sum of money concerned has three (or possibly even four zeroes) on the end of it? Would you seriously be prepared to risk a significant slice of your annual income with a company that you’ve never dealt with before, may never even have heard of, and possibly can’t even visit?
There are three overriding reasons for the growth in Internet purchases in general: convenience – you can buy almost anything you can think of without having to move from your computer screen; choice – online shopping potentially gives you a choice of tens of brands; and perceived lower selling prices, normally due to the lower overheads of online retail operations.
Price prize?
Of the three, price is the most questionable where something like hot tubs are concerned. If you’re buying a CD online, then it almost doesn’t matter where you buy it, as the product will be the same from everyone. But with hot tubs, there is a whole host of different models made in different ways by different companies – all claiming to offer the best insulation, most jets, most durable construction, easiest water treatment, and so on. As the director of Catalina Spas, Stephen Crabb, says: “Price can be an advantage when buying hot tubs online, but it’s not an advantage if the product is inferior or even a complete pup.”
Most reputable spa brands in the UK sell only through networks of approved dealers, so genuine discounts from these brands are likely to be relatively small, and will probably also be mainly focused on run-out or ex-demo models – neither of which may appeal to many buyers. If an online price is really low – say, well under £2000 for a supposed family model – check the product’s origin and construction carefully to satisfy yourself that quality, post-sales support and spare-parts supply are likely to be satisfactory.
That said, Chris Harris of spa distributor Certikin International fully acknowledges that price can be a perceived advantage of buying over the Internet, but says realistically: “If you’re coming into an already crowded market, how else can you differentiate yourself? Whether we like it or not, the Internet is not going to go away, so we have to learn to live with it. You might as well try to get rid of mobile phones; it’s clearly not going to happen.”
The perceived problems of buying hot tubs online are acknowledged by Alex Kemsley, managing director of the online hot-tub retailer HotTubs2Buy.co.uk, but he still believes that the service he can offer offsets any difficulties: “I do have to agree to some extent that buying over the Internet can be risky,” he says. He advises customers to consider the country of manufacture (tubs made in the US tend to be more reliable and safer than those manufactured in the Far East); ensure the replaceable components are industry-standard in the event of failure; only buy from a specialist hot-tub company to ensure in-depth knowledge; check the warranty, and make sure it includes parts and labour. “If a customer follows these four points, they mitigate the risk of buying online,” says Alex.
Customer experience
Spasearch has been in touch with several spa buyers who have made their purchase over the Internet. To begin with, here is one that has had the kind of experience that many of us dread: “I did buy my hot tub over the Internet after a site visit to my home… I paid the initial deposit and then the full amount by mid-July, looking forward to the expected delivery date of six to eight weeks. August, September and October came and went, and by early November things were really worrying. On 6 November it finally arrived, but with various bits missing or not working. I have always had to contact [the supplier] and the lady on the phone line treats me as an idiot. I have lost count of the stories I have been told.”
Another Internet purchaser loved the purchasing experience, but berates the post-sales service: “The experience of buying a hot tub over the net was made very easy by a good-quality website followed up by a friendly voice at the end of the phone,” he says. “The after-sales service we have received since we bought the tub has been absolutely terrible and we have had to use a competitor base in a garden centre to service our needs, and after six months we still have outstanding issues. We have had countless phone conversations with the company and they always promise to come back to me with a delivery date. If you buy from a shop, you may pay more, but you can always go back and make a noise if you don’t get the service.”
Dominic Adams of Golden Coast, which exclusively distributes the American Marquis Spas range in the UK, sees lack of public knowledge of spas as a powerful reason for not going down the online purchasing route for spas and hot tubs: “Unless someone is a second-time owner, they will be ignorant of what constitutes a good or a bad spa, and any online FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are likely to be loaded towards the brand,” he says. “Another point to bear in mind is that some online retailers are keen to sell you a spa, but won’t ask you questions such as how you’re going to get it into your garden. If you talk to a retailer face to face, they will tell you these things.”
His comments are illustrated by the following case of a buyer who purchased his spa online through the UK subsidiary from a company Down Under. “The main company were and have (since) been very good at offering assistance,” he says. “The subsidiary is a one-man band acting as a shipping agent and offering absolutely no assistance whatsoever – useless! There was a six-week delay because of shipping problems and the popularity of the colour I wanted. The hot tub arrived in the back of a lorry to the kerbside only – which for some people could be very troublesome as the company doesn’t warn you of this, nor do they offer any additional service other than a roadside delivery. Luckily for me it was straightforward to wheel it to its site. Otherwise, everything else seems to be fine, with good instructions and a quality product.”
Online shop window
Many customers clearly use the Internet to get an idea of the products and prices that are on offer, and then go into a traditional retail store to make the actual purchase: “I found the Internet very helpful in aiding me in making a shortlist of spas that I was interested in,” says another customer. “I then went to visit and try out a number of spas from very expensive to relatively low cost. I eventually bought a [xxx] hot tub as it suited my needs, was a good price, and the sales team gave expert advice with no hard sell. I have had my hot tub now for six months and it has been trouble-free and used almost daily.
This is borne out by Certikin’s Chris Harris, who says, “The main advantage of the Internet is as a fantastic world-wide window for your products. With all the hygiene regulations that are now rightly in place, Internet companies can’t hide. The Internet in general is a force for good, but with a spa, buyer beware. Unless you are sure the product satisfies your needs, you’re likely to be opening a can of worms. You get more peace of mind by going to a dealer – it’s someone you can have a rapport with.”
Likewise, Catalina Spas’ Stephen Crabb emphasises that buying from a traditional spa showroom means you can see exactly what you’re going to buy, you can touch and try what you’re going to buy, and you also get the face-to-face contact that creates a positive relationship between seller and buyer.
Chris Harris makes the interesting observation that more and more spas are being sold on finance, which can’t be arranged over the Internet: “One dealer I know sells 80% of his spas on finance,” he says. “Interestingly, a lot of people who buy on finance don’t actually set out to buy a spa, but when it’s put in terms of ‘For just £10 a week, you can have this in your back garden to enjoy when you want’, they are really sold on the idea.”
Best of both worlds
Perhaps, though, you’re very keen on the idea of purchasing on the Internet, but you’d feel a whole load more comfortable with some credible contact from your chosen online retailer to give you the confidence that you’re dealing with a reputable outfit? If so, it would be worth your while contacting a company such as Southern Spas, near Salisbury.
While Southern Spas happily take orders over the Internet, they go to great lengths to make sure that their online customers get exactly what they want: “We get in touch by phone or email with every customer that orders via the Internet,” says the company’s Anne Selby. “We find it pays to contact our customers to make sure that the product they have ordered is just right for them, and to ensure that they have the correct electrical supply, or a base of sufficient thickness, or whatever. We even ask them to our showroom so they can try the product for themselves. It obviously costs us to do it, but we find that our online approach benefits us in the long run.”
Auction adventure
Of course, if you’re feeling REALLY bold, you could always go the eBay route, which is what one customer from Leicestershire has done. Having conducted his research and decided on a certain brand of new hot tub, he happened to do an eBay search while making his decision and found the seller of a fourteen-month-old unit. The item didn’t sell, and the customer contacted the seller at the end of the auction. He got the seller to deliver the spa to the local dealer in Leicestershire so they could service it, clean it and transport it and install it. The customer reckoned he saved £5000 on a brand-new model.
Try before buy
Whatever your chosen Internet route, unless you talk to someone such as Southern Spas, it’s unlikely you will be able to try before you buy, and at the end of the day, Certikin’s Chris Harris feels this is something you must do: “A spa that looks great in the photos may not be so great when you sit in it,” he says. “By definition the design of spa seating is a compromise, being tailored to a ‘typical person’, so you need to try a spa to make sure you fit it.”
