ComplaintsforHanson HotSpring Spas

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We have been trying to get our hottub fixed for nearly a year, but we've been serious about it since 9/2022, and its still unresolved. Our tub is 15 y/o and started becoming unreliable in maintaining heat. We called Hanson and was told we were not keeping our filters clean enough. The problem continued until the tub completely stopped heating in Sept. We called Hanson for a repair. ***** (Service) said he needed the tub empty to replace a heater. We drained & cleaned the tub in preparation. ***** changed the heater and left. When we filled up the tub and turned on the breakers, we had no heat. We called Hanson and informed them. A new heater board was order and replaced. As soon as ***** left, the 20 amp breaker to the tub kept tripping. It was constant & continuous. After a water change, the breaker would trip every 10 minutes. We called Hanson many times during the next few months trying to explain this wasn't normal and we are not hottub rookies. Hanson ********* kept troubleshooting with us over the phone or via email; resetting the tub, taking the filter out, putting the filter in, replacing the circuit breaker, purchasing ANOTHER filter and ion filtration. They were VERY INSISTANT the problem was our dirty filters and we were on our own. Finally, March 2023, we called another repair service in town and they found Hanson had installed a 25-amp heater on our 20-amp breaker, which caused the breaker to trip constantly. We called and told Hanson. ***** came that day to install a lower amp heater, but he had to pump the water out before installing it. When we filled the tub and turned everything on, we had no heat. We are completely back at square one, probably needing a new heater board. We've emailed and called Hanson and they have been unresponsive to this point. It's difficult to get them to respond by phone, email or in-person. This whole situation has been excruciating. We just want our tub working and to be done with Hanson forever.

  Business response

  03/22/2023

  A technician was dispatched to the ****** resident on September 9, 2022 for a call of tripping breaker and no heat.  With the assistance of the manufacturers technical support group, it was determined the heater in the 2007 spa was bad.  Because of supply chain shortages,the heaters were on back order, customer was informed of this.  Immediately upon receiving the heaters,September 19, the technician went out and replace the heater.  Unfortunately, he grabbed a 6KW heater instead of the 4KW heater by mistake, there is a 1-digit difference in the part number.  All of the paper work indicated the 4 KW heater had been installed.  It was also noted that the filter and the silver ion cartridge needed to replaced,both are wearable components of a spa.  On September 20 the customer contacted us had no heat and technician went out same day and replaced the heater board.  Because all paper work indicated that the heater was the correct wattage, the technician did not look.  When the Kochers called saying that a third-party technician determined the incorrect heater had been installed, the technician went out same day and installed the correct heater, that was March 10, 2023.  The spa had to be drained to install the heater.  On March 13, 2023 we received an email informing us the spa was leaking and the customer did not want us to touch their spa again, not giving us a chance to send the technician back out to identify the leak.  We understand the Kochers frustration, as we were frustrated also with not getting their spa up and running.  All components charged were needed for the repairs, with the exception of the heater board could have been caused by the incorrect heater.  That amount was $210.90, which we will refund.  We will also refund a reasonable amount for ****************** for the heater since we had not found that.

  Customer response

  03/23/2023

  I will submit the final repair receipt as soon as the repair has been completed. Replacement parts are on order which has delayed the repair. 

   

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** & ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They misdiagnosed my spa taking so long to fix the issue that it created other issues. They do not show up at scheduled day or time. Without my knowledge they saved my card on file and charged me another $500 for a part that I never ordered without my consent.

  Business response

  02/21/2023

  See attached timeline and response

  Customer response

  02/21/2023

   Before getting into it from the beginning, let me start by saying that the Spa was misdiagnosed according to the second employee Hanson sent out. On the first visit, in November, the first employee from Hanson opened the spa, told me I needed two parts and to call the office to make that purchase. I asked if there was anything that I should do until then and he said everything looks fine just make this purchase right away, which I did on that day. I kept calling to check in on the parts to avoid the spa from freezing since we were in very cold winter days. I wish they wouldve advised me on the first service call to winterize being that they are the professionals and I dont know anything about spa systems. I was told the parts arrived late December and that theyll call me right back to schedule. Due to their lack of calling back and me having to call again, they did not schedule me in until January. Again, I was not advised to winterize, I wouldve gladly paid if so. On the second visit, the second employee from Hanson came out before the scheduled service date because he was now assigned to this job and wanted to make sure of the diagnosis and what needed done. Thats when he realized that it was an electrical issue not a parts issue. He said because of the electrical issue the spa is struggling which could be confused for those parts malfunctioning. He attempted to open the spa to double check if the parts were even needed but could not do so because the first employee stripped the screws and he needed a power drill, that he did not have, to open it. I asked him if everything still looked ok he said yes but to get the electrician as soon as possible, NOT advising me to winterize. I called the electrician the same day but he could not get down here for three days and it took him another two days to get the job done. I wouldve fixed the electrical issue sooner if that problem was diagnosed. At this point many months, delays and cold winter days have passed. On the third visit, the second employee came out to finally install the parts but could not do so because now the lines were frozen. I asked to please empty the spa and he could not because his truck was not equipped for that. I called the office begging to send someone out here to empty the spa before other issues occurred, and they did at the end of the day. Now I am thinking the spa is safe and secured from the winter until we have warmer weather to complete the job. When we finally had good weather, I called and they scheduled me for January 16th. I waited all day for them and they were no call no show. I called the office the next day and thats when they scheduled me for the 19th at 10am because I told them thats the time I could be home. On the fourth visit, a third Hanson employee comes out to complete the job at 8:30am when my daughter was home alone. The office asked if it was ok for him to come in I said yes because my husband will be on FaceTime with her. He began to fill the tub but stopped and left since an adult was not home. He said he would come back at 10:30 but didnt come back till 3:00pm. He continued to fill the spa, installed the part, broke a light which he fixed at no cost because he admitted it was his mistake, and left. The next day he comes back to continue to work on it. At the time, he said he needed to drain the spa again, not sure why, did other things and left the spa filling up again. He told me that he could not wait for it to fill up because it would be an extra charge for that service. I told him I had to leave to an appointment but to leave it filling and once it is filled to where all the jets are covered Ill stop and power the spa back on. I stopped filling more than half of the way because I had a work meeting but I did not power the spa. That same third Hanson employee comes back without notifying me and knowing that will not be home and walks into my house to work. The cleaning ladies were and confused if they shouldve let him in. I asked how much longer they had and they said they were getting ready to leave to I told them to see the Hanson employee out because he was not allowed in my home alone. Once I got home, about an hour after that, I completed the filling process and started the spa back up, as instructed. As soon as I didnt that I got an error message on the spa. To complete this, at no point was my husband notified of another part. Also, none of us called the office, like the first time we needed parts, with a credit card to make this other purchase. Why was my card saved on file without disclosure? In addition, there are various state laws dealing with credit card fraud, falling under the umbrella of financial transaction card fraud. Thats why merchants will ask your permission to store your card information. Unlawful use of a financial transaction deviceencompasses credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, or other financial devices. This crime can be a ***** offense, misdemeanor, or a felony. A financial transaction device includes any instrument or device representing a financial account or affecting the financial interest of the account holder that can be used to obtain cash, goods, property, or services or to make financial payments.

  Complaint: 19419370
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  Please find attached a detail summary of the issues and a resolution. 

  Customer response

  02/27/2023

   We will be contacting our lawyer to take further actions. Since 2016 weve hired arrowhead spa to come monthly for maintenance and we have receipts to back it up. Never have we neglected our spa or had any issues till now. 
  Complaint: 19419370
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Transaction Date: 07/23/2022 Amount Paid: $2500 Deposit My wife and I were shopping around for a hot tub and stopped into Hanson Hot Spring Spas to see what the costs would be to purchase one. We were told they were having a sale when we arrived and was immediately pressured into putting a deposit down on a tub to lock in the sale price and secure a tub. We were assured that if we could not take delivery of the hot tub we would be refunded the deposit amount. While there we were also told that we would not be able to put it on our deck due to an over hanging roof that would block the crane from getting the tub in. Based on the information we were given at the time we signed the agreement with the impression we would have the cost to install electrical out to a pad in my yard and the cost of a rubber pad to put the tub on. Once we got home we reviewed our HOA documents and found out that we were not allowed per the bylaws to put the hot tub in the yard at the proposed location. We informed Hanson that we couldn't take delivery at that location. At this point they were suddenly more interested in getting the tub on the deck and sent out the owner to inspect it. He believed we could get it on there if we removed one of the railings and needed the crane company to confirm. After the crane company came out and confirmed they could get the tub on the deck we began researching the cost associated with getting the deck reinforced and wired up. At this point we were given quotes over $6000 for just installation which was beyond reasonable. We are now being told we have to either pay an additional $6000 on top of our deposit or lose our deposit completely. We discussed via email the deposit with Hanson and even offered to pay any expenses they incurred out of the deposit, however they still refuse to refund any of the deposit.

  Business response

  09/14/2022

  Mr. and ***************** were in our showroom on July 22, 2022,during which time the sales associate spent a considerable amount of time discussing their wants and need along with their budget, and discussed the spa that would meet these specifications.  They were informed of the specials going on, which included 36 month no interest financing with approved credit, which they chose.  The sales associate went over the contract which covered the non-refundable deposit and the Congratulation Letter which details the site preparation and electrical, which is the responsibility of the home owner.  They indicated their first preference was to put the spa on the attached covered deck.  The sales associate let them know we would need to do a site check to ensure it would be possible to place the spa on their deck, and if it was not physically possible to put the spa on their deck the deposit would be refunded.  On August 1, 2022, a Hanson HotSpring Spa employee performed this site check and confirmed the spa could be craned onto their deck as long as a side rail was removed.  This was discussed with *************** and he indicated that would not be a problem.  Also, Hanson arranged to have the delivery crew and crane company perform site checks.  All parties determined that the spa could be physically placed the deck.  On August 18, 2022, the customer called saying that the bid for re-enforcing the deck was $5,000 and the electrical bid was also $5,000, much higher than the actual bids supplied in their attachments.  When a customer purchases a spa, ********************** can only assume they have researched the cost of electrical and site preparation, or are prepared to make that investment.  Hanson did make the offer to pay for the cost of the crane that would be required for delivery.  Hanson also offered to hold their deposit for 12 months and hold the price for that period so the customer could get their project completed. ell us why here...

  Customer response

  09/15/2022

   
  Complaint: 18005103
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  We never discussed budgets when we were there, only the prices of the tubs. We were told there was a sale going on and only a limited amount of pre-ordered tubs were eligible for the sale and they were selling out quickly. When going over the contracts we were told if we could not take delivery of the tub we could get a refund of the deposit and that the deposit would be non-refundable if they incurred expenses or if we took delivery of the tub. When we discussed the site preparation part we informed them that we would like to put it on our deck which the sales associated then told us it would not work because of the over hanging roof and that we would need to put it in our yard. We signed the agreements under the impression that the cost of the tub would be for the spot in our yard which would be significantly cheaper. Once we found out that we could not put it there we reached out about the deck again to start doing the research for that location. The original contracts were not signed for the deck location and we were just trying to make it work because we wanted the tub. The bids we attached to this were the cheapest bids we got and not the highest. Ultimately we still feel Hanson has stolen the $2500 as we have not been provided any expenses that we caused them to incur from this order and due to HOA restrictions we can not accept the tub at the original location that we discussed when we signed for the tub.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  09/26/2022

   Here is my answer to their rejection:

   

  My response did not say anything about budgets, only that we can only assume when a customer signs the agreement and contract stating they are responsible for site preparation and electrical they have researched these costs or are prepared to make those investments.  The delivery of the spa was totally possible to the initial site the customer asked about.  Three site inspections were done to confirm it was possible to make the delivery.  As far as the *** issue not allowing spas on the ground, we are aware of spas in that sub-division that are on ground level. Hanson been out a significant amount of money including the site checks, transaction fees, and the fact the spa the customer purchased is in high demand and short supply so it could have been sold instead of holding it waiting on the customer to take delivery.  The customers first choice was to have the spa on the deck and second was in the yard on a cement slab that would have needed to be constructed.  There was no mention of what that cost would be and the electrical cost would still require the panel upgrade to handle the amperage to operate the spa.  Hanson did not ************** from this customer, in fact based on contractual law they could be liable the entire amount of the contract balance.  In an effort to solve this complaint, Hanson will offer to refund 50% of the deposit amount.

   

  This is my response to their rejection.  We are making a very fair offer to reconcile this complaint.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on our response.

   

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  09/26/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that the offer of 50% back of the deposit is satisfactory. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Hello. I ordered a Stride hot tub from ***********************************. I have been a customer with a ********************** spa for 25 years, and recently replaced out Bengal tub with a Hot Springs. For 5 months the tub worked. 2 weeks ago, the jets stopped working and we called Hanson. You sent **** and a apprentice out to fix the error message ****** **** said I didn't fill the tub correctly, and to refill and it would work. If not, he was going to replace the pump. In the interim, Dr. ********* which was recommended by YOU to wire my tub came out and tested the electric from the breaker. They said 240 was reaching the spa, but noticed the schematics were set up for a 110. We ordered a 240 amp tub, and you gave use a 110. I had *** switch the wire from 110 to 220 and it was still not working. After ***** came out today, he tested the fuse and told me it blew. He also was able to switch a setting on our tub to run 240. Agin, we ordered a 240 tub, not 110. ***** just called and told me I have to pay for the blown fuse (that possibly blew 2 weeks ago) because the electric company you recommended, did not wire correctly? According to Dr. ********* the tub calls for a 40 amp breaker, they were told to install a 50. Inside the tub, it says 38 amp breaker. So out comes Dr. ******** to install a 40 amp, and now Hanson is telling me that blew the fuse, even though I haven't turned the tub on since he installed the breaker 1 hour ago. And I need to call him back to install a new 50 amp breaker.

  Business response

  09/01/2022

  I have been in communication with ******************** since Friday, August 26.  The spa that was delivered to him was the correct spa, it is a convertible spa to 220 volts.  I was at his house on Friday the 26th with a technician to confirm the settings on the spa and to do diagnostics.  We are currently waiting for a defective part, the heater, which was ordered with express freight charges that we are covering.  The technician is scheduled to return once the heater arrives and install it.  My last conversation with ******************** was favorable and he was understanding of the issue.  His complaint to the BBB was made before I had spoken to him and been out to his house.

  Customer response

  09/01/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted Hanson Hotspring Spa about my hot tub not heating. They told me they needed to order a heater which could be the problem. They had already worked on the same problem on 6/22/21. I paid $716.09 at that time. They told me I would be contacted when the part came in and set up an appointment with me. I was never informed that the part had came in and I was not contacted. On 8/17/22, I received a bill for $193.00. I called them to ask about the bill and they said they had been here to work on the hot tub on 8/16/22 and I wasnt home. I asked why I hadnt been notified before they came out. They told me they called three times and no one answered, of course I was not home. They did not set a time for me to be home. My breaker in the garage was turned off for safety reasons. They complained there was no power to sub panel and no one was home. My question is why they came out when they knew I was not home because I live several miles away in Rye. I feel I was billed unfairly and they did not try to solve the problem. Order #*****, reference ID#************. Thank you

  Business response

  08/25/2022

  A refund will be issued to ****************** for the service call.  Hanson staff had left ****************** messages the morning of the service call and also the technician attempted to call while in Rye.  Unfortunately none of the calls were answered or returned.  Hanson HotSpring Spas was just trying to get the customer's spa up and running as soon as possible since the part needed for the repair had been on back order.  It is unfortunate that the communications were missed.

• Initial Complaint

  01/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I contacted Hanson HotSpring Spas (Hanson) on August 26, 2018 about the Ace Cell on my spa not working. I was told by the service scheduler that the Ace Cell was still covered under warranty and would be replaced at no charge. I recall the Ace Cell had been replaced at least once before under warranty. (It is worth noting that if the Ace Cell was not covered by the spa warranty, I would have replaced the Ace Cell myself with an aftermarket Ace Cell which can cost about 1/3 of the original Ace Cell and take about 10 minutes to replace.) The Ace Cell was replaced by Hanson and expected, an invoice for the replacement of the Ace Cell was never submitted. On February 21, 2020 I received an email from Hanson that Ace Cell was actually not covered by warranty and that because of the inconvenience, I was only invoiced for the part (no labor) $778.71 at a 20% discount. ******, the office manager said they submitted the part twice and they were out of warranty. I responded in an email dated February 21, 2020 my shock and noted that I didn't believe I owed anything because I was told the work was done under warranty. *****************, the owner responded by email on February 24, 2020, that I was told by the scheduler that the cell was not in warranty. On March 5, 2020, I emailed **** questioning why Hanson would submit for warranty twice if they knew the warranty had expired and I questioned why I had not received a timely invoice. I never received a response. I contacted ******* Manufacturing (*******) who warranties the spa on February 21, 2021 and they investigated. ******* agreed to resolve the matter by providing **** a new Ace Cell to make Hanson whole and resolve the matter. Now, **** wants me to pay him $129 for a service call which was never mentioned in Hanson's previous correspondence and was never invoiced. I emailed **** on March 16, 2021 and his office manager on October 19, 2021 without a response. I want to be assured that the $129 charge has been dismissed.

  Business response

  01/12/2022

  This customer had a part replaced on his spa that was out of warranty.  He had refused to pay for the part, so we had in good faith offered to eliminate the service call fee if he paid for the part.  He did not feel that was reasonable so he contacted the manufacturer, who agreed to take care of the part cost if the customer paid the service fee.  the Customer has continued to not pay for this service call.  In the interest of clearing this issue up, I will write off the service call so no more time is wasted.

  Customer response

  01/12/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩