$$ service fees $$
 

just curious.. I purchased a hot tub from spa kingdom about 8 mos. ago... the main contorl panel shorted out and had to be replaced ... I was not charged for the part or labor to replace it since it was under warranty ... what I was charged was $95 to drive to the house as a service fee... the owner finally reduced it to $65 which I believe is still WAYYY to much and something I shouldn't have to pay since the hot tub was only 8 mos old the manufacturer should pay all expenses...

Thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention.

We bought a hot tub from Spa Kingdom three years ago and we have not had any problems. We get along very well with the employees.

Would it be OK to print out your post and show it to them? Maybe it will show them that we Villagers communicate with each other and that if one business treats one of us poorly, the word gets around very quickly.

What was his response when you told him what you thought of his service fee? I would also be in contact with the manufacturer.

Is there a question in our near future???

OP what does your warranty state?

Parts and labor?

Or parts?

Some warranties specifically exclude travel in labor, what does yours say?

Spa Kingdom ...*****

If you agreed and accepted warranty you get to pay for exclusions set forth in the warranty

We have a Maxx spa from Spa Kingdom, completely trouble free since December 2013, and out of the factory warranty. I have a friend with a similar unit about a year newer, and the main control failed after 4 years and several months, I do not recall if there was a service charge for the initial inspection to determine what was wrong, I know the owner was very happy with the no charge replacement of the main controller.

Would it be OK to print out your post and show it to them? Maybe it will show them that we Villagers communicate with each other and that if one business treats one of us poorly, the word gets around very quickly.[/QUOTE]



sure go ahead...

and to answer questions on warranty it does say all PARTS and LABOR are covered and that a REASONABLE travel charge may be assesesd... so my question is (dewilson.. r u happy now) do you think a $95 travel charge from fruitland park to springdale area is reasonable?? to me it seems very steep... I would honestly expect no more than $50

and to answer questions on warranty it does say all PARTS and LABOR are covered and that a REASONABLE travel charge may be assesesd... so my question is (dewilson.. r u happy now) do you think a $95 travel charge from fruitland park to springdale area is reasonable?? to me it seems very steep... I would honestly expect no more than $50[/QUOTE]


Congrats on the $65............$100/hr is not out of line for a technician. :ho:

Congrats on the $65............$100/hr is not out of line for a technician. :ho:[/QUOTE]

If you include travel time, $100 per hour seems a little steep to me. That would be about $200K per year for a full time job repairing hot tubs.

If you include travel time, $100 per hour seems a little steep to me. That would be about $200K per year for a full time job repairing hot tubs.[/QUOTE]

:coolsmiley: You think they pay their tech $100.00 an hour..... that's a good one! ROFLMAO

How about his pay, benefits, vehicle, vehicle insurance,business insurance, gas for vehicle, rent, electric, etc. and maybe a small profit. Nobody is in business to lose money or break even. I would ask when buying what the fee was. :oops:

Happens all the time with service labor rates, the common assumption that on site labor is paying for just the service technician's salary. Minimum call outs in hours, travel time and labor rates and all direct cost of sales, including training for different manufactures and models, in the service world provides anywhere from 30-40% margin to cover the sg&a for a 10-15%% profit before tax in the large country wide commercial service world. Key west service calls were bundled together and included overnight hotel stay or two depending upon the quantity of calls. The product being inspected and serviced were fire alarm panels, restaurant kitchenhood suppressoin systems, and sprinkler systems with state mandated inspections.

We had customers complain about the travel charge when the building was located on the same road. Like they don't understand that travel charges are an average given the service area radius. Try doing a single national service rate and be profitable across all the different cost of living areas in the united states. . . same rate alabama and new york city without looking expensive somewhere.

So best always ask ahead of time, because if no one will pay the charge, there will be no service.

finance guy

The purpose of starting a business is to make a profit, not break even. $65 is not out of line. Enjoy your hot tub.

sure go ahead...

and to answer questions on warranty it does say all PARTS and LABOR are covered and that a REASONABLE travel charge may be assesesd... so my question is (dewilson.. r u happy now) do you think a $95 travel charge from fruitland park to springdale area is reasonable?? to me it seems very steep... I would honestly expect no more than $50[/QUOTE]
You said they dropped it to $65.

The worker does not get the $100/hr. :ohdear:


Car Dealerships (mechanic, body shop), Plumbers, Electricians, etc., charge $75 to $125 but the worker (fully loaded) probably gets about 1/2 that with benefits costing 25% to 45%.


:popcorn:

Yep, we’ve had our Maax spa less than 2 years & it’s a lemon - main control board went out (same $100 fee), then they discovered it was a secondary board & had to order diff part (no additional fee charged). Now LED lights are out, same deal - “we’ll come look at them but it’s a $100 service fee”, warranty says parts & labor covered - but apparently not travel!

I think it's B.S

Lol tell us what you really think! Don’t beat around the bush!

The point of warranty is so the seller can charge all the expenses related to the repair to the manufacture. I would not be surprised to see a charge to the manufacturer for the transportation amount. Naughty business practice from Spa Kingdom. Shame Shame.

JIm.. that is exactly what I told them.. I said you are double dipping charging me and the MFG. ... also again this is 8 month old hot tub ...

1 other thing I forgot to add...when I first called they said a possible diadnostics charge could be added and it was I believe $125 ... I was ****ed and told them I've already told you what was wrong bring the newcontrol board with you and replace it BUYER BEWARE WITH SPA KINGDOM

Sounds to me like he wanted a hefty tip. I would have called the company while he was there to find out if this fee is legit.

this wasn't the service guy it was on the phone with the service dept.

Correct, the manufacturer should pay the vendor not you

Wow. This would be a great question on an logic test. If you pass - you get to vote for the POTUS. This is pretty simple:
1) Warranty... says it they charge for travel; it is not hidden. Isn't travel a ROUND TRIP expense? $100? VERY FAIR!
2) Manufacturer... why would you assume they are double dipping? Why would the manufacturer pay the travel? {I've been on that side of the business - and trust me - the manufacturer is NOT paying for travel}
3) Diagnostics... would a doctor take your word for a diagnosis? Would they charge for the diagnosis - and the surgery?
4) Cost Of Business... the hourly wage is a small part. Hear of OVERHEAD? They have people to answer phones, people to do accounting, people to manage human resources, people to supervise, time invested in training, expenses for vehicles, utility bills, rent, etc.

Why is this so ridiculous?
Because based on very poor critical thinking - some of you want to destroy a company's reputation? YOU should be ASHAMED!

I would just make two points:

First, I have never paid anything when someone has come to my house to repair something that is covered by a warranty. I think that is a fairly standard practice for warranties.

And second, did the salesperson actually inform the customer about the unusual travel charge that is stated in the warranty? The Spa Kingdom website includes an owners manual that only refers to the warranty, but it does not include the actual warranty document. It says that the warrant document will come with the product. So, I guess you only get to read the warranty after you buy the product. That doesn't sound fair to me.

every spa dealer works same way --- no one askes first if any fee's with guarantee. Since they pay the repair guys $ `5 an hour or so , they always come out ahead .

if your car had a problem in warrantee - would they charge to diagnose it ??

Naughty business practice
 

I agree it is a naughty business practice. I've owned portable spas/hot tubs for over 25 years. My first one was a Cal spa and no fees at all for any type of warranty work. Moved about 5 years later got another Cal spa in another city and again no fees for warranty work. Moved about five years later and got a Hot Springs Spa and was shocked to be charged a service/travel fee for warranty work. My sister also bought the same Hot Springs spa at approximately the same time in another state and there was no fee at all to her for warranty work. So this tells me it is up to the dealer whether or not to be greedy about these tack on fees. So thanks to OP for sharing the name of the dealer so we can factor that in for future purchases or recommendations. Best wishes and have a great day.

:icon_wink: Maybe he should've driven his hot tube down there.....:ho:

The problem with this logic is the word "fair", because the use isjudgemental or an opinion, either way, the business has a practice or a policy of a service charge, so from their point of view, its fair.

So, again, with service calls, just because it hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it can't or won't happen in the future. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results because the future is always uncertain.

And yes, we created prices to nickel and dime the customer to death, was part of increasing revenue for losing revenue in other parts of the business. So in reality, this service charge was probably a cost to offset the fact that the mfg warranty re-payment may take months, and that's a hit to the company's cash flow. Not his fault,
but he has to make it up somewhere or he will be out of business due to cash flow issues.

Finance 101, payments days received > inventory days to pay = bankruptcy

so that's why i said, if no one pays the service charge, there will be no service.

take it from someone who has done service pricing locally, nationally, and with mutiyear contracts.

sportsguy

Had spa kingdom over to fix a leak in the motor and put a switch in for my heater. The price was 289.00. In putting in the switch he Squeezed the wires on the against the metal frame and shortened the unit . Now I need a new unit for 950.00. Will no longer do business with them