$$ service fees $$
 

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.