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The Poolside & Bullfrog Difference
Hot Tub Questions to Ask Before Buying
When shopping for a hot tub, many consumers become confused and maybe even disheartened. And why shouldn’t they? As you travel from store to store, and even website to website, you will hear story after story after story about why a certain brand or a certain dealer is the best. While some of these stories can be easily weeded out, many can be very convincing, so which story do you believe? That’s a GOOD question.
Obviously, like any hot tub dealer, Poolside Pools & Spas wants to sell as many hot tubs as possible. However, we also believe we can help you to make sense of all the different stories out there, so you can be comfortable in your decision of which tub to buy and what dealer to choose. While all of us at Poolside do not promote negative selling, we feel it’s fair for us to help buyers to understand exactly how we differ from our competition, and how Bullfrog is a truly unique spa with features which simply can’t be found elsewhere.
Milwaukee Swimming Pool and Spa Experts on the advantages of Bullfrog Hot Tubs
When choosing a hot tub dealer/brand, there are several key points to consider and questions to ask:
- Ask if they charge trip charges for warranty service, and how much the trip charges will cost you
As competition has increased when selling hot tubs, more and more dealers have turned to charging trip charges for warranty service to make extra money. Also, simply put, some hot tub brands require more service than others, and the low warranty labor rates paid by manufacturers will often leave dealers no choice but to charge trip charges to avoid losing money when performing excessive warranty service. Whatever the reason for the trip charges on warranty service, you, the consumer, should know this BEFORE you make your decision to buy, and this should certainly factor into your decision.
How Poolside treats Milwaukee pool repairs
Poolside has NEVER charged trip charges for warranty service on hot tubs we’ve sold, and we have no plans to change this benefit of buying from Poolside. Frankly, the amount of warranty service we perform on our tubs is so minimal, we see no need or reason to charge a trip charge for warranty service, so for Poolside and Bullfrog it’s a no-brainer – NO TRIP CHARGES FOR WARRANTY SERVICE - Question which brand of electronic controls are used in the hot tub you’re considering
Over the years many brands have come and gone, and some manufacturers have resorted to making their own electronics (instead of buying proven ones) to keep more of the profits for themselves. Through all of this, Balboa Instruments has consistently been the leader in electronic controls. Also, because Balboa is the most widely used, finding dealers willing and able to service them down the road is easy, and finding parts is easy and most affordable as well. If you choose a brand of hot tub with non-Balboa electronics in it, you will be “married” to the selling dealer for parts and service for the life of the spa – and the dealer is very aware of this when setting repair parts prices.
Poolside’s Bullfrog Hot Tubs are one of a kind
All of Poolside’s Bullfrog brand spas use top-of-the-line Balboa electronics. This is a major part of the reason why our rate of warranty claims remains as low as it has been for years. - REALLY look at the design of the spa, as well as the fit and finish
Touch the cabinet panels and see how they line up, then use the following questions to determine how well it is designed. Do they bow or flex a lot? Does everything fit well together, or is it sloppy? How well do the trim pieces fit? Do all the color shades match? Is there a large gap where the shell meets the cabinet? How neatly is the control panel installed? These things may seem minor, but they can tell you a lot about the engineering which goes into the entire tub. A well-engineered hot tub manufacturer won’t skimp on the details. Think about it. If YOU were truly building the best hot tub on the market, would you skimp even one tiny bit on the fit and finish, or would your tub look perfect on the outside?
While you’re at it, ask how the frame is constructed
If it’s wood, ask how much of it is pressure treated. Some are not at all, and some only use pressure treated wood for the base. The non-pressure treated wood will rot out in time. There is just no denying this. If it’s metal, ask how rust is prevented where the metal is cut and the galvanizing has been eliminated. Ask to hear how loud the metal-framed hot tubs are when the pumps are running. The last thing you want is a noisy tub vibrating and keeping you awake at night.
Bullfrog quality hot tubs and spas are built to last
Be sure to look at all the same details on our Bullfrog Spas. You’ll be hard pressed to find flaws in the fit and finish. Also, Bullfrog’s UniSystem molded base and frame structure eliminates all the problems associated with both wood and metal frames, and gives the product a consistency which allows a fit and finish second to none. - Ask about trade-in programs for all the hot tub brands you shop
Expect blank stares from most dealers, as used hot tub values simply don’t allow for enough resale value to justify taking trade-ins. So, after you spend your hard-earned money on a new tub, and then the next year’s model comes out with the new features you WISHED your tub had, what will you do?
Poolside offers unbeatable hot tub brands and pool supplies
With Bullfrog’s JetPak technology, you can simply and affordably upgrade your tub. You see, with the removable JetPaks used in Bullfrog Spas, as new jets are developed and implemented, you can easily upgrade your hot tub with these new JetPaks. It’s simply an unbeatable feature of the Bullfrog Spas no one else can offer. - Ask how the spa is insulated and whether or not it is fully foamed
Here’s the thing, no matter how you slice it, no matter what story you hear, all the leading brands of high-end top-of-the-line hot tubs use full foam insulation systems. There is a simple reason for this: it works the best, and it makes hot tubs as energy-efficient as possible, hands down. The one drawback you’ll hear about full foam (which has validity) is serviceability.
With little plumbing, Bullfrog spas require less pool heater repair
With our Bullfrog Spas Jetpak technology, over 90% of the plumbing is eliminated, thus virtually nullifying the serviceability debate. Also, no heat is lost from the plumbing and the Bullfrog spas end up with a thicker layer of insulation between the cabinet and the shell compared to any other brand. Basically, when compared to even the most energy-efficient full foam hot tubs on the market, Bullfrog Spas have the advantage. - Ask how the dealer tests your water, what they do to make sure YOUR water quality is perfect, and if they charge for water testing
Charging a fee for water testing has become more common as of late. Many dealers have lowered their customer service levels to the point where their water testing is taking 30 seconds to simply dip a test strip in your water sample, and the test strip they use is probably the same test strip they sell to their customers. If this is the case, what can the dealer actually tell you which you don’t already know? Not much of anything and the “free” test-strip-dip water test probably isn’t worth the gas and the time it cost you to drive to the hot tub store.
Our Milwaukee pool store makes a difference in water testing
Poolside has never charged for water testing, nor do we have plans to start charging. Actually, our attitude is quite the contrary. At Poolside, we take great pride in doing thorough and accurate water tests, as well as having the best-educated customers in the business. Frankly, the best hot tub in the world won’t seem the best if your water is always cloudy and smelly. At Poolside, you’re not just getting a hot tub, you’re also getting our years of water chemistry expertise, and we’re happy to share our expertise with you for FREE. At Poolside, we continue to use the Taylor brand liquid reagent test lab. It literally provides ACCURATE commercial quality water testing and allows us to get to the root of any water chemistry issues you may have, and more importantly, allows us to quickly SOLVE your issues. - Ask if the hot tubs you’re interested in have diverter valves, and ask to be shown how to operate ALL the features and jets
Here’s the thing, if the tub has diverter valves, you need to understand it means the tub really can’t run all the jets at full strength at the same time. Think about what the term “diverter” means. You’re diverting power AWAY from certain jets in order to send it to other jets. Also, many hot tubs on the market today have a maze of not only diverter valves, but also water feature valves and air controls on the top lip of the shell. Some even have TEN or more different control knobs up on top. On hot tubs like this, ask the salesperson to explain EXACTLY what every valve and control knob does or controls, and watch out for vague answers. Better yet, schedule a wet-test and see for yourself what you’ll need to learn just to operate the tub. Be SURE to try to turn all the valves while the jets are operating and pay attention to how difficult this can be. Be SURE to move the diverter valves and listen to how they sound, as many produce very loud cavitation noises which will disrupt and minimize your enjoyment of the hot tub.
Bullfrog Spa’s easy to use jets will keep you happy
After you’ve taxed your memory your muscles and your ears, get a good look at our Bullfrog Spas. You’ll notice we have NO diverter valves/control knobs/air controls to concern yourself with. Just hop in and press the button labelled “jets”, and you’ll be enjoying every jet for as long as you want. No worries, no fuss, no struggles, no training. It’s just that easy. And here’s the secret: Bullfrog Spa’s Jetpak technology, and subsequent plumbing efficiency, is what allows our hot tubs to run all the jets at the same time with more power, and especially without the annoyances and limitations of diverter valves.
Well, there you have it. Sorry for the length of this bulletin, but hopefully you found it valuable. This certainly isn’t meant to address all the concerns you may have, but it should get you started in a direction which will allow you to make a well-informed decision. After all, buying a hot tub isn’t something you do every day, or even every year, so you’ll want to do it right the first time around by asking the right questions.
Thanks,
The Poolside Team
