Cal Spas

I have tried for 2weeks to get an answer on my spa I ordered in May from LA county fair I was told the person that handles those orders was off, I was told she went home early, I was told she was on break, i called 6. Times and have been told they would send a message to the person that handles ithe fair spas.

So today I was told she was on break and did I want them to give her a message. I decided that didn't work so I said I would call back.

And I did and of course there was a message machine so I left a message for them to call and I am still waiting. Terrible customer service !

Catherine Harmon

760-220-****

I bought a Cal Spa hot tub October 2019 from WHIRLPOOLS WORLD SPAIN Teulada.

All went smooth with the delivery.

When it was first set up I noticed that the filter kept changing times. They came back and reset it.

What I realized was that if there was a power cut in our area of Spain the clock on the timer went back to 12.00 while all the other settings were kept as set.

On complaint to the shop the sales lady became abusive and I KNOW IT ALL YOU KNOW NOTHING ATTITUDE. but obviously did not know the reason for the time on the filter to be changing.

Then I noticed one of the side panels became warped and I found one of the jets when turned anti-clockwise for more water speed the jet came out of the hole and had to be screwed back on. I have since realized that a jet can be turned past the stop position and it will screw out of the hole in the shell. The problem is not the jet but the fitting because it does not stop turning when it should do and that is the same if you change one jet for another.

The next thing was I found 3 areas of raised pimples in three of the seating areas. I thought this was possibly calc as the hot tub had not been used for several months although it had been filtered and bromine regularly topped up. It was not calc and when I emptied the tub and tried to get the pimples of with distilled water as recommended the surface became so that the top layer came off leaving unvarnished spots.

The shop where I had bought it from had closed in February 2020, so I got onto customer services at Cal Spa in August 2020, and they referred me to WHIRLPOOL WORLD in Germany which I assume is the main office and the company that I bought from.

After 2 months their conclusion is that the warped side panel is no detriment to the Spa, and they have no idea what the pimple / bubbles are. The jet I have since explained that it is not the jet but the fixing hole that is faulty and has been from new when bought.

They have not been out to see it first hand and everything has been done by photographs sent by email.

So far I am disgusted with their service.

The hot tub looks nice and well made on the showroom floor, but beware (if anything goes wrong) they will use every excuse in the book to void your warranty and blame YOU to get out of fixing it or replacing it. I purchased model: Bel Air 851B on 5-23-16, delivery date: 7-30-16. Cal Spas is refusing to warrant the spa claiming chemical abuse after reviewing a video I sent to them showing the caulking and plumbing coming apart. Numerous problems since before delivery...Had to get a police detective to get the spa that was stuck on the showroom floor, waiting to be delivered (apparently the dealer was showing my new spa to customers, instead of calling me to let me know it had arrived) because the dealer went to jail and abandoned his business. Cal Spas would not help after calling panicked numerous times. Within 2 weeks the jets were blowing out and I went back and forth by email and phone with Cal Spas (Robert ** and Karen **) to get those replaced for 7 months! Started noticing white flakes in the water within the 1st year, called a Cal Spas dealer in Utah (since we didn't have one) who refused to help and said it was hard water. Did a test to confirm it was not biofilm. Several filters broke from the bottom and ended up in the water. Reported that to the parts department, no response to several emails.

Spa cabinet is deteriorating and warping. Reported that to the Utah dealer and Cal Spas in October 2017. Also reported the spa had been tripping the breaker since the summer intermittently. Utah dealer refused to repair the issue as I was too far from his store (75 miles). Spoke to Cal Spas warranty department (Marfelia **) who agreed to let me find someone else willing to do the repair. The only closest company, Brady's (60 miles away) agreed. They replaced the control box and just put screws in the panels. Cal Spas did offer to replace the panels under warranty, but was going to charge me $114 to ship them, which I still dispute because they are covered under warranty. They also charged me to ship the control box, plus I had to pay the trip charge for the repairs, even though labor is covered under the warranty.

The repair did not fix the tripping issue and is now a daily occurrence, which they tried to blame on the power company at first, then the electrical work (which I had checked) and now they say maybe a new pump would help (at my expense, of course)...fact is, they have no idea what is causing this and I believe it is a stalling tactic until the warranty expires. Two weeks ago I did a water change. While cleaning the interior shell, I discovered that the sealant around ALL of the jets and the filter housing is coming off in chunks and has the consistency of putty, yet very sticky like tree sap. I tried to clean it off the best I could, but even touching it causes it to fall off. I filled the tub so it wouldn't freeze and it tripped the breaker 3 times during start-up. So, I took off the access panel to look inside for a leak.

At that time I noticed all of the plumbing is full of this sealant and then suspected that was the cause of the "white flakes" I had been seeing for the last year. I talked to Brady's and Cal Spas and also sent them both a video of the issue. I was advised to do a super chlorinated flush, even though I told them I just changed the water, the stuff will not come off my shell (let alone the pipes because it is too sticky), plus it will continue to come off after the flush...I told them that I also believe the sealant that is in all the plumbing (most likely pumps, heater too) is causing it to trip. They advised that the sealant is not causing the breaker to trip (even though I was told by Brady's it could). Cal Spas asked for a photo of my pillows (which have some wear after almost 2 years-warrantied for 90 days) and now claim chemical abuse as the reason to not honor the warranty to fix the issue estimated at more than the cost of a new tub.

They claim that, although I am using the right chemicals, they believe I may have used too much and that caused the plumbing to fall apart, yet they advised me 2 days prior to do a super chlorination (which I did not do). If my supposed "high use" of chemicals would cause this, why wouldn't a super chlorination? Doesn't make sense. The fact is, my water is always balanced and checked weekly or before I go in (1-2 times a week). I am very meticulous about the chemistry. I believe they are claiming this to intentionally void the warranty. I offered a water sample, but that does not stop them from claiming it could have happened "any time" within the time I have owned it. I believe Cal Spas is responsible for the manufacturing ERRORS and DEFECTS of this tub that are causing it to now fall apart.

I issued a complaint against them and their response was, of course, still chemical abuse and they wanted me to provide a chemical analysis of the "white powder" (they said) that is floating in the water. Which is crazy because that "white powder" they are referring to is THEIR sealant and THEY should know what it is made of. And, now I'm curious what it is made of, too. Perhaps it is a hazardous substance that is putting my family's health at risk from being in the tub. But, as you see, yet again they are avoiding the issue and laying the responsibility on me, the consumer, to avoid warranting this hot tub. I have a video showing exactly what is happening because it is difficult to explain in writing. It can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjFWGDbZUvA&t=1s.

If I would have know how shady this company and the dealer was, I never would have went with Cal Spas. This whole experience is a nightmare that just continues...plus now I'm out almost $8000!