Complaint Review: Charleston Pool and Spa - charleston South Carolina

We would first like to mention that there is nothing wrong with Mr. Rogers custom made spa/hot tub. The customer was getting a “Flo” error, which has something to do with water flow and filtration. We asked Mr. Rogers to turn off the power and remove the cartridge filter, turn power back on and see if the “Flo” error still flashed. If the error code disappears, then the low flow in the hot tub is because of a dirty spa filter (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/eo3ccfuladnf3hg/1.pdf?dl=0). The error code disappeared without the cartridge filters. We sent a Service Technician to Mr. Rogers’ house on 6-10-15 and analyzed the spa. The Service Technician discovered there was a large amount of oil in the spa due to customer negligence. The cartridge filters were covered in oil (suntan oil, body lotion, sunscreen etc.). Mr. and Mrs. Rogers left the property before the Service Technician could show him the filthy filters. Our Service Technician drained the spa, refilled the spa, tested the spa, and rinsed the cartridge filters. The Service Technician was at Mr. Rogers’ residence for 3.5 hours making sure there were no other issues (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/vm8nah4uwo7c8ld/2.pdf?dl=0). There is a service icon that will appear on the control panel when there are issues with the hot tub. The service icon has never appeared (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/rnu1q78naci3dcm/3.pdf?dl=0). In our many years of experience, we found that the filthy cartridge filters were the cause of the error code. This service trip was a $500 value at no charge, which is not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/830rpm3qj83hq3u/4.pdf?dl=0).

Our Service Technician called LA Spas Tech Support on-site. They came to the same conclusion that the problem is due to the dirty cartridge filters. Oils will rapidly clog up the filter’s pores thereby greatly reducing filtration. Therefore, it is imperative to completely remove the oil from the cartridge filters as soon as possible (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/kc0jkpnwjdfi7lw/5.pdf?dl=0). I emailed Mr. Rogers on 6-15-15 to explain the findings (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/sbmm7d4bp06rcdv/6.pdf?dl=0). We recommended soaking the cartridge filter in a solution of commercially available filter cleaner for at least an hour. Mr. Rogers did not like hearing that the cause was from his negligence. So we sent Mr. Rogers a new Cartridge Filter and Filter Cleaner on 6-16-2015 at no charge (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/zxj22181zkyk027/8.pdf?dl=0Once the cartridge filters were properly cleaned, the hot tub performed at 100% and the error code went away. The manufacturer, LA Spas stated that they have the right to void his warranty if they find out that a customer was negligent with allowing oil to coat the cartridge filters (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/jhnpln7ek1x6tyq/9.pdf?dl=0). So we let the customer know that he needs to make sure that no one gets in the spa with suntan lotion, sunblock, or a spray tan. The industry standard dictates that the user must shower before using the hot tub (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/31k9oaibvan3qrj/11.pdf?dl=0).

The customer was complaining about how he could not lower the hot tub’s temperature. I discussed this with both the LA Spas Tech Support and the LA Spas Sales Representative, Garry Curren. They all stated that the temperature is due to the outside ambient temperature in Charleston, SC during the summer months alongside the Cold Weather Package. The Cold Weather Package has the BlueMaax Insulation and Thermo-Lock technology for sound and heat energy management. The thermal barrier technology recycles radiant heat energy for faster, more efficient heating and energy cost reductions. Radiant heat energy from the pumps and equipment reflect back to the spa and is absorbed into the plumbing. This helps raise and maintain water temperature, improving heat efficiency (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/kmieh7fgzqyzczt/12.pdf?dl=0). Also the hot tub is sitting directly in the sunlight. The outdoor ambient temperature greatly effects the water temperature (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/1veyfuadeutmh1v/14.pdf?dl=0). All of these factors cause the water temperature to rise without the heater being on. Hot tubs do not have cooling systems and therefore the temperature cannot be lowered below the ambient temperature. LA Spas Tech Support also stated that the customer is unfortunately mistaken and nothing is wrong with the spa. Every LA Spas hot tub that they custom-build never leaves the factory without a full inspection. They add water to the hot tub and run all the equipment for hours. They have to fill out a form to insure quality control. The failure rate for a brand new hot tub by LA Spa is less than 1%.

In regards to his upgraded 5” cover, we weren’t told that he received the wrong spa cover until June. I apologized to Mr. Rogers and then proceeded to call the manufacturer about the issue. I called and emailed Mr. Rogers on several occasions stating that the cover was backordered (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/a5eetqh7sp17r44/15.pdf?dl=0). He was not concerned with the cover at the time because we gave him the standard 4” cover. We offered to switch his current 4” cover out with the 5” cover or refund Mr. Rogers $100 for the upgrade cost of the 5” cover. When the backordered cover arrived, we decided to switch it out for him. BTW, when we arrived, the spa was in perfect working order.

Mr. Rogers came into our store on 7-16-15 and was very combative and verbally assaulted Mrs. Arant who was in the store alone. She couldn’t get a word out without him screaming at her. Mrs. Arant had to ask Mr. Rogers to leave the premises. When I returned to the store, Mrs. Arant was visibly shaken and upset over the situation. LA Spas recommended another local service company to look at the hot tub for another evaluation. At this time, we can only assume they could not find anything wrong. If there was something wrong, the company could have filed a warranty claim to fix any issue. Fixing the hot tub would not hurt our company nor cost us anything because Mr. Rogers’ warranty is still in effect (See https://www.dropbox.com/s/gw2ssc1ewucl1t0/16.pdf?dl=0). As previously stated, we even tried to help Mr. Rogers prevent this from occurring in the future. The industry standard dictates that a customer showers to remove any lotion or oil from their body before entering a hot tub. If any of our customers have issues, we fill out a warranty claim and fix the issue immediately. Mr. Rogers stated that he was using another company to fix the issue.

Mr. Rogers would not listen to anything we had to say. He took to the internet and has left a bad review for us on almost every review site he could find. He left so many on Google, that Google actually removed them due to their anti-spam rule, which prevents a customer from leaving multiple reviews on the same business on the same site. He wrote one review per day, hoping we would give in. This is nothing short of EXTORTION! Then Mr. Rogers continued with his offense and filed a credit card dispute with American Express. 99% of the time, credit card companies always side with the customer. But not in this case, they actually agreed with us on the matter. The same with the Better Business Bureau agreed with us as well and closed the case.

On a final note, I would like to mention that the hot tub was a custom order, specially made for Mr. Rogers and is non-refundable. We cannot return the hot tub to LA Spas because they would not accept a fully functional spa. Mr. Rogers signed the Sales Agreement that clearly states “All Sales Final” and “Down Payments Are Not Refundable” (See Enclosures 17 & 18). If you would like to verify any information regarding the LA Spas Tech Support, you can reach them at 800-367-4286. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at 843-769-7727. We have been in the spa/hot tub business for 21 years and are extremely knowledgeable on hot tubs and all the working components. If we had discovered a malfunction, we would have repaired the problem. These supposed issues have no merit and it seems the customer has buyer’s remorse. We will continue to be more than happy to service the hot tub if there is an actual problem. We would appreciate if Mr. Rogers would turn down his hostile behavior directed at the employees of Charleston Pool & Spa.