General Complaints

The following is an exact copy of a post found on an internet message board. It's rather old, has not been verified and has been copied without anyone's permission. Phoenix Spas manufactures Haven spas under private label.

I bought a coronado. It has been broken for9 of the 11 months I have owned it, and they have LIED to me. They have not PAID for the repairs, and STIFFED the person THEY sent ot fix it the first time. It gets worse, but do NOT buy. I was told BY THE COMPANY ITSLEF that I was the 85th spa of 100 Coronados sold to be broken within two weeks of delivery. Yet, even though they KNEW This, they ahve NOT fixe d mine, and it broke on 12/31/99!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm serious. this is not a slam form some dissatified person that can't be satisfied. they haven't TRIED. I'llpost my own thoughts in a minute, DO NOT BUY from Phoenix.

JOhn

The following was then found on another message board, posted by the same person.

Phoenix spas. NOOOOOOOOOO. I bought a spa, they admitted it was sent broken, and then they took MONTHS to fix it. It broke almost immediately, and now, 10 months after delivery, it is STILL broken. WOrse than just that, the TWO people that they "hired" to fix it, under warranty, were both NOT PAID. So, they won't work on my spa now. Here is what has happened, in the short version. (You don't want the long version!)

I bought a Phoenix Spa “Coronado” from a local dealer in the summer of 1999. It was to be delivered in September 1999, but didn’t arrive until mid December 1999. On New Years Eve, it already did not work. So, I called on January 2nd. The dealer told me that ALL the Phoenix Spas were breaking within a week or two, as the impellers are shearing. It was a warranty problem, and I needed to call Phoenix. The next week the local guy went out of business. Still, I had a five year warranty from Phoenix, so I called them.

On the first call, they ADMITTED that “we have a new engine, and it is too powerful for the impellers. Yours is the 85th one out of a batch of 100 to break. But, we will fix it”. THEY SHIPPED IT KNOWING THAT THE BATCH WAS DEFECTIVE! Then, I waited. And, called again. And waited. Then, started bugging them. They FINALLY fixed my spa, through a different spa repairman in my area, in LATE MARCH. In early May, it broke again, and wouldn’t hold water. I called again, since leaks too were warranted. They said that since it sat in the cold all winter long (since THEY sent me a BROKEN spa, with a problem they KNEW about BEFOREHAND!), it may have frozen in a pipe, even though I drained it in January. I told them that I had an open house on June 3rd (mine was a new house, finished in December 1999), and didn’t want it to take three months gain, as I needed the spa for the activities. They said they would get it fixed in short order. Yet, it was NOT fixed by June 3rd. In fact, it was not fixed by July 3rd, or even August 3rd. (Have I shown patience in this case? I gave them a LOT of time!) In mid AUGUST, I called the repairman that fixed it in March. He said that he would not work on my spa, as he was NEVER PAID BY PHOENIX the FIRST time. I called another repairman, at a NEW spa place that opened in July. That person fixed my spa, in conjunction with Phoenix, who approved the repair. Still, it cost ME to pull the spa from the deck, even though it was warranted. It lasted three WEEKS. It broke AGAIN the first week of September. As of today, it is STILL BROKEN.

I called, and received no return call. So, I WROTE to Phoenix Spas, and faxed it to the owner. He said that he bet things “froze good when the spa was sitting all winter long”, and there could be NUMEROUS leaks.. I asked for a NEW spa, due to the problems of this one. He agreed, and said it would take 2 – 3 weeks to make it. It would be done the last week of September, and delivered the first week of October. I now feel that this was yet ANOTHER ruse to delay me. I called the second week of October. It was to be done “the next day”, and they would call for delivery date. I waited three days. When I called back, it was not done. They would let me know when it was. No call. I called this past week. They said they didn’t know when it would be done, but would check, and call me back with a firm date. Now, I have left three calls the last three days. They have not returned my call, and have NOT set up a new spa delivery for me. It is now 7 WEEKS since it broke again! Seven weeks since they said they would replace it in two weeks.

In my opinion, THIS COMPANY HAS SCAMMED ME.

My new spa worked for 2 weeks, and then was broken for three months. They didn’t fix it til I got a repairman to do it. They said they would pay for repairs, and did NOT. It worked for a month plus. Then, it was broken for almost four MONTHS. It was fixed, worked for three weeks, and is has been broken for almost two months with them STILL not doing anything to fix this spa which is under WARRANTY.

I have had the spa almost a year with it working just 2 months total! Please assist me, so I know HOW to take this to the next step. I want the company to pay for their ways, but don’t know how. Can you assist me? Anyone out there know how to make a company actually honor their warranty? and, how do you argue when they AGREE with you - yet then do not DO what they say they will do on the phone?!!


As for defamation, I have the dates, and the repairmen, and all the notes, PLUS some recorded conversations, to PROVE that I am telling the truth, so this is not defamation. Just telling others about a BAD company.

JOhn

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And finally, in response to an email we sent, here is the current status.

"almost 2 years ago you posted to a message board your experience with your Phoenix Spa. I'm wondering if you might be able to tell me any more?"

They sucked. They did not do ANYTHING for a YEAR on a spa that I bought new that broke in a matter of weeks after I bought it. they delayed, they juked and jived, and they lied. They sent someone out to look at it, but then when he said what it needed, they did not pay him for the first call, and did not send anyone else.

FINALLY, after my ATTORNEY wrote them TWO letters of demand, they replaced the spa. It took over a year, and cost me a year of enjoyment.

The new spa is working fine, but I would STIL say to use someone ELSE. Because "if" you have a problem with yours, you don't want the same run
around I got. They proved who they were, and it looked ugly.

that's my opinion. :-)
Good luck to you

John

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And now, yet another complain surfaces.

I live in Philadelphia, PA and took delivery of my Phoenix spa, from Diversified Products/SPAS Direct on July 17, 2002. From the very first time it was turned on we had a control panel problem. That problem accelerated to a complete system shutdown. It is now October 18, 2002 and I have been without the use of the spa for more than five weeks. No service people in my region will work on the spa for any money. The factory refuses to send out anyone to fix it. I now have a $7,000 planter sitting in my back yard! A warning to everyone out there; make sure you have the name and all contact information of a local service person BEFORE you buy a spa from anyone, especially Diversified Products otherwise known as SPAS Direct!