To me this was close to the ultimate example of poor customer service. I'm sure they would have loved to have come out and fixed it themselves, and I'm sure it would have cost me quite a bit. However, no one got back to me, and it was only my resourcefulness that paid off. I know that I was able to get one of my friends to buy their spa too, so I'm responsible for a couple of purchases. However, I'm passed off to others and ignored after the purchase. It shouldn't be my concern or my problem that they have had some layoffs, and maybe they are quite busy. At the least, they could have called me back at a number of opportunities. I was also told they are under new management, so I guess they may have different priorities now than when I purchased the spa about 6 years ago. In addition, when I took off that outside cover, I discovered the cover panels are held together with glue. All of this glue was now brittle and breaking away. I now had to re-glue it together, but it made me feel like this really is poorly constructed. It looked great when we bought it, but it just didn't seem like much quality workmanship had been put into it if the rest of it is constructed this way. It's almost like the glue only lasted as long as the warranty, and then maybe it's time to get another spa? That's not how I operate. I want something that will last, especially since I try to take care of things. Regarding the cost of the check valve. I have to believe the internet spa company where I purchased the part makes a profit, but I don't know how much less this is from the $2.90 I paid for it. I know I don't want to pay $25 for the same part or for other parts from now on. The part I received was an exact factory replacement labeled "Watkins" on the packaging.
Description of Work: I noticed my Tiger River Spa was leaking. I purchased this from their store in Clackamas, and the warranty just ran out a year or two ago. I took off the cover from the control area, and I could see the part that was leaking, although I didn't know what it was. Since I wanted to save a few $s, it looked like a very easy fix--just connect a new part to two hoses. So, I took a few pictures of it and went to the Clackamas store to buy the part. Was told no parts there, but I should call the Service Center in Beaverton. I called the service center and was told only one technician was familar with this spa, and he would need to call me back. However, they said to e-mail the pictures and a description to them. I waited a couple of days, and no response. I called the Clackamas store again. The manager said they have gone through some layoffs, and they have quite a reduced staff now, but he would call the service center for me. Great. I waited a couple of more days. I then called the service center again, and I talked to another person there who said she was not a technician, but this one tech will for sure call me back that day. She also said if she was a consumer, she would worry about all sorts of possible problems this could be, and it would be so much better to have a technican come to my house and check it out. I told her she wasn't me, and I needed to save some $s and it seemed like it would be really easy if anyone could just tell me what this part was. Well, 2 days later, no call back. All the while, of course, my spa is leaking a lot of the water. I decide to call the manufacturer, Watkins, who makes a variety of these spas. The customer service person, after 2 calls, was able to identify the part for me. She told me she would get back to me with a price and then ship it to me. Great. Finally some customer service. It's been a number of days, but no e-mail. I sent a follow-up e-mail, but nothing in return so far. I don't understand it. In any case, after a day of waiting for that last e-mail, I thought, okay, I know the part. I'll just order it from Oregon Hot Tub. So, I called them. No, it's not in stock, we'll have to order it, and it's $25. Hmmmm, I did a search on the internet. I found an online spa store that sells only Watkins spas, and they have all the parts for order. I found this part for less than $3.00. With priority shipping, it was $11.00. I installed it in less than 5 minutes. The part was called a check valve. It's just plastic, and it looks like it's worth less than $3.00.