Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hot tub bought new 1-17-2019 -have had repair after repair done-now leaking in week 35 gallon water -wont to cut insulation out to repair-did not pay ******* for reconditioned tub - and wait till they can get to it -my wife uses it for back injury -leaking on I closed deck

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  From: *********************** <*****************************************************>
  Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 9:14 AM
  To: ************************************************
  Subject: CASE ****** - ******* - JJ2W1070 BBB complaint #********.
  *Note - this was also sent via email to ************************************************

  *************************,
  
  I am in receipt of the BBB complaint #********, regarding ********************** request that his 2018 Hot Spring Jetsetter model spa be replaced.  I am currently looking into this situation with their local dealership, ******* Pools Spas and Hot Tubs located in ************.  They sold and installed Mr. ******** spa on July 24th, 2019, and carries a 5-year limited warranty team, starting from the date of installation. Their spa is still within the limited warranty term. 
  
  The limited warranty term covers the dealerships spa-side labor, and cost of any defective components or failures, through the dealerships online claim submission to our warranty department.  There are no provisions for replacement spas in the spas warranty term; however,Watkins Wellness will always stand behind our product and support the local dealership to complete needed repairs for the products they sold.  I have attached a limited warranty sheet for the record.
  
  I will continue to oversee Mr. ******** case on this matter,stay in contact with him, and work with the local dealer until we reach a satisfactory resolution with their spa repair.  Thank you.
  
  *********************** (He/him/his)
  Customer Experience Specialist
  ********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am attempting to return a hot tub that I purchased on 11/21/22 (order #FF1661) for $3,587.00 through Freeflow Spas, a division of Watkins Wellness (**************************************). The hot tub was delivered on 12/16/22. I first requested a return on 1/6/23, which was exactly 21 days after delivery. Here is their return policy from their website:"How do I return my hot tub?If your spa has not shipped yet, fill out the cancel order form. If your spa has shipped, you can return it for any reason within 60 days of the delivery date. Reach out to our customer service team at ************ (M-F, 8-5pm PST) to return the hot tub and schedule a pick up date."After it has been inspected for wear and tear and re-stocked you will receive a refund for the full amount of the hot tub minus 10% re-stocking fee."I attempted to call customer service to initiate a return on 1/6/23. They told me that "they had never done this before since it was a new process" and that "no one was trained in how to return spas purchased from the website." I told them that there shouldn't be a return policy available if they didn't know how to complete the process and the customer service rep agreed with me but said there was nothing he could do. They told me they'd work on it and "try to figure it out" and get back to me. Since then I have called over 8 times in 6 weeks asking for updates and have received zero feedback. Nobody has reached out to me with any updates. Every time I call, I get told "we're probably going to have to do it through your local hot tub dealer" and still no clear answers on when that would happen or if/how the process has been started. We are still making monthly payments on this hot tub that we requested a return for almost two months ago. We do not want to keep paying for it. I want the company to stop ignoring my calls/requests for info and to honor their return policy as stated on their website by either taking my return or refunding the entire cost of the hot tub.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2023

  This is in response to BBB complaint 19407545. I have reviewed the complaint, thank you for forwarding to our attention.  Our teams are currently working on the return of this spa and are in contact with the Hanleys as recent as yesterday, February 15th, 2023.  Watkins Wellness will continue to work as swiftly as possible with the consumer and the local retailer until the spa has been returned and refunded.  As a one-time courtesy, Watkins Wellness will not extend any restocking fees to the consumer. Thank you ***********************, ************* Specialist, ********************  REF Case ****** Spa:  FFS22D4221643 Consumer:  *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This complaint is being filed under Watkins Wellness as they are the manufacturer of the faulty Caldera Spas, Seychelles spa (purchased from ************************ in Plantsville, ** - order #******). The new spa was purchased on 9/11/2022. Now, almost four months later, we spent almost $13K on a new product that still isnt fixed with full usability. The spas diverter has blown three times. The lights on the spa didnt work until an electrician fixed them. Because of the diverter blowing since day 1, we only first got to use our spa about three months into purchasing it. At this point can't use it to its full extent.We have asked for compensation for 1) money spent heating an unusable spa for months in the cold weather (we cant turn it off or the pipes will freeze), 2) for refilling it multiple times with water multiple times due to the water loss from the three guizers and the two complete spa refills that were required because of stagnant water since the jets couldnt run, 3) for the wasted chemicals every time we needed to add new water, 4) for the amount of time spent calling/emailing/coordinating responses and service for the faulty manufactured product spa (this is all documented there are pages of notes), 5) for the damage to the system of this new spa because of the cycling of bad water for months since it couldnt be treated due to the jets not working, 6) for the **** that we experience every time we push a button to turn the jets on since we never know when either diverter is going to blow again, 7) for the inability to use our new ********** spa like every other customer should be able to. We have asked for a replacement spa or compensation. The compensation that we have received up to this point has been two Caldera-branded bathrobes and four Caldera-branded towels. There has been no financial compensation or replacement of any kind offered in order to make this horrific experience right.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to complaint #******** submitted by ********************************* on 12/22/2022.
  As an initial aside, Watkins is the manufacturer of the ********** Caldera spa purchased by the consumer from the retail dealer, *******************, and has been actively involved in working with the dealer to resolve the reported issues from the time we became aware of them as reported to our ************* Team on November 29th of this year.
  Although there is no provision within the limited warranty for compensating a consumer who has had to file a warranty claim or claims, Watkins did work with the dealer to provide water care supplies as well as a years supply of saltwater cartridges as a courtesy and as communicated to the consumer by her dealer on December 13, 2022.
  After receiving this complaint our warranty department reviewed the details with ******************* and Im happy to share that the request to have the spa replacement has been approved. We ask that the consumer continue to communicate with the dealer directly for time frames and logistics of the replacement spa. 
  At this time, Watkins considers the matter closed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Summary:In depth details are provided as Upload supporting documents - emails, voice calls, facts and figures, not my opinion.I purchased a new Hot Spring Spa from ***** Pools in ************, ** on 05/24/2019 which has a 5 year warranty covering water leaks. Now 2 years later the tub has developed a water leak. ***** Pools is estimating a five months delay before they can repair the tub. Although the warranty does not specify a response time for repair, five months is certainly not within reason and is, in my opinion, a breach of contract. The email of 12/2/2022 below suggests that Hot Springs Spas is in agreement with the five months repair time. Hot Springs Spas is a subsidiary of Watkins Wellness which is the warranty provided. Therefore, Hot Springs Spas and or Watkins Wellness is responsible for a timely repair regardless of the local Hot Springs representatives. Acceptable solutions are repair within 3 weeks, replacement tub within 3 weeks, or a refund of the full purchase price of $13,305.12.On 12/2/2022 1:31 PM, Hot Spring **************** wrote: (abbreviated)Hi *******,Email Watkins Wellness Thank you for reaching out to Watkins Wellness regarding your questions about the service work needed for your spa. In regards to the expected 5 month wait period for ***** Pools to be able to work on your spa, that is a long time and I can completely understand your concerns with this projected time frame! I am sure that ***** Pools has discussed this will you, but there is a service tech shortage in ***************** currently, and this combined with a record number of spas sold last year is creating longer lead times for spa servicing. I hope this answers your questions. If you have any further questions or concerns we or ***** Pools are happy to help!***************************** | Customer Care Representative **************** Department (P) *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2022

  Hello - This is in response to BBB ********, complaint from Mr. *****************************, owner of a 2018 Hot Spring Envoy model spa.  In effort to clarify statements, 'Hot Spring' retailers are not subsidiaries of Watkins Wellness.  Watkins Wellness is the manufacturer, and we built product, sell to the authorized retail dealerships, and make payment to the warranty claims submitted online by the retailer.  All authorized dealerships of our brand products are independent retailers not owned or managed by Watkins Wellness.  Authorized retailers manage all their business operations, including retail pricing, and scheduling of services for the product(s) they sell.

  ***** Pools sold and installed this spa (KKN4W1068) on May 29th, 2019, and carries a 5-year limited warranty term, which includes coverage of parts and technician spa-side labors to repair any defects, including the current leak.  I have spoken with the dealership today, and confirmed they will continue to work with both the consumer, their internal staff, and Watkins Wellness, until they can allocate their available resources to perform the needed repairs on ************************************* spa.  Watkins Wellness will continue to remain in contact with *********************************, until this event has been resolved.

  ***********************

  Customer Care Specialist

  ********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/05/2022

   They have not provided any repair time frame for the repair.  I will consider this case closed when I have an operational spa.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Thank you for your request for additional information.  I am pleased to inform you our team has contacted ***** Pools today, and they have arranged to accommodate and move ************************************* spa repair ahead of their other spa repairs in queue, with a service date of December 21st, 2022.  The dealer will be in contact with the consumer to coordinate logistics on this service call.  Our team will remain in contact with ***** Pools and *********************************, until they begin the repair process on the spa. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/16/2022

   Thanks for your interaction with ***** Pools. They have contacted me and have a scheduled pickup for 1/21/2022.  Perhaps wait until the repairs are completed to conclude this process.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hot Tub leaking after only 2 years. Outback pool and spa fixed leak only to find blown control boards... 7 months later no parts and hot tub still broken!! Called Watkins mfg and feel much worse! Every excuse in the book with no solution!!!! Just want others to know Watkins mfg not only makes defective product, but does not stand behind their warranty!!!! Would return if I could. Stuck with a hot that *****...

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2022

  From: ***********************
  Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2022 8:53 AM
  To: BBB Info <****************************************>
  Subject: CASE ****** - KKN19D2131352 - *********************** - You have a new message from the BBB complaint #********.
  
  BBB,
  
  This email is in response to the BBB Complaint ID# ********,dated 10/04/2022, regarding a concern with warranty performance and delay with service parts for a 2019 Hot Spring Envoy model spa, sold and installed by Outback Pool and Spa on 07/16/2019.
  
  Watkins Wellness is the manufacturer of Hot Spring Spas.  The authorized dealerships manage and handle all the consumer-direct interactions, from the time of interest in the product, to the sale and delivery, and performance of any warranty work needed during the limited warranty terms.  This includes the scheduling and ordering of parts and service.
  
  The concerns regarding the delay in the parts needed are based on industry-wide supply-chain shortages, and Watkins Wellness has multiple teams in place to address these occurring back-order challenges. Watkins Wellness has, and always will stand by and support the warranty terms,through the authorized dealership warranty claim(s) submitted for manufacture defects within the limited terms.  In this case, once our teams were notified by the consumer of the pending parts needed, we worked internally to expedite the needed components to the dealership.
  
  Watkins Wellness is in contact with the dealership &the consumer, to assist in resolving the consumers concerns with their spas service needs and will continue to do so until a conclusion is made agreeable between the consumer and the dealership.
  
  Thank you for the notice, please let me know if you have any questions.
  
  *********************** | Customer ********************************************** Team
  ********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a Hot Springs spa in December 2018, it was installed in April 2019, it did not work properly from day one. I purchased this spa for $16,000 because it could be used as a hot tub, and you could lower the temperature to cool the water for the hot ******* in south *********. The cool portion is called the Coolzone and it has not worked from the beginning. After I purchased the spa the company that I purchased it from Leisure living no longer carried the Hot Springs line, so ClearWater was going to help me with the warranty claim. I had no issues with the transition. I spoke directly to Watkins Wellness stating in April 2019 who is the manufacturer of my spa. I have over 100 emails from Watkins and they have sent ClearWater technicians to my house, replaced computer boards, equipment over 12 times and after 3 years the spa still does not work. Early this summer they informed me that the spa was out of warranty and they would not do anything else so I contacted senior management and shared my story and they sent out a technician to try and fix it with no luck. They came out twice in **** August and now I am told that they are sending another part to try. Let me know if you can help or steer me in the right direction.Thanks

  Business Response

  Date: 10/14/2022

  This email is in response to the BBB Complaint ID# ********, regarding concerns with their Limelight Pulse spa and the Coolzone accessory service challenges for *******************************.

   

  Watkins Wellness is the manufacturer of Hot Spring Spas.  The authorized dealerships manage and handle all the consumer-direct interactions, from the time of interest in the product, to the sale and delivery, and performance of any warranty work needed during the limited warranty terms.  When we were notified by ****************** of the original selling dealer closing and unable to perform services, our teams contracted the next closest dealer (mentioned in complaint), who agreed to support the needed repairs.  This dealer contracted a **** certified technician for repairs needed.

   

  The Hot Spring Spa line can be upgraded with the Coolzone system, an accessory that lowers the spa water temperature.  The spa does not require the Coolzone system to perform functionality(s) the spa offers and to the best of our knowledge the customer's spa is fully functional.  ************* limited warranty for the Coolzone system offers coverages for warranty claims submitted by the authorized dealers.  From the time Watkins became aware that the Coolzone was inoperable, we engaged our Tech Support Team to support the local dealer in troubleshooting.  After extensive efforts failed, we agreed to have the entire unit replaced.  Unfortunately, there was a delay in fulfilling the order due to an extended back-order situation and once the equipment could be shipped, the **** resource that was required for the installation was no longer available, causing further delays.

   

  Watkins Wellness is in contact with the dealership & consumer to assist in resolving the consumers concerns with their Coolzone unit and will continue to do so until a conclusion is made agreeable between the consumer and the dealership, with full coverage(s) for services rendered outside the standard 1-year accessory warranty terms we understand the issues were present during the active terms of the Coolzone system warranty. 

   

  Thank you for the notice, please let me know if you have any questions.

   

  *********************** | Customer Care Specialist

  He/Him/His

  Customer Care Team

  Watkins Wellness

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bought a Hot Springs Spa made by Watkins Manufacturer for Great Atlantic Spas in ******** in August 2021. The Envoy Spa was supposed to have a music icon on the remote so that I could control music and entertainment on the hot tub remote. The hot tub was delivered in July ************************************ production beyond delivery time. The spa arrived but no music icon on the remote. After two technician visits they tell me that the 2022 spas do not come with the remote music control capability. They are still demonstrating and selling that it does. I ordered one that does have that feature in 2021. But because of their ineptness they delivered me a spa that is not what I ordered and a bucket of excuses and misleading statements. Not only bait and switch tactics, fraud, anti-trust laws are crimes that they have broken. I expect this to be corrected immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/09/2022

  This email is in response to the BBB Complaint ID# ********, dated 09/03/2022, regarding a concern with the music accessory feature and expectations on her new 2022 Hot Spring Envoy model spa, serial number *************, sold and installed by *************************************, ** on 07/07/2022.

   

  Watkins Wellness is the manufacturer of Hot Spring Spas.  The authorized dealerships manage and handle all the consumer-direct interactions, from the time of interest in the product, to the sale and delivery, and performance of any warranty work needed during the limited warranty terms.  Thus, we are not involved in the conversations that take place between the dealership and the consumer for the selling of the products they offer.

   

  The Hot Spring Spa line can be upgraded with a music system, allowing an enabled Bluetooth device to be paired with the entertainment system receiver on the spa, which is installed by the dealership.  While the control panel does not offer the music icon to control volume or track navigation, the connected device does transmit the audio to the spa, playing the sounds on the built-in speaker system. 

   

  Watkins Wellness is in contact with the dealership to assist in resolving the consumers concerns with their spa and will continue to do so until a conclusion is made agreeable between the consumer and the dealership.  Watkins Wellness will be contacting the consumer directly, allowing their concerns to be shared with me. 

   

  Thank you for the notice, please let me know if you have any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Never received products fraudulent

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  This email is in response to the BBB Complaint ID# ********, dated 08/21/2022, regarding a concern with Never received products fraudulent.  Please note our teams never received this complaint, until recently and we requested it be reopened.
  
  Watkins Wellness is a hot tub manufacturer.  The authorized dealerships manage and handle all the consumer-direct interactions, from the time of interest in the product, to the sale and delivery, and performance of any warranty work needed during the limited warranty terms.  Thus, we are not involved in any consumer-direct sales or service, only the authorized dealers do. 
  
  With limited information provided in the complaint, I find no records of this consumer in our system.  I have emailed *********************** today to explore her complaint, and review how I can help.
  
  Thank you for the notice, please let me know if you have any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a hot tub on Jan 2nd from Wayfair, it didn't come until the end of March. We were away so we didn't hook it up until May 15th. It was leaking and continually got worse. I called and spoke to the ******* from Watkins Manufacturing. She asked for pics, I sent them, they said it could be repaired. I waited to hear from them as to a date. She never sent me a message or called. I called them after 10 day of waiting, they said they couldn't get anyone to repair it. So they were sending a new one. After several calls and emails telling them I needed them to pay for installation and to move the hot tub when it is delivered. They agreed to transfer $500 into my paypal account to cover the cost of installation and moving Two hot tubs. I sent several more messages stating that the hot tub was coming on July 26th and I need the money to pay the people. I never heard back, I called again on the 25th and told ******* AGAIN the hot tub is coming tomorrow and that I need the money to pay the people. She told me on that call for the first time that I need invoices. I told her I don't have them and I'm really getting frustrated with their service. She told me "well I sent you a message last week", NO She did not. I told her cancel the delivery and pick up because I can't get the invoices in time and won't have the money to pay to have it moved. I still didn't hear back from her. I sent the invoices that evening, and again did not hear from her. This morning July 26th someone called at 9:15 saying they would be here in 15 min to drop off the hot tub. I had to call a neighbor to borrow the money and call the movers to beg them to come immediately. Fortunately they were able to shuffle a few things around to be able to accommodate me. The new one was delivered, the old one was taken back. As soon as they left I emailed ******* to ask her to PLEASE, send the money to my account so I can pay my neighbor back. I'm not expecting to hear back from her. I will be forced to call

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2022

  Dear *******************,

   

  Thank you for advising Watkins of complaint #******** from *****************************.

   

  Watkins has been in contact with ******************** and we believe the complaint has been resolved.

   

  Watkins was first contacted by ******************** on June 22, 2022, regarding a leak in her spa.  After unsuccessful attempts to arrange for service locally we spoke with ******************** on July 12^th and advised her of our decision to have her spa replaced.  We also advised ******************** that Wakins would be able to reimburse her up to $500 for her cost to have the spas moved and that we needed a copy of her invoice to process this reimbursement.  This message was repeated by email to ******************** on July 14^th. 

   

  Watkins received an invoice from ******************** on July 26^th for $331.38.  That invoice was paid on July 28^th.  Watkins received a second invoice from ******************** on July 29^th for $178.25 and that invoice was paid on July 29^th.

   

  Respectfully,

   

  ************************* | Customer Care Manager

  (P) *********************