I realize it has been hard through the pandemic with a crazy year for hot tub sales but I would rate Premium middle of the road with some areas for improvement. Generally Premium has awesome products and prices for Jacuzzi lines but the manner in which they put effort into closing a sale vs. post sale communication vs. installation are all somewhat different leaving me tepid on the overall review. My experience is below.
I did a ton of research for hot tubs in the area and already had a Jacuzzi brand hot tub at my house. What I didn't realize is how spa sales is essentially like buying a car - prices are not well advertised until well into the process, each company carries various lines and upgrade packages (so if you want Jacuzzi for instance, you probably only have a couple options in the DMV all together), and they are essentially a supply chain operator to you only. Meaning, the landing or leveling pad, deck adjustments for the tub, electrical hookup, and firing up/filling the tub are all on you. Mind you, this isn't my first tub so I was ok with that but worth mentioning before you buy any tub with anyone who doesn't do white glove service end-to-end.
Our tub was delayed due to COVID-19 but we were fine and understood that the whole time. Premium did warn us up front delivery was easily 10-12 weeks out but this was well past that time frame. Aside from things outside their control though, there were a few things Premium could have done a little better in my opinion.
1) General communication and follow-up - throughout this process I was trying to coordinate a lot both personally and professionally, and I felt like the general contractor for my own hot tub procurement. It was slightly challenging for me to communicate with sales or the owner until the operations manager (Rich) got involved near the end - he knew 100% what needed to happen and when. Prior to that, I felt as though I was looking for updates and asking questions that didn't ever fully get answers in written responses or via phone. Small side note, I also was told I would receive a $200 offer of chemicals for being so patient with the process but that unfortunately wasn't the case or hasn't occurred yet at least.
2) Installation team interactions - the initial (high school?) gentleman that rang our doorbell did have a mask on but besides that, the entire team did not (including Rich) and a few times requested for me to interact or come outside to see something or answer a question. Of course this comment is merely relevant during the pandemic but they didn't seem to really pay too much attention to COVID protocols with me or my wife. At the end of the evening, the last two folks here (again I think were high schoolers) were unmasked and asking for us to sign documents, stayed within 6 ft of us at the front door, and had us vocally give our credit card to someone over the phone. Being that we have an immune system medical issue in this house we would have liked it if at least Rich or the person we had to interact closely with were more mindful of the interactions during COVID.
3) Installation misses - A few misses listed below and not the end of the world by any means...
- The team did leave random pieces of wood and screws all over the place that were used to elevate the tub onto our deck
- The team forgot to remove the two pieces of plywood on the back 2 corners of the tub (still there and appear to be underneath the panels?). They are mostly hidden from plain sight but still on there from the factory.
- Rich/Team left the tub "out" quite a ways for he electrician that was in route to hook up the tub that evening. I think they assumed a couple guys would be there too but since the electrician was by himself, I had to mask up, step outside to help him push the empty tub into place. He stated he didn't know why the team did this for him but we got it where it needed to be
So overall, great product and price but left a little to be desired in the process as a whole. read more