If you are on this page you are already thinking about helping us which is awesome, so thank you!
HTU is just over two years old and in that time we have really shaken up the hot tub market by giving nearly half a million people industry information and under the cover looks at what is really going into different hot tubs. Keeping this site up and running as well as all the days I spend answering questions, doing research and helping people out isn’t easy but I believe in getting this information out there and helping people. Staying unbiased is at the core of this website and I need you guys to keep the content and coffee flowing, Hot Tubs are major purchases so if we helped you out and saved you money or stress we would like your support so we can keep helping other people as well.
I never say anything for money, you can not buy me, I started hot tub universe to yell at the world, I never expected it to become something visited by hundreds of thousands each year. The prevalence of fake reviews, marketing misinformation, 80’s style branding, and marketing attacks have left the buyer in a no-win situation. I am genuinely trying to bring clarity to a muddled misrepresented industry.
I endorse a way of making spas and any brand making spas the way I know is sustainable and reliable and efficient that can demonstrate they are in fact doing these things will get my endorsement at no cost. Quality control, accountability and truth in advertising. 5 brands I know of hit my build quality mark… Master, Artesian, PDC, Coast, and Beachcomber. I can sell any brand, everyone wants me to sell and endorse their products because the reality is more buyers come here than anywhere in the world for information and I am determined to be true to these buyers. I sell Master spas in my local market and did long before this information site became popular. The reality is less than 1% of customers that come to my blog are in my little remote market so what you end up buying does not matter to me. What people buy in almost no way effects my money… I don’t really care what you buy at the end of the day and other than wanting people to get good products that are sustainable and well supported it really does not effect me. I do get money from my top 5 and have turned down way more money from brands I do not like. Here is my minimum criteria.. 5 things.
Private Buyers Service (PBS) saved me $3k on a master spa. I called and received price from dealer. But HTU PBS got a price that was $3k lower (same dealer). So, I KNOW I saved a lot of money and was much more confident in the tub I purchased (Twilight7.25). I am now a zealot for the PBS. Use the PBS…you won’t regret it. The $249 is not a cost; it’s an investment that pays off.
I work with all kinds of “middlemen” across many product lines from decks and playsets to high end swim spas and hot tubs. To do my job, I need to know a lot, about a lot. Hot tubs and swim spas are what I call the “potato chip isle”; complicated, too many choices, technical and highly personal. You just end up wanting to forget the whole thing and leave the store!
One of the biggest challenges a customer faces is not the purchase but the decisions. Your best advocate in that is a responsive point person, your sales associate. Trust me, most times, when I work with “middlemen/women” they are not. They are fielding way too many inquiries and too often take on a “when I get around to it” attitude. Phone calls and emails are not responded to in timely and you end up feeling like you were better off doing it yourself. On my end, I spend time shaking the middlepersons tree, day after day and am left wondering what happened. Meanwhile the tub you wanted sold.
Kevin at hottubuniversity.com is not that person. He has been accessible, clear as to the wants and needs of his customer and conveyed it clearly to me, so I know he listened to them ...carefully. He was very professional, personable, and prompt at every communication. All this led to the customer getting what they wanted, at the price they wanted in a seamless, smooth transition from inquiry to purchase.
I would argue that buying a hot tub is more difficult than buying a car. With a car, you have a pretty good idea of what level of quality you are getting. Not so with a hot tub where quality is not a given and there are all sorts of options, costs, and manufacturers, including ones with multiple lines operating under different names. To sort through all of this, it was an easy decision to use the HTU Private Buyers Service. Their institutional knowledge alone was well worth the cost, and beyond that, Kevin took care of me. He listened to what I wanted, was very responsive, called dealers on my behalf, located some good options, connected me with a reputable dealer, and ultimately negotiated a great deal for me. The whole process from start to putting a deposit down on a hot tub was completed in four days. I highly recommend this service to anyone else looking for a quality hot tub. Very excited that my new tub is on the way!
I’ve been doing this off of donations for the past two years and I want to express my thanks for everyone who has made this possible. We are now offering both Consultation and Private Buyer Services for people who want a greater level of assistance.
Thanks for your support of Hot Tub University,
-Chris Wheatley
