Premiere Hot Tubs Reviews
Tom Murdock
1-22-11
Pressed for time? Here is the short story:
Clearwater is an excellent brand of spa. Bill Meyer at Premiere is an excellent dealer. No pressure (except water). Patiently answered all my questions, provided lots of information, and has gone out of his way to be helpful and provide support both before and after the sale. Very happy with my decision to buy a Clearwater Spa from Bill. Premiere and Bill are highly recommended. If you want to talk more, call me at 505 822 9410. Update 22 Jan 2011: Bill has responded instantly to a relatively minor warranty issue on the spa. Couldn’t have asked for more.
Got time to read? Here is the long story:
Early in the spring of 2010 I realized it was time to replace our 15 year-old spa, and began doing the due diligence. After visiting several of the consumer forums on the web, it was clear that there are only a very few quality spa brands, and even fewer quality spa dealers.
I quickly concluded that the two most important criteria for selecting a spa are spa quality and dealer reputation and service. Price is the tie breaker. Initially my short list was Hot Springs, Jacuzzi, and Cal Spas. On the web forums, Cal Spas had by far the largest number of negative posts, and Hot Springs the least. Then I learned that both the Hot Springs and Jacuzzi dealerships here in Albuquerque are owned by the same person. That doesn’t give a purchaser much negotiating power.
After eliminating Cal Spas from consideration, I went back to the internet for some in-depth research on Hot Springs and jacuzzi, and spa construction and engineering in general. I ran across a post touting Bill Meyer (Premiere Hot Tubs of Austin), whom they said was very knowledgeable, answered any and all questions, and was extremely patient and helpful.
The Premiere Hot Tubs website has numerous documents comparing the pros and cons of various brands of spas. I began an email exchange with Bill, and he did patiently answer all my questions. He said he had chosen to represent Clearwater and Bullfrog spas after some very extensive research, and that they had proven to be high quality spas. After a lot more research, I decided to consider a Clearwater spa.
The Clearwater has more jets than the Hot Springs. In addition, Clearwater insulates the entire cabinet so that heat from the pumps will help heat the water (thermal efficiency). Other manufacturers spray foam the underside of their spas, which makes wonder how you would ever repair a pipe leak. This design wastes the pump heat. Clearwater has a better warranty than most other spa manufacturers. See the warranty comparison chart on the Premiere website for details.
My one remaining concern was that my dealer service for my spa would be coming from Austin. After many, many long conversations with Bill about after-sale support, I made a leap of faith and purchased a Clearwater Spa from Premiere. Bill arranged to have Clearwater direct ship the spa to me. I arranged for a crane. Installation was easy. I then had an electrician do the connecting. Regarding spa service: I have an independent spa repairman that was maintaining my previous spa, and Bill offered to train him on Clearwater. So far, this hasn’t been necessary. Also, Clearwater does not use proprietary components, which reduces the risk of remote servicing.
My Clearwater spa has been running since Memorial Day 2010. It is a great spa! One minor problem with a secondary jet was addressed promptly by Bill, and has been resolved. For my previous spa, I had to change the water every 90 days. The Clearwater has been running for seven months and the water is clear, clean, and holds the required pH, alkalinity, and bromine levels without any problems.
Bottom Line: A few nervous moments about the decision to purchase a brand of spa that has no local dealer support, but so far, it has been an excellent decision. Bill and I talk periodically, and he keeps me updated on the latest thinking on spa water chemistry, and offers tips on how to maintain the spa and keep it running smoothly. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
Update 22 Jan 2011: One of the hose fittings on my spa sprung a small leak (glue failure). Bill responded immediately, and has arranged for replacement parts to be shipped directly to me from Clearwater and for a local tech to affect the repair. He stands behind his product.
Tom | 
