74...78...The Hot Tub Saga...
...94...98...
So about a month ago, we entered in to the process of refinancing our house. Rachel and I both have steady jobs now and we figured it was time to pay off the debt we ran up while she was unable to work and CommTech was sputtering. We hoped we would have enough equity to get a hot tub as well. Between Rachel's back and my shoulder, we thought that it would help us both in addition to being a fantastic addition to the Hotel Yorba social scene.
We were worried, a bit, because the real estate market is in a slump up here. Houses are being offered at reduced prices and still sitting on the market for months, sometimes years. Well, we applied for the loan and the appraiser came out and we were pretty amazed. According to the appraiser, it is now worth 52% more than when we bought it two years ago. Not that we could sell it for that these days. And not that we would want to. But it was nice to get some cash out and still have some room on the equity line.
So we went hot tub shopping and found a nice big one with lots of jets in a pretty blue color. It was on sale for something like $1,500 off. But it was still expensive. I asked why we should pay more for this tub when we could get one cheaper at Costco. The salesman assured me it was a superior quality tub a nd we would receive excellent service. He also assured me that it would be a few hundred dollars for the installation technician to install a GFCI circuit. So we put a deposit down explaining that we were in escrow on a refi and would complete the purchase once we signed papers.
Well, it is a superior tub - it's a Bull Frog Spa, model 662 with the deluxe control panel and the cool LED light. We skipped the Bose sound system as it seemed like way more stereo than you need in a spa. But the service was spotty. They delivered the tub last Wednesday. Here's an action shot where it almost tipped over...
Anyway, I asked if how long it would take to heat up. And the guy said, well, you need to hook up the electricity. And I said, well you were supposed to do that. Well, he said it would be $800 and he wasn't sure if he would have time. I told him we had family coming up on the weekend and he assured me he would get it done, but maybe I should try to find someone else just in case.
Ans here's the thing about living here, well, one of the things. It is a small town and there isn't a lot of competition. So it's tough to get a call back sometimes. Anyway, the guy I used before was swamped, but did give me his cell phone number. And the guy from the spa place said maybe the other guy could run the wire and he could do the rest. But it was not meant to be. So Friday came and we cancelled on the family visit. And the guy said he had company on Saturday but maybe he could come on Sunday. Well Sunday came and went. So did Monday. Yesterday I called and reminded him of what the salesman told me about service. And he said he'd have to see when he could get some guys out. I switched to hardass mode, which I don't like doing.
"Well why don't you just skip that and see when you can get some guys together to come out, drain it, take it back, and refund my money."
He was here today. And we are pals again. And we will probably golf together some time. And Rachel just came in with my suit and said it is up to 100.
So that's it. I'm off to our first family hot tub.
And the cabin post will have to wait another day.
So about a month ago, we entered in to the process of refinancing our house. Rachel and I both have steady jobs now and we figured it was time to pay off the debt we ran up while she was unable to work and CommTech was sputtering. We hoped we would have enough equity to get a hot tub as well. Between Rachel's back and my shoulder, we thought that it would help us both in addition to being a fantastic addition to the Hotel Yorba social scene.
We were worried, a bit, because the real estate market is in a slump up here. Houses are being offered at reduced prices and still sitting on the market for months, sometimes years. Well, we applied for the loan and the appraiser came out and we were pretty amazed. According to the appraiser, it is now worth 52% more than when we bought it two years ago. Not that we could sell it for that these days. And not that we would want to. But it was nice to get some cash out and still have some room on the equity line.
So we went hot tub shopping and found a nice big one with lots of jets in a pretty blue color. It was on sale for something like $1,500 off. But it was still expensive. I asked why we should pay more for this tub when we could get one cheaper at Costco. The salesman assured me it was a superior quality tub a nd we would receive excellent service. He also assured me that it would be a few hundred dollars for the installation technician to install a GFCI circuit. So we put a deposit down explaining that we were in escrow on a refi and would complete the purchase once we signed papers.
Well, it is a superior tub - it's a Bull Frog Spa, model 662 with the deluxe control panel and the cool LED light. We skipped the Bose sound system as it seemed like way more stereo than you need in a spa. But the service was spotty. They delivered the tub last Wednesday. Here's an action shot where it almost tipped over...
Anyway, I asked if how long it would take to heat up. And the guy said, well, you need to hook up the electricity. And I said, well you were supposed to do that. Well, he said it would be $800 and he wasn't sure if he would have time. I told him we had family coming up on the weekend and he assured me he would get it done, but maybe I should try to find someone else just in case.
Ans here's the thing about living here, well, one of the things. It is a small town and there isn't a lot of competition. So it's tough to get a call back sometimes. Anyway, the guy I used before was swamped, but did give me his cell phone number. And the guy from the spa place said maybe the other guy could run the wire and he could do the rest. But it was not meant to be. So Friday came and we cancelled on the family visit. And the guy said he had company on Saturday but maybe he could come on Sunday. Well Sunday came and went. So did Monday. Yesterday I called and reminded him of what the salesman told me about service. And he said he'd have to see when he could get some guys out. I switched to hardass mode, which I don't like doing.
"Well why don't you just skip that and see when you can get some guys together to come out, drain it, take it back, and refund my money."
He was here today. And we are pals again. And we will probably golf together some time. And Rachel just came in with my suit and said it is up to 100.
So that's it. I'm off to our first family hot tub.
And the cabin post will have to wait another day.
posted by Eric Soderstrom at 8:30 PM
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