Don’t be a fool and Check out www.alibaba.com and search for Hot Tubs and, surprise, surprise you will see all the rubbish flooding into the UK from China being advertised by various rat infested factories, all to be sold in UK, by dodgy here today, gone tomorrow traders.
Chinese Counterfeit Hot Tubs
Many of these con artists are claiming their spas are made in the USA, in particular Florida, when in fact they are just using American names and address to promote their spas. Even funnier are the prices of this junk, where internet companies are claiming to be selling at half fictional retail prices with fictional savings when in fact they are working on massive margins as the stuff they are bringing in rubbish (this saves a long tedious and frightening description) and they are relying on the correct prices of good stuff to sell what is in many cases dangerous to users and not in compliance with any EU standards, many just list false logos.
Remember everything in these spas are made in China and poor copies of original American designs and products, stuff that has taken years to perfect is copied by an unlimited supply of cheap labour about that is not paid until the supplier is paid. Naturally the wrong or cheap substitute materials are used and there is no chain of custody or paper trail many components are one off efforts to meet the order of a get rich quick importer.
Not just spas are being copied in China everything is, it is a joke, names are just changed and copies of Western and Japanese goods abound all handled by unscrupulous traders.
True Story
A man who wanted to buy a spa. He searched the internet looking for a deal, frequenting eBay and bargain web shops. He fell in love with a shiny looking hot tub, hundreds of jets, steel structure, LED light show, a stereo and a TV !
£4000 was such a good price and with interest free credit and nothing to pay for the first year, he ordered it and booked the crane for installation right away.
“It’s not heating ! ” …..was the cry after just one month. The company sent a new heater. “I can only get BBC1 in Chinese !”….was the cry, but that didn’t matter anyway because the TV stopped working the next day.
“It’s leaking ! “…..was the cry, but after several months it had now proved impossible to contact the dealer….Araldite it was to be.
Fast approaching was the day he had to start paying for the tub, he was coming to the end of the “nothing to pay for the first year” The list of faults had reached their peak. Further leaks, it had stopped heating again, the radio was just an object on the door and the LED’s had forgotten what their job was.
The original dealer had now vanished and the finance company were his only point of contact. They did NOT want the spa back. “Mmmm…..what can I do” he considered. I’m certainly not paying for a crane to lift the spa out.
He ordered a builders skip and cut the spa up with a chainsaw.
Spa Buyer Warning
Currently advertised on E-Bay England, are numerous Chinese imported spas without correct English Electrical Safety Certification or compliance with English/European Standards.
Please note – this does not mean that ALL spas on E-bay are non-compliant
Some of the issues of note, with these spas:
(One or more of the following)
1. No electrical safety certificate
2. No C-Tick (EMC compliance)
3. No filtration – What-so-ever !
4. No surface skimmer
5. Insufficient suctions per pump
6. False claims of USA manufacture
7. Absolutely no after sales service, support or spare parts
These are serious issues, and in some cases, serious breaches of English electrical safety standards as well as entrapment dangers amongst other issues.
Whilst the inclusions and price look like great value for money on these spas, they are in fact a very bad buy.
Not only are you buying a non approved spa, endangering your family, friends, and home, but also risking a lack of service and support that can only be provided by seasoned spa dealers in your local area. The electrical (and other) components utilised on these spas are not available freely within England, and nothing is directly compatible.
If you are contemplating purchasing a spa from E-bay, we highly recommend you insist on proof of compliance with English Standards, Electrical Safety approvals, before you purchase.
If anyone has had the misfortune to have been swindled by these spa suppliers, and wish to help shut them down for the benefit for all consumers, please email us with your experience and information.
We have already had people reporting their bad experiences including all of the above issues. Unfortunately in at least one case, the supplier is fully aware of their non compliance, with false information as to the product, on the invoice. We are sure this is not an isolated incident, and that all suppliers are aware of these issues.
In addition to the complete spas, individual spa components such as pumps without compliance, have also been advertised and sold.
Please be wary of this expanding problem – if in any doubt – don’t bid ! – Buy from a reputable dealer, namely Orchard Spa & Hot Tubs.
In Canada, Europe and Australia, it is a legal requirement that a pump connected to a pool or spa must have two suction points teed together some distance apart. There have been a number of injuries and deaths caused by underwater entrapment in pools and spas which resulted in this legislation being instated. If a high-flow pump is connected to a single suction point, the force of water travelling through it can be enough to trap a person underwater and drown them. However, if there are two suctions teed together, when one is blocked by skin, clothes, or hair, the water can travel through the other suction point, reducing the suction force and preventing entrapment.
Suction fittings must also be manufactured to a specific standard. They must have the correct surface area, the right number holes which are the correct size and are then matched to the power of the pump. This is to reduce the entrapment risk posed by underwater suction points. These approved suction covers are designed to stop hair being sucked through the holes in the cover and being spun into a knot behind it. Major international brands use approved and rated suction covers in their spas, plumbed correctly, with 2 suction points per pump (a filter may also count as a suction point).
Unfortunately there are often unbranded spas for sale on eBay, that have two pumps with just one suction point each. Both suction points are right next to each other; doubling the suction force! This means that when both pumps are running there is a huge force sucking down into the bottom of the foot well. These products could be especially lethal for children or those with long hair.
