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SpaBerry review: Hot tub 37

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Author of the review
4:57 pm EDT
Review updated:
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

We have a product that is being sold at the Medicine Hat Home show every year, and after getting it repaired last November, is now broken again due to their main board blowing, a $800 part. The same part I had to replace under a year ago, and the most expensive part as well. The product is a Spaberry hot tub sold out of Calgary. Purchased it in October of 2012 and have had nothing but issues with it since then.

My wife and I are at our wits end, once again left with an expensive product that is now a lump outside, unusable.

37 comments
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Larry/Charlene
Punnichy, CA
Jun 18, 2023 2:10 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hi all.

We have a Spa Berry hot tub. Bought in 2015. We were in Calgary at the time for a vacation. One of the malls there. Was ok, just ok, till now. It now looses temperature. We have unplugged, then plugged back in, hoping to reset. We cannot set the temp. Goes from STD, then we think SnS, ---,--. Hard to tell just exactly what it is. Will not go to temp set. Can we get some ideas in what the problem is. I'm thinking it's the heater.

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Joe Dick
, US
Aug 24, 2022 9:04 pm EDT

Hi everyone. I purchased my spaberry in September 2021 and received it August of 2022. I work in the manufacturing industry and supply is the same across the board. Long lead times! But it finally arrived. When I picked it up, the box was pretty beat up, but you can't necessarily blame spaberry when the shipping depots are typically not very gentle. I got it home, unpacked it all, and noticed a couple small scratches, but all in all, it looked good. I plugged it in, filled it up, turned it on, and I'm very impressed. Heated up fast and works great. Now, it has been less than a month, but I plan on switching to 220V shortly for the Canadian winters. Guess time will tell how it holds up, but I feel like most things, if you take care of it, you'll have a great product for years!

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DarleneFehr
Saskatoon, CA
Jul 11, 2022 5:09 pm EDT
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I would not recommend this spa berry product to anyone! After 2.5 years the pump and motor went , the hot tub is actually cracking! I complained and they replied with “ would you like an apology or a refund?”I said “ a refund is definitely in order “ and I have not heard back from them yet! So we have a nice red potato planting tub , with drainage!😡

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T Campbell 13
, US
May 10, 2022 6:52 pm EDT

Oh where to start. They keep pushing out delivery dates. Then delivery day comes there was a no show and no call. Then they come and box is open and sliding off the skid. I rejected shipment. Then was told they would inspect repack laying down. Then I book to have it delivery on a Thursday and today when I get home it's in my driveway. No signing of papers nothing. Well I look at it, it was never opened never inspect and the put on the skid upside down. I email again and was told that it's my problem to put it right side up. I said I expect a discount on all the bs and they said what sorry not good enough.

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Ron Vielfaure
, US
Aug 27, 2021 12:33 pm EDT

Have had mine for four Manitoba winters going to start year five.Has been trouble for me. Maybe I'm jinxing my luck but only issue is right now is my waterfall valve stays on which I have ordered today. Waiting for a call from them on installation process. Has never shut off since I've had except for filling. I had hooked up to 240 when I got it and never drop temperature more than a few degrees when using it. It is in a covered screen gazebo but cover still like new. I admit to heavier set people will bring water close to the edge. All and all talking to friends with hot tubs I feel they all have issues at one point or another. Think you go on sites like this we will always see the worst.

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Doug385
Cochrane, Alberta, CA
Jan 03, 2021 7:20 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I bought our Spaberry back in the fall of 2016. We moved once since then and took it with us. The spa has never broke down until now, January 2021. It has simply been flawless. We run it all year. We switched it over to 220V in 2017 and never looked back. 220 is really the way to go otherwise it cools off to fast in the winter. Our first problem was today (January 2021) when I found the heater was gone. Luckily it will be nice for the next week to mess with it and get a replacement heater. In fact the only hiccup we have had is when it was shipped. We got the wrong tub. I think the shipper transposed the serial number as the number on the box did not match the tub by 2 digits being transposed. We called them and they shipped the correct one immediately and paid for all shipping costs and this time they dropped at my front door. We lived in the country so that is pretty rare. I am a little disappointed to see everyone here having problems with them but who puts in a review that is positive? Reviews are usually a venting mechanism so I thought I would give my positive experience.

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Anneking
, CA
Jan 29, 2020 4:45 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I bought a spaberry sept/ 13 /19. It is now jan/2020. Do not buy a spaberry! Was told delivery 3 to 5 weeks. Tried to cancel with them and they will not return my funds. Put in a dispute with 2 credit cards and now in process of dealing with bbb in calgary. One credit card no problem money refunded and account closed and the other having problems with. If I have to I will follow through with a civil suit against this company. Wish I had seen this site before I used my cards to buy it. Nothing but stress and headaches. Beware people! This company has unscrupulous methods of doing business. Call consumer protection as you do have a right to cancel.

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Julie Demaeyer
, US
Jan 18, 2021 3:37 pm EST
Replying to comment of Anneking

I have exactly this issue. How can I contact Customer protection? do you mean with my credit card?

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Spinderella P
, US
Apr 19, 2021 4:52 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Anneking

Same issue. Paid in full December 2020, I have in writing from them delivery Max 14-18 weeks but now they are saying August delivery. THAT'S 8 MONTHS! I also spoke to them on March 1st and they told me the end of April but all the sudden it changed. They didn't apologize and when I asked for a refund they said no refunds. Conveniently for them no one explained this no refund to me at the time of purchase however AFTER I paid they sent me the invoice with this in tiny print.

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Ednbubba
, US
Jun 30, 2021 6:49 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We paid in October 2020 told January delivery lol lots of back and forth, instigated by us every month, just got word, a few more weeks (bs) that’ll take it to month 10 so not impressed. Everyone we know is sure we are being ripped off.

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Spinderella P
, US
Oct 05, 2021 5:05 am EDT
Replying to comment of Ednbubba

Have you received your spaberry? I was forced to go through better business bureau to get our mess resolved. Over 9 months, paid in full, and the last communication I had with them I inquired what exactly my specific spaberry was waiting on and Kevin's response was "I don't have an answer". I know they are telling people 4 months for delivery which we know isn't true. They are not honest whatsoever.

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Maria Root
, US
Aug 28, 2019 10:30 pm EDT

We have had our Spa Berry 3yr, it wont stay hot enough to use in the winter for more than 6 or 7 mins.

Today I drained and filled the water. It shocked me. At first I thought it was a nerve in my arm, then I had my husband check it, he got shocked. We drained and filled how we always do. The cover was closed where the motor is. I am terrified of it now. I cant find a way to get a hold of anyone about this! I still have 2years of payments on the over 5k piece of crap. Like the guy above said. Don't buy one!

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Dan disappointed
, CA
Jul 25, 2019 7:14 pm EDT

Do Not buy a Spaberry I did
After one and a half years my shell started cracking and when I contacted them they had me send pictures which I did. After a week I sent them another email asking what was happening. They responded we have never seen this happen before. but since the acrylic shell is only gauranteed for one year I have to fix it myself. They didn't even come look at it as they said they do not deal with any problems after warranty is expired. When we paid for the 5 year extended warranty plan we thought the shell was included but I guess not. As soon as I started complaining they wanted nothing to do with me.
Dan

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Siren Middleton
, US
Jul 05, 2021 9:18 pm EDT

They contacted me and said I couldn’t buy the sb6 bc of the issues with the shell. Let me know what model it is and I can send you proof they said they have issues with the shell if it’s the sb6.

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Beverly Klemenz
, CA
Feb 05, 2019 7:04 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We are very disappointed and disgruntled before we even get our tub. We paid for the tub in full on November 22nd, 2018 with the understanding that it would be delivered mid January. I contacted them mid January and was sent an email saying it would be shipped by the end of the month. The end of January came and went I left messages wondering when the tub would be shipped. We received no contact from the man in charge until I demanded my money back and then were told that it is against company policy to give refunds. Finally today after repeated calls and messages, we received a phone call back and were told that they cant get the parts required to ship our spa for at least another 2 weeks and then it would not be ready to ship for another 2 weeks after that. Meanwhile they are sitting on our money. They have offered us a $250. credit but how can you ever redeem the credit if you cannot get in contact with them. We were wondering if everyone that bought a spa the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina are being treated this way. By the time we get this spa it may be summer and we have lost 3 months warranty as the warranty states it is from the date of sale. We were told by the salesman that it 100% Canadian and the letter that I received states that they are waiting for the parts to come in from the United states. Isn't that a great way to treat customers.
They have partnered with Lake Placid developments apparently dumping us single customers who have no value to them. We would not recommend this company to anyone after conversation with them today. This company is very unprofessional and what company would not refund something that they cannot deliver in a timely manner and we no longer want.
Bev and Ken Klemenz

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Ernie Reid
, US
Mar 25, 2019 6:18 pm EDT

Interesting, the Owner's Manual we received via email from SpaBerry contains the warranty and states that the Warranty starts on the original delivery date. We purchased one in January and is being delivered tomorrow. We didn't want it until around now so it is on schedule for us.

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Anneking
, CA
Jan 29, 2020 4:58 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am going through pretty much the same thing. This company needs to be accountable.

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Larry Dawidowitz
, US
Sep 07, 2018 10:34 am EDT

8 negative comments and this company has been around since 2006, is really not that bad. Considering the thousands that have been sold, its actually a 99.9% win. I looked on all the other hot tub companies and found every single company had many complaints, regarding quality and service. I find Instagram a more reliable place to google hot tubs. It shows users over the years enjoying their tubs, rather than a small group of "knockers"
Companies are capable of "buying" good reviews, and competition is notorious for "bashing" other companies, pretending to be unhappy customers. As Abraham Lincoln once said "Don't believe anything you read on the Internet"

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Serge Chalifoux
, US
Jun 01, 2021 1:00 pm EDT

Well Larry Dawidowitz, I can vouch most of these unpleased customers that are not happy with the spa. We believed in this Spa however we aren't happy with the purchase. Newly bought in september 2019 from your business and in April 2020 we had the defected pump replaced. And in November 2020, our Spa was tripping often with no code indicators for unknown reasons. A Spa technician at my expense to tell me the heater is to be replaced causing the tripping. You say don't believe what you read on the internet. We are talking an 1 yr and half old Spa that requires expensive fixing and as someone said service after purchase is NIL..no return calls from the Calgary Office either by phone or email. We bought the extended warranty to avoid extreme costs but we have to pay the shipping from/to Calgary because no local Spa dealers have the parts in stock. AND YES I do not recommend SPABERRY probably built in Canada but parts come from the States where they sell SPABERRY also. Unhappy customer we are and will be in our memory for a very longtime.

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Larry Dawidowitz
, US
Jun 15, 2021 3:58 pm EDT

Serge...I am sorry you were having issues with your Spa. My point was the company has sold thousands of tubs, and I have sold close to 500 myself in Ontario, and it has been an excellent product. If I remember correctly you purchased an extended parts coverage. While I have retired from Spaberry and no longer am an agent for them, the company was a stand up company, with an excellent product. Again, sorry if you had an issue. Normally, spas tripping breakers is an electrical problem, not a heater problem.

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19841984
, US
May 25, 2018 2:18 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Horrible Horrible company! would not recommend to anyone to deal with this company.

It's not about the issues I had with the spaberry it's more due to the poor poor service, They do not care at all about customer service and making the customer happy!

they charge you for everything even when I had my warranty still they found a way to charge me and when they connected me to this other company to get it fixed gave them the wrong part and when we found that out they were not willing to help at all or take any kind of responsibility! I had to pay someone else to come fix it again!

It's too bad as I sent many of my friends to buy spaberry's in the beginning but as soon as I noticed how they treat their customers I stopped doing that.

And I can see i'm not the only one that had a bad experience.

very poorly managed!

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Vancouver Island
, CA
Sep 11, 2017 6:36 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hi Had my Spaberry for a couple of years now & it's been great but the Customer Service guy in Alberta is an absolute [censored]! Ordered products from their webpage & did not receive what was in the picture, far inferior piece of crap & they will not refund! Tried talking to him but told me basically he makes all the decisions and he's not refunding! Total [censored] & totally disillusioned with SpaBerry now.

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Maria Root
, US
Mar 14, 2017 8:50 pm EDT

We bought a spa berry 5 2 person tub. Haven't had it quite a month. Last night it stopped heating and reads ECN. Not happy. Hard to find any info on trouble shooting. Doesn't stay hot enough to sit in more than 10-15mins. in the cold. Not to happy with it!

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Gavinkm
, CA
Mar 30, 2017 4:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of Maria Root

Maria contact SpaBerry and they can assist you, as they did me, with programming the computer. The economy mode is not hot.

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Wendy Faulkner
, US
Oct 21, 2017 11:20 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Maria Root

We had that issue as well with it not getting hot enough, we got our electrician to wire it to 208/240 power instead, it's awesome now!
The electrician said it was not hard because the tub couldn't mes with the option for 208/240 but most people don't know about that.
We can stay in for hours not even on cold days and only lose a degree or so.

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Wendy Cunningham Patterson
, US
Nov 05, 2017 10:36 am EST
Replying to comment of Gavinkm

How do you contact SpaBerry...we have no contact information. WEndy

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Natalie52
, CA
Dec 13, 2016 11:51 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We did get ours and we are loving it. It is not an easy item to get set up, at least not for us. It took my husband & 2 sons 1 1/2 hrs to get it from our driveway through the house and onto the deck. Very awkward to move.
Aside from that our only issue is my husband and I are both approx 200lbs and I feel this tub was made for smaller people. We fit fine but we lose alot of water and need to add some to cover the jets when we are done. We had asked about this prior to purchase but were advised it would be perfectly fine.
If you have any other questions do not hesitate to ask

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Gavinkm
, CA
Mar 30, 2017 4:53 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of Natalie52

Natalie, we bought our SpaBerry in 2012. It has been far the best health equipment we have every purchased because we use it all the time. It is a heavy two person hottub and it took a while to maneuver it around to the deck. I have since replaced the speakers (waste of time really), pump and heater and now the lower control has gone (it won't heat up past 95*). I have never had a hard time replacing the parts myself and will replace the lower control and will continue to use it. SpaBerry people have been quite helpful with advice and getting me the parts I need. I have no complaints about the service.
We found that we have to keep the water level down to the middle to top of the upper jets so that it won't spill over.
All-in-all, this is the cost of owning a hot tub. Oh, I will have to replace the top cover as well at some point as it has broken in the middle and bows slightly in the middle.. Gavin

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2BitAcres
, CA
Aug 25, 2017 10:28 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of Natalie52

We have finally received our 6.0 after 8weeks of waiting. Had to make threatening phone calls of cancelling before they finally responded. It is much heavier that we thought, and with the added water and my husband and I (who are both 200lbs+), we had to build a base for it that could sustain all that weight. We finally sat in it this morning and the water was going over the sides. EXACTLY the issue you described! And at the home show...they assured us that there would be no problem with our size and enjoying the tub together. Now we have to take turns...so dissappointed:(

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Aaron1985
, CA
Sep 14, 2020 12:42 am EDT
Replying to comment of Gavinkm

You mentioned it won’t heat past 95 degrees. Mine is currently doing that. What did you do to fix the issue?

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Natalie52
, CA
Nov 21, 2016 2:24 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We are waiting for out Spaberry tub to arrive this week. I have just found this complaint section on the computer. I am wondering if I should cancel my order? From what I have read this is not a good product or company. It did take 4 e-mails and the threat to cancel our order to get a response back regarding an ETA for our tub.
Natalie in Kelowna BC

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Natejensen
, US
Dec 12, 2016 8:48 pm EST
Replying to comment of Natalie52

We are in kelowna as well. Thinking about getting one . Did u get yours and how did it work out for you?

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AdrianRichard
, CA
Dec 22, 2018 7:07 pm EST
Replying to comment of Natejensen

My wife and I bought ours in 2016 Summer from the Orchard Mall in Kelowna. In the middle where the kiosks all are.
We have not had any issues with ours and we run it about 6 months out of the year. I hear a lot of people are having a horrible time with theirs but I have a feeling it has something to do with make and model. I also think that the ones from the same model could be inconsistently manufactured and that some Are made by lazy people who dont put in the effort to build them well.
All I know now is that I really hope mine doesnt have any issues for a long long time. Im currently filling it up right now in my garage. Im in West Kelowna and the temp in my garage isnt freezing so I hope it works just fine. From my experience using it, I know that when the jets are on high. The heater shuts off. 15 minutes is the max for the jets on high, but... if you convert your power source to 220v instead of 110v the heater will work while the jets are on high.
Anyways let me know how your experience is so far with yours.

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09876
09876, CA
Sep 13, 2016 8:02 am EDT
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Here is a facebook group with many owners that are having issues

https://www.facebook.com/groups/326196504246815/

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Montielle Green Bennett
, US
Aug 30, 2016 4:14 pm EDT

I purchased a brand new Spaberry at the OC Fair. 2 weeks for delivery. Less than 1hr to stop working. It never reached a warm temp and I never got in the hot tub. It clearly has some electrical problems. I want them to come get it. Thinking about suing.

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Reviewer 101
, US
Nov 30, 2015 1:53 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My Spa Berry Experience
If you want a tub that starts to malfunction within the first month ... buy a Spa Berry
If you want a tub that malfunctions within the first 3 months... buy a Spa Berry
If you want a tub that malfunctions within the first year ... buy a Spa Berry
If you want a warranty where you are required to converse with a company that resides in another city 1000 miles away and they do not sell Spa Berry tubs … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to take pictures or videos of the malfunctioning equipment and poor workmanship … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to take the time to send those pictures and videos to some other company other than the Spa Berry company you bought the tub from, for warranty claims … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to take the time, to forward the pictures and videos of the defective equipment, only to have Spa Berry say it is not covered by the Spa Berry limited warranty, when the warranty on your tub has not expired … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to work on failed equipment in the middle of winter … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to constantly try to contact the president of VisionWerx and only get a reply when that person so choses … Buy a Spa Berry
If you would like to resolve any issues or concerns you have with your tub with the president of VisionWerx, only to have those issues and concerns thrown back in your face … buy a Spa Berry
If you like to feel intimidated and be given misleading information … buy a Spa Berry

Before you spend your hard earned dollars, and you are thinking about buying a Spa Berry, please do your home work

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AdrianRichard
, CA
Dec 22, 2018 7:00 pm EST

I have a feeling that some models are built better than others or that every one from the same model are built different and not consistent. I have had mine for 2 years that runs 6 months out of the year and I havent had any issues with it... (YET) **knock on wood**
Sounds like if I do have an issue I will just have to try and fix it myself.