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Untangling the web:
Consumers love hot tub ratings and chat rooms.
But industry professionals wonder if these sites are as objective as they
should be
Pool & Spa News, March 28, 2005 by Rebecca Robledo
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeff Baxter, Manager, Poolandspa.com
jeff@poolandspa.com
Last year, Abigail Schreiber and her husband decided to buy a hot tub. "We ski a
lot," says the video editor/graphic designer based in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"When you come back from a day trip, it's nice to sit in a hot tub."
The couple wanted the pressure to be consistent from jet to jet in their hot
tub--even when everything was running simultaneously. It also needed to seat
five or six. Schreiber had never bought a hot tub before, and knew virtually
nothing about it.
So she did what millions of consumers do every" day when shopping for a big
purchase: She went online to learn about brands, features and prices.
Web sites of manufacturers and retailers play a vital role in sales. However,
many consumers believe they don't offer enough objective information. Online
ratings sites and chat rooms provide third-party opinions, but even those sites
have their flaws, industry veterans warn.
"It's confusing for consumers," says Brian Shoer, president of Bedford Pod &
Patio in Bedford, N.H. "They have a hard time knowing where to turn. They almost
throw their hands up in the air because it's hard to get objective information."
Consumers warm up to hot tubs
Manufacturer and retailer sites are becoming more prevalent, but many consumers
believe they only tell part of the story. For example, Michelle Reid, a recent
hot tub purchaser from Pueblo, Colo., thinks the Web sites are short on
information and long on sales strategy. "Some don't even have pictures, so you
don't get an idea of what you're looking at," she says. "If you want to know
something, you have to call them."
Reid felt manipulated by sites that seemed purposely sparse so she'd be forced
to pay a visit to the store. She clicked right past them. She wanted photos and
information about prices and warranties. "The Web site that has the most
information will get my business," she says.
For the most part, consumers lack studies from an impartial, nonadvertising
source such as Consumer Reports. Instead, they must visit chat rooms, message
boards and online ratings pages. "If you just rely on talking to the dealer,
they're going to tell you your tub was No. 1," Schreiber says. "I relied more on
other people's opinions."
Ratings come in a couple of forms: Web sites either provide rankings or assign a
certain number of stars to each brand. On some sites, such as epinions.com,
consumers rate the hot tubs. Other pages show side-by-side comparison
spreadsheets of equipment, features, dimensions and prices for various brands.
Poolandspa.com provides probably the
best known ratings in the industry. It began in 1994, making it the first online
retailer and informational Web site, says Daniel Harrison, president of the Las
Vegas, NV-based company. The ratings page, which ascribes a certain number of
stars to each brand, links to a side-by-side comparison section.
Web surfers flock to this page, says
Harrison, who also owns retail stores in Yaphank, N.Y., and Las Vegas. "Every
day, it's read more than any other pages that we have by far," he says.
Message boards and chat rooms provide a different outlook. Here, consumers post
questions, offer advice and vent about bad experiences. Industry professionals
of every stripe can respond to their questions and concerns. Shoppers consult
the pages not only to help them choose the right product, but also to learn more
about ongoing issues such as maintenance from experienced hot tub owners.
"You get a balanced opinion, hearing from consumers, technicians, dealers, all
in an open forum," says Bill McCall, a moderator for the Columbus, Ohio-based
site whatsthebest.hottub.com.
The industry bubbles over with concern
Many in the industry doubt the validity of ratings systems. Some sites work like
amazon.com, where an average rating based on consumer input is provided. But
they may not be based on enough information, says John Mosher, owner/president
of Central Iowa Pool & Spa in Des Moines.
"We checked to see how a particular brand was rated [on one site]," Mosher says.
"I found that ... their survey included two or three consumer reviews. That's
not much Of a consensus."
Some believe ratings sites are advertising vehicles in disguise. "Most of the
sites you pay into to rate yourself," says Estrella De la Cruz, bookkeeper at
Spa Depot in Las Vegas.
On poolandspa.com, the top-rated
manufacturers pay to be on the site, receiving links and inclusion on the
comparison spreadsheet for their purchases, according to Harrison. "We don't
hide that," he says, adding that funding is needed to maintain the site. A
statement on the home page explains that the site runs advertising.
Harrison insists that just because you provide a credit card number doesn't mean
you'll get top billing: "There are companies wanting to buy this, and we won't
let them." A product only gets this recommendation, he says, if he and his staff
are confident about its appeal, based on personal experience with the brand,
unit inspections at trade shows and consumer input.
"If we recommended a bad company, we'd
hear about it from the customers," he notes.
Harrison's site is not made for one-stop research. "We warn people that, like
anything, they have to get information from different places," he says.
Chat rooms provide their own set of concerns. For example, industry personnel
may pose as consumers to push their own brands. Therefore, editing of these
sites varies. On whatsthebest-hottub.com, "It's purely just making sure things
are semi on topic, and nothing illegal or immoral is posted," says McCall, a
moderator on the site's chat room. "What I try to do is screen out the most
vicious attacks."
Harrison, whose site also has a chat
room, has barred some dealers. "Usually, it's because they use profanity or
launch personal attacks on a person at a specific dealership, or a person at a
specific spa manufacturer," he says.
Experienced chatters can usually spot a poser, though. "They always seem to have
a strong positive or negative opinion about a particular brand and go out of
their way to bring it up in subjects that aren't necessarily related," McCall
says.
If he suspects that an industry member is pretending to be a consumer, McCall
might challenge the participant openly by posting questions. Sometimes they turn
out to be frauds; other times, not.
Many agree that what hurts the consumer also harms retailers. "I think, as a
whole, it's not good for the industry that we don't have objective Web sites,"
Shoer says. "For legitimate [retailers] who honestly try to research and find
the best products, it makes our job more difficult because the consumer is
looking at us in the same light as the [deceptive] dealers. They don't know who
the legitimate dealers are."
Not enough retailers maximize their sites, adds Andrew Harris, vice president of
wood tub maker and online retailer Roberts Hot Tubs in Richmond, Calif. "They
use it as a glorified brochure," he says.
Many await the day that hot tub brands become everyday knowledge, such as
electronics or appliance names. Consumers will then have a better idea where to
look, says Dennis Marunde, president of online retailer pools.com and Arvidson
Pools & Spas in Crystal Lake, Ill.
"If there's enough brand equity out there, I think consumers will be willing to
use the Internet as a research vehicle and just decide on the dealer," Marunde
says. "In isolated cases, with isolated brands, I see it now."
Web sites to watch.
Check out these Web sites to see what kind of information is available to
consumers about portable spas:
Epinions
Address: www.epinions.com
Content: Consumer ratings, specifications, comparison spreadsheet and
manufacturer links.
Details: A Web site that spotlights all kinds of consumer products, epinions has
a page devoted to portable spas, found in the "home and garden" category. Many
of the models don't have ratings. Those that do are often based on one to two
consumer reviews. Consumers can create their own spreadsheets, and links take
users to manufacturer Web sites. This site carries message boards, but none have
formed regarding portable spas. Owner: Retailing and comparison pricing Web site
www.shopping.com.
What's the Best Hot Tub
Address: www.whatsthebest-hottub.com
Content: Consumer ratings/reviews and forum, buying guide, and industry links.
Details: The buying guide offers advice on whether or not the user would benefit
from a hot tub, how and where to install it, and maintenance and safety. It also
introduces users to the various features and offers ranges of operating prices,
as well as advice on what kind of warranty to seek. The site averages the
ratings provided by consumers, with most models having only one to three
reviews.
Owner: What's The Best Inc., in Ewing, NJ., has similar sites for 49 product
categories. WTB says it is designed to aim advertiser messages to their target
audiences.
Spa Search
Address: www.spasearch.org Content: Recommendations, buyer's guide, owner's
guide, chat room, downloadable coupons and industry directory.
Details: Recommendations (found under the "Product Search" heading) are based on
the editors' quality standards and consumer comments, according to the site. A
user can fill out a form to receive a spa planning guide in the mail. An online
newsletter now is available. Manufacturer information is provided via an
industry directory, which highlights what it calls the 43 "major players" in a
field of 170. It lists manufacturers who deal directly with consumers.
Owner: Big Fish Publications, a Scottsdale, Ariz., company, also produces
www.poolsearch.com and a site on travel. In addition, it owns a similar site,
www.spahelp.com.
PoolandSpa.com
Address: www.poolandspa.com
Content: E-commerce, ratings, comparison sheet, buyer's guide, owner's guide and
chat room.
Details: To find the most-talked-about page with ratings and links to a chat
room, scroll down the home page to the "Spa Information" heading; then click
"Spa Buyer's Guide and Manufacturer Links." Look on the page for the "listings
and ratings" and "message board and chat room" prompts. The site has a virtual
store, but doesn't sell portable spas.
Owner: Poolandspa.com Inc. in Las Vegas, NV
Roberts Hot Tubs
Address: www.rhtubs.com
Content: Chat room, reviews, information guides and e-commerce.
Details: Tips pages introduce consumers to things such as pumps, and the care of
covers and water. Included is a glossary of terms and a message board, with a
special section for consumer reviews. The site sells hot tubs and Japanese ofuro
tubs made by the owner, as well as items such as chemicals and covers.
Owner: Roberts Hot Tubs, a maker of wooden hot tubs and Japanese ofuros in
Richmond, Calif.--R.R.
Trolling tips
Of course, you can't control everything your clients read on the Internet. But
you con offer people help in identifying the good from the bad.
"Obviously, there is a lot of information," says Brenda Murr, vice president of
Mermaid Pool, Spa & Patio in Anderson, Ind. "It's a matter of trying to help
consumers see through the shtick to discern what is valuable to them and what is
actually a sales pitch."
The following five tips will help put your
customers on the right track:
1 Meet concerns head on.
When customers come in, ask them where they've been looking and what kind of
information they've found on the Internet. This helps you see where they're
coming from and also clues you in on what attracts the most attention, lf
they've read specific claims that worry them, take them to the nearest computer,
bring up the page and go over it with them.
2 Recommend sites you trust.
Because many people come into the process with little to no knowledge, they
could use assistance in recognizing the more trustworthy sites. Lead them to the
ones you trust.
3 Inform people about chat rooms and ratings pages.
Consumers may not realize that advertising affects the ratings on some Web
sites. Provide tips on ways they can weed out suspicious-sounding chat-room
participants This includes emphatic endorsements or bad-mouthing of a particular
brand or product.
Tell consumers to check for advertisers throughout these Web sites, and look for
correlations between successful ratings and advertising.
4 Help shoppers wade through all the information.
The best things about the Internet also can be the worst--namely, all the
misleading information. Explain to prospective customers the different
horsepower ratings. Encourage them to read the fine print on warranty claims,
and to find out who tested and determined the efficiency of particular models.
Also, help them understand claims about insulation.
5 Advise consumers to seek multiple opinions.
People can't get a true sense of the hot tub market based on one or even two
opinions. But with several at their disposal, they'll have a fuller picture and
be better able to spot personal prejudices and false claims. They can also tell
when manufacturers have established bad patterns vs. the occasional mistake that
even the best make.--R.R.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Hanley-Wood, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group