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Watchdog has heard from customers of hot tub company, Wave Spa, after experiencing problems with the heating units on their hot tubs. This includes Tracy, who's hot tub plays a vital role in supporting the needs of her disabled son and Adrian and Tammy who use their hot tub for back pain.

Wave Spas said that the issues faced by our viewers are unacceptable and that it was deeply sorry for the distress this has caused them and have taken actions to put this right, including full refunds. Wave Spas said it acknowledges that it was not quick enough to respond to customer issues during the summer 2024 period, and that it was working hard and investing to significantly improve its customer service and aftersales support. It said that Wave is an independent UK business, and that it really cares about its customers – and that it was determined to do the right thing and make sure customers get a great service from Wave.

It went on to describe actions taken including making enhancements to several product specifications to make them more robust and improvements to its manufacturing processes and quality testing. It said that as a result of this change, it has now extended our warranty from one to two years, to give customers more peace of mind. It said it has made significant investments to increase its spare parts stock to limit any delays in warranty repairs. It also said it has expanded its customer support team and introduced a new commitment to responding to all enquiries within 24 hours of first contact, with evening and weekend support to be offered as standard.

In regard to Tracy it said it deeply regrets the issues she faced with the heating unit of the Foam Spa and the impact this has had on her son’s hydrotherapy routine. It said it has issued a full refund and, as a gesture of goodwill, have offered her a free foam spa to help her son, which will has been delivered on the 4th of October. Additionally, it said it was reaching out to the Make A Wish Foundation who Tracy purchased the Foam Spa from to discuss how it can further support this wonderful cause. Wave Spas said it was passionate about supporting Make A Wish and will explore options for donating free products and assisting with fundraising efforts, alongside its other charity partners.

It said its regrets the inconvenience caused to Adrian and Tammy. It said that in response to their frustrations and delays in collection, it has issued a full refund. It said it has made changes to its aftersales care to ensure that such miscommunication does not happen again.

It said it was now working directly with customers in two of the facebook groups dedicated to Wave Spas to help resolve their issues. It said that there is one that it does not have access to, and that it has actively reached out to the admin on numerous occasions to give it the opportunity to support the community within and will continue to do so.

Regarding Dr. Robert Brown’s comments, Wave Spas said it respectfully disagrees with his conclusions about the heating unit design. It said Wave Spas has sold over 100,000 spas, and that it specialises in integrating heaters into the walls of both its inflatable and eco-friendly foam spas. It said it was proud to source its spas from one of only four factories worldwide capable of producing portable spas of this kind. It said each spa, including its heating unit, adheres strictly to the UK’s UKCA and EU’s CE certification and US’s ETL’s Certification for electrical products. Wave Spas said that the innovative nature of its product means that it cannot be compared to external spa heaters, as it works in a different way, but is built to withstand conditions ranging from 0-40°C.

It said to address Dr. Brown’s specific points:
Regarding the lack of seal around the unit it said Wave spa’s heaters are not intended to be sealed units as they have an air blower built in for the bubbles, so a seal is not required. The heaters are fully vapour-resistant and designed to operate in conditions ranging from 0-40°C.
Regarding the increased warranty period it said that As part of Wave Spa’s commitment to offering industry-leading customer service, it has increased the warranty period on heaters to 2 years.
Regarding the securing of wires it said that Wave Spas said its production process ensures that all electrical components, including wires, are assembled in accordance with the UK’s UKCA, and EU’s CE standards and undergo rigorous quality testing.
Regarding the segregation of electrical elements it said that the heating unit meets both UK, European and USA safety regulations. Our heater units are compact by design and fully UKCA, CE and ETL certified.
Regarding the loose controller in the unit it said that each controller is secured according to regulatory standards, and it has no evidence of consistent failures with the spa controllers.
Regarding vibration impacting connections it said that Wave Spas design its products to withstand normal vibrations during operation, and all spas undergo durability testing to ensure long-term reliability.
It said every heating unit is tested twice before shipment allowing it to offer a 2-year warranty on its heaters, demonstrating its confidence in delivering high quality products.
In summary, Wave Spas said, it believes the 2.0 rating given by Dr. Brown for its heating unit does not reflect the performance of the product. However, it said it values feedback and will continue to improve the quality and durability of its spas.

You can watch the piece here for 28 days on iPlayer - /iplayer/episode/m00255yh/the-one-show-20112024