richflocker C
map-marker San Antonio, Texas

Spa Crafters repair service in San Antonio

Spa Crafters 2730 N Loop 1604 East, San Antonio TX 78232 How many spa companies can stay in business doing repairs if they never get their bench set up properly? This company apparently is not set up to do temperature calibrations for hot tub units brought in to their shop for repair. I've had my hot tub heating unit in their shop three times now in the last month. It started out as a $250 estimate to fix it, but ~$600 from me and a bunch of excuses from them it still doesn't work. I'm a very patient and understanding consumer, but enough is enough. Here's some history on this spa heater repair problem: I brought my spa heater in for repair at this place about a year ago and told them the heater element was bad (it shorted to ground fault- I'm an electrical engineer by trade, perhaps I should have shown this technician how to use an ohm meter like I had already done?). They replaced the heater element after keeping it for two weeks and finally "troubleshooting it" to a bad heater element. I should have known this was a sign, but I'm a bit naive at times. Less than a year later, the housing around the heater element cracked and started *** water during routine flushing of the system while getting it turned on for the winter. This is a very rare problem (this housing cracking) but low and behold, Spa Crafters just happened to have the housing in stock for my 10 year old, obsolete unit they had serviced less than a year earlier. This would only cost me $ 190 in parts and a $65 service fee to repair (estimate was $250), so I was very impressed and happy. Until I went to pick up the unit. Repair dude insisted that I needed a new Thermostat (the old one would get too hot and damage the parts). Also, the GFCI was faulty, so for safety reasons he had to replace the GFCI and the thermostat. Anyway, about $600 later I took My rebuilt hot tub heater unit home and installed it. New thermostat he sold me only got up to 99 degrees. MAXIMUM. The old thermostat worked just fine, I could adjust it up to 104 at Max, but I keep my tub at about 101.5, so I just cranked the *** down to about 80% and it worked perfectly. Imagine that - an adjustable thermostat that goes higher and lower than the comfort range of 98-103 degrees? So, for Thanksgiving I tolerated a lukewarm tub. Heck, for $600 I might have found a whole new heater and pump assembly with new controls and all. I called this guy up and let him know the thermostat only went to 99 degrees. He went on about a tolerance of so many percent and Blah Blah Blah. I told him I need it to go to 104 degrees, and finally got him to say he'd adjust it if I bring it back in, warranty repair on him. Time to do surgery (again) on my hot tub - it is not easy to remove/install. What a Pain. I put up with tepid water till the weather got really cold. Tub water only got up to 96 degrees with a freeze going on. On the Saturday before Christmas, I took the heater assembly back out and hauled it in to Spa Crafters, left a note to please calibrate the heater so it gets to at least 104 degrees before shutting off. A good bench tech should be able to do figure out how to test this on the bench. He said he took care of it for me. He says he did all he could to make the thermostat click on but cant adjust it more cause the set screw will fall out. This is a new thermostat - remember? I shrugged and carried my unit out of their establishment biting my tongue. "It better work this time" I said to myself. I finally got the unit back in and everything tightened up with no leaks (that's another story, but I won't bore you with that plumbing adventure). I turned it on and adjusted the thermometer. It kicked the pump on and I thought "Hot tub in three hours!". But wait - the heater light did not come on. Now the heater doesn't come on at all. Everything else seems to work fine. I've exceeded my quota for unfortunate events with Spa Crafters. I'm giving them One last chance to come clean. I'll return to let y'all know how it goes. I'm giving this company one last chance to come clean...I should make them come out here and climb under the deck and contort themselves to unscrew/unplumb and remove 220V power from the unit...and get it out in the daylight so it can be worked on. They seem to think it's as easy to work on when it's installed as it is on the bench. Maybe if they had to go thru *** to get it in and out of the tub they would be a little more careful when it was sitting on the bench?
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7 comments
Cyndia Qqz

Yes the owner is Fred Bonilla he is a crazy drunk who abused and sexually harasses his employees he is mentally ill and his son Kelly is a total ***! They hire criminals and my husband worked there and the things I've heard are crazy he had to quit because of Fred's violent outbursts....

Should we contact the EEOC... I think so

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Cyndia Qqz

I WORK AT SPA CRAFTERS......THAT IS THE FURTHEST FROM THE TRUTH. YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW MR.

FRED BONILLA NOR HIS COMPANY

HE IS THE FINEST OF THE FINEST. HE RUNS A VERY HONEST AND RESPECTABLE BUSINESS WITH GOOD VALUES AND GOOD MORALS, HE IS VERY FAIR, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HE HAS INTEGRITY ! HE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 33 YEARS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ THIS HERE ARE HIS CREDENTIALS.

BUSINESS MAN OF THE YEAR - SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR - SAN ANTONIO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

EXCEPTIONAL SALES PERFORMANCE AWARD - 2002 - **** JACUZZI USA

EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD- 2002 - **** JACUZZI USA READING YOU NAME ......MISS CLARK WILLINGTON, AKA (REAL NAME) YOU HAVE POSTED BEFORE AND RETRACTED YOUR STATEMENTS.

YOU HAVE ZERO CREDIBILITY ON THIS PAGE, OR ON ANY OTHER FOR THIS MATTER.

SPA CRAFTERS IS A FABULOUS PLACE TO WORK.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-852258

I worked there I could only handle it a few months. Fred does fly off the handle scream and curse but he also knows his ***.

Might cost a lot but he'll get it fixed. His sons the one to keep an eye on Kelly does side deals with his dad's equipment rite under his nose.

All in all a terrible place to work unless you work front desk but has the best of the best as far as got tubs. And if they have the same technicians they're great.

Guest

2 complaints in 30 years not bad maybe its the customer that's the problem

Guest

I was in spacrafters store and saw a man yelling and using very bad words mf this mf that and when the clerk told me he was the owner I got the mf out of there man that dude must of been off his meds!

Cyndia Qqz
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-206548

Yes he is violent and crazy!!!

Guest

:(

Well, as promised, here's the update.

Repair guy says I had a "loose fuse" in the equipment pack, and also he found a bad air switch for the two-speed pump and socked me another 37.79 to get my pump out of hock.

Well, he lied and deceived me AGAIN. Got this thing back together and SAME PROBLEM - heater wont come on. Well, this time I decided to check the most common problem with any contactor-driven device. Yup, the contactor contacts are severely carbonized. I will try to burnish them and at least get a hot tub before my Vacation ends next Wednesday.

What a ***. Yes, I guess that includes me for taking my stuff back after getting screwed last year with the first heating element fiasco. All it needed was a 45CG20AFB contactor replaced - it's a $20 part. Contactors are the most likely part to break on a heater - besides the heating element, it contains the only moving part.

I wont trust these people again, BEWARE of this Spa Crafter service department - THEY SUCK!

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