Customer Reviews for USA SPAS Palmero 7-Person 83-Stainless Steel Jet Standard Hot Tub w/Ozonator LED Light Polar Insulation, Neck Jets and Hard Cover

I've had a lot of frustration with the purchase of this QCA spa. However, the majority of my frustration was through the freight delivery service. The good: We've been using the hot tub for two weeks and it runs smoothly as expected. QCA has a knowledgable customer service staff who are very helpful. The bad: The documentation the hot tub comes with is very lacking. The maintenance guides are well laid out and easy to understand but they are very light on installation information. I expected to see a guide on how to access the pump, filter, electrical termination lugs, etc but that was all missing. There was a lot of confusion between the model/product listed on Home Depot's web site and QCA's web site and subsequent documentation-- nothing matched. I believe my biggest commplaint is the cheaply designed user interface device; I feel like I'm using a digital Casio watch from 1982. I think the most annoying part of the user interface is the adjustment of temperature which is not intuitive at all. The jet nozzless feel like they are made of cheap plastic that can break easily. The hot tub cost nearly $5k and, honestly, expected a chemical starter kit-- nope, that's $100 extra.. The ugly: Delivery was a nightmare. QCA contracted Yellow freight to deliver the hot tub who sent me a delivery date with an 8 hr window. I called them one day in advance to ensure the delivery date and they confirmed so I took the day off work to wait....and it never came. Yellow told me there was a mix up and they actually delivered to a local delivery service with a smaller truck who would bring to my house in a few days. The local delivery service called to schedule the delivery two days later but told me I would have to help the driver unload the hot tub myself because they weren't equipped with manpower to assist. I could either help unload it myself or there would be another approx. week long delay while they bill for more man hours with Yellow. So the driver and I wrestled it out and we noticed a fork had torn up the spa cover. I didn't accept the spa cover and it's been nearly 3 weeks and QCA says they won't ship me a new cover until they receive the damaged one. Anyway our new hot tub looks way cool with a blue tarp over it. Good advice: I saw the hot tub had a nearly one month lead time so I ordered it before I had a deck completed. When figuring out your construction schedule, be warned it showed up one week earlier than expected. They don't mention how to access the pump motor, electrical termination lugs, etc.- there's a removable panel under the digital control panel that can be removed without tools. This is key in determining how to orient the spa when you have friends over to help you move it. That leads me into offering more adice- determine ahead of time how you'll physically move the hot tub from the front of your house where the delivery service is contracted to leave it. I bought two utility wagons and placed them back to back and secured them with 2x4's to make a sled that could steer from either side. That sounds overkill but this hot tub was nearly 600 lbs and very bulky. Better adivce: Buy a hot tub from your local hot tub/pool vendor.

We had no problem installing the spa. Upkeep is easy. We love our spa and enjoy it in the summer and winter. The reason for a good rating was the knob for the air jets had to be replaced at our expense, but the company was prompt and courteous. We are glad we got our spa and would definitely recommend this one. We were also glad we went with the larger one and the lounger is my husband's favorite seat.

In the wake of the pandemic supplies and parts seem to slow the production and the delivery of our unit. We ordered the end of last August and it came the week of Christmas. Of course, I waited until spring to fill it and get going. Let's be clear this is not a 7 person tub. I suppose if everyone huddled together and placed their fanny in a space and kept their feet close, maybe. It's comfortable with no more than 4, keeping it real here. The tub heats up fairly quick and holds the temp nice. Very well insulated for sure. We've had a couple nights where the temps were below freezing and it seems to keep things on or around 103 F. My only real complaint it the control panel to operate, lights, the jets, it a little wonky... seems some days with ease you touch and it turns things on, but other times I'm mashing the buttons harder. You will love this tub plenty of jets and powerful... Delivery and communications with the company regarding my delays were well worth it. All and All we are very satisfied in the few months we've owned, and the few weeks I've operated. Not sure how costly my electric bill will be, but what i've read I can expect about $25-$30, more. Chemicals seem easy enough, lots of information on the internet for beginners just entering into the spa realm. Enjoy, and stay calm and hot tub!

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

The filter that was sent with the tub is too small for standard use. We weren’t given even a sample of initial startup and maintenance supplies for the tub water. The advertisement for the tub didn’t disclose that there’s no drain on the tub and that it requires siphoning. Startup instructions were very minimal and not very clear.

Control Panel is a little hard to operate good for 4 people max 7 no way not even close

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

It is beautiful and exceeded my expectations. Very relaxing!!

Great hot tub for the price! I would definitely recommend. Quick shipping and great quality.

Ordered this through Home Depot. QCA called to verify the order and options. The delivery company called later to verify the delivery. Delivery instructions are specific so I'm not sure why people have issues, it's a huge Spa!! I had a neighbor with a forklift. Another option would be to unload it into the back of a pickup truck. This was installed in October 2015 and has performed great. Winter setting was 101 and it had no trouble maintaining that even on the coldest days. Summer setting is 97. I'm using the bromine and once I got it stabilized, its easy to keep the chemicals right. I though the insulation method was a little odd but after using it, I see that this tub doesn't blow cold air into the water because it takes the air from the void under the tub, the result is the water stays hot. My neighbors cools down when you turn the jets on because the air is taken from outside the insulated area. Overall, very happy and it's been operating for 8 months now with no problem. It cycles to maintain temp and filtering.

Had the tub delivered last week and got it hooked up over the weekend. It took about 2 hours to fill and about 4 hours to heat up to 100 degrees. Plenty of horsepower for the jets. Good quality. Looks great. With the outside temp about 61 degrees, the tub maintained 100 degrees with several people in it. I see where the lack of insulation on the shell might be of concern but the outer panels are insulated so when you have the air turned on it takes it from the warm area under the tub. Therefore, you are not pumping cold outside air into the water. So far, love it. Yes, they deliver to the curb, no suprise. Once I placed the order online, QCA customer service called and verified my order and delivery. I hit this on labor day special so I got a lot of tub for the money, with 2 motors and a lot of features that would have cost a lot more.

one half inch of insulation just inside the cabinet - with foil on cheap styrofoam. No foam on any of the spa shell itself nor any tubing. One pump does not work at this point and it gets to 104 degrees, it says, and it isn't hot enough really. Cheap is the feeling I was left with. Also, the shipping was such that if I had not been home the spa would have been left out on the dirt county road in front of my house and the driver would have had a heck of a time unloading it without damage. They didn't even request a lift gate! Also there were three tubes coiled up and zip tied underneath. Apparently the blower for them is optional?

We ordered this particular hot tub because we wanted the lounger and as many jets as possible. We also felt like the 220 connection would give it more power. It was more trouble getting an electrician to install and $$$ but we are happy with our decision. My only con would be that the instructions for use are vague. They don't give you a fill line, they don't tell you that some of the jets may be turned off and you need to turn the outer caps to turn them on, and they don't explain the chemical situation very well.

We had wanted to purchase a spa for years, finally got one about three years ago. We chose the (Palmero), from OCA and the Home Depot. We still say it is the best thing we have ever bought.

I purchased this spa from Home Depot to get the great financing deal. I was pleased with the spa when I received it. It was BIG, spacious, deep, had the AUX input to listen to music and heated up within 20 minutes. We enjoyed the spa and STILL enjoy the spa; however, within a year, we had to replace the speakers and had to have someone come out and look at the control since the timer function was not working correctly. QCA insured the work on the timer but I had to pay to fix the speakers. Honestly, for the price you can get a more quality spa. The exterior trim is generic, the radio is generic, the spa does not have smooth edges and there is no valve to empty the jacuzzi from the bottom. I was very uneducated on spas when I purchased this one and if I had to do it all over again, I will definitely do my research!

We've had our spa for a few years now & we love it

After a long day. it's great to sink into our Hot tub. Quality and good looks, this tub has both! It's one of the deepest tubs we found while shopping around. We wouldn't be without it. Thanks again for making a reliable product!

This was a great buy, I love this hot tub. I have had it for about a year and a half and have Enjoyed everything about it. QCA was awesome...when I first got the spa I had a few questions so I called them direct. They answered all my question right away...and seamed happy to help. The care and cleaning instructions are simple to follow, I mean really simple and easy. I use this hot tub every day all year long, sometimes times twice a day! The jets work great and ... oh yea my kids love the LED under water lights.

THE HOT-TUB ITSELF IS GREAT BUT THERE IS HARDLY ANY INSTRUCTIONS ( AN OPERATING DVD OR ONLINE SOMETHING WOULD BE NICE)...THERE'S JUST A SHORT PAGE ON WHAT CERTAIN CODES MEAN ON THE DISPLAY AND THATS IT...NO STARTOFF CHEMICALS OR ANY INSTRUCTIONS ON CHEMICALS OTHER THAN A BROUCHURE ON WHAT YOU CAN BUY.

Great hot tub looked at many before deciding to purchase this one an glad I choose this one. The lighting is great and the number of jets is perfect

ok so I have no reference point because this is my first hot tub. It seems MUCH louder than I thought it would be...you can't hear each other when you have the jets on. Secondly the jets aren't extremely powerful but pretty good...I thought they'd be stronger since it had two pumps but not so. I haven't gotten a power bill and it's summer but looking into this thing there is literally next to no insulation...it has some 1/2" styrofoam around the shell and that's it. I've read some reviews that QCA builds the tub with less quality materials like less insulation when they build for home depot...wish I'd known that before. The lights are cool. It heated up in literally no time at all and held the heat with no problem but it's 55 degrees at night so not cold. I was also disappointed that it doesn't come with any cord/wires so you have to spend another 50.00 for wiring if doing it yourself...if hiring an electrician it would have been another 200.00 just to add the whip from the box to the tub so I opted to do it myself. The cover seems paper thin...I expected it to be much thicker...maybe that's a good thing but sure doesn't seem like it's going to hold heat too well but then again it's much better than the exterior insulation which is next to none. Shipping was a nightmare; the delivery guy was trying to unload it with a hand cart and gave up saying that I had to call the company and figure out how to get it delivered because he didn't have a forklift like it recommended. I drove to a nearby onion packing plant and begged them to bring a forklift down to my house which they did otherwise it would not have been delivered! All in all...if I had to do it again I'd gladfully spent a grand more and bought better quality and better service at a local hot tub dealer. When I was setting it up I called QCA with questions and the answers were "That's what I'm being told" no confidence at all. I sure wish I could call a local person and get local help. I would not recommend this primarily because of the problems I had and because I think it's pretty cheaply made and because it's so noisy...this is a big deal to me the fact that you can't talk while the jets are on because it's SUPER LOUD! Makes it kind of a miserable time instead of a pleasure.

The jets are well positioned and with 2 pumps - powerful. The overall ergonomics is well thought out. Very nice product rivaling tubs at twice the price.

excellent jets--love the hot tub. Lookes excellent on our back porch. Mood lighting is very nice at night. Lounger is very comfortable

Lots of jets and multiple settings for jets and air bubles. Good size almost too big for 2, great for 4 people. Love the changing color light. Holds temp within 1 degree. Good looking exterior. Love the white marble color interior. Very smooth interior surface, easy to move around in and easy to wipe clean. Quiet. Arrived when promised. Hired local spa mover to set in place and haul off old spa ($150). Connected electrical wiring from previous spa myself. BEST value, 2K - 3K less than anything comparable available locally in Phoenix.

great value, simple design so less to break, but very comfortables so far no complaints.

The jets are areat in this spa and have a lot of power to really do the job in getting you relaxed. There are many seats and the lounge has two arm rest which really keeps you comfortable while relaxing.

I have only had tub for 2 weeks but so far very pleased. QCA has been making tubs since the 60s and it shows. Everything seems to fit and have a place. Well put together and thought out. Had to have it craned over my house to get to deck. Crane operator said he installs up to 5 a week and was impressed on how spa came packaged and ready to go. I like the 2 separate pumps so my husbands side can have jets running while mine don't. I had a question about product before I purchased and QCA was easy to get a hold of and answered my questions adequately. My husband suggests you have Ozone Generator installed at factory as it is somewhat confusing where to plug into unit. Reason I rated only 4 stars is due to control panel. For such a great tub and high tech electronics used inside the tub, the control panel is VERY basic and doesn't provide any information on lcd except temperature of tub.

Our family is so happy with this spa! It is luxurious and so large, all of us can fit in and then there's still more room! With 53 jets, I have to say this is the best spa we have been in (we owned one, years ago, and then, when we rented a house, there was one there but it was older). So, a very very very satisfied set of customers!! Enjoy year round! Easy to clean (if I could get the kids out of it more often!). Cheers!