For general relaxation, I purchased a Fontaine 100 series model in Feb06 for $6,000 (Austin, TX). In summary, I would give the spa a 4 out of 5 and Vita service a 5 out of 5.
What I like:
1. In general, quality construction with some exceptions noted below.
2. Pumps about blow me out of the water (which I like).
3. Has lived up to my expectations, which are generally very high.
4. Literature says it seats 6-7 adults, and I've had seven in it just fine.
5. Local dealer went belly-up and I had some service issues. Vita delt with me directly and went well over and above helping me out.
6. No hassle warranty if something goes bad.
7. Dealer was great to work with when he was in business. Always did exactly what he promised.
8. There's not any feature I wish I had added or any feature I feel is unnecessary.
Areas for improvement:
1. Local dealer went out of biz summer 2006 without any word. Vita's dealer portion of their website has not been updated since then and still lists this dealer. There's not a Vita dealer within at least 300 miles of me.
2. The two snap-in neck/should pillows break very easily. I've replaced one twice and the other one once, but I barely use them. They are not covered under the warranty.
3. The spa mold around the skimmer area did not allow the plastic skimmer cap to fit correctly (not even close). I did quite a bit of home improvement on the cap with my grinder and now it fits perfectly, but this was not a big deal.
4. You need to remove a pump to get to the spa light to replace, or upgrade it with a multi-colored option my dealer had; but again a relatively a minor issue.
5. Per above, I has some service issues. It took quite some time to figure out the issue. In the end their was a restriction in the water inlet just past the skimmer. This was causing strange heater and main electronic board issues. The main board was first suspected (prior to identifying the restriction) and Vita sent a new one under warranty that I agreed to replace (very easy). The restriction was also very easy for me to resolve and all issues went away.
6. The spa has an optional circulation pump that needed replacement after about 18 months. Vita sent a new one under warranty and I agreed to replace (again, very easy). To be fair, the line restriction probably caused the pump to fail prematurely.
