Meditub, Spa World Inc. Thrown out with the Bathwater, Lawrence New York

My wife has arthritis in her back and legs, besides having a recent knee replacement, with the other knee to be replaced soon. We received a prescription from her orthopedic surgeon to use hydrotherapy as part of her physical therapy regiment for her healing of the knee replacement and arthritis. Our decision to replace our bathtub with a whirlpool bath began a year long nightmare with a company named Spa World, sellers of Meditub.

Because of my wife's inability to get into a normal bathtub or whirlpool, we opted for a walk-in, sit down tub to replace our regular tub in our bathroom. After researching walk-in tubs online, we found Meditub's web site as one of our possible choices. We decided upon Meditub after talking with their online salespeople, receiving their brochure and also because of the design, price, and warranty on their product.

The nightmare began after my check I sent them for over $4000 was cashed. Fast forward to the problem. Upon hiring a licensed plumber to remove my old tub and install the new walk-in model, he immediately ran into a problem of non standard plumbing fixtures. Three of the four water valves leaked and could not be repaired with normal plumbing procedures.

Upon contacting Meditub by email, I was told to "fix the problem and they would cover the expense". A normal fix was not possible due to non standard fixtures, so I returned Meditub's plumbing fixtures [with their permission] and purchased some standard tub and shower fixtures. At this point, after 3 months into this project, Meditub ceased all correspondence with me, would not return any of my phone calls, faxes, and even a certified letter to their main office.

Now, March 2008, is ONE YEAR after my purchase of their faulty product and Meditub has not honored their published online warranty nor returned ANY of my attempts to contact them. Neither have they repaid any of my out of pocket expenses to cover installation or replacement fixtures per their email response or in accordance with the published "warranty."

I have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau of New York and the Federal Trade Commission. Meditub failed to respond to the BBB appeal for arbitration. I also discovered through my complaint with the BBB, that Meditub had in the past used their logo illegaly [pretending to be a BBB member] and were told by the Bureau to stop using it in their advertising.

In conclusion, I would warn anyone who considers doing any business with Meditub [Spa World Inc] to avoid this decision. I have to date used every means possible to get someone from this company to talk with me and resolve this issue and I have been ignored for ONE YEAR.

Steamed Steve in Oregon
Myrtle Creek, Oregon
U.S.A.