Words of CautionWalk-in Bathtubs have been extremely popular in Great Britain, Europe and the Far East for almost three decades. Bathtubs with doors were introduced in the United States approximately 10 years ago, and public demand has increased exponentially since then. Nonetheless, in this country the Walk In Bathtub industry still caters to what most would call a "niche" market - the elderly and the physically challenged.

Primarily because of this very specific potential client base and still limited market awareness Walk-In Bathtubs are generally not available in stores or showrooms, but must instead be purchased by visiting a website such as this one, shopping through a special order catalogue at a big box store, or having a representative come to your house. Unfortunately, this creates opportunity for the unscrupulous to take advantage of those who might have no valid frame of reference or means of comparison and therefore be gullible and often, vulnerable.

Prices for most big-ticket items sold by most in-home salespeople are arbitrary. Whatever they think they can get, they ask for. If that doesn't work, they have a whole repertoire of reasons it just so happens they can actually offer you a better price, if, and only if, you buy today.

Of course, they can always call "the office" or their "manager" to see if they can get you an even better deal. The person at the office (usually someone's home, as the company has no office) is called a T.O. which stands for "take over" meaning the salesperson couldn't get you at full price, so the T.O. is going to "take over" the sale and drop the price to hook you. Typically, there is a code in place for the salesperson to say just the right words for the T.O. to know which "drop" to use.

Some of the common versions are:

We have models left over from a trade/home show that were uncrated but never used.

We have a "showroom" model we are selling at a discount (almost definitely the Walk-In Bathtub company does not even really have a showroom).

Another customer ordered the wrong bathtub door model and we need to get rid of it.

Another customer ordered the identical Walk-In Bathtub you need and want, but unfortunately passed away before it could be delivered.

A builder miscalculated and ordered too many models for a construction project i.e an assisted living facility, and returned the Walk-In tubs he didn't need which have already been uncrated and we therefore are willing to sell these returned tubs at a discount.

You live out of my way, buy today so I don't have to make a return trip. etc.

All rehearsed lies. The price tag for a Walkin tub at the end of this sales pitch/performance can be from $12,000-$30,000 even with price drops.

Another way of dramatically inflating the price/perceived value of a Walk-In Bathtub is to sell/offer only "package deals" which include installation.

In many instances the installer - who is virtually always an independent contractor and not an employee of the company from which the the tub is purchased - is paid a pittance and the seller of the tub keeps the lion's share of the money. For example, the largest seller of Walk-In Bathtubs imported from England pays it's subcontracted installers $900-950 for the complete installation, but charges the consumer the price of an automobile for the "package deal".

Of course, exceptions exist to every rule, and we assume there are some honest Walk-In Bathtub companies that employ ethical in-home "representatives" who care as much about your needs as they do about their own bank accounts....

There are numerous websites selling the same, identical Walk-In Bathtubs as one another. Most of these websites claim they manufacture the tubs themselves, in the U.S. Unfortunately, this is often not true. Virtually all inexpensive Walk-In tubs, and some that are not so inexpensive, are made in China. Nothing wrong with buying product made in China, as long as it is represented as such.

In line with the above, many on-line vendors advertise long or even "lifetime" guarantees on Walk In Bathtubs as the manufacturer, when they do not in fact make the tubs they sell. This is a serious problem, as the true manufacturer can be, and usually is, in China, or England. If you have a problem, the actual manufacturer will NOT honor the retail merchant’s guarantee, and in any event, trying to get a company overseas to honor and service a warantee, might be problematic....

This is what the Federal Trade Commission has to say about "Made in America":

The Standard For Unqualified Made In USA Claims

What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?

For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.

What does "all or virtually all" mean?

"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.

What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?

When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.

This is the largest importer from China/assembler of Walk-In Bathtubs in the country:

www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/spas-and-hot-tubs-dealers/spa-world-corporation-in-lawrence-ny-89383/

They operate as MediTub, The Walk-In Tub Depot, SpaWorld, amongst others, and own the trade names "Access Walk-In tubs", "Universal Walk-In tubs", "Sanctuary Walk-In tubs"and their tubs are sold all over the internet labeled as "Made in USA". However, if you go their website, it clearly says drilled, jetted and assembled in the U.S. Not the same as manufactured. The whole bathtub shell comes from China.

The principals of The MoniLisa Collection have been in the Walk-In Bathtub business for 5 years, which makes us elders in our young, niche industry. We know who makes quality products, who stands behind their warranty, and who offers the best customer service. Those are the only entities with whom we will do business.

We want our customer service line to ring as infrequently as is possible, and for our clients to be able to enjoy many years of safe and comfortable bathing in the top of the line Walk-In Bathtubs we make available.

When you buy a Walk-In Bathtub from us...it is THE BEST QUALITY PRODUCT AVAILABLE from the most ethical companies in our industry, period.

If you have ANY questions about any Walk-In tub on the market, call us at -800-408-9058. We'd be happy to help and educate you, whether you buy from us or not.

BE CAREFUL

Make sure that before you spend thousands of dollars you have the facts.

Walk-In Bathtubs can dramatically enhance quality of life, and enable the elderly and mobility challenged to be independent. Just make sure you get what you think you are paying for, and that you don't get taken advantage of by unethical salespeople and/or their employers.