Hot Tub Scams On the Rise Since COVID-19 Lockdown Began

Buying hot tubs has become popular during the pandemic lockdown, but hundreds of buyers claim they have been ripped off by a hot tub scam, either by receiving a faulty tub, not receiving a refund or not receiving a hot tub at all. 

Sold out shops due to the hot tub craze during the pandemic had people on waitlists to purchase one, but a crafty hot tub fraud listed fake adverts online to deceive customers to buy a hot tub that never arrives, This Is Money reported.

Claims website Resolver says it has received 410 complaints from U.K. hot tub buyers since March, according to This Is Money. When Britons were forced into lockdown and needed to stay home, plug-in hot tubs became a trendy purchase. But along with the rise in hot tub purchases came a rise in complaints of a hot tub scam.

Resolver believes the actual number of scam victims is higher than the number of complaints it has received, because the final number of complaints also includes grievances about spas and pools.

According to This is Money, June figures from NatWest show many people were victims of the hot tub scam; hot tub fraud is alleged to have increased five-fold from April to May.

Retailers said customers have had to wait three months before purchasing their hot tubs and some manufacturers are still sold out, according to This is Money.

But many of the customers who were able to make a purchase ran into a hot tub fraud. Hundreds complained that they received broken hot tubs and they were not able to get repairs or refunds.

This is Money said one customer who was a victim of the hot tub fraud bought a £1,425 hot tub on eBay. The purchase was reported covered by a two-year warranty from Lay-Z-Spa, the tub’s original seller. 

The customer claimed the LED lights on the new hot tub did not work and the warranty did not provide coverage from eBay’s private sellers. He was told he needed to take the complaint to eBay instead.

This is Money got involved when the eBay seller refused to provide a response to the customer.

Later, Lay-Z-Spa agreed to send new LED lights in a “gesture of goodwill.” It seems that many other customers were confused by tricky warranties and technicalities. 

The customer was not eligible for the eBay buyer protection guarantee as a result of not claiming the service within a month of getting the hot tub, and his frustration mounted.

He told This is Money he “will never buy anything of value new on eBay” after struggling with his hot tub purchase.

“Often it’s just a key component that is playing up, with LED lights a particular issue,” Resolver’s Martyn James said, according to This Is Money. “But in many complaints, it’s the fundamental purpose of the hot tub that’s the problem, that it doesn’t heat up fully or at all; or it leaks. We also get a number of complaints about the hot tub itself being misrepresented in the advert or on the website.”

The hot tub scam was among the most often reported fraudulent schemes during the pandemic, along with Nintendo Switch and pedigree dog scams.

The Guardian reported in June online scams can involve fake advertisements, leading to purchases that are never delivered. The hot tub fraud was of this type. 

The pandemic has bred many scams, usually with fraudsters using fear-based tactics to dupe victims.

In June, Top Class Actions reported there were around 11,000 coronavirus fraud attempts in the U.K. The scams involved stealing personal data or banking details.

In total, more than 2,000 Britons may have lost £4.6 million.

Have you come across the hot tub scam during the pandemic? Do you think uncertain times generate new opportunities for people to fall victim to scams? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Read More Lawsuit & Settlement News:

Government Rules Out Self-Identification for Trans People

Half of Post-Lockdown Pension Transfers Show Signs of Scams

Mercedes Diesel Emissions Group Action Open Claim

YouTube Children’s Data Breach Group Action Open Claim