Have you ever headed out to dinner and wondered how there could be such a big price difference between a $9.99 steak special and a top shelf $49.99 steak from a branded steak house? We are all consumers, and whether we are going to the local grocery store, headed out to dinner at a restaurant, or shopping at our favorite swimming pool and spa store, knowing exactly what it is that we are purchasing is important. Is the statement "You get what you pay for" accurate? Is there a difference in quality between products that serve the same function? Are you willing to pay a little bit more for a product that will last a lot longer? Have you ever saved $4 on a cheap plastic product only to return to the store to buy the better quality product because it will last longer?
For a manufacturer, low price is actually an easy goal to achieve. They only need to use cheaper, lower quality materials. Quality manufacturing, on the other hand, is a much harder goal to accomplish because it requires maintaining a consistent standard of quality at a competitive price.
In the swimming pool and spa industry, there has been a lot of overseas manufacturing taking the place of domesticate manufacturing, and the last several years have seen a swarm of big box retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, and even local grocery and farm stores hawking cheap, 'quick set' type pool kits from low quality manufacturers in China, Mexico and elsewhere. Of course, this has been good for price competition in the industry, but it has also been bad for product quality and industry reputation as a whole, as lower cost import pools tend to be significantly inferior in quality, giving the pool industry in general a bad rap.
In most situations, for a small percentage more, a homeowner can purchase a high quality product that offers a much lower cost of ownership and a significantly longer product life and better warranty.
Remember the age-old adage that high quality, great service and low prices are not usually harmonious. In reality, we typically only get 2 out of the 3 of those options since it's not always possible to have the best made product and offer the cheapest price in the market at the same time. Likewise, one cannot buy from the cheapest source and expect exceptional service. There are very few exceptions to this rule. At FamilyPoolFun.com, we search the swimming pool industry and all available resources for the best swimming pool products we can find, and we work hard to offer them at the best prices possible. And we will always be fair and offer the best service we can before and after the sale.
