VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Volusia County company accused of selling defective hot tubs online is now the subject of more than two dozen consumer complaints submitted to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, records show.
Moody’s office is currently engaged in an “active and ongoing” consumer protection investigation into Revive Spas and More, an agency spokesperson confirmed.
Dylan Placker, the company’s owner, told News 6 in a brief phone conversation that the state investigation prompted him to retain a lawyer.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Placker, who referred to some of his unhappy customers as “jackwagons”, or jerks, claimed he is working with state investigators to resolve disputes.
Last year News 6 began receiving complaints from customers who claimed they purchased used hot tubs from Revive Spas and More on Facebook Marketplace and similar websites.
Many of those complaints involved non-working or defective hot tubs and Placker’s failure to honor a one-year warranty promised in advertisements and on sales agreements.
Florida’s Attorney General later began reviewing similar complaints submitted to her office.
Find more reports from News 6 Investigators on YouTube:
Ken Macejka of Bradenton told the Attorney General’s Office he purchased a $1,700 used hot tub from Placker in August that had significant defects and leaks that require substantial repairs.
“I urge your office to investigate this matter promptly to prevent further consumers from falling victim to this scam,” Macejka wrote in his complaint.
Brian Strauch said Revive Spas delivered a $5,400 hot tub to his Tallahassee home last month, but the unit would not power on.
“[Placker] indicated he would do anything to make it right, however [he] has subsequently cut off all correspondence with me,” Stauch’s written complaint states.
Besides filing a complaint with the attorney general, Heidi Fitzgerald sued the company in Volusia County small claims court alleging she was sold a leaking and malfunctioning hot tub in April.
Last month a judge awarded Fitzgerald a $2,000 judgment plus attorneys’ fees after Placker failed to respond to appear in court to respond to the lawsuit, court records show.
Placker operated a similar hot tub company in Oklahoma prior to moving to Florida, court records show.
Oklahoma’s Attorney General sued Placker and his wife last year for violating that state’s consumer protection laws.
Under a settlement agreement in that lawsuit, Placker was ordered to pay $33,260 in restitution to his former Oklahoma customers and he was barred from selling hot tubs in that state for ten years.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: