Troubleshooters: Dr. Hot Tub finds himself in hot water

Back in October, Polly Harman ordered a new hot tub cover from Dr. Hot Tub. She paid Gordon Smith almost $300 in advance, but after 2 months went by with no cover and no word from Dr. Hot Tub, she got concerned. Polly made repeated attempts to contact him, but said she never got a reply to her calls, e-mails or letters. So, she took him to court.

“I filed with New Hanover Small Claims Court, and when I was in there, I looked up, and saw that there were other judgments against him, so I was not the first person who he didn’t respond to,” said Harman. “That seems to be his method of business.”

Polly said when the court date came, Gordon Smith was a no-show. That is when she called us, and we called Dr. Hot Tub. After a number of calls and e-mails from WWAY, Gordon Smith finally delivered the hot tub cover to her house.

No sooner was that resolved than we got a complaint from another customer of his, Darrell Markovitch, who paid $500 upfront for parts and a repair that have yet to happen. We contacted Dr. Hot Tub again. He said a family emergency had him tied up, and then he stopped returning our e-mails. Polly said she’s not surprised. “He takes money, and then if he feels like providing the service or the product, he does, if not, you don’t hear from him. He doesn’t answer e-mails, phone calls, nothing. He just leaves you hanging.”

We tried to visit Gordon Smith in person, but the physical location of his business is a mystery. The only thing listed on his website is a PO Box.

Last weekend, the Wilmington Star News ran an article about Dr. Hot Tub, featuring even more angry customers.

One more note: Dr. Hot Tub has a failing grade with the Better Business Bureau.