There is a substantial increase in massage chair importers that are bringing in low quality chairs and selling them through various channels. In response to some of our customers that have experienced bad situations, I personally surveyed a number of venues such as the internet, home shows and county fairs for such importers. The result of input from my customer's experience and first hand insight from my surveys has yielded the following list of 5 key tips on how to avoid being taken.
1. Massage Chair PC Boards are Important: Massage chairs use computer software and pc boards to run the massage chair. The pc board or motherboard is the key board that runs the major functions of the chair. The sub boards are important as well. Ask where the pc boards are from. You want them from either Japan or Singapore. These have advanced chip foundries to make top quality boards. Shoddy electronics will make parts of the chair to malfunction or not work at all. This requires expensive service calls to have replaced down the road.
2. Look for These Warranty Points: You want to get adequate warranty protection when buying a massage chair at a home show or county fair. You can sometimes even negotiate longer terms, since many times you are dealing directly with the manufacturer. You should at least get 3 years parts, 3 years labor and make sure they have in home technician service. You want at least 90 days as part of your deal. Check to see if it is nationally available. If its only available where you are buying the chair, then they obviously do the service from one location.
3. Our Massage Chair is made in Panasonic's Factory: I saw a few salesmen claim that their massage chair comes from the same factory as Panasonic or some other name brand. Of course, there is no way for you to verify this independently. I am sure Panasonic wants their resources to be used to make knock off chairs that are then imported to compete in their main markets at rock bottom prices. Yeah, right, sure! If a salesperson tells you their chairs are made at the same factory as a name brand chair then I think you know the answer. Steer well clear!
4. Jack of All Trades, Master of None: Beware of vendors at fairs and home shows that sell everything but the kitchen sink. This is a sure sign of a one man importing machine. Now, I have a healthy respect for the entrepreneur, but one must specialize. I have seen booths with a couple of massage chairs along with a million other gadgets. It is like a one man flea market. These guys import everything and anything, especially what they just got a good deal on. Seriously, who knows what massage chair will be on the next shipment? They are armed and dangerous. Use Extreme Caution!
5. This is The Deal of The Century: We all know the saying: If it's too good to be true, then it probably is! This is certainly true when looking for a massage chair. The major manufacturers offer show specials, so you truly can get a good deal. Where you must be careful, are the small time vendors. They bring in a cheap chair loaded with features and sell it at ridiculously low prices. Avoid the temptation of short term gain for long term pain. You may be buying a long string of breakdowns, long waits for parts (if ever) and expensive technician service calls. Be careful of the deal of the century!
With the help of our customers, we offer you these nuggets of advice when shopping at a home show or county fair. There are many excellent massage chairs at these events. It is a great venue to take a break and try one. You will find the major manufacturers at these events and can take advantage of their special show price. Just make sure if you are seeing too good of a deal, then dig a little deeper to avoid some of the pitfalls we point out for you.
We trust you found this article enlightening. View a Massage Chair Review on the best massage chairs available. We author Massage Chair Reviews on all major brands. Sift through our massage chair review index, see our articles and see what massage recliner is right for you.
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