My Installer Went Out of Business, Who Does Warranty Repair Labor Now?

If your installer has gone out of business, the repair labor on your Ella walk-in tub is done by any local licensed plumber, electrician or handyman you choose, and your Ella's Bubbles parts warranty carries on unchanged, because that warranty comes from Ella's Bubbles and not from the company that installed the tub. Ella does not send technicians. Technical Support diagnoses the problem with you, ships the verified part under the warranty, and supports whichever local professional fits it. The full service model is explained in Who Services an Installed Ella Tub? Parts From Ella, Labor From a Local Pro, and What to Do When the Installer or Dealer Is Gone, and this page stays with one situation only: the installer you relied on is no longer there.

What Closed with Your Installer, and What Did Not

It helps to separate two promises that are easy to blend together. The first is the Lifetime Limited Warranty from Ella's Bubbles. It is a parts warranty, and it is extended to the first purchaser at the original installation address. The second is any labor coverage your installer offered. Installers operate independently and provide their own labor warranties, so labor has always been warranted by whoever did the work, never by Ella's Bubbles.

That distinction is good news for you. An installer or dealer closing its doors does not change the product coverage you hold, because the warranty is from Ella's Bubbles. When you bought through a dealer or installation company, the warranty was registered in your name at the address where the tub is installed, and the dealer's name was only recorded as the place of purchase. You can open a claim yourself. You do not need the original company to do it for you.

Here is what the two promises look like side by side:

• Still in place: coverage on the shell, frame, door, door seal and finish, plus the supporting equipment such as pumps, control boxes, jets, drains and ozone, under the Lifetime Limited Warranty. The thermostatic control valve carries its own 1 year limited warranty, and a non Ella faucet carries its own manufacturer's warranty. The component list is in Is This Covered Under My Walk-In Tub Warranty?
• Still in place: free lifetime technical support by phone, by email with photos, and by live video when a closer look helps.
• Never part of the Ella warranty: labor, removal, replacement or installation, plumbing and electrical connections, and water damage to the home. The published warranty excludes these for every owner, whether the installer is still in business or not.
• Belonged to the installer: any labor promise that company made. Ella's Bubbles is not bound by warranty promises made by dealers, retailers, distributors or contractors, so it cannot step into a labor agreement made by an independent business.

Who Does the Labor Now

Any licensed local professional can do it. Nearly every repair on an Ella tub, from a button and air hose to a valve or a control box, is ordinary plumbing and electrical work, so the person you hire does not need prior Ella experience. Technical Support answers questions from any licensed plumber, electrician or handyman by phone or video while they are on site during business hours, and backs them up with manuals and repair videos.

If you do not have someone in mind, you have a few good routes:

• Ask the team to check the installer network. When you need a local professional, Technical Support can check the installer network by your installation address.
• Ask about a dealer in your area. The team can point you to a dealer near you when service is needed. Be aware that some dealers will not work on tubs they did not sell or install, so ask before you count on it.
• Use a plumber or electrician you already trust. Local plumbers sometimes decline the job because they have never seen an Ella tub. Let them know that manufacturer support is a phone call away during the repair, and that the part arrives with directions for fitting it.

The labor arrangement is between you and the professional you hire. More detail on lining someone up is in Who Can Come Out and Fix My Walk-In Tub?

Start with the Diagnosis, Then Book the Labor

When the installer is gone, it is tempting to find a repair person first. The better order is the other way around, because many problems turn out to need no part and very little labor.

1. Gather the basics. Write a one or two sentence description of the symptom, take photos or a short video, and note your model and serial number from the label inside one of the removable panels, plus where and when the tub was purchased.
2. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Technical Support diagnoses by phone, photos and video. Many fixes turn out to be a reconnected air tube or a cord that needs plugging in.
3. Let the team verify the part. If a part is needed, it ships under the warranty to the original customer's address after the defect is verified from your photos, with directions for fitting it.
4. Line up your local professional. Once you know what the job is, it is much easier to describe it to a plumber, electrician or handyman and to choose the right trade.
5. Have your contractor call if a question comes up. Support is available to them by phone or video while they are working on the tub.

The Push Button Control Issues and Repair video is a good example of a fix that needs no replacement part. It shows that the push buttons work with pneumatic pressure through a red connection tube to the control box. When a button sticks in the down position from an air lock, the fix is to disconnect the red tube at the control box so the button pops up. You then reconnect the tube and listen for the click of the relay inside the box when you press the button. The video also shows the tube being secured at the button with its locking nut. A loose tube is the kind of small fault that can look like a job for a specialist when it is not.

If the Installer Never Finished Your Warranty Activation

Activation is what puts the warranty in force, and the two-page Warranty Activation Form is signed by both the customer and the installer. Many dealers and installers submit it on behalf of their customers, so if your installer has closed you may not know whether it was ever sent in. There is no need to worry. Open a ticket and the team can check what is on file for your tub. If activation was not completed at install time, you can complete the form now, and the team can help you gather what is needed. The way the form records your name, your address and your place of purchase is explained in Bought Through a Dealer or Installer? How Your Ella Warranty Works.

If the Repair Does Not Hold

Without the original installer to call back, owners sometimes worry about what happens when a new part goes in and the problem stays. The answer is reassuring. Free lifetime technical support does not end when a part ships, and the claim does not start over. Reply on the same support ticket, describe exactly what the tub does now, and add new photos or a short video. Keep the old part in a safe place until the ticket confirms the replacement fixed the issue. The team looks at the diagnosis again and either sends a different part or guides the next check with your local professional. The full process is in The warranty replacement part did not fix my tub, what happens next?

Watch: Push Button Control Issues and Repair with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Did Ella Receive My Warranty Activation Form? How to Confirm It Was Recorded
• New to a Home With an Ella Tub? A First-Week Guide for Second Owners

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