Do I need an in-home appointment to buy a walk-in tub?

No in-home appointment is needed to buy an Ella walk-in tub. Ella's Bubbles builds every tub to order in Chicago and reaches you through its dealer network, so choosing is done over a live video tour, the model videos and the spec sheets, and the only appointments on an Ella order are the ones you book yourself, a video tour or a showroom visit, plus the freight delivery window the carrier sets with you. This page speaks only for Ella's Bubbles and does not explain other companies' practices. The video tour is described in Booking a Live Video Tour of the Chicago Facility: How It Works, Which Apps Work, and What to Do If the Link Never Arrives.

Why Ella Does Not Need to Visit Your Home to Help You Choose

Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer. Tubs are made per order and are not stocked anywhere, so each one is assembled, jetted and tested in Chicago and ships throughout the United States and Canada. Dealers typically do not carry show models, and retailer floors such as Home Depot do not have Ella tubs on display either. With no stocked floor to visit, the question becomes how you see the tub before you decide, and the answer is three options that you schedule, rather than a visit scheduled for you.

• The only permanent showroom is in Chicago, at the warehouse and production facility at 2700 W Roosevelt Rd, where every model is on display and visits are by appointment.
• For homes between West Palm Beach and Miami, the mobile showroom brings the Ultra, the Capri and the Transfer30 to you by appointment.
• From anywhere else, a live video showroom tour over Zoom, FaceTime or Google Meet lets a specialist show you the exact models, doors, seats, controls and jets in real time.

Which dealer serves your area, and which models that dealer carries, is a question for (800) 480-6850 with your zip code, as Which Stores or Dealers Carry Ella Walk-In Tubs Near Me? explains. The team can also reach out to local contractors and resellers to check whether anyone nearby has a display unit you can sit in and, with your permission, pass along your contact details so that installer can get in touch.

The 30-Minute Video Tour That Takes the Place of a Home Visit

The live video tour is a real-time video call with an Ella's Bubbles specialist who walks you through the Chicago showroom and production facility, where up to 28 walk-in tub models are on the floor. It is done by a real specialist with a real tub, not a recording. There is a live tub with water in it on the showroom floor so the jetting options can be demonstrated, and you can watch tubs being assembled and tested in the facility.

The part of a home visit that people most expect, the measuring, happens on camera. The specialist can sit in the tub, demonstrate the features, and take seat and doorway measurements for you, and you learn how to take your own body measurements so you know which tub will fit you most comfortably. Your questions are answered on the spot.

1. Open the scheduling calendar at ellasbubbles.com/walk-in-tub/schedule-showroom-tour/ and choose any 30-minute slot, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Central. If you prefer, call (800) 480-6850 and the team will book the slot for you.
2. A one-tap video link is texted to your phone before the call.
3. If the link has not arrived a few minutes before your slot, call (800) 480-6850 and the team will resend it or reach you by phone instead.

The Appointment You Do Have to Keep: Freight Delivery

The one appointment an Ella order cannot do without is the delivery window. Walk-in tubs ship as less-than-truckload freight, and freight carriers do not simply show up. Once the tub reaches the terminal nearest you, the carrier calls the phone number on the order to schedule a delivery window and to confirm someone will be there to receive the curbside delivery. The crate is lowered to the ground and the driver does not carry it inside, and if no one is present to accept and sign for the shipment, the driver cannot leave it.

That is why Ella's Bubbles confirms a valid, working US phone number on every order before the tub is released to ship, even when the order was placed through a retailer. If the number is out of service, rings to the wrong person or never gets answered, the carrier cannot schedule and the tub waits at the terminal, and if nobody can be reached the order may have to be cancelled. The checks to make before the ship date are in Why Ella Needs a Working Phone Number Before Your Walk-In Tub Ships. Give the number of the person who will actually receive the tub, whether that is you, a contractor, a family member or a property manager, turn on the ringer and set up voicemail, because carriers usually call from an unfamiliar number.

Missing the window has a cost. When the carrier arrives inside the scheduled appointment window and nobody is there, it records a failed delivery and bills a redelivery charge for the second attempt, which Ella passes on to the customer, and the carrier will not try again until that charge is approved. Carriers can also begin storage charges on shipments that sit at their terminal. The team contacts you, asks before using the card from your order, and once the charge is approved the carrier calls to set a new window. If you were on site the whole time and the driver did not show, tell the team immediately, because it does not approve the charge while the attempt is being questioned. Missed Freight Delivery: Redelivery Charges and How to Reschedule has the full sequence.

Appointments After the Tub or Shower Is Installed

For a walk-in tub there is no service appointment either. The Lifetime Limited Warranty is a parts warranty: when a covered defect is verified from your photos and description, the needed part ships to the original customer's address without charge, and a local licensed plumber or electrician fits it. Free lifetime technical support comes with every tub, and the team works with you and your contractor by phone, email and live video, so many fixes turn out to need no part at all.

Showers built for Ella by a partner manufacturer are the exception. Warranty service on those units runs through that manufacturer's field service program, which schedules a local service partner to inspect and repair the unit. You receive an appointment confirmation naming the service partner and the date, and if the date does not work you let Ella know so it can be rescheduled. Covered manufacturing defects should not be billed to you at that visit, and if you are told payment will be due, contact Ella's support team before the appointment. Does a Technician Come Out for an Ella Shower Warranty Repair? explains both paths.

What to Have Ready

• Your zip code and the model you are considering, so the team can name the dealer serving your area.
• A 30-minute slot for the video tour, and your phone nearby for the texted link.
• The phone number of the person who will receive the freight delivery, with the ringer on and voicemail set up.
• Someone on site for the delivery window who understands it is a curbside delivery and can inspect the crate with the driver and note any damage on the bill of lading before signing.
• A local licensed plumber and electrician lined up for the installation, since Ella does not send technicians.

Related Guides

• What Installation Involves, How Long It Takes, and What Drives the Cost

Related Videos

Common Questions