How Do I Verify a Contractor Is Really Affiliated With Ella's Bubbles?

Ella's Bubbles is a manufacturer. It assembles and tests walk-in tubs in Chicago and ships them nationwide, but it does not install them, does not send technicians and never charges for installation, so a person who calls offering to install your tub is never an Ella employee. A contractor can be connected to Ella in one of three ways, as a dealer, as an independent installer in Ella's referral network, or as a contractor who buys tubs for client projects, and each of those relationships begins with an application on ellasbubbles.com that the partnership team follows up. If someone tells you Ella sent them, contact the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 and ask whether a referral was made for your address. How do I find a reputable walk-in tub installation company? explains where installers come from; this page covers how to confirm a specific one who has already contacted you.

Who Is Actually Connected to Ella's Bubbles

Three kinds of trade partners work with Ella, and each one applied through a form on ellasbubbles.com before the partnership team followed up with them.

• Dealers re-sell Ella products in a territory and often install what they sell. A business applies through the Become a Dealer section of the website, and an approved dealer receives brochures, showroom resources and trade show materials such as pop-up banners carrying its own dealer information. The Ella's Bubbles Dealer Program page describes what the program includes.
• Independent installers in Ella's network receive customer referrals from Ella. The network is nationwide and includes installers listed through Angi Pro.
• Contractors who buy tubs for their own clients' projects and handle the installation as part of that work.

There is a fourth group that is every bit as legitimate: any licensed plumber, electrician or general contractor you choose yourself. Ella does not require certification, and any licensed installer who follows the installation manual is acceptable. Ella's technical support guides that contractor at no charge by phone, email and live video. So the word authorized describes a business relationship with Ella, not a permission your installer needs before working on your tub.

How a Genuine Referral Reaches You

A referral from Ella follows a fixed sequence, and knowing it makes an unexpected call easy to judge.

1. You ask the team for help finding an installer and share your installation address.
2. Ella sends the recommended installer your contact information, the specifications for the tub model you are installing and the electrical diagrams for that model.
3. The installer contacts you directly to arrange next steps.
4. The installer visits your home to measure the installation space.
5. The installer gives you an estimate for the installation work.

Two things follow from that order. First, the contact starts with your request. If you never asked the team for an installer and never shared your address, Ella had nothing to pass along, and a contractor who says Ella sent them should be able to tell you when and how that referral was made. Second, a referred installer arrives already knowing your tub. They hold the spec sheet and the electrical diagrams for your model before they ever speak to you, so a caller who does not know which tub you ordered, or who asks you what an Ella tub needs electrically, has not come through the network.

Questions That Settle It

Ask these before anyone measures your bathroom. A real Ella dealer, a network installer or a licensed contractor of your own can answer each one without hesitation.

• Which relationship do you have with Ella? Dealer, network installer or independent licensed contractor. Each is fine, but the answer should be specific. A dealer can show you Ella brochures and show materials that carry its dealer information.
• What license do you hold? Ella calls for a licensed, experienced contractor, normally a plumber for the water supply and drain connections and an electrician for the dedicated circuit.
• Will you complete and sign the installer section of the warranty activation form? Willingness to do so is the clearest mark of a reputable installer. The activation form is signed by both you and the installer and returned to Ella to put the warranty in force.
• Who will you call with a technical question during the install? The right answer is Ella's technical support, which is available to any installer at no charge by phone, email and live video.
• Who warrants the labor? Ella provides the lifetime parts warranty and ships replacement parts after verification. The labor is warranted by the installer who did the work.

Statements That Should Make You Pause

• "I am the Ella's Bubbles technician." Ella does not perform installation, does not send technicians and never charges for installation. If a part is ever needed under the warranty, Ella ships the part and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor.
• "Ella guarantees our installation work." Ella is not bound by warranty promises made by dealers, retailers, distributors or contractors, and labor is never covered by the Ella warranty. Only the published terms apply.
• "You have to use us or your warranty is void." Any licensed installer is acceptable and certification by Ella is not required. What the warranty does exclude is improper or negligent installation, so the license and the installation manual are what matter, not the company name.
• "Ella will cover the labor if anything goes wrong." The Ella warranty covers parts only. The installer warrants the labor.

Confirming with the Team

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Have ready the contractor's business name, the number they called from, your installation address, your order or model, and a short note of what they told you. Ask whether a referral was made for your address and whether that business is an Ella dealer or a network installer. If you purchased through a dealer, ask the dealer directly whether it installs or which installer it works with, because that company will already know the product and the warranty paperwork. If you still need an installer after checking, the team can refer one from its nationwide network. Once you have confirmed who you are working with, What Installation Involves, How Long It Takes, and What Drives the Cost explains the work the installer will quote.

Related Guides

• Becoming an Ella's Bubbles Dealer or Installer
• Getting Installer Referrals and Leads for Your Walk-In Tub

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