When it comes to buying a hot tub in Kern County, the Bakersfield dealer for Cal Spas is about as big as it gets.

But the local spa company is in a bit of hot water, they have recently received an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Bakersfield BBB manager Connie Alarcon explained what led to the poor rating, "Unresolved complaints that may be perhaps were not addressed, failure to respond in a timely manner to complaints, and also a significant amount of complaints that were presented in a three year reporting period."

According to the BBB'S website, a total 52 complaints have been filed against the local Cal Spas dealer. One of those filers is Joe Kirk of Shafter.

Kirk's spa wasn't under warranty, but the local store referred him to an independent technician to do the repair.

Kirk says the technician charged him over $500 to do the repair work, but it wouldn't be a simple fix, "He came back, it still didn't work and it was worse, the electrical system was atrocious."

It wasn't only atrocious, it was dangerous. Shafter building official Dennis Fidler examined and essentially condemned Kirk's spa, "They had open electrical splices, they had open penetrations in their junction boxes, and there was no working GFI."

The GFI or "Ground Fault Interrupter" is a device that shuts off the flow of electricity when water is detected, keeping a person safe from electrocution.

Even though that technician didn't work for the Bakersfield store, business owner Erick Johnson feels responsible for referring him. Johnson adds his company is no longer using that repair man.

Johnson has also taken steps to resolve the other complaints filed with the BBB.

"We want to stick through this and take care of the customers in the past and also in the future," said Johnson. "I just want to give them my word that we're going to do everything we can."

As of now, the BBB Web site shows only 12 of the complaints remain unresolved.