No you can't order directly through Hot Spring. They make their own cover (medium quality) and only see to their dealers. You should be able to get a superior cover online, for 40% less.

You'll need to do your own shopping and comparasions.

Look at and compare;

- Foam density
- TRUE ACTUAL thickness of the FOAM...and get a 2" taper, NOT 1-1/2" (unless it's one of the mega 6" thick covers).
- Thickness of the polywrap protecting the foam...and how it's sealed
- UV and pigment rating of the vinyl (the "weight" of the vinyl isn't really so important).

Anyone that doesn't outrightly list these specs, is probably trying to hide something, and in my opinion, isn't worth wasting your time trying to find it out.

Can you recommend any legitimate businesses online that are selling these? I have found plenty of business that that sell the premium covers; however, most of them have plenty of complaints against them.

We bought a cover from Spamate almost a year ago, and have been happy with it so far. Our local pool company recommended them. For most major manufacturers, you can find your cover by model number, and don't have to provide your own measurements. Ours fits well and seems to be well built. It also insulates much better than the worn out original.

http://www.spamate.com/Default.aspx