"Worse experience I have ever had with an exercise equipment company. I ordered my treadmill with the specifications of a commercial, 450 lb max weight for my home gym, on December 31, 2010. I spent a lot of time on the phone to ENSURE this machine was not a home machine, but rather a commercial machine for my business, and had a max weight of 450 lbs. Not 12-16 business days later, but TWO MONTHS LATER, I got, not the machine I ordered (FreeMotion™ USA Light Commercial 5.8TC w/ iPod®, iFit® & CarbonFlex™ Deck), but "the exact same model under the NordicTrak name." Well not only is the machine different, but has a max weight of 350 lbs and is NOT a commercial model. I've been trying to get in touch with the sales person, who's also a manager, Steve Barzilai, for more than two weeks now, to no avail.
At this point, since the company clearly wants nothing to do with me, I am preparing my case to go to the Better Business Bureau, as well as the Federal Trade Commission, as this is, to me, a clear case of false representation of products and bait and switch tactics. If the company reads this and decides to correct this situation to my satisfaction, I will update this review.
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UPDATE 3/2/11: I received a call from the manager, Steve Barzilai, and he was very courteous and apologetic for our inconveniences. He reassured all my concerns, and was extremely helpful. I was assured that I did receive the correct machine with the correct specifications, and he even threw in a nice little surprise for all my troubles. Great customer service; I will definitely order from them again. Thanks so much, Steve!"
"We purchased a treadmill from Fitness Blowout.com and the everything seemed to be great UNTIL... We needed to use the warranty. The motor went out and when we called to ask about the warranty they were very nice and said no problem we'll send one right out. One week later I called back and they said sorry about the delay and they were putting a FedEx sticker on the box as we speak. Two weeks later I called back again and they said that the motor was coming from China and didn't know how long it would take. They just keep lying to us. We finally gave up and bought the motor from The Treadmill Doctor.com What good is the warranty if it takes you months to get it honored. I won't buy another product from them. And you shouldn't either. "
"I ordered the freemotion 5.8T from them Jan 14th and still have not received it, Feb 21st. I was informed first that there was a mix up at the factory and the wrong labels were put on. Then that they ran out of labels so they had to send me a NordicTrac treadmill instead. A previous review person said they told them the truck crashed, seems like they will make up anything to try and keep you quite. I informed them that I don't want a NordicTrac treadmill and they said I would have to pay all kinds of fees to return a treadmill that I didn't even order! Seems like they oversold and are trying to sweep it under the rug. Then when I spoke to the service manager he tried to tell me that brand names are worthless and don't matter and I shouldn't care that it is a different brand. Then why even put the brand name of the treadmill on the website? Doesn't seem like a creditable business, won't honor their pledge and will just tell you want you want to hear.
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Update: March 16th
After lots of persistence (many phone calls and emails) I was able to elevate my case to the president who directed me to the GM of the company. I refused delivery until I had everything resolved. They did apologize and offered to compensate for the change in brand but I was too tired of dealing with the company by this point and ultimately decided it was best for me to refuse delivery of the treadmill. The merchant response below is incorrect, I did not receive the treadmill. They did agree to give me a full refund which I appreciate but have yet to see the credit (March 16th). Customer service has told me it should post any day now.
Seems like if all goes well you can get a good deal, if something goes wrong, pack a lunch and prepare to spend a lot of time trying to get it corrected."
"These guys were great to deal with, staff had a lot of knowledge. I can't wait to get the treadmill. I did a lot of research and they were by far the cheapest. I would order from them again. Will was my sales rep and he did a great job and took his time. Thanks guys!
"
"Most of the reviews I have read compliment the sales staff at fitness blowout, and I would agree they are helpful and knowledgeable. However, beyond that we have had terrible service. We ordered a free motion t5.8 treadmill on January , 2011 and we were told it would arrive in 15 days. Today is february 8th and we still have not received it! We have called every day for the past 2 weeks inquiring about this purchase as there was no delay in charging our credit card. No one has been able to give us an answer. I find it hard to believe that they cannot find a tracking # or some way to tell us the status of our order on a purchase this large. Several customer service reps and persons from their shipping/tracking dept promised to find out and return our calls and none of them have. Upon a message left by my husband yesterday stating that if we dont get an answer in the next 36 hours we are cancelling our order, today I hear from the sales rep from whom we made the purchase. He said that the last shipment of these treadmills were in an accident in route and damaged, but he could not provide any details. He said with my permission that they would now be sending the same product, except that it would be a nordictrack rather than a free motion, because they are no longer available at this time. This whole thing sounds pretty bogus to me, and I think that they oversold the free motion t 5.8. I find this service completely unprofessional, and would expect some sort of compensation for this inconvenience for a high dollar treadmill that I ordered and was charged for over a month ago. I will update my review based on the delivery if it ever gets here. "
" Fitness Blowout/Super Gym's Fitness Warehouse is clearly the industry leader in fitness equipment sales. Thier knowledgable staff, superb customer service, and great prices set them apart from every other company in the fitness industry. The sales rep, Will Santillan, helped us choose the right equipment to fit our needs and was very helpful throughout the process. In the future, I will not hesistate to do business with Fitness Blowout/Super Gym's Fitness Warehouse again! "
"Following is a description of the problem as it appears on a complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau. The item is question is: FreeMotion™ USA Light Commercial 5.8TC w/ iPod®, iFit® & CarbonFlex™ Deck
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The description of this product greatly differs from that of the manufacture's website. This product was described as having a maximum user weight of 450lbs, a 4hp motor, and as being a "Light Commercial" unit. However, the manufacturer claims it has a weight capacity of 350lbs, a 3hp motor, and states that it is for home use. I would not have purchased this item had it not been for the negligent, fraudulent and misleading information that was posted on their website. I have not yet taken delivery of the item nor have I received any tracking information since the item was ordered on January 1st, 2010. I have tried numerous times by phone, email, and their website to have the order canceled and to be refunded the order amount; however, I was told that the only person with the power to do this is the original salesman, Jared Zinda. I was told that the company policy allowed him 48 hours to respond to my request afterwords it can be elevated to the sales manager, Steve. It has been well over the time allotted by the company's policy, and I have not heard from either Jared or Steve. I also included the owner Jim Rosen in many of my emails, and I have not heard from him either. I am now also seeking advise from regulatory bodies such the California department of consumer affairs and the Federal Trade Commission; because I feel as though I am a victim of fraud, and the company refuses to help me.
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I have never before written a review or complaint about any items or companies; however, because this experience has been troublesome and hurtful, I felt this review was in order. I have truly never experienced this kind of a problem from any other company nor have I been treated so poorly. Please check these guys out before purchasing from them.
I will periodically update the status of this complaint. If the company wishes to contact me about this complaint, my invoice number is: 103273 and the last four digits of my phone number is: 1942
John M
2/07/2011 - I was contacted by the treadmill's manufacturer and was told that Fitness Blowout advertised the item with their full knowledge and consent. I was offered an upgrade which I gladly accepted. I was later contacted by the sales manager at Fitness Blowout who apologized for the misunderstanding and assured me that he would personally and quickly address any concerns that I may have in the future. I am satisfied with the resolution to this problem, and I am anxiously awaiting my new treadmill.
John M"
"On January 6, 2010, My father and I went to the actual showroom to hopefully purchase and take home a Precor elliptical 576i. We spoke to Will who was very knowledgeable and after he explained the lengthy shipping process we decided we should go ahead and order it today so we wouldn't procrastinate anymore on buying an elliptical. 3 weeks go by. No emails, no updates, no phone calls. We began calling like, every day. "Oh, it will be there next week." Oh, it will be delivered next week." Uhm, WTF. Still not here and we still don't have any tracking information. After calling for the 7th or 8th time, a woman on the phone said she would email us the tracking information on our "free" mat and our elliptical immediately, we still have no email.
Save yourself the heartache. We should have just sprung for the 8,000 elliptical and saved the drama. I shouldn't have to hunt down employees to do their job. I'm not asking for favors here. I'm a Marine Corps Veteran- I just wanted an elliptical!
UPDATE: 2/8/2011: We were able to get a hold of Sandy Martinez who, unlike most the employees at fitness blowout, DOES HER JOB! She kept us updated and informed. Kudos to Sandy for redeeming Fitness Blowout's reputation in some respect.
"
"I must admit that after placing my order on such a large and expensive item, I became nervous that I may have made a mistake. I am glad that I was wrong. I received an excellent unit at a very competitive price. I am very pleased thus far."
"My experience so far with FitnessBlowout has been nothing but positive. There sales people, Steve and Nick were very knowledgeable and friendly. Any time I called customer service, my call was returned almost immediately. The delivery date I was quoted was pretty much on the money and the price of the treadmill I've purchased is the best I have found. I am getting my unit delivered on 1/31/11 so I will update this review after delivery but I am not expecting any problems. So far, FitnessBlowout has been a great company to deal with! I just received my treadmill. It is a great machine, brand new, and in perfect condition. This company was an absolute pleasure to deal with and I would not hesitate to buy from them again!!! By the way the price I paid was by far the best price I could find!"
" I bought FreeMotion Mountain Climber Extreme Incline Treadmill from Fitness Blowout in November 2010. They delivered it on time. There was nothing wrong with treadmill. I really enjoy it. Thank you very much!"
"We are very pleased with the service Will provided. He even called me on his personal cell phone after the phone line at the store went down."
"This is my nightmare with these folks. As indicated they do bill the same day. I was told that I could expect shipping in 2-3 weeks. I rec'd a phone call that said my item was damaged in shipping process, it was the last one, and that it had to be sent back to the manufacturer. I indicated that I wanted my order cancelled then if that was the case. "But we can get you an upgraded on..." I indicated I did not want this then...They indicated that I would have to pay a "restocking fee" and that my reimbursement would be $400 vs. $900 that i paid. So essentially I have to pay for restocking fee on an item I never rec'd, never made it to my house, damaged in the process and I'm out $400. Oh this started before X-mas time and I still have not been refunded anything. NEVER NEVER NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THESE FOLKS--CROOOKS AND THIEVES "
"Well, I see a number of reviews on this organization and my personal experience has been five stars. I discovered the 25-35 business day delivery time-frame (on the purchase order after the sale). I had been told by a sales person that it would take up to 17 business days. Usually a company will over-estimate the delivery time so that it gets to the customer earlier than the estimated delivery date. So, after 10 days, I called to see if anyone could give me any additional information on the status of the order. I spoke with Martin on the call-back and Martin did an outstanding job. I will receive my merchandise, a lot sooner than was quoted from the original sales person (17 business days). I haven't received it yet, but the freight company called today and said it would be delivered on Monday 1/17 and today is Wednesday 1/12. The order was placed on 12/27. To me, it is a real pleasure to work with an organization that has excellent prices and great customer service skills after the sale has been consummated."
"Excellent service. Great deal. "