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Common Questions You Need Answered Questions We Are Commonly Asked
Q: Why buy from Us? A: First and foremost, it is what we do! More than likely, you want to buy from someone you can TRUST that offers the best price guaranteed!
Buying a piece of equipment can be a daunting task. Anyone can have a website now-a-days, BUT are they reputable?
They should: *Have a secure SSL certificate to ensure your online safety! (Surprisingly many do not- We are A-plus rated for security)
*Have a reputable and longstanding operation! (We have been in Business for over 25 years!)
*Have a customer service department that answers the phone! (This is IMPORTANT to us- We are here 7 days a week!)
*Sell all brands! (We sell every brand out there)
*Be open and honest about the products, return policy, and delivery charges! (We have the best customer service in the industry, period!)
*Not try to upsell you! (NO ONE HERE WORKS ON COMMISSION)
They shouldn't: *Operate solely on the web with no warehouse and drop ship everything. That takes way too much time.
*Expect you to email them with questions or concerns and not accept phone calls.
*Try to push you towards one particular product and "proclaim" it to be the best.
*Sell you a product that cannot be shipped to a certain area without voiding your warranty. (You will find this happens often and all too late when you have an issue)
*Try to sell you any extended warranties or service. It SHOULD all be inherent in the machines and the rest are scams.
We are NEW ENGLAND'S Largest Showroom with 25 years of experience and hundreds of thousands of happy customers!
Would you go to the grocery store to purchase tires for your car? How about for your new flat screen HD T.V? Fitness equipment is a specialized product. When it comes to treadmills, ellipticals, home gyms, etc the more chances are you need proper advice, extensive selections, and many different price points. Why not visit someone that knows this in their sleep? By all means prepare yourself: bring printed out web pages to the store and ask questions! Sporting goods stores carry the low end stuff. They are typically of poor quality, overpriced for what you are getting and very limited in their selection of machines. If you go online you will find so many websites that make claims about certain brands that they happen to sell and claim how good they are. But those sites are basically that, only websites, without a sales floor or office. Also they are selling products that offer a commission for each sale. So obviously, they will talk it up and claim how great it is....see... Moolah Program"> Its called the moolah program for Petes sake! I will make a review site saying how great it is if I can make money by doing nothing. Many even make a sale and email the manufacturer to drop ship to your house. You buy this way? More than likely you will be sorry! As we see more Internet ripoffs we are aware that this leaves a black mark in the fitness market. We don't want customers to have a bad experience trying to choose a fitness machine. Only a SPECIALTY FITNESS dealer can help you choose the proper machine and more importantly, explain why! None of our staff work on commission! Isn't it more expensive?
Contrary to popular belief it is not more expensive to visit your local fitness dealer. You not only will find that they have what you are looking for, the price point, but you will also get the proper recommendation. This way you will not be paying $800.00 for a hunk of junk. Be smart about your buying decision, buy properly. Our Specialty Store has the same levels of pricing you will find from those supposed expert websites or other stores which are nothing more than a guy at home with a slick site that works on commission. It will not be more money and it will certainly be less headaches. In most cases we pay the same or even less than BIG BOX Sports and only a Specialty Fitness dealer has the BEST inexpensive lines, from the quality manufacturers that make the best products. We always recommend that if you are serious about buying the right equipment at the best value, then to buy at a Specialty Fitness dealer. (Even if it is not us!) SPECIALTY does not mean expensive! We are here to advise and help you make the proper decision.
The truth about fitness machines They break down. Yes this is the truth that no one wants to admit. There will be a service call in your warranty period. You call us and we take care of the problem. You do not have to deal with the manufacturer or an e-mail address to rectify a problem. Sure many if not most are minor tweaks but if you do not know anything about mechanics and electronics you will not be able to repair them and cause more costly problems. We will know what and how to repair the problem. Talk about peace of mind!
Q: How are some brands you see all over the internet and at department stores? A: A major conglomerate has bought out many companies names in the lower end of Fitness Equipment. The products are all the same and made in the same factory, just tagged with a different name. So, when you buy one such brand, you buy the parent brand. We think you get the idea. The list goes on. They market these products to department stores and create their own retail price. For Example: A customer recently came in and said he was going to buy a treadmill from a local department store. He was excited because the price showed it was a $2500 machine marked down to $1200. We can not emphasize enough that you or he in this case was being had! With absolute certainty, one should not have spent more then $500 on that machine, but some companies make it seem appealing. In marketing, if you set the retail price, the customer will never know what it should cost. It really is deceptive and outright wrong for this practice to happen.... We admit, it is tempting to sell their product and make a huge profit, but what is right is right and we sell products on the basis that you will use the machines and that is why we have been tremendously successful in the last 20 years. So to answer a commonly asked question, just take a look at what the Better Business Bureau has to say about the company you may buy from before you waste your $$$$$$.....
Q: How are Sole and Smooth treadmills?
A: One of the lines of treadmills and ellipticals we are asked about is by Sole Fitness out of
Sole itself have been known as being some of the best internet marketers around outside of Smooth Fitness. (Which is why you probably have heard of them) We have some major concerns about Sole. First if that if you think a Sporting Good Store is going to service the equipment and know whether it is the right value for what your getting then we have a box of dirt to sell you. It is easy to mislead and misrepresent products on-line, which is what they do. Why do you think we get all their service calls! Also we mentioned earlier this Moolah Program Yikes! Read this taken directly from most Soles return policy: To help alleviate any concern and give you 100% confidence that we do in fact make the best treadmills and ellipticals available, we offer an unprecedented 30 day trial period on all of our equipment. If you are not completely satisfied with your product we will refund your purchase amount and freight charges both ways, no questions asked. All the customer is responsible to pay is an 8% restocking fee within the 30 day trial period. Read what comes next buried in their policy.... So lets get this straight, a 100% return policy means you pay 8%, have to have it in its original packaging (good luck with that- an impossible task) and do it w/in 30 days when it usually takes weeks for you to get the machine and that's when the clock starts ticking... Awful and misleading! Then if they offer free shipping- which they do.... You are then responsible for freight! For the price point, We choose to sell Spirit, which is made specifically for specialty stores by the Parent company, but with better, new components, better warranties, better service and at a similar price... A no-brainer for us and for the consumer....
Smooth only sells on-line. It begs the question, why no retail representation? We don't like any company that does not allow you to feel, see, touch, or use a product before you buy it. Also, what if something goes wrong? You have to e-mail a website? We are not big fans.
Q: Whats the difference between Department Store brands vs. other brands?
Department stores simply have no clue when it comes to selling fitness equipment. The person making the decisions on what to sell is sitting in a board room looking at a spreadsheet deciding how much money he/she can make of a particular machine. I would bet ANYTHING they never even stepped on the machine.
Q: Their are so many reviews and how do I know who to believe and if the company is paying for the review?
A: Oh my goodness how this has gotten out of control. Even Amazon recently has sued some major companies for false and deceptive on line reviews!
Most review sites are simply webpages and sites that support what the dealer or manufacturer sells. So how do you recognize if this treadmill review site or elliptical review site is a being bought? One way is, if there is a CLICK here to buy anything that they rate equipment wise on the website...... it is most likely a fake one. It means that it is not an unbiased website and one that was created to 'bait and switch you' to believe that it was. BE AWARE! Have you ever noticed? Most of those supposed Internet sites are touting the features and quality of the same lines. Have you noticed this? So have we. Why is this so? Why aren't the quality manufacturers mentioned? Well, because they are suppliers to the affiliate sites. They also happen to be the machines that are on the lower end of the food chain in quality. You too can start a website and sell their goods and get a commission. A sign of the times. ___________________________
With all of the review sites out there we all agree that it really has become more confusing then it should be. We don't know these sites and remember you don't know them either even if they may offer some good insight. Each machine is different, some are built better, some feel different...one will suit your needs. Peruse or website or give us a call to thoroughly understand what is going on. You can trust US! We sell machines at all different price points and if certain machines were worth it, we would sell them too! I can GUARANTEE you will get the best level of service when shopping with us... Like most things, reviews can and are being bought. At some point, you are going to have to trust someone. Ask anyone who has shopped at our store over the last 25 years and ask them about their experience. Let our frustration be your salvation!
Q: What is considered junk?
A: That is a great question. There is junk out there and there are inexpensive machines. It depends what you need the machine to do for you. On a treadmill for instance, look for a heavy frame (it supports your weight after all), warranty, and of course features and price. You need to be comfortable with the machine. The more comfortable you are the more likely you are to use it. Can you buy a good treadmill for $699.00? Probably not... There is a minimum price where quality parts come into effect. Good motors, lower boards, frames, welding etc.. cost money (obviously) so we draw the minimum at $899.00 for a good walking treadmill. The grass isn't always greener! Realizing that quality comes at a cost is the first step. The more you pay, generally the better the machine gets- up to a point.
Q: Should I buy on-line?
In the last few years we have obviously seen a proliferation of Internet sellers. Many implore shady selling practices and some look as if they were legitimate evaluation sites. A good rule of thumb: If an evaluation site has any links to sell products etc, more than likely it is a paid for review site! We realize it seems tempting to potentially save a little money, but do some research and BUY WITH CAUTION from a legitimate retailer with "real" stores and customer service.
One of the most common get-rich quick scams is to open up an on-line store with Amazon with no retail representation. If you buy from one of these stores, you will be making someone rich and will have to realize you have no recourse if something goes wrong, which it will at some point in the life of your machine. More importantly, why would you trust them? They never have to deal with you and WILL SELL only what the cheaper manufacturers will allow them to drop ship. Many websites are unauthorized dealers on-line selling different products then what you ordered, damaged products, and furthermore, you may never even see your product. Guess what happens when their is a problem. YOU pay to ship it back. YOU fight an unregistered website store with no option to talk with a person who may be out of business a week later. Most on-line dealers can not warranty or service your equipment. I don't care what they promise, they simply can't and won't. The goverment does not even know how to handle Internet disputes. Be very cautious of this b/c we get calls daily of someone who bought on-line and need our help....... Also, remember this, we have read almost every return policy out there and they are down right manipulative.
Use your better judgment. Buying on the Internet is an amazing thing of the 21st century. But, there are too many issues when it comes to fitness machines. Buy from a trusted store.
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