Sports & Fitness Exchange — Local services in Phoenix

This business is an absolute scam! They are actual robbers here and have literally soured my entire year. I wish I could rewind time and never have come across these awful, dishonest humans. All the 1-star reviews are entirely right. They routinely list products which are out of stock as in-stock to bait and switch customers so they can rob them. I originally purchased a Technogym Artis Climb that was listed as an overstocked, manufacturer liquidated product. They did not process my order for 3 weeks after payment even though the listing stated that it would ship within 3 days. When I called to inquire, I was given the run around and hung up on multiple times. A rep from SFE called 2 days later to say the Artis Climb I ordered was out of stock, but they had other lower priced models I could order. My instincts immediately told me to cancel, and I requested to cancel my order. The rep said I could only cancel by email. That was super sketch and the reason for that only made sense when it was too late. To avoid the hassle of being given another run around, I researched and chose one of the lower prices models they claimed was available. I was assured that it was also an overstocked model and that I had been refunded the difference, which would go back to my original form of payment in a few days. I received a notification the next day that my order shipped. I paid for Premium Delivery (white glove service). On delivery day, FedEx abandoned the equipment in my elevator lobby, stating that the delivery didn’t include in-home services. When I called SFE, they claimed that FedEx didn’t deliver inside apartments. They had lied about offering white glove services to bait customers into ordering. FedEx also didn’t wait around for me to confirm that the equipment was in working condition as promised on the SFE website. Once I managed to haul the 400lbs machine into my apartment and removed the packaging, I realized that SFE had sent me a filthy, heavily used equipment with multiple broken parts. Technogym customer support also confirmed through the serial number that the equipment was not liquidated by them but had belonged previously to a country club. This meant that I had been sent a preowned item that was listed as liquidated. This is fraudulent because their pricing distinguishes items accordingly by tiers of preowned, liquidated, and new. The scam wasn’t even over. SFE kept giving me the runaround whenever I inquired about why I hadn’t received the difference between my original order and the lower priced item back to my original form of payment (about $2000). After a back and forth with their “customer service”, I received an email with a gift card for store credit for the $2000 price difference. Their audacity is horrifying.

In a nutshell, SFE fraudulently listed an item as in-stock when it wasn’t, didn’t notify me for almost three weeks until I reached out to inquire, and then switched my order to a lesser product that happened to be in-stock. They then sent me a pre-owned, broken item that was listed as a liquidated product on their website, failed to highlight the damages in their listing, baited and switched out the shipping service, and are now attempting to refund the difference they owe on the original order as store credit. To justify this fraudulent behavior, they claimed that I cancelled my order outside of their 48-hr commitment period. They effectively baited me with an “out of stock” item and categorized their failure to deliver a product I ordered as a cancellation. This is blatant fraud and going by the other similar reviews, it is clear that this is their intentional, regular pattern of business. If you buy ANYTHING here, you will be scammed. I hope this business is investigated by relevant authorities and eventually shut down or made to pay for the bold scams they are perpetuating against unsuspecting folks whose only crime was to trust a...

Here is my online purchase experience with Sports & Fitness Exchange (SFE):

On 10/12/2022, Customer Service Agent, Naili texted me and states: "We have a 90 Day Warranty on the functionality of the machine. So if there's something wrong with the parts, we send your order to our warranty department to see what we need to do to get your machine up and running."

On 10/12/2022, I submitted my order from Sports & Fitness Exchange website: Nordictrack Commercial 1750 Foldable Treadmill (2nd) × 1 $799.99, Shipping $345.00, Taxes $0.00 (Oregon) Total $1,144.99 USD

On 10/20/2022, I received the treadmill with defects. I took some photos and videos with the defects and sent them to Naili immediately.

On 10/20/ 2022, Naili wrote back: Thank you, Ms. XXXX, I will pass this onto our Warranty Department to see what your options are.

On 10/24/2022, Customer Service wrote: Good Afternoon Ms. XXXX,

Thank you for your patience with our Customer Service Team. In order to help you best, my Warranty Dept has requested for the following information:

How many screws do you have? (In relation to your motor cover) How many clips do you have on the motor cover? When this motor cover is screwed onto the treadmill, does this issue affect the function of the treadmill?

We look forward to hearing back from you. Best, SFE

On 10/25/2022, I wrote:

Hi SFE Customer Service, I have 3 screws and 2 clips on the motor cover. The 3 pieces on the motor cover for holding the clips were broken. When this motor cover is screwed onto the treadmill by 2 screws only, this issue does affect the function of the treadmill. The motor area is not completely covered and makes lots of loud noises. Thanks,

On 10/28/2022, Customer Service wrote: Hi Ms. XXXX,

Thank you for your patience. Your part order is under review in our warranty department. It seems this part is on back order at the moment, so if approval is given to send a new piece, there may be a wait. I will let you know what the warranty department decision is.

We kindly ask that you give us 1-2 business days to get back to you. Have a nice weekend.

Best, SFE

On 11/02/2022, Customer Service wrote: Hi Ms. XXXX,

Thank you for your patience. The warranty department has deemed this unit as operational and the request for a new motor cover has not been approved. In addition, this part is on backorder at the moment. Sometimes, we have motor covers that turn up in our warehouse parts department. If a spare motor cover is available in our warehouse, I am approved to send you a the part, but you would have to pay for shipping costs of $25.

Please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. Best, SFE

On 01/15/2023, I wrote:

Hi SFE Customer Service agent,

SFE company website states: "We assemble and test out every piece of equipment we sell. Your online purchase will be 100% guaranteed to perform correctly."

The Nordick treadmill I received on 10/20/2022 from SFE company has defects. I took some photos and videos with the defects and sent them to Naili on 10/20/2022. The electric wires and circuit board become exposed once the motor cover shakes off from vibration when using the machine and this exposes electrical wires and the circuit board. The parts that enable the cover to be securely fastened to the treadmill are broken. This, then, becomes a serious safety issue.

The treadmill needs to be returned to the vendor and my costs (treadmill and shipping) need to be refunded.

Thanks,

Please wish me a good luck with Sports &...

I had a terrible experience with this Company after my machine was delivered. I hired someone to assemble the machine and he couldn't get the rod or shaft into the socket and they told him to keep trying by using a lubricant and hammering. He tried for 2 hours and I called the Company again and they said the same thing...use a lube and a rubber mallet. Well the guy gave up and left. I hired another guy and he had the same problem but when I called the Company I could not get them to answer the phone. I got a recording every time I called. I tried over and over but could not reach anyone. So I kept sending emails and emails. I was told to send them pictures. I did. The second guy gave up because no one was helping us. I finally got through to a nice lady on the 3rd day and she said that there was only one person working REMOTE in Customer Service, and I couldn't talk to them because they only communicate through emails. Well I sent tons and tons of emails and was told I need to be patient. I sent emails saying I had 3 different men on 3 different days trying to assemble this machine and none of them can get this part inserted. They said those were the correct parts and the machine should be able to be assembled. Well if 3 different guys have tried and can't do it then the machine must be defective or the part must need to be replaced. After I said I wanted a refund, I would send back the machine or could they send out someone who could assemble their machine...all of a sudden all my emails were being returned to me UNDELIVERED. I was so upset thinking they blocked my emails and that's the only way to communicate with Customer Service! I called the lady on the phone back and she said that she would look into it. I asked if I could speak to a Manager and she said the Manager was on VACATION. I couldn't believe it. I have paid for 3 men to assemble this machine and none of them can so I call this Company for help and no one can help me. Customer Services can only be reached by email and my emails were ALL RETURNED or REJECTED. They were UNDELIVERABLE. And the Manager was on Vacation. Unbelievable!! Terrible Customer Service! I was so frustrated that no one could help me and I tried for 3 days with a machine I can't use because no one can assemble it. I wasted so much time that I took off from work to be here for the men to try to assemble the machine and spent so much money $$$$ trying to get this machine assembled. I will never buy another machine that is unassembled again. Either this machine was defective or the parts were. From all the hammering the guy was doing because they told him to keep trying, it has to fit, now the parts are damaged and I don't have a machine after spending almost $2000 for it, not to mention the hundreds of dollars I paid the men I hired to assemble this machine (and one of them was recommended by Sports & Fitness Exchange) and none of them could assemble it. I'm so disappointed that I couldn't get anyone to help me after buying a machine from...