Fitness Superstore

I was in the market for a Matrix Climbmill to supplement my workouts at home. Here is my honest review of Fitness Super Store in Bencia, CA
The Warehouse
FitnessSuperStore has a huge warehouse stocked with fitness equipment ready for remanufacturing to the ceiling. Tim French (Owner) was kind enough to walk me through their remanufacturing process. There was at least 8 workstation where you can see his techs break down, clean, and assemble these machine. I was extremely impress of his staff carefully ships out these machine by building a wood frame chassis for shipment. This careful attention to detail from assembly to packaging is why Fitness Super Store is in a class of their own.
The Transaction
After touring the facilities, Tim had me try out one of the machines that was ready for shipment. I was looking for a particular brand climb-​mill called Matrix Fitness. I use these machines at my local gym Club Sport San Jose so I know how the ride quality should be. Matrix Fitness prides themselves to be one of the quietest stair climber in the industry which reflects in the price. The unit that was ready to be shipped felt great at the time, and I was confident enough to put a deposit down for Tim to rebuild a Matrix CX7 climbmill. Tim gave me one heck of a deal of this machine which was lower than any competitor online or in-​store. He was confident in his ability to deliver a quality product that he was kind enough to extend the warranty to 180 days instead of the standard 90. By offering this, Tim showed me I had nothing to worry about when buying equipment from his company.
The Delivery
When I order the Matrix Climbmill, Tim expected the unit to be ready by end of the month, which was about 3 weeks. I checked with Tim periodically each week for status and surprisingly he told me the product was finished early and could have the unit out 1 week ahead of schedule. One of his friendly associates Hector setup delivery appointment and everything was good to go.
When the unit arrived, Hector and Junior carefully rolled out the machine and installed into my garage. They asked me where I wanted it setup and arranged to my liking. Physically machine looked brand spanking new. The touch screen was clean, the button were clean, as described on his website– like new condition. Now here’s the moment of truth, turning on the machine and using it. Off the bat, the machine felt there was an issue because of bearing noise and physical noise while stepping on each step. I explained the issue to Hector and Junior and they quickly began to assess the issue. They opened the machine to see if there were any obvious visual issues they could repair but to no available. They offered me to use the machine for a couple days and they will send out their tech to come look but I prefer for them to take back the machine to assess the situation in house. So they did. I spoke with Tim about the issue and he was very confident this tech can resolve the issue
The Re-​Delievery
Before redelivery, Hector called and asked me before if I wanted to try out the model CX5 instead of the CX7. This machine was apparently the unit I tried in their warehouse 3 weeks ago. I was fine with that because bottom line, I care more about the drive train mechanics of the machine than the touch panel. So this past Tuesday, Hector and Junior arrived at the house and install the CX5 Matrix machine. Of course, they were real professional with the installation. Moment of truth, trying the machine. This unit felt much better, however I tested the machines going on level 1 – 3 and paid close attention to noise on my feet and the chain. I had a business meeting at 1030AM and I didnt want to hold Hector and Junior too long to do a extensive evaluation so I just close the tab out with Tim and Hector said just try it out and if there’s an issue to give us a call.
Later on the evening, my wife and mother in law (who both use the Matrix CX5 climb mil at our local gym) was excited to try the machine. They both tried for 10 mins and quickly determined a clicking noise on each step while on the climb-​mill. Comparing to the units at the gym, this physical noise on the machine (on your feet) should not be felt. As you increase levels, the more physical clicking noise u feel on your feet. Of course I tried this out for another 10 mins just to verify and was able to reproduce the issue. I’ve contacted Tim to address the issue and asked for a prompt resolution. I’m waiting to hear back.
Overall Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction
Overall my interaction with Tim and the staff has been awesome. They have always returned my emails, calls, and texts. Their techs and shipping guys are friendly and helpful answering my questions. The product they were delivered in my case had some issues and Tim always quickly address and attempted to resolve those issues. This is why I’m giving them 5 stars.

«Bought a Cybex Arc-​Trainer 750A from these guys on Dec 1, 2014 for delivery to my home in Dallas. They charged my credit card that day for item ($ 4K+) and emailed to request measurements and pictures of all entry ways and any staircase that the machine had to traverse for installation. I took pictures and measurements and sent them the info same day. Easy, second floor install — big hallways, no elevators, no parking issues, etc. Asked them for a delivery date several times — NO replies. Two weeks passed, finally got an email that first person was fired and new person was now handling the order. Still no delivery date. Finally, countless calls and emails later — after 3 weeks from charging my credit card — they finally gave a delivery date of Christmas Eve, which did not happen. No calls, no followups before or after missing Christmas Eve delivery date. Finally, after more calls from me, they scheduled delivery on Jan 3, 2015 (Saturday). Would not commit to a delivery window. Sat around until 2pm for them to show. BUT, when they finally showed, they were short 2 out of 4 people required to take 450lb machine upstairs and install it AND they were missing parts from the order! VERY frustrating. After hauling it all the way in the house and THEN realizing they should have had two more people, they had to haul it back out. The delivery team had no clue the machine was to be installed on 2^nd floor. None of the measurements and pictures, etc. had been shared/​communicated down the line by the order handler. The delivery team had no idea items were missing from the order processed and paid for 5 weeks earlier. Absolutely terrible service from this company. The absolute worst online shopping experience I’ve had in over 15 years. » No apologies or follow-​up communications from the company since whatsoever.

In an effort to get healthy and lose weight, we have been in the market for a used elliptical trainer. We found Fitness Superstore while researching options on Craigslist. While there were many options, some with better warranties, we decided that a well established company was the way to go. Before we purchased our machine we took a drive up to the Fitness Superstore warehouse to look at what they had and see the operation. The place is mostly an internet based company and it shows when you go to their «showroom». It is essentially in an industrial warehouse and the offices are shabby. We arrived at around 2 on a Monday, and apparently that is lunch time for the office staff. They were actually kind of rude and unhelpful, but I understand that most of their business is done online so dealing directly with customers isn’t very common for them. The president of the company is a guy named Tim who was speaking loudly on his cell phone when we came in. A guy showed us around a little and we found the machine we were interested in (a Precor 5.19). He brought us back into the office and we decided to go ahead and purchase the machine. Tim was still on the phone but he quickly ended his call and awkwardly helped us with our purchase. He assured us that we would get a call in a couple of days to set up delivery within 2 weeks. After a week with no call I decided to call them. They woman who answered didn’t seem to know what was going on with the order but she assured me that someone would figure it out and call me back that day. 2 days later still no call, so I called again and finally we got the delivery set up for the next week. In addition they found that the machine we had purchased was damaged and they upgraded us for free to a Precor 5.33. When the delivery guys showed up (a big guy and a teenager) I had to help them unload it. After they left I plugged the machine in and it worked well but had a noise in the motor area so I called and the woman said they would send someone out to look at it and repair it if necessary. They are scheduled to be here tomorrow for the repair. Overall the transaction was awkward but the machine was a good value and has a 90 day warranty. Hopefully all will go smoothly with the repair and we can use our new investment!

I got a refurbished AMT100i Precor elliptical, and it seems to be working. Delivery and on-​site installation were without flaws, and the price seemed reasonable (including long-​term warranty); unless something bad happens and the machine stops working, they did a great job!

So far I am completely satisfied with my purchase of a Life Fitness 95Ti. The re manufacturing process makes the machine feel far more solid than the same machines I’ve used in gyms. The delivery team did a great job of maneuvering this 430lb beast through a tight hallway in my home. I’m sure I will be happy with this purchase (along with saving $ 4500 over a similar, new treadmill) for years to come!

If you’re looking to build or freshen your home gym, make your first point of reference Fitness Superstore. You’ll be hard-​pressed to find a better selection of affordable, reliable, club-​quality equipment. With the incredible value Fitness Superstore offers, your stretched dollar gets you a much higher class of equipment than the typical consumer-​grade fare offered at big box and department stores. Have a specific equipment model in mind, but Fitness Superstore is out of stock? Contact them! They’ll likely be able to source a suitable unit for you if you can wait a few weeks for the search and acquisition process.
My initial interaction with Fitness Superstore:
A few months ago I decided to retire a consumer-​grade treadmill that I bought in 2000. The treadmill had provided my family with reliable service over the years and was still functional, but was no longer part of our regular workout routines. So, after finding a friend willing to take ownership of the treadmill, I set about looking for a piece of aerobic equipment to replace it.
With a stepper and stationary bike already on hand, I decided to get an elliptical. I wanted a commercial, club-​quality unit able to withstand the abuse that my (heavier than desired!) body would throw at it. Having sampled a few different elliptical product families at various hotel gyms earlier in the year, I settled on a make and model and started looking for purchasing options.
I quickly found that new club-​model ellipticals are expensive! I’ve been known to suffer a critical lack of consumer impulse control, but blowing $ 8K on a piece of new exercise equipment was definitely more than I could stomach (even if the unit could cook nutritious meals for me, do my laundry, and file my taxes!). So I started looking at consumer-​grade units. This search was unsatisfactory due to the limited product features at this price point, but it had one bright spot: after reading some forum posts recommending the used equipment market, I eventually found Fitness Superstore.
What did I find at Fitness Superstore? An incredible selection of club-​quality equipment. A promise of like-​new refurbishment or reconditioning of used equipment. Free delivery, or a modest fee for curb-​to-​interior service. Free 90-​day equipment warranty, with an option to purchase up to a 3-​year parts and labor warranty. After an initial round of email communications with the Fitness Superstore sales team, in which they impressed me with their responsiveness and willingness to create a solution that best matched my requirements, I placed my elliptical order with them. The unit I chose was a near-​top-​of-​the-​line club model that was more than 50% off the best factory-​new price I could find elsewhere (and near the price point of higher-​end, but feature– and build-​inferior, consumer-​grade models).
The turnaround time for order fulfillment is typically a couple of weeks. About three weeks after I placed the order, Fitness Superstore delivered a refurbished elliptical to my home, placing the 442-​pound beast exactly where I wanted it. A couple of weeks of post-​delivery servicing followed, all covered under the 90-​day warranty. Nothing was wrong with the equipment itself; it was functional, but its resistance level was fixed. It turns out that an auxiliary power supply unit (an AC to DC adapter similar to those used for laptop computers) that the manufacturer listed as optional was effectively mandatory in order to enable the full range of resistance levels; Fitness Superstore provided me with an aux power supply unit at no extra charge. (This delay in the unrestricted use of my elliptical is what’s keeping me from rating Fitness Superstore a full five stars. Since they comp’d me the AC/​DC adapter, however, I would give them 4.5 stars if I could.)
A few months in, the elliptical’s getting regular use by my family. The unit is rock solid, as I expected from a club model. And even after near-​daily use in my workout routines, I’m still hard-​pressed to detect any aspect of the elliptical’s performance or appearance that identifies it as used equipment as opposed to something that I bought new from the factory. Thank you, Fitness Superstore, for making it affordable for me to get in shape!

Ree is really attentive and does everythign she says she will do in a timely manner. This is a great place!

I had an issue regarding shipping and tried numerous times to contact the store. I never received any assistance until I was contacted by the sales manager and he made everything right ! I honestly believe after the experience that I had that they are «doing what is right» to rectify my issue. I was impressed with the approach that was taken to put the main issue to rest. Hats off to the Fitness Superstore team and hopefully they will have future success.