If you have a quest for fitness, this site can help you fulfill it
Written: Jul 13 '05
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If you have seen a piece of fitness equipment on an infomercial or a TV commercial, Fitness Quest Online probably has it. This is a huge website with fitness and exercise equipment from inexpensive gadgets to very expensive pieces of equipment.
There are a few “hidden” things about this site that make me shy away from shopping there but there are even more good things about the site that lure me back.
Navigation
The site’s home page is so busy, you won’t know where to look. There are pictures and offers for equipment, links all over the place, and specials and sales plastered across the page. However, before you get too overwhelmed, look to the left of the site. There you will find a list of equipment and, under the particular type of equipment, is a list of makers or the name of the item.
For instance, if you’re looking for a treadmill, just scroll down to the treadmill link and look at the names of the treadmills sold. Click the link and you will get all the info you need to make a purchase.
Across the top of the page are even more types of equipment links which take you to various name brand items that you can compare and contrast with compatible items.
For even more info, there are many links at the bottom pf the page to help you find exactly what you need.
I think the site is link overkill and it’s too busy. Still, if you want everything on one page, this site sure has it all crammed on there.
Navigation isn’t complicated, just a tad confusing at first unless you know exactly what you want and target right in on that piece of equipment. Browsers can look for hours at all the exercise equipment and some wacky inventions designed to give us the perfect body.
Some of the items sold on this site are excellent and some have been widely panned by users so do your homework here on epinions and elsewhere if need be before you sink cash into any piece of equipment (especially if it makes claims that seem to good to be true).
Variety
This is a veritable warehouse of stuff. There are more items for sale on this site than any exercise equipment site I have been to. If you saw it or know the name of it, it’s probably selling on this site.
My Experience
Most of the equipment sold on this site is TV stuff -- you know, The Gazelle, The Ab Lounge, The Total Gym and many, many other items you probably heard or saw demonstrated late at night or early morning on TV.
I went to the site to browse initially. I was kind of getting sucked in by Tony Little’s Gazelle infomercials (“You can do it!) and wondered what the price was and if there were other comparable items. Boy did I get an eyeful. I ended up spending a couple hours on the site looking at the many, many items for sale.
I decided to get a pulse meter first to see how the shipping was handled and whether I would be satisfied with purchasing from the site. I still have the Gazelle on my mind but there are four versions, each one more expensive than the other, and I am just too confused to make a choice. Plus, my husband says he will move out if I buy another piece of exercise equipment. I’ll miss him.
Anyway, the site has some good features. Many of the items have free shipping. The prices are sometimes slightly inflated somewhat to reflect that but it still feels good to see that “Free Shipping” message when you click on an item. They also have monthly credit card payment for some higher priced items which is a big help for those who don’t have a high credit line. There is the try it for $14.95 gig that is being used so often now on infomercials. You pay $14.95 and, if you don’t like the equipment after 30 days, you return it for a refund. The problem is that once you get a heavy piece of equipment home and assembled, who is going to disassemble it and box it up and ship it back at their own cost? It’s a ploy and works well. I almost did it myself. (“But honey, it was ONLY 15 bucks!!”).
I suggest that you be sure that you want a piece of equipment before ordering it. That will save you the hassle of assembly, disassembly, and boxing the item back up plus the cost of shipping back to Fitness Quest.
My pulse monitor arrived in about 10 days after I ordered it. I got an immediate email verifying my order and another with a tracking number when it was sent out. The package arrived in fine condition and the pulse monitor was exactly as advertised. I got free shipping but I do suspect it was bundled into the price because this was not a cheap monitor and I am sure I could have gotten it elsewhere for somewhat less.
I am still looking at the Gazelle and trying to talk myself out of it but it does have free shipping and, the more expensive styles have monthly payments making it even more enticing. I’m working on the hubby a little each day until he finally gives in and tells me to go ahead and waste more money on something that I will only use for a few weeks then stuff in the “Exercise Equipment Closet of Doom”. If I do decide to get it, I will definitely make my purchase at www.FitnessQuest.com.
This website has excellent information on every item they sell. Even if you don’t buy from them, you can get all you need to know about an item at this site. The product descriptions are very good and extremely helpful (bearing in mind they obviously tout every product as being the greatest ever). Full dimensions and weight are given for every item as well as their warrantee which is usually 90 days. The even have the owner’s manuals online for you for all their items.
One good/bad thing – in advertising this is called upselling – is that many pieces of equipment have optional DVDs, videos, add ons, and extras to go with them. It is a one stop shopping experience and you may find yourself filling your cart with many extras that you hadn’t planned on adding.
But it’s so easy! Free shipping, flexible monthly payments, getting in shape…
And it is. But if you don’t like a piece of equipment, then you have a headache on your, well, head.
Returns
Everything is returnable for a full refund. Well, a full refund minus a restocking fee if you don’t get that thing back in two weeks or less plus the shipping you paid to send the item back. In the end, if it’s a low end item, you may be better off just keeping the thing. Maybe that’s the idea...
Here is the official word on returns and fees:
Refunds and Restocking Fees:
For Monthly Payment Purchases:
To receive a full refund of the first monthly payment* made toward your purchase, this product must be returned at your cost no later than 14 days after you receive it. If you do not return the product within 14-day return period, the additional monthly payments will continue to be charged to your credit card. If you return the product after the 14-day return period, all monthly payments made will be refunded to your account but a 15% restocking fee* will be charged and no returns will be accepted after 90 days.
For Full Payment Purchases:
To receive a full refund of your purchase price*, this product must be returned at your cost no later than 14 days after you receive it. If you return the product after the 14 day return period, a 15% restocking fee** will be charged and no returns will be accepted after 90 days.
*S&H charges (if any) will not be refunded.
**For products shipped to Alabama, the restocking fee will be $25
The wording is confusing but the bottom line is, whether you are paying in monthly payments or in one payment, if the item doesn’t arrive back to them within 14 days, you are out 15% of the cost of the item for a restocking fee. You are also out any shipping and handling you paid regardless of whether you get the item back within the 14-day window and you are out the shipping cost to send the item back to them.
And the poor folks in Alabama are stuck with a $25 restocking fee no matter what they do!
The message here is be VERY sure you want to keep the item you order and you should be happy with your purchase.
Quality
The quality of items on the site varies widely and it is up to you to research before ordering. However, the quality of the website and ease of use is pretty good and I would not hesitate to use the site again and probably will.
There is a prominent customer service number and contact info on the site and, from my experience, this is a very professional website that handles orders in a timely manner and seems to have what they advertise in stock. I did not see one “out of stock” label on any of the items I looked at.
I can’t vouch for the quality of the merchandise but I will say that this site -- from the info provided to the free shipping deals to the service and shipping -- is above average. The problems start when you have to return an item but, as with all purchases on the net, especially heavy ones, that is a factor to consider.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping prices vary widely. As I mentioned, many items have free shipping. Those that don’t seem to hide the shipping costs. I spent about 15 minutes looking for the shipping cost of a rowing machine before I finally was able to find it. I had to put it into my cart for it to show up. It looks like shipping goes from about $19.99 and up depending on weight. Shipping for what I could info on seemed reasonable given the weight of the items however. And the most expensive and heaviest items have free shipping.
Sales tax isn’t mentioned anywhere but I found, after some digging, the following info:
Sales Tax - Sales tax will be applied on each payment to products being shipped to the following states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
I am in New York so I have to pay sales tax which I hate to pay and try to avoid on the net.
Conclusion
This site is chock full of familiar exercise equipment and accompanying items and the prices are decent. The free shipping on many items is a big plus and the ability to be charged over the course of several months depending on the price of the item is another plus. Although some of the items they sell are a lot of hype and not real beneficial to your health, that’s a decision you need to make before ordering. If you wait until after the item arrives, you’ll give yourself a headache getting the item back to the site and paying a heap of shipping to do so. If you are mindful and watch for hidden extras, like vitamins that come monthly after paying a small fee for the first month’s supply, or add ons that you don’t need, you will find this site probably has what you are looking for if you ever saw it on TV and they take pretty good care of their customers.
Four stars and happy browsing.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? XL Pulse Monitor Watch
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About the Author
Member: Patty Therre
Location: Upstate NY
Reviews written: 1951
Trusted by: 415 members
About Me: Get cash back at loads of online stores and $5 to sign up at Extrabux!
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