Big Fitness Without The Big Price Tag
Written: Dec 31 '02 (Updated Jul 30 '06)
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Big Fitness is a rather interesting site that caters to those who love to punish their bodies! Come on, get your minds out of the gutter – we’re talking weight training, body building and general fitness products. This is the only place that I use when purchasing my weights and accessories and from time to time I come across a few great deals on supplements as well. Just like every other avenue of online shopping – the key to saving money is to hit the sales, know the base prices and be familiar with which sites offer the most competitive deals. If you are shopping for a home gym or any individual pieces to complete your home gym, I highly suggest that you check out Big Fitness first. With the ever-escalating shipping fees, you are crazy not to shop at a site that offers free shipping on most of their products.
Site Performance
For me, the site is painfully slow when loading or skipping from page to page. When I initially go to the site it takes about 45 seconds for the page to load – something that can easily drive first time customers away from a site. Going from page to page is also extremely cumbersome with most of the page loads ranging from 30 – 45 seconds. Refreshing the page just seems to make it worse. If I get on the site in the mid-afternoon it zips right by, but after the witching hour of 6:00 pm – the site slows down to about the speed of syrup in the middle of winter. Overall it is a hit or miss situation when entering the site or getting from page to page.
Cruising around the site is easy – especially when you use the links located on the left hand side of the page. Finding what you need all depends on what you are looking for to start with. Your best bet is to try to use the manufacturer links on the right hand side of the main page. This is most helpful if you are looking for a certain product by a specific vendor. Of course, this won’t be the case for everyone. There will be times when you will have to go through the motions and start your search from the main menu located on the left hand side of the page. Be careful where you click – the fonts in this section are small and you might accidentally click on the wrong link.
Products
The bulk of what Big Fitness offers is gym equipment, body fat testers, weights, home gyms and accessories. The supplement and vitamin section is where I spend a bulk of my time however the more time I spend online – the greater deals I find – sadly – most of them at other sites. However, the prices on the free weights simply can not be beat and when you take into consideration the free shipping that comes with most products – you are looking at saving some cash in the long run. Again, the more time you have to look at this site – and others – the greater chance you have of saving money. Be sure to check for sale items and on site specials.
My biggest purchase was the Rebook Precision Trainer that has literally become a permanent part of my life. Forking out about $170.00 for a “watch” sent my next-door neighbor into a complete hissy fit. [This, the same person that spent $300.00 on ‘glitter pants’]. The Reebok Precision Trainer is more than just a watch and this site had the lowest price when I was looking to make my purchase. The fact that I got free shipping was an extra and unexpected perk. It arrived in a rather large box with tons of protective packaging around it, sealed from the manufacturer and in pristine condition.
When you look at the machinery and equipment that is sold at the site you have to look at what you are getting rather than the cost. You are making an investment into your general well being and most times that isn’t cheap. Since I have no interest in getting yet another coffee maker for Christmas I’ve taken matters into my own hands and will be purchasing the Butt And Thigh Machine [bigfitness.com/butandthigsh.html] for myself. When I priced similar machines at other sites and at local fitness supply stores I got prices between $290.00 - $420.00. At Big Fitness my cost is $228.95 with free shipping. In addition to machinery and free weights you can also purchase aerobic supplies, Step work out platforms, Pilates videos, Body Bar videos, body fat testers, general sport supplies and a plethora of abdominal improvement machines, boards, balls and benches.
Price Comparison
Much like every other online site that sells health related items, you have to look for the deals. Even when something is list as “on sale” – if you look long and hard enough – you can save a few more dollars elsewhere. That leaves the bottom line and deciding factor to customer service. If a site doesn’t respond to emails, ship promptly, address your billing concerns or handle refunds promptly, chances are most people won’t return to the site. Looking over the price list I decided to pick a few of the more popular products and see how Big Fitness stacked up in the dollar and cents category.
Luna Bars 15 count box – any flavor
Bodybuilding.com - $18.21 - $1.21 per bar
BitFitness.com - $18.95 - $1.26 per bar
Z Nutrition.com - $14.98 - .99 cents per bar
Advantage Nutrition.com - $14.95 - .99 cents per bar
Met RX Creatine FX 120 count bottle
Bodybuilding.com - $19.99
Muscle Surf.com - $23.99
Big Fitness.com - $23.99
Advantage Nutrition.com - $15.00
Of course, these are just numbers and with most sites changing their pricing on an almost daily basis, these should only be used as a guide, not the “carved in stone” facts. Since the supplements only make up a small portion of the site, the other products they sell [weights, accessories, machines] are usually the same or less than other sites that deal with such merchandise.
Pop Up Advertising
When you first hit the site you’ll more than likely get a pop up about low or no interest financing when purchasing equipment. Traveling through the site and you’ll encounter a pop up about every ten to fifteen pages. Not bad, but certainly not something you want to deal with if you are roaming though the site looking at a lot of items. It seems that the pop ups are based on the number of pages you visit, not the amount of time you spend at the site.
Live Help!
While I’ve never used this feature of the site, it is nice to know that it is there if needed. Simply click the Live Help button and you’ll be connected to an operator that can help you with questions, concerns, ordering issues or anything you might be having trouble with. Out of curiosity I clicked it a few times to see what options were available but never managed to catch an operator that was online. This is a great tool to help customers get answers fast as well as to help eliminate errors when placing orders.
Payment Options
Big Fitness currently accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover for credit card payments. If these options don’t work for you - you can pay by personal check providing that you allow the proper amount of time for the check to clear. I have never paid for an order using a money order so I don’t know if they offer this as a payment form. Call the customer service number [888-292-1807] to make alternative arrangements for payment if you need other options.
On Site Forum
Small but great for beginners, the Big Fitness site has it’s own internal message board. You will need to sign up to the site and create a password to access the posts, but that only takes about 30 seconds. Much like the site as a whole, there are times when these pages take forever to load.
Feel free to check it out at http://www.fitnessequipment.com/cgi-bin/search/iforum.cgi
Return Policy
As with almost every online review I write I try to stress the importance of knowing what you are ordering before you pay for it and process your order. This review won’t be the exception. Before you make an attempt to return an item make sure that you request a RMA [return merchandise authorization] number from the site. You can do this by filling out a form [www.fitnessequipment.com/bigfit/return.htm] and eliminating a lot of hassle for you and the company. Once you receive your number you have ten days to get the item back to them. Don’t be a penny pincher and try to save a few cents – send your package with a signature or delivery confirmation so you have proof of delivery. This protects you in case the shipment is lost or otherwise detained for any of a number of reasons.
You have a 49 day window of opportunity to request an RMA if you don’t like what you ordered. Why 49 days? I have no idea. As with almost every other online store – if you are making a return you are responsible for paying the shipping fees to get it back to them. The exception to the rule is if it was an error on their part. If this is the case, call the toll free customer service number and request an RMA – you’ll them be given instructions on how to return the item and receive the correct product.
Some sites have items that they will not accept returns on – in the case of Big Fitness any gloves, books, weight lifting belts, video tapes, dumbbells or plate will not be accepted for return unless they are defective or damaged during shipment. Make sure you are ordering the correct size belt or gloves, the book title is the one you want and the plates are the size, weight and shape you desire because once you pay for it – it’s yours.
Contact Information
Big Fitness
560 Mineral Spring Avenue
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
[888] 292-1807
[401] 729-9000 - orders
[401] 725-6264 - fax
www.bigfitness.com
Email options:
customerservice@bigfitness.com
sales@bigfitness.com
The Bottom Line
Let’s face the facts here, new sites are springing up every day. Some promise you the moon and stars and others dazzle you with Shockwave introductions to their sites. What matters is the customer service, price comparisons and quality of goods. Based on these three key factors I have to say that Big Fitness blows most of the competition out of the water. That’s not to say that there aren’t some things that could use a little help – like the extremely small font used on the links on the main page. Check the site for supplements that are on sale and if you are looking for equipment for your home gym – this is one of the best places to start looking. With price matching in place you can shop with confidence knowing that Big Fitness will make sure you are getting the best price – not just at the time of the sale – but for 49 days after as well.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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