Waste of serious $$$ and time
Written: Feb 27 '02 (Updated Nov 20 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: None
Cons: This product does not work!!!! Cheap materials
The Bottom Line: Throw your Ab Energizer into the garbage, like I did!
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| solaraowner's Full Review: AB Energizer |
Where I started to go wrong
I purchased the Ab Energizer because I hoped that it would be a good supplement to the exercises I do. My other hope was for it to help firm my mid section faster than just exercises alone. Instead, I found the Ab Energizer to be nothing more than an utter disappointment.
The Ab Energizer experience, if you can call it that
My horrid experience started with the purchase call. When I call to order something, I do not expect to be hassled by extra marketing. The woman on the other end kept offering me extras for the Ab Energizer as well as products/services not pertaining to the Ab Energizer. An example of the products/services is a membership to a travel club, Leisure Plus, which I politely declined. About two weeks after receiving my Ab Energizer, I received a packet in the mail from Leisure Plus welcoming and thanking me for my membership. Not only did I not want this from the start, but also there was a monthly fee of $7.95, to be charged to my credit card. The woman taking my Ab Energizer order stated it was “company policy”, or a requirement, to make these offers. I did not know it was “company policy” to sign people up for services against their will that cost money. I immediately canceled the membership without incident or charges to my card.
Upon receiving the package, I found it unusual to see that it had been delivered by priority mail. I figured UPS would do the delivery. The box seemed too small and light to contain what I was expecting. Shipping and handling for this overly heavy one pound box was a whopping $12.95. I know that shipping something by priority mail does not cost nearly that much, unless it is a great deal heavier. For this, it should have been no more than maybe five bucks. Priority mail also does not take nearly three weeks, but the Ab Energizer did. Actually, I received the package early, considering it was supposed to take 4-6 weeks. The early delivery is the only thing that went right about this whole thing. Anyway, they are raping the customer out of a few extra bucks.
Once opened, the contents looked and felt very cheap. The belt seems like it’s made out of the cheapest materials that the Ab Energizer folks could scrounge up. I found it difficult to get the belt to fit snugly. When using the unit on the stomach, the open ends of the belt fasten around back. That’s the first fastening problem. It is made to fit many shapes and sizes, and is rather long, aside from seeming so cheap. I am not a big person, so there was plenty of slack to try and deal with when fastening the belt. The slack gets in the way, making easy and snug fastening more difficult. I tried the unit on my stomach and my back as well. When using it on my back, it is almost insane to try and operate the tiny buttons when they cannot be seen. I used a mirror in order to see what the hell was going on.
The instruction manual is about the best thing going for the Ab Energizer. The manual would probably work wonders for the unit if the unit itself worked at all. Included in the manual are suggested diets. I believe that if people followed the suggested diets, they would become much slimmer, without any need for the Ab Energizer.
OUCH!!!
Once fastened, it was shock treatment! The instructions state to sparingly apply the “tightening gel” to the stimulation pads of the belt as well as the skin. The gel is supposed to aid in the transmission of the electrical impulses through the skin as well as to reduce the pain associated with the shocks. So, to avoid such severe shocking, I tried positioning the unit a couple of different ways, using a lesser setting, and I put on more of that "tightening gel". These actions proved futile for helping to reduce the shocking sensation. They also did not help the unit work as advertised.
What’s the use?
If it were not for the shocking, there would be no other way for me to tell if the Ab Energizer was doing anything at all. My muscles did not even twitch, totally defeating the entire purpose of the unit. During the infomercial, they state that the electrical stimulation provided by the unit is supposed to contract the muscles, which, in turn, should provide just enough exercise for the muscles to tone up. This is what is plain to see from the "actors" using it. Obviously, the actors were doing all the work, as the Ab Energizer is not capable of doing so. It is also advertised that, in conjunction with a proper diet and exercise, this unit should work wonders for your mid section. I don’t care how much I diet or exercise, this unit will never be able to do anything the advertisers claim.
Buyer Beware
Not too long after I bought this thing, I started hearing all the consumer feedback about how this is nothing more than a scam since it really does not work. One of Boston's local TV newscasts had a segment about the Ab Energizer and similar units stating that they do not work as advertised, or at all. CNN had some text scrolling across the bottom of the screen one morning that read something to the effect that expensive ab machines are a waste of money since they do not work, do sit-ups and/or crunches. I also performed an Internet search, which turned up enough negative results such that I should have checked it before purchasing. Yes, I realize that the Ab Energizer is not meant to be the only answer to a thinner midsection but it should work as advertised. Not working at all should constitute fraud. I would have taken advantage of the 30-Day money back guarantee but was afraid that if I sent the unit back, that I would never be refunded my money.
My Final Thought
Many people are like me; they hate being ripped off and despise those that rip others off. The Ab Energizer is indubitably a rip off. My only purpose in writing this review is to try and warn others that they will waste their time and money on a useless product if they make an Ab Energizer purchase. I highly recommend against this product, 100%.
Ab Energizer Packages:
Standard package:
1 belt
2 electronic exerciser units (providers of shock treatment)
2 Lithium batteries- each exerciser unit uses one
1 bottle of “dietary supplement” containing 60 tablets
1 dispenser of “tightening gel”, 2oz.
1 Instruction Manual and Weight Loss Guide
Carrying Case
Other options may be added and will definitely be offered. When I ordered, two more electronic exercisers were offered for an additional $19.95. The belt has four locations for these units, but only comes with 2 electronic exercisers. If the extra two are purchased, one can be shocked twice as much as when only using the standard package, how helpful. Using all four units is supposed to get the job done more quickly. There is also a plan in which one can elect to receive the consumables, which are the diet supplement, batteries, and tightening gel for a reduced cost. Please, PLEASE, don’t get roped into that either.
I purchased an Ab Roller at Wal*Mart for $7.97. For the money, this product is a winner. The down side for some is that they have to exercise to make it work for them. I can notice a big difference in the strength of my mid-section when using the Ab Roller. After a relatively short time, I also noticed TONING.
Update 11/20/02
I'd like to happily report that I have thrown my Ab Energizer into the trash! After having it sit around for several months, I became tired of looking at it. The trash is where it belongs.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
solaraowner
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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