FITNESS EMPORIUM
“Keep your $20, and GO [redacted]!” These are the vulgar and disrespectful words hurled at me by [redacted], one of the owners of Fitness Emporium/Low Country Fitness, LLC during a service call at my home in February 2014.. The other owners on the business card are listed as [redacted] and [redacted]. I came across this business at their store located in the Savannah Mall, Savannah, GA. My treadmill, which I had purchased years before from another local company, which is no longer open in Savannah, was shutting off and generated what’s known as static electric shocking sensations when touched. [redacted] quoted me a price of $80 to come out to evaluate the treadmill and an additional $20 if he had to come back and install any part that might need to be ordered. Fitness Emporium/Low Country Fitness LLC’s website boasts “As always we will be bringing the BEST customer service… Our sale team is dedicated to meeting and exceeding our customer’s expectations… and more than happy and willing to answer any questions you may have.” If coming into a female customer’s home when the husband is not present, undermining her out of property, refusing to provide a receipt, and telling her to “Go [redacted]” is an example of their “best” service, I don’t want to even try to imagine what their worse service must be like. Also, I overheard [redacted] call me “crazy.” They both need to provide apologies. We will never patronize this business again.
I notified the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Dept. about my experience with this company. After this experience, for the first time ever in dealing with a mall merchant, I was prompted to do criminal background checks on the owners. Unfortunately, it was after the fact and too late in this instance for me to make a more informed decision; I would not have selected this business. It is good advice to be careful who you let into your home and with whom you do business. I was reminded of the adage, “A word to the wise should be sufficient.”
[redacted] and his partner [redacted] did the initial service call in mid-January 2014. I noticed that they were resistant to questions as to what might be causing the problems, as they did try a few things, but the machine was still shocking both [redacted] and me. During the initial service call, a new treadmill belt was ordered, with [redacted] giving the manufacturer his mall location as the ship to address. My purchase price when I bought the treadmill covered all parts and shipping with lifetime warranty on all parts; I just had to pay for the labor for whichever company I got to service it. [redacted] was to notify me when he received the new belt and set appointment for installation. I paid the $80 on that day. I was told it would take about two hour to install the belt.
By chance, I happened to be speaking to the manufacturer about a matter, and the representative said he did not see where an order for a belt had been processed. Therefore, this rep said he would process an order at that time, shipping a new belt directly to me at my home address in effort to expedite the process and make sure there were no delays. He stated that if in fact an order did process for me and was shipped to Fitness Emporium, for me to keep both belts. Understandably, the manufacturer is not going to resend a belt to a different customer once it’s been shipped to someone and handled. That’s why they told me to keep both if it worked out that the first order to Fitness Emporium was shipped. I never did here anything further from [redacted].
I called Fitness Emporium and scheduled the follow-up visit with [redacted]. He also told me it would take about two hours to install the belt. On the date of this second appointment, they were over an hour late and did not call, so I called them. They said they were running behind but should arrive shortly; however, [redacted] called back and said they’d be unable to make it that day because there would not be enough time to install the belt. The appointment was rescheduled for Friday of that same week. On that day, [redacted] called and said they would be two hours late. I really wanted to get this service call completed, but called them back a few moments later and stated I’d rather reschedule as the delay was going to be too late. [redacted] stated that they might still be able to make the scheduled appointment after all and to let him check something and call me right back.
I never heard back from him, and then [redacted] and Mike showed up an hour and fifteen minutes late. [redacted] did in fact have a new treadmill belt with him, shipped to him by the manufacture, so I requested that he install that belt, as he was contracted to do. He immediately became very defensive, insinuating deceit and told me I did not have a right to the belt sent to him. He came up with some outlandish story that the belt he had might be for some other customer. If it was for someone else, why did he bring it to my house? With my treadmill by then opened up and in pieces, [redacted] insisted that if he could not install the belt shipped to my house, he would walk off the job. I felt he was being very unreasonable and out of line, as well as rude to a customer. I further believed he had some conversionary ideas in mind when he found out that the company had also sent a belt to my house. I believed he wanted to maintain possession of a belt for which he had no financial investment in; he has nothing to do with what the company told me to do with parts for my machine. Why should he benefit from my purchase and customer satisfaction from the manufacturer? [redacted] had told me at the initial visit that the belts value about $200. I reasoned at that point, he just wanted to walk out with the belt and leave me in a position of having to pay another company a high service call fee to complete the evaluate and complete the job, so I went ahead and let them install the belt sent to me.
In a total of 25-30 minutes, they were packed up ready to go. Naturally concerned about this short timeframe, I stated they said it would take about 2 hours. I inquired about a guarantee on the belt install, and [redacted] said there was no guarantee on their labor. I suspected they just threw the belt on, so they could leave, taking the other new belt with them. I told [redacted] the manufacturer instructed me to keep the extra belt if it did work out that two got shipped. [redacted] asked me why I would want it. It’s not his business what we did or did not do with the extra belt, it’s a matter of principle. I provided some customer feedback, letting him know I did not appreciate his lack of adequate customer service and lack of respect. He became rude, so I told them to get out of my house and that I would bring the payment check to them outside. I requested a receipt. As I stood behind by locked glass security door writing the check, I again requested a receipt, which should have been provided anyway. [redacted] said he’d give me a receipt when I have him the check. I said that was fine, we could exchange at the same time. As I stood there finishing the check, [redacted] snapped, “Keep your $20, and GO [redacted]!” This was totally uncalled for and is never appropriate to say to a customer, especially to a female customer. [redacted] is very vulgar and unprofessional, not to mention having questionable ethical standards. I also overheard [redacted] call me “crazy”.
In speaking to the manufacturer after these events, I was provided with the date and order number of the belt shipped to Fitness Emporium for me addressed to the attention of [redacted], so there was no question that the belt was for me. The representative described it as saying that [redacted] “went through the back door” to maintain possession of the treadmill belt, and that that was not the manufacturer’s intent. A month after the install, I still have not been able to get any verification from the manufacturer that [redacted] has returned or attempted to return the extra belt. So where is the belt? The rep also stated that it normally takes about 2 hours to properly install a new belt and to go through all the recommended checks, balances and any needed adjustments. He informed me that even an expert would be “hard-pressed” to install a belt in 25-30 minutes. After Fitness Emporium installed the belt, we noticed that we hear a noise when the belt is running, a noise which was never present before, and the machine was still cutting off. We have had to pay a reputable company to come and evaluate the treadmill and figure out that the problem was, something Fitness Emporium should have been able to do, but didn’t.
FITNESS EMPORIUM
“Keep your $20, and GO [redacted]!” These are the vulgar and disrespectful words hurled at me by [redacted], one of the owners of Fitness Emporium/Low Country Fitness, LLC during a service call at my home in February 2014.. The other owners on the business card are listed as [redacted] and [redacted]. I came across this business at their store located in the Savannah Mall, Savannah, GA. My treadmill, which I had purchased years before from another local company, which is no longer open in Savannah, was shutting off and generated what’s known as static electric shocking sensations when touched. [redacted] quoted me a price of $80 to come out to evaluate the treadmill and an additional $20 if he had to come back and install any part that might need to be ordered. Fitness Emporium/Low Country Fitness LLC’s website boasts “As always we will be bringing the BEST customer service… Our sale team is dedicated to meeting and exceeding our customer’s expectations… and more than happy and willing to answer any questions you may have.” If coming into a female customer’s home when the husband is not present, undermining her out of property, refusing to provide a receipt, and telling her to “Go [redacted]” is an example of their “best” service, I don’t want to even try to imagine what their worse service must be like. Also, I overheard [redacted] call me “crazy.” They both need to provide apologies. We will never patronize this business again.
I notified the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Dept. about my experience with this company. After this experience, for the first time ever in dealing with a mall merchant, I was prompted to do criminal background checks on the owners. Unfortunately, it was after the fact and too late in this instance for me to make a more informed decision; I would not have selected this business. It is good advice to be careful who you let into your home and with whom you do business. I was reminded of the adage, “A word to the wise should be sufficient.”
[redacted] and his partner [redacted] did the initial service call in mid-January 2014. I noticed that they were resistant to questions as to what might be causing the problems, as they did try a few things, but the machine was still shocking both [redacted] and me. During the initial service call, a new treadmill belt was ordered, with [redacted] giving the manufacturer his mall location as the ship to address. My purchase price when I bought the treadmill covered all parts and shipping with lifetime warranty on all parts; I just had to pay for the labor for whichever company I got to service it. [redacted] was to notify me when he received the new belt and set appointment for installation. I paid the $80 on that day. I was told it would take about two hour to install the belt.
By chance, I happened to be speaking to the manufacturer about a matter, and the representative said he did not see where an order for a belt had been processed. Therefore, this rep said he would process an order at that time, shipping a new belt directly to me at my home address in effort to expedite the process and make sure there were no delays. He stated that if in fact an order did process for me and was shipped to Fitness Emporium, for me to keep both belts. Understandably, the manufacturer is not going to resend a belt to a different customer once it’s been shipped to someone and handled. That’s why they told me to keep both if it worked out that the first order to Fitness Emporium was shipped. I never did here anything further from [redacted].
I called Fitness Emporium and scheduled the follow-up visit with [redacted]. He also told me it would take about two hours to install the belt. On the date of this second appointment, they were over an hour late and did not call, so I called them. They said they were running behind but should arrive shortly; however, [redacted] called back and said they’d be unable to make it that day because there would not be enough time to install the belt. The appointment was rescheduled for Friday of that same week. On that day, [redacted] called and said they would be two hours late. I really wanted to get this service call completed, but called them back a few moments later and stated I’d rather reschedule as the delay was going to be too late. [redacted] stated that they might still be able to make the scheduled appointment after all and to let him check something and call me right back.
I never heard back from him, and then [redacted] and Mike showed up an hour and fifteen minutes late. [redacted] did in fact have a new treadmill belt with him, shipped to him by the manufacture, so I requested that he install that belt, as he was contracted to do. He immediately became very defensive, insinuating deceit and told me I did not have a right to the belt sent to him. He came up with some outlandish story that the belt he had might be for some other customer. If it was for someone else, why did he bring it to my house? With my treadmill by then opened up and in pieces, [redacted] insisted that if he could not install the belt shipped to my house, he would walk off the job. I felt he was being very unreasonable and out of line, as well as rude to a customer. I further believed he had some conversionary ideas in mind when he found out that the company had also sent a belt to my house. I believed he wanted to maintain possession of a belt for which he had no financial investment in; he has nothing to do with what the company told me to do with parts for my machine. Why should he benefit from my purchase and customer satisfaction from the manufacturer? [redacted] had told me at the initial visit that the belts value about $200. I reasoned at that point, he just wanted to walk out with the belt and leave me in a position of having to pay another company a high service call fee to complete the evaluate and complete the job, so I went ahead and let them install the belt sent to me.
In a total of 25-30 minutes, they were packed up ready to go. Naturally concerned about this short timeframe, I stated they said it would take about 2 hours. I inquired about a guarantee on the belt install, and [redacted] said there was no guarantee on their labor. I suspected they just threw the belt on, so they could leave, taking the other new belt with them. I told [redacted] the manufacturer instructed me to keep the extra belt if it did work out that two got shipped. [redacted] asked me why I would want it. It’s not his business what we did or did not do with the extra belt, it’s a matter of principle. I provided some customer feedback, letting him know I did not appreciate his lack of adequate customer service and lack of respect. He became rude, so I told them to get out of my house and that I would bring the payment check to them outside. I requested a receipt. As I stood behind by locked glass security door writing the check, I again requested a receipt, which should have been provided anyway. [redacted] said he’d give me a receipt when I have him the check. I said that was fine, we could exchange at the same time. As I stood there finishing the check, [redacted] snapped, “Keep your $20, and GO [redacted]!” This was totally uncalled for and is never appropriate to say to a customer, especially to a female customer. [redacted] is very vulgar and unprofessional, not to mention having questionable ethical standards. I also overheard [redacted] call me “crazy”.
In speaking to the manufacturer after these events, I was provided with the date and order number of the belt shipped to Fitness Emporium for me addressed to the attention of [redacted], so there was no question that the belt was for me. The representative described it as saying that [redacted] “went through the back door” to maintain possession of the treadmill belt, and that that was not the manufacturer’s intent. A month after the install, I still have not been able to get any verification from the manufacturer that [redacted] has returned or attempted to return the extra belt. So where is the belt? The rep also stated that it normally takes about 2 hours to properly install a new belt and to go through all the recommended checks, balances and any needed adjustments. He informed me that even an expert would be “hard-pressed” to install a belt in 25-30 minutes. After Fitness Emporium installed the belt, we noticed that we hear a noise when the belt is running, a noise which was never present before, and the machine was still cutting off. We have had to pay a reputable company to come and evaluate the treadmill and figure out that the problem was, something Fitness Emporium should have been able to do, but didn’t.