Yes, how hard WAS it really, to get a treadmill?
Well, this is the second instalment of the saga...
After the bad experience with the first try to buy one, we took a slightly different approach this time. We found what looked like a decent treadmill from a decent supplier. The price was not as good as the previous one, but this model we wanted now were out of stock in most places. But one supplier claimed to have them in stock: Ikonika Fitness http://www.ikonika.co.uk
Now they have completely revamped their web site, and now it is very clearly stated that their equipment is not brand new. But this was not the case when we looked on their web site in September.
Clare gave them a ring, to have a chat and see if they sounded serious and to make sure the treadmill was new and not used or an ex-display model. The nice man at the other end of the phone claimed to have the model in stock, that is was brand new and if we paid the same day, which was a Thursday, their designated delivery guy would deliver the treadmill on Monday. He even sent a payment request through Google checkout stating , and I quote: "Please find payment link for a New But Tatty Boxed York Aspire Treadmill to Include Delivery." So we decided to give it a go and I paid through Google checkout the very same day (30 September).
Monday came and went, and surprise surprise, no treadmill delivered!
On Tuesday I got an email saying "Your order has shipped", so I thought OK, they're running a bit behind. And I expected to have a delivery within a day, since they have their own delivery guy.
When I had heard nothing more one week after ordering, I sent them an email:
from Tony Andersson
to ikonikafitness@gmail.com
date 7 October 2010 13:06
subject Status please? Google order number: 454179411046879
Hi,
What is the status of this order please? (Google order number: 454179411046879)
My partner spoke to you on Thursday about ordering this treadmill and you said that if we ordered it that day it would go out on your delivery round on Monday. So we did order it (as per the order confirmation below). It is now Thursday and no treadmill in sight. So I start to wonder where it is and when it could be expected here...
Kind regards,
Tony
And the reply I got the next day;
from Lauren Varley
to Tony Andersson
date 8 October 2010 08:47
subject Re: Status please? Google order number: 454179411046879
Hi Tony
Firstly I must apologise as I thought I had sent you an update a few days ago as is my normal practise, but for some reason I cant find any email, so again sorry for that. Ok the courier Steve is collecting the York today to deliver over the weekend, he willcall you and arrange a more acrrate ETA to suit you. REgards
Yep, that's it. I have not changed the formatting or removed anything at the end of the email.
Not impressed to be honest. It is a "don't call us, we'll call you" answer, and there's no explanation whatsoever to why they (might) deliver the treadmill almost a week too late.
Had a call from the delivery guy on Friday evening, telling me he would be here at 10 am Sunday morning. And he actually showed up within 15 minutes of that time.
But what he delivered could in no way be considered as a "brand new treadmill". First of all, it came in a box for a completely different treadmill (a Reebok box and not a York), badly packed and partly assembled already. It looked just as it had been taken apart just enough to fit the box. It came with no manual, assembling instructions or any other paper work.
At this stage I was rather tired of this whole thing of trying to get a treadmill, so I left it a few days. But then I sent this email to Ikonika Fitness:
from Tony Andersson
to ikonikafitness@gmail.com
date 13 October 2010 14:15
subject Ref: Google order number: 454179411046879
Dear Sir / Madam,
It is with more than a little bit of irritation and a lot of disappointment that I have to write this letter to you.
On the 30th September I ordered and paid for a York Aspire treadmill after my partner, Clare, had spoken to a David at your company. She was checking that 1) The treadmill was in stock, and 2) It was brand new (more specifically that it was not a refurbished or ex-display model). David promised not only that the treadmill was in stock and brand new, he also assured Clare that if we ordered that day then it would be sent out for delivery the upcoming Monday, the 4th. After sending you an email at 13:06 Thursday the 7th your Lauren Varley replied on Friday that the treadmill would be delivered on Sunday the 10th almost a week after promised delivery date, with no further explanation than “I thought I’d told you”.
Now that I could live with, but when the treadmill arrived, it arrived badly packaged, in the wrong box (one for a Reebok treadmill) and now when I have tried to assemble the treadmill I can see it has got a lot of scratches and scuff marks on it including damage to one of the grip handles and was covered in filthy black dust. It also came with no instructions and half assembled. In fact it came with no paperwork at all, especially no warranty registration card from York!
So it is very obvious this is NOT a new treadmill, which is what we paid for and should have had delivered! After assembling the last bits of the treadmill (after downloading instructions from the Internet) and starting it up, there is a knocking noise coming from the engine part as well
I am absolutely not impressed!
Quoting from the Google payment request sent by your David:
-------------------------
Message from Ikonika Fitness :
Please find payment link for a New But Tatty Boxed York Aspire Treadmill to Include Delivery. Please return link if you wish to proceed or call if you need any questions answering. Regards David
Payment for:
York Aspire Treadmill Free Delivery
-------------------------
Since this is not the case at all I request that you either replace the treadmill with what we paid for e.g. a brand new fully working York Aspire treadmill, or you give us an immediate refund and come and pick up this piece of junk.
Regards,
Tony - having a really bad day
And the reply
From Lauren Varley
to Tony Andersson
date 13 October 2010 20:01
subject Re: Ref: Google order number: 454179411046879
Hi Tony
Just got your email and sorry your having a bad day, Can you kindly send a contact number and I will call you tomorrow to resolve this situation. Regards
And a call later I sent this
from Tony Andersson
to Lauren Varley
date 14 October 2010 16:06
subject Re: Ref: Google order number: 454179411046879
OK, now David has spoken to Clare, and I just tried to call him, with no luck. Left a voice mail and would appreciate if someone could give me a call. I am available this evening after 6pm on 0771 ********.
From my understanding after speaking to Clare, you are still claiming this old machine with a new mat and very visible traces of use in other places are a "new machine". I am not interested in having a discussion about swapping parts on the machine at all. It is not new and that's where the discussion ends as far as I am concerned... Will try and call again if I get some time in between meetings this afternoon. Otherwise I look forward to you calling me after 6pm.
Regards,
Tony
What David did over the phone was first to try and convince Clare the machine absolutely was brand new, and when that didn't work, he offered to send replacement parts for all the scuffed bits. And when _that_ didn't work, he refused to talk to her anymore. (Go Clare!) He then said he HAD to talk to me. But when I tried to call his mobile, he did not pick up. I left a voice mail, but he never returned the call. Ever... Maybe I wasn't too overly nice when I left the voice mail, but I wasn't rude either.
Instead I got this email:
from Lauren Varley
to Tony Andersson
date 14 October 2010 23:19
Ok not much more to say then please repack the item and I will arrange its collection. Once inspected we will refund in fiull. Regards
Then it actually didn't take too much hassle for arranging with the same delivery guy to come and pick the treadmill up, and the refund was made within a week.
One funny thing was that the delivery guy, Steve, asked why I returned it. And when I said "I ordered a new treadmill and this one is not new. I'm not paying a premium price for something second hand" he just said "Oh ,OK" like it was a rather common thing for him to hear.
Do you think I was picky? Well, you judge after looking at the pictures below... You can click on them to have a larger photo pop up. This is only a few of the markings on the machine, but I think this is enough to prove my point here. none of the markings you can see is dirt, they are all scratches and scuff marks, clearly from usage.
This last picture might need some explanation... The electric motor that is driving the running mat is mended with an Allen key! Clearly this is nothing done in the factory, where they would have the correct part to fit in between the wheel and the axle. This whole crap repair had the treadmill vibrating and making squeaking and knocking noises when switched on. This is absolutely not a new machine, and the sheer fact I could not find a serial number where it should be (according to the York web site) didn't really help either. I didn't trust Ikonika to honour any warranty repairs at all, and without a serial number I couldn't register the machine for the manufacturer warranty. (The treadmill itself came without any paper work, remember? So no warranty registration card.)
