ComplaintsforHuff-n-Puff Fitness Repair, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company charges 140 dollars just to look at your machine and tell you that its broken. This money does not go towards repairs at all. In my case they came out and looked at my machine and told me that the monitor was broken and that it was on back order. This cost me a 150 dollars. They charged me to tell me what I already knew. They called back the next day to tell me the part was 675 dollars and on back order. This was not including additional labor cost and additional diagnostic cost. Total Scam.

  Business response

  07/26/2023

  Hello *****, thank you for your submission.
  
  Our terms and our scope of responsibility were very clearly outlined prior to your service, as I discuss in detail below. We understand that our diagnosis of your machine and home was not the news you were hoping for, however, your complaint and accusation that we're a "total scam," is entirely incorrect.
  
  Per the web request you submitted to us on 7.12.23, you stated, "Treadmill gets power but will not turn on or startup." We replied, stating, "I would recommend our standard diagnosis service. It includes a complimentary preventive maintenance (PM) service (full lubrication, alignment, and calibration) to the extent your machine allows in its current condition, as well as a top to bottom diagnosis of your machine. Without being in front of the machine it is difficult to say what the exact problem is, we will do everything possible to remedy the issue while we are there. The cost of this diagnosis service is $145 plus tax." You replied, "Sounds good, I am available Thursday and Friday afternoon." So, I agree with most of your first sentence stating we came out to look at your machine and tell you it was broken, that is quite literally what you hired us to do. However, the cost of this is $145, not the $140 you claimed. The most important thing you omitted though, is that we also provided you with a full, written diagnosis of our findings. Upon arrival we determined that power was flowing from the wall, that power was flowing to your motor control board, that power was flowing through your motor control board, that power was flowing through your data cable, and that even though power was flowing TO your console, power was not flowing THROUGH your console. Therefore, we diagnosed the console of your unit as being faulty. We then went further to test the power coming out of your wall outlet, and found that your outlet this machine was plugged into had an open ground. We then went one step further, and found that every outlet in that room of your home, and presumably on that circuit, had an open ground. This is a safety issue, as ultimately, open grounds caused by abnormal faults can easily lead to house fires, electrical shock, and death. Please do not make things sound as if we merely showed up, took a glance at your machine, and stated, "yep, it's broken," and then walked out your door after charging you the agreed upon $145. As I have summarized above, that is completely not true.
  
  You continued to state, "This money does not go towards repairs at all." That would be correct. Also in our response to your original service request, we stated, "The quote will include the cost of repair labor, which is $145, plus any parts, shipping and tax." Once more, this is the same email that you then replied to us saying, "Sounds good, I am available Thursday and Friday afternoon." Why is this suddenly an issue after we were completely upfront about our pricing structure from the very beginning?
  
  I fully agree with your next sentence, "In my case they came out and looked at my machine and told me that the monitor was broken and that it was on back order." Unfortunately, this console is only available directly from the manufacturer of your unit. Your manufacturer's supply levels are not something we control. Once more, we agree it is unfortunate that the part you need is backordered, please explain exactly what you would like us to do about your manufacturer's supply issues, and how we should be held responsible for them.
  
  You continue with, "This cost me a 150 dollars." Once more, it was $145, not the $140 you stated at first, nor the $150 you stated later.
  
  Your next claim is the most interesting. "They charged me to tell me what I already knew." If we charged you for what you already knew, I have to ask, why would you hire us to come out and diagnose a unit that was very clearly not being supplied with adequate power that is up to code? If you knew your home's power was an issue, why did you not mention this in your original service request? Furthermore, what did you expect a fitness equipment repair company to be able to do with a home power issue that is well beyond the scope of our capabilities, and requires a licensed electrician? Did we at any time, or in any way indicate to you, either directly or via our website, that we are licensed electricians, or capable of performing electrical work beyond the electronics within fitness equipment? I do not believe we did, please let me know if you have any evidence that we did, as naturally I will make sure that is corrected immediately.
  
  Continuing on, "They called back the next day to tell me the part was 675 dollars and on back order. This was not including additional labor cost and additional diagnostic cost." Yes, we called you the next day with a quote, as promised. But, once again, your pricing allegations against us are entirely untrue. Your repair quote came to $678.68, INCLUDING repair labor. Once again, I'll need to ask you to please stop making claims that have no basis in reality. As already discussed, we agree the part you need is on backorder, and that backorder is with your machine's manufacturer, and has nothing to do with us.
  
  Regarding your last line, "Total Scam," I could not disagree more. As we outlined VERY clearly from the beginning, we were contracted to come out and diagnose your treadmill. You agreed to our diagnosis terms, you agreed to our diagnosis charge, and you agreed to our repair pricing structure. I personally HATE surprises, and make sure that our service terms are incredibly transparent from start to finish. I would agree it is unfortunate that your machine was not able to be brought to a working condition in a single visit, and understand that this could be disappointing. That, in no way, gives you the right to libel our company and make false claims and accusations. Once more, prior to your agreeing to our service we stated exactly what we were going to do, we then did exactly that, and now, for whatever reason, you've decided the agreement that you agreed to is suddenly not to your liking. Once more, I understand being disappointed that there is a high likelihood that your home's electrical system damaged your treadmill but taking that disappointment out on us is entirely unreasonable.
  
  Continuing on with our transparency, please see our original email exchange, plus your completion notes (with all private information redacted) supporting all the facts I have stated above.

• Initial Complaint

  03/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  January 17th 2023 **** and Puff was to come out to my house after viewing a video of my Exhelon EX3 making noise while riding. I was told the noise was taken care of. The noise is still there.

  Business response

  03/28/2023

  Hello *****, thank you for your review. I would agree, you paid us $145 to diagnose your unit, which we did do, and you yourself signed off on. During this diagnosis, our tech noted, "Bike was fully tested for 15+ minutes and there was no sound while pedaling. Bike was opened up and all bearings were checked and they were all spinning quietly. Drive belt and tensioner were examined and both were in good working order. The only sound I heard while pedaling was the sound of the foot cage hitting a fold in the mat that is underneath the bike.  If the sound issue reoccurs then replacement of the crank bearings will be essential. ***** was home and said that she couldn't make the bike make noise. Only happens when husband is riding and he was not home."
  
  
  A month after our visit, you then called to inform us your bike was still making noise. We requested a video, and in that video you sent to us of your husband riding the bike, we were able to hear the noise that neither you nor our tech were able to reproduce. Per our prior diagnosis, we agreed to provide a quote for the crank bearings on this unit. After consulting with Echelon, your manufacturer, Echelon indicated that the crank bearings are not a replaceable part on this unit that they have available. Though we feel that more robust support should be provided for these units, that is up to Echelon, and completely out of our control. In speaking with them however, ******* did agree that if proof of purchase for this unit could be provided, your machine would qualify for warranty replacement. We'd informed your husband of this, he indicated he would provide us with that paperwork so we could file it with your manufacturer on your behalf, but we have yet to receive that from you or your husband.
  
  
  In summery, yes, your machine is still making the noise you'd reported, and we're eagerly awaiting your submission of the paperwork required to have your machine replaced under warranty.

  Customer response

  04/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 19850219
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was never advised parts to be replaced. Weather it is wrote down or not I was told it was fixed and its not. Now its being pushed off on another company to be responsible. What a waste.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  04/10/2023

  Thank you *****, that is correct, after our service on 1.17.23, we emailed your full report on 1.18.23 to *********************** that included all the information I'd quoted previously. I see that email was opened at 1:33pm on 3.28.23. Additionally, those notes do include your signature saying the work was completed to your satisfaction.
  
  I understand what you are saying that we are pushing this off to another company. That other company, Echelon, is your machine's manufacturer. Echelon does not offer this bearing set as a replacement part. However, as you pointed out, we should not be pushing this off elsewhere, so if you would like us to pursue having a bearing set for this unit custom engineered and fabricated, that is something we'd be happy to facilitate for you. Please keep in mind that custom fabricated parts can cost thousands of dollars and generally cost more than an entire unit replacement, which is why we do not recommend this, and did not suggest this initially.

  Customer response

  04/15/2023

   
  Complaint: 19850219
  
  I am rejecting this response since youre incapable of sticking to your word and fixing the bike as I was told, refund the ****** that was wasted 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  12/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We are working with a company called *********** Fitness to repair our treadmill. They came out once to replace the motor and said they would return for no cost to install a walk belt if we provided the belt, which we obtained. We arranged a day and time for them to service our machine and agreed to this in writing. Now the company refuses to honor their agreement. I am concerned this may be discrimination because of the fact I mentioned to the technician that I have a sister that is a l****** and have LGTBQ flag in ***********.

  Business response

  12/15/2022

  We diagnosed this unit, and despite this unit being out of both parts and labor warranty, worked with the manufacturer on the customer's behalf to obtain a walking belt and service dispatch, both under warranty. The belt was sent directly to the customer from the manufacturer, free of charge, and the warranty repair dispatch was sent to another provider. We have fulfilled our obligations.
  
  As my sister is also a lesbian, as is our Operations Manager's sister, as well as one of our office staff having a transgender daughter and our other staff member having gay and transgender cousins, all of us here appreciate *****'s support of the ***** community. We also appreciate his efforts to build rapport with us by mentioning his sister who is a l****** as well as his ***** flag, but that does not change the situation.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩