NordicTrack iFit iCON Received Treadmill with Manufacturing Defect, Nordictrack refuses to refund or replace Logan Utah

I received a brand new treadmill with a manufacturing defect, causing the belt to scrape and against the front cover, which makes a terrible noise and causes the belt to jerk every time it catches the seam. NordicTrack refuses to process a return and either provide a full refund or a working replacement. Instead, they insist on repeatedly sending out one of their technicians who is unable to correct the issue.

Here is a timeline of events.

10/16: Assembled treadmill and discovered there was an issue. Reached out to support and was told I first had to register the treadmill.

10/17: Registered the treadmill and reached out to support again. Someone contacted me requesting I send a video of the issue. I sent a video. I received an email saying they received the video and could hear audio, but couldn't see a visual

10/18: Took another video. Was told again they couldn't see the video, was asked to upload them to YouTube and share a link I uploaded the videos to YouTube and shared the link

10/19: Customer service rep says she can tell from the video the issue is that the belt is misaligned and directs me to my owner's manual. I responded that we already had tried that and every other suggestion in the owner's manual. I also questioned why I was the labor portion of the parts & labor warranty. I receive an email that parts have been ordered and a service tech will be scheduled after the parts arrive.

10/20: I respond to the email with my concerns. 1. I don't think they identified the correct issue (and they did not) and 2. This may push me past the 30 day return window. They assure me that won't be the case.

10/25: The parts arrive!

10/26: I call the tech to schedule the appointment. The first available appointment is 11/2.

11/2: The Tech comes! He can immediately tell that the customer service rep misdiagnosed the issue. Frustrating. He takes it apart and looks at all the moving pieces and is stumped. Everything is in working order, nothing appears to be broken or out of alignment, but no matter what he does, he can't get the belt to stop scraping against the front cover. He says the only solution is to order an entire new belt and deck.

11/2: Rather than order more replacement parts for my never used treadmill, I request to return it since it was defective when it arrived. Customer service responds and reiterates their return policy: $250 shipping fee, 10% restocking fee (not sure why they are going to restock a machine with a manufacturing defect), and I am liable for any damage incurred during shipping. Stuck with this as my only option, I request they send out the parts their tech says they need

11/8: Parts arrive! AGAIN!

11/10: Tech comes AGAIN. Those parts do not fix the problem. AGAIN! He says the only time he has ever seen this problem is when it was welded incorrectly in the factory. He thinks the entire thing needs to be replaced, but first the company is requiring him to order a new front cover to see if maybe that will fix the problem.

11/11: Reach out to customer service to find out next steps; no one responds.

I cannot begin to understand how a company can send me a defective product and refuse to provide a replacement or a refund.