LifeCore Fitness False advertising for rowing machine Vista California

Lifecore Fitness had false advertising on their website about their R900 rowing machine, which made it sound like a much better machine than it is. They said it had 20 (or 16) levels of resistance and 3 heart rate control programs. Actually, it has 8 levels of resistance and one heart rate control program. Also, they said it was "perfect for users at any level of fitness". Some exercise equipment, like the Concept 2 rowing machine, really is perfect for any level of fitness. Olympic athletes and couch potatoes can work out equally well. This is not true of the R900 rowing machine. I bought the R900 because the false advertising claims made it sound much better than other machines in its price range.

After a few months of working out on this machine, I started having trouble raising my heart rate enough. I bought it so I could get hard workouts like I used to with trail running, but low-impact. So, within the 30-day return period, I didn't know there was a problem. But there is. I also get nauseated if I try to work out as hard as I like on it. The machine is also not "ultra-quiet" as they claimed. It peaked at 56 dBA on my sound meter.

I told the service manager at Lifecore about the false advertising and sent emails to Lifecore. Lifecore didn't remove it. Then I talked about it with Roger Dates, the owner of Lifecore. He agreed to remove the false information from their website without acknowledging that it was wrong. That was in Nov. 2007.

It was still there weeks later, and I sent a letter via the California attorney general's office. Finally the false advertising was removed.
In May 2008 I talked to Roger Dates again. I told him I would be satisfied to get back $600 of the $899 I paid for the machine, and I wanted him to buy it back for $600, they pay shipping. I said I'd try to sell it for $600 if he'd make the warranty transferable. He said he wouldn't buy it back but he'd agree to make the warranty transferable. He pooh-poohed what I said about false advertising.

tried to sell it for $600, with no success. The price of new R900 rowing machines went down, and currently it's selling for $499! I left a message for Roger Dates Oct 28 2008, saying that I wanted them to take the rowing machine back for $600 and pay shipping. No response.

When there's false advertising involved, they should just refund people the purchase price on request. I put a copy of the false advertising on my website at http://camoo.freeshell.org/R900 false advertising.pdf. A lot of websites still claim the R900 has 20 or 16 levels of resistance, so Lifecore continues to benefit from information that isn't even on their own website any more!

Laura
Ithaca, New York
U.S.A.