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Citrus County woman's expensive new treadmill didn’t work and neither did the replacement

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Posted at 1:30 PM, Feb 08, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-08 19:07:47-05

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — The Echelon treadmill comes with virtual tours around the world. Rebecca Morton who began building her home gym during the pandemic trusted the brand. She already has two Echelon stationary bikes. “Yeah, they're great. I love them. They, they do a wonderful job.”

Morton set a weight loss goal in January 2022. She achieved that goal and last fall, rewarded herself with a $2,300 Echelon treadmill. Morton told ABC Action News, “I'm going to buy what I want this time, not just buy what I could afford.”

But just two days after delivery, the treadmill stopped in the middle of her workout. And it never restarted. Morton tried troubleshooting with the company’s customer support, but nothing worked. So Echelon sent a replacement treadmill in November. But that treadmill never even turned on.

“They wanted to send me another treadmill and I said, 'are you kidding me,'" Morton recalled. “I’m running out of room.”

She tried getting the company to pick up the equipment and refund her money, but it turned out to be an exercise in futility.

ABC Action News contacted Echelon on their Facebook page after Morton sent in videos of the broken treadmills. Echelon sent out a crew to take back the treadmills and, a week later, refunded Morton in full.

An Echelon spokesperson said in an email:

“Echelon strives to provide the best experience for our members all the time. We were sorry to hear about Rebecca Morton's poor experience with our Customer Care team and appreciate her reaching out for resolution. We were very pleased that we were able to provide her the Customer Care we strive to provide everyone and resolve her issue. As you may have found on Facebook, we had another Tampa area customer, Elizabeth Spiegle, post some disappointing news shortly after hurricane Ian. Her home was flooded and she had to throw out her Echelon bike and Echelon Stride treadmill, which meant she was unable to exercise. Fortunately we were able to respond and help out another member in need. We want to be known as a Connected Community, customers are more than just "connected" to the equipment...they are connected to the instructors, their accountability partners, their friends...we are a "Connected Community" and here for each other....this is another great example of how Echelon is so much MORE!”

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