My husband and I were looking for an elliptical to replace one we have had for almost 13 years. This elliptical is exactly what we were hoping for. Smooth, quiet, and challenging workouts. Worthwhile to go into a Sears store to be sure the stride feels right to you. Had the machine delivered and set up. Well worth the $100 since it had to go down a flight of stairs. Looking forward to my next workout tomorrow!
Part-1 I always bought my appliances and tools from Sears back in the day, they were the go to place for dependability and value. My last treadmill from Sears lasted a good 10 years. After it gave out, we wanted something little easier on the joints so we looked into an elliptical. Again, going to Sears we purchased a AFG 5.3AE Elliptical Trainer with the warranty and delivery. Shortly after the setup we noticed a knocking coming from inside the flywheel, this being a closed housing unit, we had a 72-hour return policy and decided to have it replaced instead of waiting for a repair. We exchanged it for the same model and it was delivered, setup and started knocking when the installers tested it. The delivery and setup person said maybe it’s just that model. We returned it as well. Back at Sears we settled with the NordicTrack Elite 13.1 Elliptical, surely the brand NordicTrack will be a reliable brand that’s been around for a long time. We exchange our AFG for the NordicTrack with the warranty but the sales clerk stated the warranty goes through NordicTrack not Sears, ok, no problem. 9 months later, there’s a whining and knocking in the flywheel as we started the work out session. I call NordicTrack and the customer service representative/Heidi Ricks wants to hear the sound the elliptical is making before going further. I told Heidi I was at work, she replied, when I get home to call her so she could better isolate the issue before the next step. Now at home, I called again and went through about 20 min of various test with the representative/Barnet as the whining continued until I turned the machine off. His conclusion was the resistance motor needs to be replaced and he will order the part to be shipped in 8-10 days along with a video to replace it. Great, when will the tech be out to replace it? Oh no, the Barnet said, “I” would be replacing it, he’ll send the part and video?? This was the first step to resolve the issue before they determine if a technician is needed?? My question to Barnet was; I paid for a warranty that covers parts and labor, why are you suppling the part and I’m providing the labor? Barnet again repeated, this is the first step before sending a tech. I asked to put me on the schedule for a tech and send me the parts, if I receive the part and repair it, they can cancel the house call but I would still be on the list in case I couldn’t fix it. Barnet stated; they can’t do that, I need to follow thru with the first step. I asked to speak to the manager and wanted a tech to dispatch period. After a couple of minutes, Barnet came back and gave me a service order number and the tech will call me within 3-5 business days but warned me this was their busiest time of the year. Sooo what does that mean, I asked? The tech will call me in 3-5 business days to schedule the repair which could take from 3-4 weeks before they come out!!
1. Poor customer service - Had to hold the line for an hour to get to a customer representative. Their IVR system is also very confusing and not at all helpful. For many issues, it simply asks to visit their website.
2. As compared to other machines I have used, the user interface is not very intuitive. For example if I want to do interval training for an hour, it doesn't have an option. There are some predefined interval workouts but you can't vary interval duration, high and low resistance or total duration.
I love my elliptical great for going online. It has great trainers that encourage you all the way . I also purchased the warranty that covers everything top to bottom.
My husband and I enjoying the elliptical. It works well. Few clunky noises but not bad. Poor design with the Bluetooth. It won’t connect to iPad. Also the iFit training program has lots of quirks. I recommend reading all the blogs if that is something your really looking forward to. It doesn’t quite work like you might think.
Very limited, very clumsy, slow and disappointing, for its huge price. We had issues assembling it, and required assistance. Most notable downside: VERY SLOW TO START, 2 minutes for it to wake up and start the countdown. Very limited exercise options without iFit subscription, which is additional money per month. Simply a very disappointing investment. I would highly recommend against buying one of those clumsy machines.
It is super tight and hard to use on the lowest setting. It would be impossible to use at the higher settings. I am pretty sure Sears did not install it correctly.