AB Coaster review: scam, bait and switch, fraud 1

At my girlfriend’s gym, there was this piece of equipment called the Ab Coaster that she really liked, said it worked really good for her abs, so I bought one for myself about a year ago. When I went to “check out” on the purchase, I was given the option to upgrade to the Pro version (more padding, smoother movement, thicker steel), so I opted for that.

A few months ago, the gym got rid of the Ab Coasters and my girlfriend was disappointed that they were no longer going to have them. Being the awesome guy I am, as an early Christmas gift, I purchased her one from http://www.AbCoaster.ca where I originally purchased mine and, once again, opted for the Pro version, paying the $80 upcharge.

It arrived but while I was setting it up at her place, I was thinking, “This doesn’t seem the same, ” but I didn’t have mine right there to compare. When I got to the seat, it was obviously not the quality of the one I had. I put on the handles, and where the Ab Coaster Pro emblem is on mine, it only said Ab Coaster on this one. I thought, “Oh great, they sent me the wrong one and I’m going to have to take this all apart again.”

I took a look at the box it arrived in. Where it says Ab Coaster, someone applied a sticker to add the word “Pro”, and where the model number is, someone put a sticker over the last 4 numbers to change the model number. Essentially, I paid $80 more for the Pro version but then was knowingly sent the Standard version for the price of the Pro. I can only hasten a guess that the Ab Coaster company ran out of the Pro version and figured customers are only going to buy one, so how would a customer actually know they were receiving a Pro version or not. However, I had purchased more than one, so I knew I was being scammed.

I called the company and said they sent the wrong unit. They wondered why I suspected that. I said because of the half stickers on the box. They replied that was just because they had run out of the boxes and in order not to hold up shipping, they placed them in the Standard version box and just altered the box. I said for them to look at my purchase history and take note that I purchased a Pro version a year prior and was able to compare the two.

They said, “Oh. We will refund the $80 upcharge.”

It has been well over a month and I have yet to receive the refund.

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