I purchased a NordicTrack TRL625 831.298960 recumbent exercise cycle from Sears in September. One of the main selling features for me was this statement, highlighted in bold on page 9 of the User's Manual, quote, 'The innovative recumbent cycle requires no BATTERIES or external power source.' un-quote. Like other consumers, I took this to mean that the cycle would provide a long, maintenance free life, thanks to innovation in design. With no BATTERIES to replace, all I need to do is pedal to provide my own electricity.
Imagine my surprise when I dusted off my exercise bike this Spring, only to find that the console would not turn on. My attention was drawn to the complex control panel. I brought the console back to Sears for repair.
Sears dealt me my next big surprise. They would not accept a walk-in repair on a cycle. This equipment must be serviced at my home for $100 plus labor and parts. With the price of the console being over $200, the repair estimate already exceeded the price I paid for the equipment. Now, this 100 pound paper weight was entirely useless.
Before I hauled the massive piece of useless metal into the nearest dumpster, I figured it wouldn't hurt to dismantle it. I was shocked to find a BATTERY. This is not a user replaceable BATTERY. This is a 7.2v NiMh 1300mAh BATTERY pack soldered to a BATTERY charger circuit. The reason I was shocked was because I was lied to. Sears told me this model had no BATTERY. Page 9 of the Users's Manual says it has no BATTERY. Yet, here I am - looking at a rechargeable BATTERY.
I examined the voltage coming off the BATTERY and determined one of the cells in the pack had developed a short. I needed to break the nylon stand-off's to remove the BATTERY charging board. On the replacement parts list, I find another deception. This BATTERY charging circuit is labeled as a 'Control Board.' The board is not controlling anything. It rectifies power from the generator, charges the BATTERY, and provides DC power to the console. This is apparently what has failed.
No hard feelings. I looked up the cost of replacing the board myself, including the repair of the stand-offs. Part number 171659 is $57.58 and the four stand-offs cost $4.60. With tax and shipping, it would cost me $78.76 to replace the BATTERY myself.
Is this what the marketing department of Noric Track considers to be 'innovation in design', quote/un-quote? Instead of replacing a few conventional 'D' BATTERIES or perhaps plugging it into a wall socket, I have to spend nearly 1/3 the price of the cycle to replace its rechargeable BATTERY.
I am very annoyed. I plunked down hard cash based on the reputation of Nordic Track and Sears. Both of them knifed me in the back. First, they lied to me about this model not having any BATTERIES to replace. Then, NordicTrack tries to sell me a NiMh AA BATTERY for $80 ($2.75 at Hosfelt.com) and four nylon stand-offs ($0.46 at Cyberguys.com) for $4.60 (not to mention the $100 mandatory in-home service call.)
I cannot believe that two companies as large and reputable as Sears and NordicTrack can get away with outright deceptive marketing and advertising practices.
To reiterate, this model DOES have a BATTERY and it costs a MINIMUM of $180 to replace it, unless you happen to be an electronic engineer - in which case, I can repair it myself for under five bucks. I estimate that this $180 repair needs to be done every 2-3 years during its life. It is a very bad design and is not well backed by Sears or NordicTrack. Worse, both of the companies lied to me when they told me this model does not have a BATTERY.
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