FITNESS FOUNDATIONS

My wife and I were looking for a commercial grade used treadmill. I answered Terry's (owner Fitness Foundation) ad on Craigslist. He quickly responded and I was able to demo the Cybex commercial grade treadmill. He explained all the pro's and con's. I purchased for the full price he was asking, but he offered delivery, installation (upstairs) and even offered to pick up the adapter plug needed for the outlet. Terry even explained that the amount of power that the treadmills draws, means that you shouldn't use other electrical items because it could short them out. His knowledge and going above and beyond made this a much more pleasant experience than going to a traditional store buying a new one that would never get used because of not being heavy duty. Very happy with our purchase!

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Terry Maddox (DOB 4-25-74) of Greenfield, Indiana, conned me on CraigsList, which I will never use again since it is a notorious haven for crooks. I had to sue him in Small Claims Court to get my $535 cash money back. It was a 5-month ordeal starting during Thanksgiving weekend 2015 when I called about a used treadmill he advertised on CraigsList. He represents himself as a fitness trainer and a fitness equipment specialist with 20 years experience, actually incorporated in 2010 and earning $50K per year, according to his listing on internet business site Manta.com. He has access to used up commercial gym equipment that he polishes for resale. He lied about the age of the 16-year-old Cybex 520T commercial treadmill, parts availability, tech support from the manufacturer, quality, and reliability. The side panel covering the belt rollers was missing (so that my cats were at risk), the deck frame was twisted, and the internal computer control board failed to power up (and would cost $325 to fix). Terry Maddox took responsibility for none of this and actually suggested to the judge that I damaged this machine while it was in my possession. I suspect he dropped the 415# treadmill at some point, because contrary to the manufacturer?s instructions, he works without an assistant, on a flat rolling board strapped on sideways ? in and out of the back of his van. Cybex (which was very helpful to me during this process) confirmed that Terry Maddox is one of their Indiana reps (time to reconsider?), but Terry Maddox didn?t pull the hours and miles off the treadmill NOR did he comply with any of three manufacturer recalls on this treadmill. One was for the installation of an electric fuse to prevent uncommanded overspeeds of the belt. The manufacturer requires safe egress room around the treadmill, but Terry Maddox pushed mine up against the wall so tight that I couldn?t find the on switch on the side panel. On top of these lies, Terry Maddox violates National Electric Code (NEC) law on safe wiring. He neglected to tell me that his commercial equipment won?t plug into house outlets (because the plug prongs are perpendicular to each other and not parallel like everything normal). He neglected to tell me that I would have to pay a licensed electrician $300 to rewire my fuse box, run new LARGER wire, and install a new ground used only by the commercial treadmill. That?s because my house, rewired to code just last year, still won?t handle a 20 amp commercial treadmill, since code requires only 15 amp outlets ? that already support lamps, a fan, a sewing machine, and a computer. The commercial treadmill requires a dedicated circuit that it is the only thing powered on. Terry Maddox?s illegal solution: buy a higher 20 or 30 amp circuit breaker and install it myself! That puts me at risk for electrocution, and a house fire because the existing wire is not legally large enough to carry a higher load. I told Terry Maddox I wanted to use the treadmill up to 6 hours each day to walk at my desk, so he knew it would be a hot circuit. When the Fire Marshal investigation informs my insurance company that my fire claim was my fault, my claim would certainly be denied. Plus I?m in a rental and my lease doesn?t allow alterations. The entire CraigsList sale is layer upon layer of fraud, omissions of the truth that a real professional would certainly know, and very high fire risk. Financially, I could have paid for a brand new residential treadmill and gotten a warranty to boot, for what it would cost me to get the Terry Maddox boat anchor to actually work. In addition, Terry Maddox lubricated the chains on my Schwinn Airdyne exercise bike with motor oil that sprayed a staining mist of drops all over adjacent white bookshelves. Schwinn tech support said motor oil is contrary to their procedures in the Owner?s Manual. Terry Maddox took NO responsibility for any of this. He promised support, but never offered to troubleshoot, fix, or exchange anything. He consistently blamed my house wiring, or worse, me for all the problems with this sale. He still presents himself as the victim. Terry Maddox lies about his experience and competence. He claims to be ?appropriately licensed,? but what does that mean? Terry Maddox presents himself as a charming professional during the 3 times we were in court together and during the other 3 times that the police were present to keep the peace (including high speed stalking on Washington Boulevard). He presents himself as a church-goer and a family man. Do not be taken in. Once he had my cash money, he either blew me off or bullied me. Perhaps he has gotten away with this before. But I am retired and I have the time to fight back. A single mom or a person with a full-time job would just have to eat the loss. CraigsList has been no help at all because there is no way to report a scam, or grade a seller. Terry Maddox may likely strike again. Please learn from my ordeal. I am out a lot of wasted time, money for copies and legal advice, and faith in my fellow man. Plus I don?t trust myself anymore to see through a con. Terry Maddox comes across as someone he truly isn?t. 415# of empty promises.

Note, I'm adding this review to the fitness equipment category now because when I wrote it originally, the only category available to choose from was fitness equipment-training. Terry from Fitness Foundations has done maintenance and repairs on my gym equipment in the past and I've been very happy with his professionalism, skill, expertise and courtesy. I wasn't disappointed this time, either. He and his assistant arrived on time as usual, and quickly set to work disassembling the equipment. I had planned on it taking most of the day, but within 1 hour, they were ready to go. We traveled to the new house, roughly 20 minutes away. They unpacked the equipment and installed it in the new house. I had tried to measure and mark where/how the equipment would work best in the limited space I had. Terry came up with a better placement idea and they explained each and moved the equipment around to show me. I hadn't thought of their solution, and it was definitely the best one. It saved space and made the equipment more accessible. We finalized the placement and they finished the setup. The gym looks great and there isn't a scratch or item out of place on any of it. They also confirmed that everything was functioning after the installation. They did a great job and I highly recommend them.

Terry has done maintenance and repairs on my gym equipment in the past and I've been very happy with his professionalism, skill, expertise and courtesy. I wasn't disappointed this time, either. He and his assistant arrived on time as usual, and quickly set to work disassembling the equipment. I had planned on it taking most of the day, but within 1 hour, they were ready to go. We traveled to the new house, roughly 20 minutes away. They unpacked the equipment and installed it in the new house. I had tried to measure and mark where/how the equipment would work best in the limited space I had. Terry came up with a better placement idea and they explained each and moved the equipment around to show me. I hadn't thought of their solution, and it was definitely the best one. It saved space and made the equipment more accessible. We finalized the placement and they finished the setup. The gym looks great and there isn't a scratch or item out of place on any of it. They also confirmed that everything was functioning after the installation. They did a great job and I highly recommend them.

Terry Maddox of fitness foundations came to our home to service our treadmill. He is knowledgeable in this area of repair and we are pleased with the outcome. I would heartily recommend him to anyone who needs in home service of their exercise equipment.