Complaint Review: Universal Technical Services - NordicTrack - Sears - Logan Utah

I've had my NordicTrack Commercial 1750 since May 28, 2014 (it's only 3 weeks old as of today) and already I've encountered the notorious customer service nightmare of Icon Fitness, the owner of the NordicTrack brand. 

The incline system on my treadmill started making nerve-wracking grinding noises, so I called Icon's 'customer care' line on three separate occasions.  Each time, the phone rep said I should get some tools, then open up the treadmill's casing, then tell them what I see -- I did this several times, but was unable to determine the cause of the problem.  Basically, they forced me to go through a lot of manual labor and long phone conversations that resulted in no progress. 

The worst part, which became plainly obvious, was that they were doing everything possible to refuse to my request for a technician to do an on-site inspection and repair.  The phone reps use scripted responses that are nothing more than deliberate stalling tactics. 

Even if you ignore the whole issue with UTS, trying to get Icon to honor the regular manufacturer's warranty is a nightmare by itself... if you buy a NordicTrack product, the only thing you should realistically expect is that you will have to maintain and repair it yourself, or pay out of your own pocket for a technician to service the machine. 

Icon will not honor their own warranty, and the UTS extended warranty just gets you more of the same miserable 'customer care' for a longer period of time.

First off, you were led to believe, or were allowed to believe, that you were purchasing merely an extended warranty. Be careful of this term, as it simply means that you are covered for the same repairs as the manufacturer's warranty, but for a longer period of time. Your NordicTrack machine, when purchased at Sears, qualifies only for a NordicTrack B.E.S.T. Protection Plan. This plan covers unlimited service calls, something that is spelled out in the pamphlet the salesperson should have given to you at the time of purchase. Because NordicTrack factory warranties are nullified by anyone but a NordicTrack representative working on the machine, the pamphlet also includes a toll-free number to call for service from a local authorized service representative. This should be your first and only call for any service. In case you didn't get the pamphlet, that telephone number is 1-877-677-3838. The nice thing for you about getting this plan is that you should have only been charged $254.99 for the three year service plan. Buying the same plan after the sale from NordicTrack would have cost you $329.99, and not having it could result in nearly as much expense to repair the machine one time, with no further coverage. If you need a copy of the pamphlet in question, and your local store doesn't have one to give you, let me know, and I'll try to send one out to you myself. Best of luck!

I will walk you through most of the fixes for these treadmills. Please email me. Thanks, Tom

I purchased the 3 year extended warranty and should have this warranty honored from UTS. They should cover all warranty related issues. I was asked by a representative at UTS..."Well, would you like to use your once a year (annual) maintenance visit now?" NO! I shouldn't have to use my "once a year" maintenance visit for a warranty problem. I don't need a maintenance visit...I have an extended warranty problem and it needs attention. After being tossed around from Sears to UTS and UTS to NordicTrack, it appears that the blame and "passing the buck" stops at the manufacturer, NordicTrack. NordicTrack will send someone to check the unit and repair it for me with a $5.99 handling fee and a $45.00 service charge. This is NOT what I signed up for when I purchased the optional 3 year extended warranty and paid for this.