Posts Tagged ‘ Amazon ’

Want a Flat Stomach? Check out my Ab Circle Pro Review…

May 19th, 2011. By AbiK

I’m gearing up—with mere weeks to go—for baring what I can this summer in a bathing suit. After 3 kids and a grand exodus out of my 20’s (alright, 30’s too), hopes for a bikini bod may be right up there with my hope to have been creator of LinkedIn (#IPO!!). Delusional I may be, but hope rings eternal and—dammit—I’m going to get into a 2-piece this summer. Won’t be a D&G string bikini—my fantasies don’t extend to role-playing Eve donning a leaf or two for coverage and my wallet, well, just doesn’t extend period—but lose the Speedo I shall. So I’m shopping for fitness equipment, and I happen upon the Ab Circle Pro. Come check it out with me…

First stop, the Ab Circle Pro website. First question? Who the hell is Audrina Patridge? Ditto Jennifer Nicole Lee. And as for Amanda Beard, well, her “before” photo has her looking a bit pregnant and my guess on how she lost that 45 lbs is it was more a result of delivering her baby vs. the Ab Circle Pro. A bit dubious. But no, I am not jaded.

So the Ab Circle Pro website is beckoning me to “take the ride of your life”. The “ride” is a get-on-all-fours on what’s basically one of those disc sled saucers—knees resting on moveable pads that can rotate around the rim of the saucer. I wanted a better view, so I hopped over to Consumer Reports Ab Circle Pro video (above)—always good for some unbiased input. And what do you know? They pretty much slam the contraption as not worth it. Hmm.

Next, my interest piqued, I decided to search for Ab Circle Pro reviews—which landed me at the mother of all marketplaces, Amazon. Here’s a little depiction of what I found there (as of 5/19/11):

Seems the Ab Circle Pro only got a 1-star rating by close to 50% of those who bought and tried it. And there are two interesting trends in all those reviewers comments:

1. The Ab Circle Pro is described with words like “falls apart”, “cheap construction”, “paint peeling”, “wheels come off”, “quality sucks”. Described consistently I might add. Hmm.

2. The Ab Circle Pro seems as connected to the words “injury” and “damage” as downing a daily Klondike bar is connected to keeping the pounds on. No kidding—here are some comments:

Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “This is an excellent piece of crap. From the time it comes to your home it keeps on injuring you…when you are using it screws your knees“

Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “All buyers need to be careful of this machine. It is unsafe. Depending on the level of your workouts, you can throw yourself out of the knee holders. I did this and ended up having surgery on my shoulder for a torn rotator cuff! I found out, when I called and explained the situation to the customer service rep, that I could have gel knee pads to put in the cups for an extra fee! I told them that I was injured by this machine due to not having the gel inserts and required surgery! I got them for free, and I can see why, the gel inserts are garbage! I do not use this machine anymore. It scares me! The surgery I had was the worst in pain and now my ROM is restricted. If you buy this, please be cautious as to how you use it and if you are smart, you will avoid it all together.”

Not to mention several stories from people who resorted to either Vaseline® or Pam cooking spray to lubricate the Ab Circle Pro’s parts.

I Googled Ab Circle Pro a bit more—only to find my search revealed new keyword associations like “Ab Circle Pro Back Pain Damage to Lower Spine” as the headline of a user’s comment over at Complaints Board. Which also led me to two individuals who found themselves with fractured Humerus bones, apparently compliments of that “ride” of their lives on Ab Circle Pro.

Crowning touch? The handful of folks who’ve gone as far as to suggest an Ab Circle Pro lawsuit or an Ab Circle Pro class action. Hey, wait a minute! That just might make for a story over at LawyersandSettlements.com (wink-wink)…

This is not boding well for my get-a-bikini-bod plan. Or maybe it is—keep the Speedo, get in shape the tried and true old-fashioned way with some exercise and a few less Lindt truffles—and skip risking an Ab Circle Pro injury and the aggravation of a piece of junk that falls apart. Maybe for some folks the Ab Circle Pro is the way to go, but for my pre-buy review, I think it’ll be buyer beware…

Tags: Ab Circle Pro, Ab exerciser, Amanda Beard, Amazon, Audrina Patridge, Bikini Body, Consumer Reports, Diet, Flat Stomach, Flat Tummy, Get in Shape, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Lose Weight
Posted in Complaints/Comments, Defective Products, Emerging Issues | 1 Comment »

3 Strikes for Amazon! (but no, they’re not out)

July 21st, 2009. By AbiK

It is baseball season, so it’s fitting—if not welcome over at Amazon—that the company’s had 3 strikes in the last week or so. No, not those kind of strikes where employees walk out and all. These strikes have been more of the strike-to-the-ego sort.

Strike 1

We posted in last week’s Week Adjourned column that Amazon was under fire for its cracking Kindle screens. As of Friday, there were a few reports surfacing on the net that Amazon would replace the cracked screens without charging the $200 repair fee; this week the news is definitely out with numerous sites, including tech.yahoo.com and pcworld.com, reporting Amazon’s about-face.

Strike 2

Next, Amazon had to “retrieve” two George Orwell classics—1984 and Big Brother—from Kindles whose owners had rightfully purchased the books. Seems the books came via a company that didn’t quite have the rights to sell the books. Little red flag to Amazon’s buyers, no? Be that as it may, the class action that Amazon now faces over the situation is reported to also claim that this little mishap devalues the Kindle. Why? Because Kindle owners feel part of the “value” in owning a Kindle and buying books for it is that you can keep the books forever. Or maybe just not anything Orwellian. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Amazon, Kindle
Posted in Emerging Issues | No Comments »