One sunny day, as I came home for lunch, I found an 18 wheeler parked in front of our modest mountain home. Curious as to why there could be such a large vehicle on our winding, narrow road, I leaped from my running vehicle and found way to the back of the already opened vessel.

Unbeknownst to me, my dear husband had ordered the Weider Platinum Crossbar. Like a doctor awaiting the delivery of a newborn baby, my husband was at the foot of the big rig, arms stretched out, ready to receive his  gi-normous hunk of metal.

(Ladies, at this point, I could have asked for a 2 karat diamond ring and he would have obliged---such a fair and agreeable man!)

Several hours later, this assembled contraption was sitting in our livingroom.

He "exercised" its potential, and, overall, I believe we gained 4 hours total use before...the breakdown.

Immediately, we went to make our phone calls. The gym was 3 months new.

Sharing with the customer service representative was somewhat of a daunting task...

"Please hold."

1/2 hour wait goes by...

The ages old game of passing the buck. In our case, $1300 bucks.

Eventually and over time, we were waited right out of the 6 months warranty.

"...we are sorry, but, you have exceeded the 6 months and there is nothing we can do."

WHAT!

As Christmas approached, the eyesoar was collecting thick layers of dust, and was sitting right where our Christmas tree ought to be.

Wittingly, we placed the item for auction, FOR SALE,  HUNK OF METAL, PIECE OF JUNK.

Trying to recoop our loss, and have our tree up, similtaneously, was exercise in itself.

To their credit, the company reconsidered and had someone out to repair the gym, (thanks to the clever auction we placed!)

We were able to get less than half of our investment money back in a sale.

Here are our tips to buying a gym:

• Don't do it.
• If you must buy one, call customer service prior to your purchase and "feel" around.
• How long are you placed on hold?
• What are the terms of warranty?
• Are you prepared to suffer sinus problems from the dust it collects?
• Do you, indeed, need the headache?

Maybe a nice stroll around the block, or pumping with "vegetable cans" is a healthy alternative to such a purchase. You may just find that the weight from the money you save in your wallet can put muscle back on your arms!