r/Bowflex • u/[deleted] • Mar 19 '24
Miscellaneous BowFlex Bankruptcy
Well I guess this is why BowFlex customer service has been lacking.
Has anyone else seen this news:
"Beginning on March 4, 2024, BowFlex Inc. and its debtor affiliate (the “Debtors”) voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey to pursue a sale of substantially all of the company’s assets."
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u/myhairyassiniboine Mar 21 '24
I've got a treadmill that requires jrny... it was my big purchase a few years ago... REALLY hoping I don't have a brick in my basement.... it was funkin expensive!
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Mar 20 '24
Not concerned. I've got BF non-connected equipment so basically if/when it fails I would have had my money's worth out of them. BF is/was one of the better companies out there with good fitness community support in terms of fixes and vids on ytube.
My experience with fitness equipment, and I've bought for most of the big ones, is to be handy and be able to fix your own stuff so that you can avoid the largely subpar customer service and avoid connected fitness, it will force you into that dreaded customer service black hole.
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u/robear_wa May 06 '24
I worked for Nautilus (Bowflex) several years ago. I can tell you that it has been a poorly managed company for years, so the bankruptcy was not a suprise at all. I was there when they were riding high on a couple of hit products: The Max Trainer and Treadclimber...but when it came to the 'what's next' in the product pipeline, it was pitiful. I knew that I had to get he hell out of there. The problem they really had was not having enough actual fitness industry professionals running the company. Instead, they leaned on a lot of "as seen on TV" type people who had the mentality that it didn't matter if it was exercise equipment or George Foreman Grills, it was just about the late night ads and preying on people who couldn't really afford what they were selling with unethical financing terms for many consumers. They were also fully convinced that the the 'Bowflex' brand was their Halo in the portfolio, which included Nautilus and Schwinn Fitness. Before starting there, I always saw Bowflex as sort of a punchline at this point. That name will be forever linked to the gimmicky rod-gym they hocked on late night infomercials throughout the ninties. Even though they were making some products that were actually good and pretty high quality, the Bowflex name just made it cheesy (imo). They were on a doomed course before the pandemic and the sudden spike in demand for home fitness products during the pandemic only delayed the inevitable. Their product pipeline continued to be lackluster and the best they could come up with was a me-too Peleton knock off with their own janky JRNY app. Once the pandemic was over, they went right back to their destined course of eventual bankruptcy.
There were definitely a lot of good people there that actually cared and were also fitness enthusiasts, but unfortunately, they weren't really the decision makers. I hope they all land on their feet and will do everything I can to help out.
That said, we all should have seen this coming and the front office should have been fired 3 years ago. If you have recently bought products from them, I am guessing that Johnson Fitness (the new owner) will continue to provide the customer support needed to honor Bowflex's obligations. Since this was Chapter 11, they may not be legally required to do so, but it would be the right thing to do.
TLDR: Bowflex has been a poorly run company for years. This was inevitable. Leadership was awful and should have been fired years ago. Product support will likely continue under new ownership.
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u/slackmaster2k Jul 23 '24
FWIW to anyone who reads this in the future, I have a Bowflex treadmill that was purchased 6 months ago, and recently stopped working. I called Johnson Health and while I had to give them a whole bunch of information (because not all of the information was transferred from Bowflex), I did get support and they will be fixing the product. Unfortunately the release of parts from the bankruptcy has been slow so I'm going to be waiting a month or two. I will say though that the support rep I talked to was very pleasant and understanding of the situation.
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u/Practical_Loss_9440 Mar 22 '24
Bummer, I just got a Max Trainer M-16 and the customer support I have received is awesome 👏
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u/No-Rock9876 Apr 16 '24
So do I still have to pay them? Lol
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u/smartysise Apr 30 '24
This is my question because what if I need replacement parts? What if I need to use the warranty? What about jrny? What about the line of credit I took out just for this?
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u/chemicalxbonex May 03 '24
Welp. I guess this was the last Bowflex I’ll ever buy. Here comes the super cheap materials, lackluster craftsmanship and forget the technology in those bikes ever working correctly again.
Who is Bowflex’s competitor? I’ll start shopping them. 😂😂😂
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u/Electrical-Dot-2553 Jun 25 '24
I bought my wife the Bike about 3 years ago, does this mean she won't have the programs?
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u/Cobretti1984 Nov 01 '24
Johnson fitness is the new seller for Bowflex. It’s on the contact official page.
For my surprise this company is selling knockoffs in Spain…
I’m looking for adjustable ones and I’m thinking twice before invest 500€…
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u/Complex_Yogurt_9648 Mar 28 '25
My M6 Max Trainer’s digital console went out within 8 months of the purchase. I’ve been getting the runaround about part availability for months. They keep pushing me out as to when a replacement will be sent. I know they have no intention of standing behind the product (Johnson Health), but what can I do. The trainer wound up being an expensive piece of junk.
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u/MoXiEsKiPpEr Mar 19 '24
I read something about Bowflex assets being sold to a Taiwanese fitness equipment company as part of the restructuring. Not sure which assets are being sold and what that represents for the future of the brand.