First of all, let me start this review by saying that up until today, I liked purchasing from Max Muscle.....sure they are a little more expensive that bodybuilding.com or Amazon, but I liked the advice they can give and you get it right away instead of having to wait for it to be shipped.
Now, after today's experience, I will not be returning as a customer to Max Muscle. I prefer to to business with companies that have integrity and I feel Max Muscle does not. Todays dealing also leads me to believe they the company is also dishonest in many other areas.
Today's experience:
I was looking into getting some quest bars as my wife and I are trying to eat healthier and make some good nutritional choices. The only problem is we are living on a really tight budget so buying $2 + protien bars was a little high for our budget. Lets just be real, it is MUCH less expensive to eat crap (Top Ramen, pasta, junk meats, canned foods) as opposed to lean meats, fresh veggies and good supplements.
So as I was browsing i came across some $35 gift certificates to Max Muscle that can be purchased on www.YourRadioStore.com for only $18. I thought, that's a great deal. It will allow me to purchase some bars without a lot of cost....right? WRONG
(For those unfamiliar with how YourRadioStore.com works, its advertising in trade to American General Media. When a company can't/doesn't want to pony up the money it takes to advertise on the radio, AGM allows them to trade the amount they want in advertising for gift certificates to the business. AGM then takes those certificates and sells them on YourRadioStore.com to customers at around a 50% discount)
SoI purchase two certificates, go down a pick up my certificates to Max Muscle and take them to the Coffee Rd location to use them (cert says valid at both Bakesfield locations). Once I arrive the guys working in the store were very helpful and even offered me a sample of some protein that I was interested in. They helped me pick out the two boxes of Quest Bars that I wanted and I proceeded to checkout.
This was when it all started to go downhill. I presented the $35 certificate toward my bill of about $50 and they guy helping me called another guy over. Then they told me they were not sure I could use it on quest bars and that he would need to call the owner or manager (not sure who he contacted). He took a min and came back and told me that the Quest bars had too low of a profit margin and "they didn't make very much off them" so I wasn't going to be able to use the certificate for Quest Bars. I was more that able to pick out other items that had a higher profit margin, but the the margin on the bars was too low and Max Muscle was the cheapest place in town to buy them.
I explained how I purchased the certificate, the amount paid (these were not free) and that no where on it does it state that you cannot use it for "low margin" items. (the only restrictions listed on the gift certificate is "not good with any other offers"). I asked if I could get a number to talk to a manger or owner about the situation. He again called someone on the phone, came back to the counter and then responded with the same thing as before. That I was not going to be able to purchase the bars using the gift certificate and that essentially, they were "offering" me a deal on the bars at the price they had on them.
I asked if they could sell me the bars at regular price so I could use the certificate and it was a no go. (even though the certificate also states "good on anything in the store")
I told the guys that it was a really crappy situation being that customers should not be forced to purchase "high margin" items just so they get a better deal out of the advertising trade they did. I know this is not the fault of the guys working at the store but is a problem at the manager/owner level.
In conclusion - DO NOT shop at Max Muscle. With situations like this, it just shows that they have a total lack of corporate integrity and for that reason you wont see me there.
PS- I was able to return the certificates I purchased back to AGM and YourRadioStore.com, (but not after driving from Easton DR. to Coffee Rd and back to reurnt them spending an easy $15 in gas in my truck) read more
