MuscleDepot.Com – Flex Your Cyber Muscles Here
Written: Aug 04 '02 (Updated Sep 27 '04)
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One of the nicest things about shopping over the internet is being able to find the best deal. Sites that offer competitive prices, low shipping and great customer service usually rank higher with me than those that pull the old ‘bait and switch’ routine. They advertise a certain product at a lower than retail price and when you go to order it you are told that it’s placed on backorder and are unsure of when the stock will be replenished.
Sometimes I remain loyal to sites that treat me like a friend rather than a faceless number. Muscle Depot has a moderate selection of products and to some that might be looked at as a downside. To me, it allows them to concentrate on certain manufacturers and provide low prices, fast shipping and maintain a high level of satisfaction.
Site Navigation
Overall the site is bare bones and nothing too spectacular to look at. Then again, are you visiting the site to get low prices on items or for visual flights of fancy? Getting around the site is easy but you might need to jump into it and get your feet wet before you feel completely comfortable. I suggest checking out one of the four steeping stone links at the top left corner of the main page until you get your bearings. These four links allow you to search by product, manufacturer name, sale products or to view the different categories.
At the boom of the main page you’ll be able to see some of the big names that Muscle Depot carries. MetRX, TwinLab, ProLab, CytoDyne and Next Nutrition are just a few of the big hitters that are featured on the site. They don’t stock every product from every manufacturer so don’t expect them to have some obscure item in stock. If you are looking for something that isn’t listed, be sure to call or email the customer service team to see if they can help you get it.
One thing that really needs improvement is the amount of information about a product. If you are someone just getting into sports or weight lifting / body building this site might not be the best for you to start with. There aren’t many products that have text descriptions or photos so know what you are ordering before you add stuff to your cyber cart. On each of the individual product pages where you get the item number, price, complete name and manufacturer information there is a small link labeled as “view product”. Nine times out of ten when you click it a blank page loads. From time to time you’ll see a photo listed on the individual pages but what good is a photo without any information to back it up? If you come across an item that has a photo listed – clicking on the “view product” link will likely give you nothing more than a larger photo of the product.
If you get lost during your travels though the site you can return to the main page by clicking the ‘home’ link that hovers at the top right of every subsequent page. Be warned, this is a bare bones site that offers you low prices over bells and whistles. Know about the products you are ordering before you make a purchase to avoid having to make a return and losing money.
Muscle Depot Club
If you hate to enter in your information time and time again, you can eliminate this hassle by joining the free Muscle Depot Club. Aside from receiving updates and sales notifications, you also have the ability to track your shipments with two clicks rather than ten. This is a nice feature that I wish more sites offered – it takes away the pain of having to add the same information over and over again and making finding out when your order is due to arrive a breeze.
My Purchases
Universal Fat Burner Capsules [90 count] Suggested retail price of $21.95, Muscle Depot price - $11.66. I go through a bottle about once every 45 days and generally take 2 – 3 of these a day to keep my metabolism from hitting lows. This is the best price I have found on these little gems and as long as they keep stocking them, I’ll keep buying them!
Next Nutrition Designer Protein Peanut Better Body with Glycerlean [12 count]. Suggested retail price of $42.00, Muscle Depot price $20.99. I am sure I could find a place that is a few dollars cheaper but I don’t want to take the risk of getting old bars or ones that have been exposed to extreme heat or cold. While this doesn’t damage the bars, it could slightly effect the taste of them.
Universal Ripped Fast II [120 count] Suggested retail price of $29.95, Muscle Depot price - $14.36. I don’t take these often, maybe three times a week. I like to use these in place of the Universal Fat Burners so my metabolism doesn’t get used to the effects of the product. Again, this is the best price I’ve found on them so I will remain loyal to Muscle Depot on these products.
Methods of Payment
Currently Muscle Depot gladly accepts the following Credit Cards as payment for your order: American Express, MasterCard, & VISA. Money orders or cashiers checks payable in US funds are accepted on a pre-payment basis only.
Muscle Depot accepts the major credit cards; MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. I’ve used my credit card when placing orders and have never been over billed, double billed or been charged a different amount than what was quoted. My brother order some protein powder and paid with a money order he obtained at a grocery store. He mailed in his order and received it in about 14 days [including weekends] and was rather pleased with the timely delivery considering the purchase was made with a money order.
If you don’t wish to pay for your order with a major credit card, you can pay, like my brother, with a money order or a cashier check sent to the address listed at the site along with a print out of your order. Orders that are being paid with a cashiers check or money order will not ship until the fund have been received.
Customer Service
The key to any business – internet or face to face – is the customer service team. If there is a problem – regardless of who is at fault – it should be everyone’s common goal to rectify the situation as soon as possible. Muscle Depot has a great team working to ensure your complete satisfaction with your purchase. With more and more internet businesses popping up daily, the final and deciding factor that will keep customers coming back again and again is the strength of the customer service department.
If you call and have a question, you can be assured that it will be answered by someone who knows about the product. Not someone reading off of a manufactures information sheet or someone who is sucking down Twinkies and slurping down a 7-11 Gut Buster Pepsi. When I called to get some information about the new Glycerlean line from Next Nutrition I got some great information. They had the products in stock and ready to ship before my local sports nutrition store even knew about the new line.
Shipping Fees
This is by far one of the best features of the site and a true “no brainer”. Anything under $50.00 will cost you $5.95 to ship. $50.01 - $100.00 and its only $7.95. Anything over $100.01 is delivered free! Now, you might wonder how someone could spend over $100.00 at an internet nutrition store, trust me, it’s extremely easy. My brother and I now combine our shipments to take advantage of the free shipping – but I still get stuck putting it on my credit card. Go figure.
Return Policy
Your order can be returned to Muscle Depot within seven days of delivery after obtaining a RMA [Return Merchandise Authorization] number from the customer service department. Contact customer service for information on making a return as well as how to properly ship your product so that you receive a prompt refund. Shipping fees are not refundable. If a shipment is refused upon delivery the customer may be charged a $9.95 fee – unless the shipment is an error from Muscle Depot.
Damaged goods should be handled the same way as a return – contact the customer service department and inform them of the damage. Be sure to keep the entire product and outer package as they may need this to file a claim.
Contact Information
Muscle Depot
450 Atlantic Boulevard
Neptune Beach, Florida 32266
[800] 586-1156 - telephone
[904] 247-4290 - fax
sales@muscledepot.com - General questions
CustomerCare@MuscleDepot.com - Customer service
www.muscledepot.com
The Bottom Line
Overall I am impressed with the fast delivery times and great customer service. I’ve never had any major problems with receiving my order on time or getting the right product. On one occasion I did receive a 120-count bottle of a fat burner when I originally ordered a 90-count bottle. When I called to let them know they shipped the wrong size they told me that they were out of the 90-count bottle and wouldn’t get it in stock for at least two weeks. They substituted the 120-count bottle to avoid holding up my order.
AS I said earlier, if you are new to sports nutrition, chances are you won’t learn anything form this site. If you have a list of products that you are looking for prices on then I highly suggest you give Muscle Depot a good hard look. The shipping fees are extremely gracious and attractive and you have a tremendous customer service team to back up each and every order.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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