Duped by Iron Gods: How We Got Our Money Back

Last month, we broke news that IronGodsGym.com had been advertising used Assault bikes, Concept2 rowers, and other equipment for insanely cheap prices — like $99 to $200 bucks. And of course, as the saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Turns out, Iron Gods was a total scam, and we heard from dozens of readers that had fallen for the too good to resist prices. We also heard from several readers who had taken action to get their money back. Here are a few things that worked for them.

1). Dispute the charge.

• Log onto your online banking or credit card account.
• Find the fraudulent transaction and start a fraud claim or dispute that transaction. Tip: You’ll need to have all your receipt records, email, shipping confirmation, and request for a refund handy. Pretty much, everything you ever got from Iron Gods.
• Your bank will ask you several questions about the nature of the dispute. Don’t worry. You’re not being graded. Answer all the questions as thoroughly as possible. Give plenty of detail so the bank has all the information they need.
• Depending on your bank, you may get a temporary credit while the bank or credit card company investigates your claim further. Otherwise, you may have to wait while they look into the fraud claim, sometimes up to 90 days.

2). File a complaint with your local District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Department.

• First, find your local District Attorney’s office. (Tip: You can also just ask good ol’ Google.) From there, you’ll find steps on how to file a consumer complaint for fraud.
• Make a list of all the things you want to include in the complaint. For Iron Gods in particular, this should include the fact that they claimed to only ship once a month as well as whether or not they promised you a refund.
• Write legibly and in pen. Better yet, type it out.
• Print out copies of all your email correspondence with Iron Gods. You’ll want to include these for supporting documentation.
• Once the Office of the District Attorney receives your complaint, the review process can take anywhere between two and eight weeks before you receive a formal written response.

3).  File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

• Once you submit your claim with the BBB, everything you submit will be forward to Iron Gods within two days. They will be asked to respond within 14 days. (They won’t.) So the BBB will send a second request. The BBB will notify you when they respond or that they never responded. Complaints are closed within 30 days.
• Since we know that Iron Gods is no longer replying to emails and that their postal mail is being returned as undeliverable, this may seem less than helpful. However, filing a complaint with the BBB will help consumers protect themselves against future scams.
• When we searched the BBB for complaints against Iron Gods, we discovered we were not the only ones who had a run in with them. Two people had already filed against them, and when we checked the company was listed as having closed their doors for business as of 7/18/18 with the following message from the BBB, “Out of Business. According to information in the BBB files, it appears that the company is no longer in business. The phone numbers the BBB had for this company are disconnected, and directory assistance does not have a listing for this company. The BBB’s mail to this company has been returned as undeliverable. If you have an unresolved dispute with this company you may wish to seek legal advice.”

Dang. Okay. So what now?

Well, now we wait. And while we wait, we mull over the lessons we’ve learned on how not to get scammed again.

• Check the Better Business Bureau first if you’re unsure.
• Check your local consumer protection office for current and common scams.
• Consider reaching out to the distributing company to make sure this is a reputable online dealer. Assault Fitness and Concept 2 have released statements warning consumers that Iron Gods is fraudulent. Also, when we reached out to them with questions, we did so as consumers. Both companies responded within 24 hours. It took no time at all.
• When all else fails, remember the adage: “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”