I'm writing this guide in the hope that others don't make the same costly mistake I did when purchasing a New Treadmill from e-trader.  I'm writing this Guide from a CONSUMERS point of view and I have nothing to do with the Fitness Industry.  

What I thought was the most important part of the treadmill was the Motor -  but I have since discovered it's the Electronics.  I was impressed with the fact that the treadmill I had purchased at Auction on-line for $830.00  had a 10 year warranty on it's motor (a leeson motor made in the USA).   What I didn't take into consideration was it only had a 1 year warranty on it's service and parts. 

Treadmills tend to have two sets of electonics the first being up on the console and the second is the  power circuit found at the bottom near the motor this is the  "BRAIN"   of the treadmill.

I have since found out that the power circuit is the MOST SERVICED part of the Treadmill.  Not the motor, or the frame or the belt.   An ideal warranty for the electronics is three years, with a one year warranty on service and a lifetime warranty on all the other bits.   If you spend around $2000 up  (normally the treadmills made in the USA) you will get a LIFETIME warranty on most of the components including the electronics.

Also be weary because some of the treadmills advertised by e-traders have a motor made in the USA but all the other components are made in China.   You will normally get a 10 year Warranty if the motor is  made in the US. Don't go for anything that has less than 10 years on the motor. Whatever you do DO NOT buy anything from e-traders that only has a 6 month warranty on its electronics - you will be in real trouble.  It's the electronics you have to worry about because if the "BRAIN" power circuit goes then your machine will not work at all. It's a very timely and expensive process for the call outs and for the new power circuit which could cost a couple of hundred dollars. 

The treadmill I purchased had its power circuit boards last only 9 months both times it was replaced.  There was also an absolute refusal by the e-trader who sold it to me to give me a personal guarantee that the 3rd power circuit board would last.

Always check that the treadmill meets Australian Standards with the C-tick rather than just European Standards as the Europeans are on a different testing system to Australia and New Zealand.  To have a C-tick the devices must go through stringent testing to comply with Aussie regulations (just in case let's say the device burns your house down via an electrical fire).  If you check your electrical appliances e.g. TV, Computer, kitchen appliances, cameras etc. they should all have the compliance C-tick on them (post 1998).  Needless to say the treadmill I purchased did not have the relevant compliance notice on it.  

E-traders who advertise they accept refunds - you will find that the refund only applies for the first 7 days.  In hindsight nothing will happen to the treadmill in the first 7 days (if something does go wrong in the first 7 days then get your money back and don't accept a replacement - it's only an indication of what's to come). Also traders must not mislead consumers into believing that they have no right to a refund when they may have that right under the law.  Examples of illegal signs are:

But also be aware products must do their job properly, bearing in mind their price and the way they are described. This is a legal obligation that applies, whether or not a trader or manufacturer decides to provide a written warranty or guarantee (voluntary warranty).

Consumers may ask for a refund if the goods purchased:

• are so defective that they should not have been sold, for example they don't work, they break down or they develop a serious fault.  If an article becomes defective after sale, one of the considerations for merchantable quality would be the price received by the supplier for the goods (eg. a $2 watch wouldn't be expected to last as long as a $300 quality watch)
• are not suitable for their intended purpose made known to the supplier, or
• do not match the sample or description provided.

If you are shopping around for a lower priced treadmill say under $1500, you are most probably better off looking for a well maintained 2nd hand treadmill selling on ebay, that had been purchased from a leading sports store or well known fitness equipment shop rather than buying a "no frills" name. 

If you are looking at treadmills that come in under $1000.  I would  recommend buying them from the two leading department stores (when the catalogues came out for fitness equipment) so if something does go wrong they are happy to give refunds with no questions asked as long as you have a receipt. 

You may also want to avoid dealing with e-traders who don't accept credit cards or Paypal which may give you some protection when it comes to getting a refund earlier on in the transaction if you are not happy with the purchase. The buyer may be able to contact their credit card provider and request a charge back on the credit card. 

Where a credit card provider or online payments service provider doesn’t satisfactorily resolve the problem, and the transaction was based in Australia, you may contact the Banking and Financial Services Ombudsman Tel. 1300 780 808.