Customer Reviews

OSIM uAstro Zero-Gravity Massage Chair

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

First of all, I did not order from Amazon, instead the product was ordered directly at the local BrookStone store. The review rating refers to the uAstro product itself, and the warranty service provided by BrookStone.

The order was placed on 7/17, and the chair arrived on 7/20, which was actually very fast. After using it for a while, I immediately noticed one design flaw, where the pillow would slip upward during its operation, because it was only secured with the velcro tape on one side (top), as opposed to two sides (top-down), hence the slippage. Unlike the top of the line OSIM products - uDesire, or uYogga, where the chairs are made in Japan; uAstro was made in China, of which Quality Control is a serious concern to us. Well, my brand new uAstro is no exception, it arrived with one major defect, where the air bag on the left arm does not seem to work at all. I have tried all possible program modes, and I even opened up the padding to verify the cable connections were intact. Urrrrrghhh, you know how frustrated you could be to find out such an obvious defect for a $3500 product from OSIM?

Next comes the BrookStone warranty system. First I called their 800-846-3000 customer service hotline, which told me to contact their repair service vendor - BWN directly at 877-435-6332. So, I did, and then was told they only handle warranty beyond one year from date of purchase, and suggested me to call 800-846-3000, the same number I just called. I then tried calling the warranty number at 1-800-292-9819, which also suggested me to contact BWN again to arrange an in-house repair service. After I refused to be looped around by their ball-kicking process, the rep put me on hold, and told me that someone will get back to me in 3 days to let me know when they can schedule the service or not. This of course is not acceptable to me, so she put me on hold again, and then told me later on, she will call BWG personally and told them that I want a service schedule by today.

This is my 4th OSIM chair purchases, and nothing like this had happened to me before. I am starting to think uAstro is a BrookStone product, the quality is nowhere near the OSIM ones as far as I am concerned with. Best of luck to your next purchase.... Think twice, if I were you.

[Last Updated, Aug 23rd, 2010] After waiting for a full 30 days, I have finally received my chair replacement from BrookStone. This one works right out of the box, and the strength of action, including air bags, all seem to be stronger, much better than the 1st one. Other than the neck area, I am pleased with the rest of massaging quality of this chair, hence the increase to 4 stars, from 2 previously.

At a hefty price of $3500, you get very little value for your money. The neck and shoulder massage is completely useless in that even at the most powerful setting, you can't even feel it. This is not a glitch with once machine but consistent in every one I've tried (4). You're basically paying for the arm/hand massage and the ability to recline further than most chairs. Both of these capabilities add very little value and certainly not worth the $1500 price difference between this model and the models that are missing these two capabilities. When you're buying a massage chair, make no compromises as these items are heavy, difficult to repair, and often (as this one does) have restocking fees that make the decision to return purposely more difficult. This brand of chair is available on Amazon or in Brookstone stores only. If you go to the Brookstone site you will be hard pressed to find an honest review because Brookstone screens the reviews. Don't waste your money on this chair, go for something half the price but more effective on the parts of your body that matter the most (Neck, Shoulders, Back). *You can buy a leg and foot massager separately at a fraction of the cost though most of the other chairs include this feature anyway.

Like others, I actually bought my chair at Brookstone not Amazon. I read all the reviews here and because of all the poor reviews almost cancelled my order. It seems most people refer to two key elements when describing their satisfaction or lack there of. The first is the delivery guys who come to your house and set up the chair and the second is the chair itself.

Delivery Guys get 1 Star: My two delivery guys were nice enough, but they simply lacked knowledge of the chair. They both reeked of smoke, were missing most their teeth, and basically clueless. After reading others reviews I was prepared for this, and simply asked the delivery guys to put the chair in my home office and not touch it. I went through the manual to check out each function and it all worked fine. Again, they were friendly and happy just to watch me check out the chair. If I were older (e.g. a retiree) I think these two guys would have made me feel uncomfortable.

The Chair gets 4 Stars: I'm not new to massage chairs and have high standards. I've had this chair now for 4 months and use it religiously every day. This one does it all - and does it well. The Zero Gravity function is amazing as it totally repositions your weight so the massage is comfortable. The rollers are very smooth which on a lot of chairs is not the case. If you can like deep tissue massages, you can make it as intense as you like - I use the medium setting. The airbags keep you in place...when the chair works your lower back for example, it first uses the air bags to secure you tightly in the chair and then works on your lower back - absolutely phenomenal. There are a couple areas for improvement:

Stretch Mode: I love this massage mode though one part of it squeezes your toes and pulls them when it intends to squeeze your foot and stretch it. I checked another chair and it did it too so an area for improvement.

Neck Massage: On a positive note I really didn't expect the neck pillow to do much, and it did exceeded my low expectations. But don't expect an intense neck massage because it is pretty basic.

In summary, my experience with the chair is very positive. If your on the fence like I was, I don't think you'll find a better chair for the money. I couldn't.

Tired of Brookstone service? Tell the World and join the Facebook Group "Brookstone Stores Suck"

Im not sure why the reviews give the chair negative reviews, but this chair is awesome - It almost makes the lying Brookstone told me directly that the chair would be delivered in 2-3 days .... Well, After taking a day off work for when it was suppose to be delivered I called their carrier - PILOT AIR FREIGHT and was told I would get a call back that night... Never happened. Now I am being told that the chair will be delivered in another 3 business days, and its Friday today - So it MAY be here Wednesday - about 9 days after I ordered at a Brookstone store. Overall, I know I shouldnt be that upset - but I want my chair and was told 2-3 Days even though it will take a minimum of 9!

Update : Its been two weeks now and they have delivered TWO chairs and both had issues - The 1st chair delivered was the wrong chair, two days later they delivered the right chair but it had defective parts and I had to refuse the delivery, now after 3 more days of trying to find out what Brookstone is doing I am told they are out of the black chair and wont have it until the end of December (and I am on vacation the 1st week of January) so if I want the black one I need to wait until Mid January. So I have told them to deliver the Mocha one - But they arent sure it can get here by Christmas (5 days from now).

Do yourself a favor, skip the chair and get one from another company that isnt Brookstone. Oh, and through all of these issues - They have NOT offered any form of compensation for my 2 days of vacation that I used - or the fact that I had to tell my wife about her Christmas present.

Update 2: 3 Days until Christmas Eve and I have called Brookstone three times and they keep promising to call me right back - No calls yet. At this rate I will not have my chair for Christmas - Nice huh? Hey Hun, You really do have a great Christmas gift coming ... soon... (Im not sure I believe that anymore)

Update 3: Its December 23rd and they just delivered my Mocha chair - since the black we wanted is out of stock and this is am Xmas present, I settled for the color change. The set it up and left, I went to test the chair out and the remote just blinks. I called Brookstone and they said I need service, so I have now been told that they will call me back for a service date. This is the 3rd chair delivered in a week and half - and it doesnt work either!

Avoid this chair! It is poorly assembled and fragile as glass, so it appears. Christmas is going to be a joy now, a broken massage chair for my wife .... Brookstone service sucks.

Bought my chair from Brookstone with the 3 year extended 'service plan'. Less then two months in and the right arm bags don't pump. You can hear the air leaking when they're SUPPOSED to fill. I called their support center and was told to open the zipper and see if I can possible reconnect the air line. I tried to open the zipper and the 'metal' zipper broke. I was told that they scheduled a service call, but that I'd still need to call their 3rd party warranty provider to actually 'schedule' the date/time. I wonder what their definition of schedule is. So now I've been on the phone for 30min waiting to talk to someone with US Assembly (the 3rd party provider) to get someone to fix the chair.

I bought this chair at one of Brook Stone's retail store (stone town)in San Francisco after wanting it for a long time, and I paid around $3000 during the promotion. I have to say this is the worst in home delivery experience I have ever had in my life. There were two guys who came to deliver and set up the chair. Two of them could not install the left arm air pad part, and they said it is because the screw size is wrong and need to reorder a smaller screw, and then one of the deliver tries to convince me the chair can be used without this particular screw and it is no big deal with an angry tone. I said no I don't think so, and I don't want to take a risk having a defective product for this amount of money. But he did not stop trying convince me and told he wanted to get on the chair and demo for me it can work normally. This chair has a 220 lbs limit says on the product description, and this guy weighted at least 450 lbs and I almost scream and told him not to sit on my brand new $3000 chair and break it. I was intimidate at this point and told him to haul the chair back on his truck since I do not want the overnight liability and it does seem like a "wrong screw" issue to me at all. This deliver guy got mad cussed at me saying I am a crazy old lady that I need to go see a brain doctor and he will never call me back or deliver another chair to my home. Yes, he said that, I was shocked and told him he better leave now before I dial 911. I was beyond pissed off and angry and frustrated, paid $3000 for a fancy message chair and got a lemon and then got cussed at by a unprofessional deliver guy who looks like he is on drugs. seriously??? I don't understand how can Brook Stone contract with such low profile local deliver company, and this is their so called "professional trained technician"! I later called the store and the manager told me to call the corporate 1800 number which I did, they finally agreed to send me another new chair after I went through all the hassle and complaint. I am sharing this horrible experience, so you guys can think twice before purchase this expensive chair with might have quality control issue. This whole experience is a nightmare!

My rating will be on the product only. I did have a bad delivery experience but not as bad as some others. I want to make this review about the product since that's what's left after all the initial delivery and service problems are over.

First, I'll describe my delivery problem so people will know what "can" happen. Brookstone contracts out their delivery service, so it's expected to be more disorganized. Right after they assembled the product, I asked them to move it closer to the wall. When they are carrying it, they dropped it and I heard a clear cracking sound. I brought it up to them but they said it's a manufacturing defect. I should have refused delivery right there and then, but I accepted it. Afterwards, I can hear rattling and the motor noise seem louder than usual. I called Brookstone and they started a service process that involves another third party to come over and fix it. That party will call me later and order parts before showing up. I went to a Brookstone store and talked to their representatives directly. Here, I want to give credit where credit is due. They are very attentive and agreed to exchange one. The next day, the manager of the store called and said an exchange is in order and will come soon. The new chair showed up not long afterwards and the noise is actually much quieter. This part, I am very satisfied with.

Now, my review of the product. It is true. The neck and should massage is superficial at best. And if you actually have a neck problem, it is practically useless. Their air pillow is also shaped funny and I feel worse putting my head on it. I tried to lift the pillow over the chair and use the rollers directly on my neck but the chair is not designed for it. Without the pillow, the backside is too caved in so there's no support for the head. This is very painful for anybody with neck muscle problems. I even tried putting a real pillow there but it feels awkward and the rollers don't seem to know where to stop and where to work on. It doesn't feel intelligent at all.

The back massage, however, is not bad. The roller strength is not too strong and works pretty good with the air bags on the side. They squeeze you in while push you with the rollers. This is actually pretty comfortable. The arms, legs and feet parts seem to be air only with little "balls" to apply some pressure under the feet and behind the calves. The air bag strength can be pretty high so it can actually feel painful if you don't like to be squeezed. I don't mind it though.

I tried the different preset settings like Full Body, Relax, Revitalize, Swedish, Stretch, etc. To tell you the truth, I can't tell the differences between though. Maybe some are stronger while others are not. The routines they go through seem to be the same. The only one that stands out is the stretch. I find it pretty interesting since it squeeze you at different parts and "pull" and "push" your body parts by moving the chair. I find it decently comfortable but the rest of my family find it to be very painful. When the feet squeezes, it seem to grab on to you by your little toe. This will probably not work for everyone.

All in all, I am disappointed. I have chronic neck and shoulder problems so I wanted something to relax it and get the blood flowing. The chair, however, does not deliver. I have tried the Panasonic shiatsu and it seems to be better at localizing in that area. I tried this for a bit before I bought it but I was hasty because it was on sale. I regret it now. The worst part of this is the return policy. Returning it means a 15% restocking fee PLUS the delivery back which costs around 300-400 dollars. Added together, it's like a 3rd of the total price. High value mattresses all have a 30 day trial with full money back and I am disappointed that something like this doesn't. It's hard to really know how well a massage chair works until you do it over and over at your leisure. Not when you are dead tired after walking around in the mall all day. I still give it 3 stars though because others in my family find it to be really good. It doesn't solve everyones' problems so you need to be sure it works for you. My advice to people is to try it, think about it and then try it again...

I don't normally write reviews, but our experience has been so unbelievably horrible, I felt compelled to warn people.

Firstly, what was promised to be quick delivery was anything but. When the chair finally did arrive, the installers began moving parts of the chair into the house. They began to push the biggest piece across our brand new hardwood floors. I stopped them and said: please don't drag anything heavy across our new floors. They responded by telling me that it was on wheels and not to worry. After spending a lot of time trying to bang things together, they handed me an extra bolt that they said was a spare. Yeah, right. When they applied power to the chair, I heard them say: "Uh oh". Not something you expect (or want) to hear. The light on the control would just flash, and the chair wouldn't work. They said that they would need to remove it and that they would order a replacement. They then preceded to role the chair back out the front door, fully assembled this time. I then watched them as they dragged this thing down my front steps, ruining what was left of the chair and leaving all kinds of black marks on our front steps.

After the chair was removed, I looked down and to my horror I saw that they had ruined our new hardwood floors. They left permanent tracks (indentations) over about thirty feet of flooring where they had dragged the chair. I contacted Brookstone immediately to report what had happened. The customer service representative was apologetic and told me not to worry, and that they would "make it right". I found the installation guide online, and it clearly stated that the chair was extremely heavy, and that precautions needed to be taken to prevent damage to flooring. After considerable follow-up with Brookstone, they informed me that I would need to submit a claim with the freight company. They assured me that the freight company would be the ones to rectify the problem, once we submitted a claim. I then agreed to pursue the issue with the carrier, but reminded them that I didn't choose this horrible freight company, and that Brookstone would be ultimately responsible.

The freight company sent someone out to look at the damage, and he verbally acknowledged seeing about thirty feet of tracks in the floor. Then, after calling them to follow-up, they stated that the damage was not caused by the chair, and was the result of "normal wear and tear." Our floors were brand new and perfect prior to this incident. The freight company is obviously lying to get out of a claim. I've contacted Brookstone again, and am currently awaiting their response. A flooring expert has since come in and informed us that our floors will have to be re-coated for a cost of several thousand dollars. My advice, do yourself a huge favor and forget about buying anything like this from Brookstone. This experience has been a horrible nightmare for us, and is apparently going to cost us thousands to fix.

I have had the chair for about 6 months and the massage was good. Upon major breakdown of this very expensive chair and very expensive extended warranty the run around to get this fixed is incredible. After about a month of going back and forth on the phones, emails, sending photos etc with all the different companies-Brookstone, Brookstone Warranty, Brookstone Extended Warranty and the repair service, a repair man finally came out and said" I have never seen THIS happen before', so he took more pictures and basically said unrepairable.

At this point Brookstone says they can't help for a while because some other company doesn't always answer their phone....????!!!???? They will get back to us sometime within a week or so. Are you kidding me?? Still waiting, still have no chair and they still have my $3500.

Total waste of money- never should have broken my own rule of buying the extended warranty too. Disappointed that money like this was spent and now we are being treated like we are taking up their time. Poor product, poor customer service.

The shipping is horrible. They came about 2 weeks after the estimated date. Was suppose to come before xmas. It;s very big. When they show it at brookstone. They have more room, and they never display the full feature of it. Because the chair is suppose to go all the way back straight and flat, just like a dentist chair. So it will require a massive amount of room. But the chair is good, just inconvenience. It's a great chair, but wish return or exchange would be easier, so i did not exchange it. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.