Peloton is a very visible company, and seems to be making a very serious error in judgment.

Customers were surprised, perplexed and angered to be charged an additional $39 per month to use their Tread+ treadmills for which they shelled out about $4,000.

Peloton debuted an update last week in response to design concerns with its product that led to the death of a child.

“We created Tread Lock to secure your Tread+ against unauthorized access,” the company said in an email to customers that one owner shared with Business Insider. “Unfortunately at this time, ‘Just Run’ is no longer available without a Peloton Membership.”

The spokesperson told Insider that Peloton is “working on updates” to its Tread Lock that would allow users to continue to use the “Just Run” mode, and the company is waiving three months of fees for All-Access memberships for all Tread+ owners.

Uh, not good enough, say many Peloton customers, some of whom have threatened legal action.

“We care deeply about the safety and well-being of our Members and we created Tread Lock to secure your Tread+ against unauthorized access,” Peloton in an email to BleepingComputer.com.

Peloton recalled more than 125,000 of its treadmills. They’ve added “Tread Lock,” which locks the Tread+ behind a passcode to prevent unauthorized use.

The Tread Lock feature is now mandatory and owners are forced into a subscription; the company no longer allows owners to use the free-run “Just Run” feature without a membership.

“Unfortunately at this time, ‘Just Run’ is no longer accessible without a Peloton Membership,” the email stated.

  • Bleepingcomputer.com listed a few responses, one of which, from Twitter user Wes Kennedy, said: “So wait… You buy a $3000 treadmill, then after you’ve purchased, with a ‘software update’ they stop it from working until you pay them $39.99/mo? Sounds like theft & ransomware to me…”

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