The pump that came with the ball was easy to use, and I was shocked at how quickly I was able to blow up the ball with it. Not saying it didn't hurt my arm, but I'm quite out of shape - hence the fitness ball! It really just took a few minutes, and it was blown up. I was a little confused at first about how to fit the pump into the hole, but once I got that figured out, it went very smoothly.
The ball itself is very easy to use, and it works really well.
The "fitness guide" that it comes with is nothing more than a small piece of paper with three or four exercises drawn out. I was thinking it was going to be a DVD or something. For $15 though, I can't complain about that.
I think it's completely worth the $15 I paid for it.