MANY HIDDEN FEES BE CAREFUL
I had a very unpleasant and frustrating experience with Bunda Northridge/Chatsworth, especially because I specifically called before purchasing the membership to make sure I understood what I would be paying.
I purchased their $49 One Week Unlimited New Client Offer during my birthday week because I wanted to try Bunda and attend one class. Before purchasing it, I called and spoke with Llena because I had seen something online that made me wonder whether there were additional daily charges. I specifically asked about extra fees because I wanted to make sure we were on the same page BEFORE I spent my money. She was very sweet and bubbly, and when I asked about paying additional fees every day, I remember her telling me essentially, "No, that wouldn't make sense." We even laughed about it. Based on that conversation, I purchased the membership believing I had paid $49 for one week of unlimited classes without additional daily charges.
My first class was Monday. Desiree greeted me and Ally was my trainer. Ally was actually very nice and welcoming, and I have nothing negative to say about her.
However, that was when I got my first red flag. I was told that equipment was only free the first time and afterward I would have to pay $6 per visit for equipment or approximately $56 to purchase it, and I was told I could not simply bring my own. This was extremely frustrating because I had specifically called BEFORE purchasing the membership to ask about additional fees and was told there weren't additional daily fees. Had I known that beforehand, I could have made an informed decision about whether I still wanted to purchase the membership.
Then Tuesday came. I woke up extremely sore from the previous day's workout and decided not to attend my scheduled class. Since I had already paid for an unlimited week, I didn't think much of missing one class.
Later that day, my card was charged an additional $20 as a no-show penalty.
To be fair, after going back and looking at the offer, I can now see that in small print it says, "Late Cancel / No Show Fee's Apply." However, it does not state on the membership details shown to me that the penalty is $20, and nobody explained the amount of that fee to me when I called to specifically ask about additional charges before purchasing. Between the $6 equipment charge and a $20 no-show fee, these are significant additional costs that I believe should have been clearly explained upfront.
I immediately reached out asking for clarification because I genuinely could not understand why I was being charged another $20 on top of a membership I had already paid for. Desiree contacted me and wanted me to call, but at that point I had already spent enough time trying to understand charges that I specifically tried to clarify BEFORE joining. I explained that I didn't want to spend more time going back and forth on the phone and simply asked for the policy and explanation in writing via text.
I waited for someone to resolve the situation or at least properly address my concerns, but I did not receive the refund or resolution I was hoping for. To make the experience even more frustrating, I later tried to schedule additional classes during the week I had already paid for and was unable to do so, and I couldn't get the help I needed.
What bothers me most isn't simply the $20. It's the lack of transparency and communication. I did exactly what a customer should do: I called BEFORE purchasing and specifically asked about additional fees so there wouldn't be any surprises. Yet after purchasing, I learned about a $6 equipment charge per visit and then received a $20 no-show charge.
I understand businesses have cancellation policies, and I have no problem following policies when they are clearly communicated. My issue is that if there are mandatory equipment charges and specific penalty amounts, customers should be told exactly what those charges are before purchasing, especially when they specifically call and ask.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a fun birthday-week trial turned into me spending more money, time, and energy trying to understand unexpected charges. The actual workout was fine and Ally was wonderful, but the billing experience and lack of clear communication completely overshadowed it.
I personally would not return based on this experience, and I strongly recommend that anyone considering the "unlimited" introductory offer ask for every additional fee, equipment charge, cancellation fee, and no-show penalty in writing before purchasing. read more