I have been trying to join this gym for several weeks, and unfortunately, what should have been a…read moresimple process has turned into an incredibly frustrating experience.
I live and work very close to the gym, so when my previous gym contract expired, I was genuinely looking forward to joining a facility that would be more convenient for both home and work. Unfortunately, I have found it surprisingly difficult to even get through the door.
The gym doors are locked, and access depends on staff being present. The posted "staffed hours" are clearly listed on the door, but they do not seem to correspond with when anyone is actually there. Over the past two weeks, I stopped by three separate times during those posted staffed hours. Each time, no one was there. I knocked, waited outside, and called the gym, but received no response.
I then submitted a contact form through the website and received an automated email saying that someone would be in touch soon. No one contacted me. I called again and left another message, and again, I received no response.
At that point, I began to wonder whether the gym was closing or experiencing some larger issue. I looked at the reviews and noticed that the owner, Jason, appeared to be friendly and responsive to customers publicly. He had also shared his email address, so I decided to reach out to him directly in the hope that I could finally get some clarity and simply become a member.
Unfortunately, my experience in private was very different from what I had seen in his public responses. While Jason was responsive, his emails came across as dismissive and defensive rather than helpful. There was no acknowledgment or apology for the fact that I had spent weeks repeatedly trying to contact the gym, despite making every effort to become a paying customer. Much of the conversation centered on defending the gym's staffing situation rather than addressing the very reasonable concern that the posted staffed hours did not appear to reflect when staff were actually present.
I ultimately spent another two days going back and forth just trying to find a time when I could come in, sign up, and join. After nearly three weeks of trying, I decided that the amount of effort required simply to become a customer was no longer worth it.
That is the part I find most disappointing. I wanted to support a local business, and I was actively trying to give them my business. It should not be this difficult for someone to become a paying member.
I am heading to In-Shape today to sign up instead. It is a little farther from home, but at this point, I would much rather deal with a business that makes it reasonably easy for prospective customers to actually become customers.
I hope the gym takes this feedback seriously. The issue is not that I expected special treatment; I simply expected the posted "staffed" hours to be accurate, my calls and messages to receive a response, and a straightforward membership inquiry to be handled with basic courtesy and professionalism.
