I joined the gym and attended 2 trial sessions and a paid contracted session…read more
After experiencing some unexpected adverse effects due to past injuries and trauma, my doctor advised me that I needed a different type of fitness environment.
The owner would have known about my preexisting conditions if there had been any onboarding. In my experience, getting a new client's baseline fitness level, diet, current goals, and injury history is the minimum expectation when paying a premium price for semi-private coaching.
While absolutely no information about me or my history was obtained, she did make sure that I signed her contract--twice. A fact she immediately pointed out upon notification of ending my membership early.
I honored my contract and paid the full contractual buyout of $1,000+ despite being only one class into my contract and having to leave at the instruction of my doctor.
Although gym members were actively encouraged to speak and communicate directly with the owner before posting anything less than a five-star review about the gym, there was no similar invitation for a conversation with me about my gym experience, health, circumstances, or decision to leave. A communication that could have been mutually beneficial.
The cancellation process was cold, impersonal, transactional, and at times even downright curt and accusatory. Ending the working relationship was stressful not supportive.
Within moments of paying my $1,000+ balance and receiving confirmation that it had been paid, I requested that my saved checking account and credit card information be removed from the Members app because I was unable to remove them from my end.
I never receive a response to that request, and my payment information was not removed.
This gym advertises itself as a supportive all female community. I have been in supportive all-female environments my entire life: All girls boarding school, all women's college, employment at a different women's college, multiple female coaches training me for three triathlons, and volunteering in Guatemala and Africa for years supporting and promoting girls' education. I know and understand the supportive female environment. This gym experience was not at all in line with my decades of previous experiences.
And the irony is that if she had been kind, understanding or supportive in any way with me, she would have gotten that five star review she covets and actively lobbies her clients for. Instead, she made it all about money. Now not only does she now have a negative review, but if she loses even one prospective client because of my post, she financially will have lost twice as much as she gained with my 50% buyout. She took what could have been a win-win learning situation for everyone and made it a loss for both parties. Short-sighted and a little sneak peek into her true character.
An observation worth noting (I may as well get my money's worth at this point! ) of the 3 classes I attended, none were operating at capacity. Out of 6 slots, one class had only 1 other client, who was leaving. One had 2 people, including the person leaving, and the last had 3 clients, including the one leaving and someone doing a make-up session from an early class. I also know other classes and one-on-one slots are operating at less than capacity as well.
There could be a myriad of reasons for that, but it is an interesting discrepancy. It's hard to reconcile a gym that has been in business for five years that provides a genuinely supportive women's environment, great results, perfect five star reviews, operating in a wealthy area, but is operating far below capacity. It makes me question retention, or those who try it out and don't join. Or maybe there are more people out there who had a similar experiences as me.
