Beware.
With ASF, their contract manager, you can't break the contract unless you die.
Don't let this gym be a dark step in your weight loss journey like I did!
Huh, wonder where my first review went? Guess they had it deleted. Don't worry I'll just keep writing them.
I had a two-year contract with a year of personal training. They will tell you anything to get you to sign. I told them I might be moving, oh that wasn't a problem. I was super honest, told them I had high anxiety with panic attacks and depression (the cause of my obesity), oh they'd work with me. It's like a used car dealership.
As each session went on, I felt like they were purposefully trying to humiliate me to get me to quit. No one would say hello or bye to me even when I looked them in the face. Negging during nutrition sessions. "No one will ever love you if you don't lose weight." Sexual harassment during personal training, i.e., trainer crossed her chest like she was offended I was checking her out when I was trying to learn a new exercise and then she laughed about it, did it on purpose. I'm straight and married!
I was always the big girl in the session of three or four other healthy people. At 240 pounds they had exercises and weights that were beyond my ability as a beginner. I would try my best, and they'd get angry or condescending when I couldn't physically lift or do. They were not patient as I was trying to learn with high anxiety already. I felt like why did they work so hard to sell me a contract only to act like I was a burden or a joke? There were days I wanted to drive my car off the Zebulon Road bridge cause of their attitude. Where was the kindness of the inspirational quotes and signs they displayed? What a two-faced front.
Oh and they told me they didn't know where my sign-up paperwork and file was, i.e. you're locked in this contract now, so it doesn't matter, if you don't like something quit. I felt like information about me could be floating anywhere in that gym. No professionalism. No privacy. Didn't help to update credit card info they tell you to write it on a piece of paper and just leave it on the counter. If I had it to do over, I would have gone to a doctor supervised weight loss center. I thought a gym close to my apartment for ladies would be a good place to stay motivated and make friends. Oh.how.wrong.I.was.
There was one individual that gave me more attitude than others, so I tried to avoid her by going other times. I emailed Alli about it, cause she was hard to reach, but she never answered me. Delegated it all. I wasn't allowed to work with the people I preferred. I actually signed to work with Alli as my trainer, and did so because I saw she was professionally certified. But they only put me down to work out with her once, although my schedule was super flexible. I never saw any certification for the other trainers or employees.
AND they always acted like it was a super surprise that I was losing weight. Made me feel like they flubbed and patted a lot of their experience with obese clients. I felt like the photos on their walls and books were just stock photos and they'd never helped anyone before like me before. It's like, what, I walked in the door and they figured I'd be fat forever and just wanted my money? Yeah.
Then I started having pain in my foot. I was encouraged not to go to the doctor, to suck it up, and rub a golf ball on my foot. I was told my foot was just "tight". No, it was a nerve tumor made worse by exercise. I told the Alli, the assistant, and my other trainers that my doctor wanted me to take it easy for while. It's like they didn't hear me. Didn't make a note. They wanted me to do jumping jacks with weights while I was in pain.
So I left. My doctor told me no more standing/feet exercises unless I wanted surgery that would cause my toes to be forever numb. I tried to end the contract. At first I was told by ASF that I could buy-out the rest of my membership which would have saved some money. But then they came back and said no, I'd have to be dismembered or dead.
I guess if the gym had shown me any kindness as a human being or the customer service level of, oh I don't know, Dollar General, I might have tried to stay and focused on my arms. But after the attitudes and humiliations I had no confidence they'd listen to me or help me.
And it was too late for my foot. Still had to have surgery. No feeling in two toes, two years later. Add $7000 to a gym membership I couldn't use.
But I didn't give up. I'm 130 pounds now and still losing thanks to the support I found elsewhere.
I pray they don't hurt other people. read more
