LA Fitness International reviews and complaints 1
View all 403 complaintsLA Fitness International - personal training contract
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I thought I was old and wise enough to know this, and to trust my gut when it screams NOOOOO! But I fell for the promise of "free training sessions" if I signed up. I even fell for the high pressure pitch when I said I wanted to think about it. "I may not want to make you the same offer tomorrow..." I feel violated!
I probably told this personal training manager at the San Marcos, CA club 10 times or more that I had NO INCOME, and was using a small amount of savings for a few months to get in shape for an upcoming job on a sailboat. He assured me that I could cancel my contract anytime and the automatic payments would stop. All I had to do was come talk to him when I wanted to cancel, and he would take care of it. I questioned a few things in the contract, that I admittedly did not read all that well, and he kept assuring me not to worry about it. Like an idiot, I trusted him. I had put on some weight and had fallen off my work out routine. I was feeling flabby and out of shape, and must have appeared as vulnerable as I felt.
This personal training "manager" did give me a few "free" sessions, and I also got the lame half hour one I supposedly paid for. I never really felt my needs were being met but figured this will come in time. After the first month, I realized I was better off physically and financially on my own and went to him for guidance as he instructed. He rather callously handed me a piece of paper and told me to send it in and everything would be ok. Again, I believed him. A few days later I received what appeared to be an email confirmation so I felt ok. What I did not see, because my trusting nature refused to see it, was that the effective date was almost a year later! Imagine my surprise, anger, frustration, and fear when I saw that another $39.00 had been debited from my seriously depleted bank account!
After several persistent calls, and some rather rude comments from the Operations Manager of the club, I was told that the VP agreed to cancel my contract, effective immediately, but that I would not receive any refunds. As of today, August 31, 2009, I have not received the promised email confirmation and am in the process of writing to this Operations Manager, the VP, and the president of LA Fitness. I also canceled my debit card so hopefully that will keep these sharks out of my bank account.
I have expert legal advice from some very good friends who happen to specialize in class actions. One of them just settled a huge consumer case and is looking for another cause to champion. Maybe this will be the one!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Latest LA Fitness International Reviews
ZERO star. Yoga Instructor - Stratford/Trumbull, CT Sharron M. Bad energy. LA Fitness Hyde Park Chicago Il 12 month training contract Cleanliness Parking lot over run by church members throughout the week and on Sunday our parking lot is unusable for membersGiving a Voice to Consumers
At ComplaintsBoard, we know how real consumer issues matter. Our platform is a special place for honest opinions, where people share their reviews openly and honestly, whether good or bad.
Our team checks each complaint or review thoroughly to confirm that each one comes from a real customer experience, keeping our platform trustworthy.
We're totally cool with complaints, as long as you've got some evidence to back it up. Whether it's a photo, a detailed story, or documents, providing evidence makes your complaint more believable and helps others make smart choices.
ComplaintsBoard is more than just a place to share complaints; it's a community where we talk things out fairly. We welcome reviews that not only point out problems but also mention any positive experiences, giving a balanced view.
We're dedicated to providing a fair and unbiased platform for all complaints. Every complaint is important to us, no matter what it's about, ensuring your concerns are heard and respected.
Personal training in LA Fitness is expensive and benefits of the contract are one sided. Individuals must sign for 3/6/12 months contracts that could not be terminated without serious penalties implied on individuals. Training sessions are short. 25 minutes, especially considering price of $40 on the 12m term. Prices are also getting more expensive for the shorter contracts. Upfront fee of $159 does not look reasonable considering no value provided upfront from LA Fitness side.
I am having a similar experience with the LA Fitness club in Edina, Minnesota. I was swindled into a contract by a guy named Geoff Bray. He did the high pressure pitch - "sign up today and I'll give you free sessions on the side, this price is good only today" BLAH BLAH BLAH. I should have read the contract a little better, but he kept assuring me I could cancel if I felt later like I couldn't afford it. Well, later I decided that I couldn't afford it, and tried to cancel. I got no where with the actual club manager, and of course the guy who sold it to me originally had left the club. When I asked why he left someone told me "well, there's probably a reason he's not with the company anymore" (the implication being that he had lied to other people as well).
The best the VP would do for me 7 months ago was to freeze my sessions for 6 months. I thought maybe this would be enough time to feel more financially secure and be able to pay the membership fee again. Well, now I'm being billed again, and I still can't really afford it, so tonight I went to talk to the personal training manager at the club - Brady. I explained how unhappy I was with my personal training experience, and that I was going to quit the club entirely if he didn't cancel the contract. He said I could cancel if I paid a $350 fee. I said I wasn't able to pay that and that I'd be canceling my membership to the club as well then. I told him that the customer service I'd received was horrible and he told me "Well, not everyone is gonna be happy". I asked if that is LA Fitness's slogan because it sure seems like it. I've called my bank to put a stop payment on any charges originating from LA Fitness and now I just need to write to the President (I can't find out how/where to do that - anyone know?).
Anyway, my advice is not to sign up for personal training here. The trainers are terrible, and you can never get the same trainer - it's a revolving door of people in and out of the club. There is no accountability. And they will LIE to you to get you to sign the contract. BEWARE!