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Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness review: harassed and threatened by another member of the gym 22

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Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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Planet Fitness
113 Crosby Rd.
Dover, NH 03820

At a staten island, ny location, where i have been a member since opening day, i was harassed and threatened by another member of the gym. I asked the staff in assistance in either removing this person or simply asking her to stop the cursing, threats and harassment. The staff member walked away offering no help.

I sought the help of management and the owner of the club. When i told my story they seemed very sympathic and told me they would look into it. Two weeks later, my membership was canceled! I never cursed. I never threatened anyone or harassed anyone. I was shocked and wrote registered letters to both the owner and the ceo asking them to review this and reconsider. I phoned the corporate office many times. To date there has been no response! They have not refunded my money!

I would still be enjoying this gym had i not complained to management!

Jane Doe
Staten Island, NY

22 comments
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J. Colburn
wilmington, US
Nov 18, 2011 5:40 pm EST

I am extremely upset with the way I am being treated. You are stealing MY MONEY! I joined the Wilmington Delaware club in July of last year. I got the black membership and then moved 5 months later. Knowing I had to wait a year to cancel or be subject to the early cancellation fee, I waited and continued to be charged the $20 monthly fee without protest even though I could no longer attend the gym. I stopped using the checking account in June of this year and when I started using it again in October of this year they charged the membership fee. I called in and demanded that they close my membership since it had been over a year and I was no longer subject to the cancellation fee. "KEVIN" the manager assured me it would not happen again. then today My account has been charged again for the membership fee. It's thanksgiving and I don't get paid again until the day after so everything I had in my account was for my family's thanksgiving food. $20 may not be alot but to people on a budget in this economy it is. I called the gym and spoke to "Kevin" again who says that he couldn't cancel my membership without a certified letter. (even though I hadn't been there in over a year) after explaining the situation he put me in by not canceling the membership last month, he still refused to give me his manager's phone number. he said I had to wait until December 1st. he was very unconcerned and treated the situation sarcastically even laughing at times. He even told me that they will continue to take my money even though I have not been there until I either come there in person or send a certified letter, neither of which I can afford to do. I feel as though Planet Fitness is taking advantage of me in a very bad time in my life. I wanted to contact FOX 29 news but decided to give the company a chance to respond 1st. all I want is my money back!

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Marisa Guagliardi
Butler, US
Nov 10, 2010 4:42 am EST

My son was let go from his position at Planet Fitness. The manager was annoyed because he plays high school football. He is in a playoff game and the game was changed to a Saturday. He needs to find someone to cover his shift. There are only 2 other employees who are trained to close the gym. She was annoyed because he suggested that all employees should be trained to close so they can have someone to cover your shift. Her excuse for letting him go was that he was not performing his duties while closing for the night. She never bought this up to him before! She bad mouths her employees to other employees. Students come in to fill applications & if she doesn't like the way you look, will throw application in garbage. She threatens the students & tells them if they don't learn their position, she will get rid of them. She is just a [censor]! Very unprofessional. The company doesn't provide corporate telephone numbers! Why not? You don't want to hear the [censor]? Someone needs to fire this [censor] because she treats her employees like crap!

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C.LAMB
Stoneham, US
May 15, 2009 7:08 pm EDT

Planet Fitness In Woburn Ma. I found this gym to be very vague & unspecific in their rules & regulations. I was told not to leave my gym bag in the chairs or on the floor by one of the female attendants. She told me I could leave it in the locker room. I said, 'Ok, I don't have a lock so is it ok if I bring it with me?' She said ok, as long as you don't leave it on the floor. I said is ok to bring it with me & she said yes. So I went to the treadmill, hung my bag up on the fence by the treadmill & started my workout. I used 2 other machines with no problem. I took a shower & as soon as I got out of the shower, this kid[with all kinds of metal sticking out of his face, particularly his lower lip] called me & told me to sign this paper. I looked at & it was a paper CANCELLING MY MEMBERSHIP FOR NON-COMPLIANCE! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! 'I said, 'What? Non-compliance? What are you talking about?' He told me in a very hostile tone, 'Look, you were told at LEAST TWICE to put your gym bag away & you didn't comply! I'm cancelling your membership!' I refused to sign the paper as I said I didn't do anything wrong therefore why should I sign it? I was told Not to put the bag in the chair & NOT to leave it on the floor & I didn't!' He INSISTED the female worker told me at least TWICE to put my bag in the locker room. [she didn't] He consulted with her & she said she did but I can say in all honesty she didn't. She told me not to leave the bag on the floor & I didn't. I hung it up on the metal fence. We kept going back & forth like this, back & forth. I told him that I have been a member of this gym in good standing for almost 2 years now & I have NEVER had a problem before now nor was I EVER told to cancel my membership. Fianally, this kid said to me, Look, when you go beyond this entrance, you can't have ANYTHING on you but your keys & cell phone!' Well, if SOMEONE would have TOLD me that...THEN MAYBE there wouldn't have been a PROBLEM! Also, when they said, 'You can't leave your bag on the floor' I took them at their word & brought my bag with me. What this idiot meant was, 'Don't bring your bag in the exercise area' If he would have just TOLD ME THAT FROM THE BEGINING, RATHER THAN TRY TO CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP...THIS WHOLE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN EASILY AVOIDED. I found this kid [with pointy metal sticking out of his lower lip] very loud, aggressive, rude & angry. Not professional AT ALL. There are FAR better & more effective ways to communicate. Definetely, the staff there is DESPERATE need of training in dealing with people. Because of this incident, I could not recommend this gym to anyone~

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karen g
dover, US
Mar 22, 2009 6:54 pm EDT

My daugher just went to work out at the gym and she felt weird about being there and having her possessions in the locker room, SHe went to look and 425.00 was stolen out of her purse when she made the complaint they were saying yeah there has been some of this activity going on, HMMM Also when asked if they had cameras becasue this all happened in 20 minutes they said we are not sure? How could you not know and why would that be a good question? C'mon commen sense. Now she is out of 425.00 and I think if this activity has been going on they should post it all over the gym. You would think right.

Karen G

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karen south
, US
Jan 28, 2009 9:07 pm EST

i agree with all the above complaints...planet fitness is a evil cult. They don't know how to treat people in an human manner. i hope they go bankrupt.

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fighttheplanet
Orlando, US
Jan 23, 2009 8:34 am EST

We all need to get together and write the owner of this franchise and if need be from reading the post as a group take legal action against the miss conduct of these facility's. I think we should create a chat to discuss all the problems and compose a letter. The planet fitness I attend in Orlando, FL in the most dirtiest off gyms I have ever been to in my life. I do not think the facility has been cleaned in weeks. I tried to call the corporate number but I cant even find it on the website or online. I told the staff of the condition of the facility and he stated sorry we have been busy. The way this company is ran is unacceptable to us Americans and we need to do something to stop it from continuing its business or lead it to making a drastic change. The low price of a gym shouldn't put people in danger of their health, lives or any other factors. I hope we can all come together soon.

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Anonymous
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Oct 31, 2008 10:53 pm EDT

I am a current Employee of Planet Fitness and I've got to say that you guys are not too far off. Although it's not only the members that are mistreated. The owner of my particular franchise bounces paycecks to employees, refuses to obey the law by paying time and a half on holidays and pays bi-weekly which is not allowed in my state. It's said to say but even employees aren't allowed to have the corporate number. And the employees do judge members on a frequent basis.

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hugo burgos
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Oct 17, 2008 7:55 pm EDT

I felt the same way with this company since the first time I got there the staff told me that there is nothing more that they enjoy the most for her that to take the membership of someone in front of the crow. I did not pay attention to her until she did it to me. I felt that since day one she was in a mission to get people out of the club. I think that her only mission is to take as much club member she can as long she consider the goddess of the club. It was rude the way she handle the situation because she said that" I'm the nasty and means in this club" which I do not consider appropriate. That staff member thinks she was God and he owner and I won't be satisfied until I filed a complaint the corporate investigate the situation because she kicked me out of the club like dog. hugo_burgos@live.com

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Anonymous
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Jun 19, 2008 8:00 am EDT

Here's my account of what happened.

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Rhonda
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Jun 17, 2008 7:12 pm EDT

Oh, and all these owners are soooo freaking fat and out of shape.
What a bunch of losers.

hahah

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Rhonda
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Jun 17, 2008 7:05 pm EDT

I joined a world gym in franklin mass, last month, paid 140.00 for sign up and 40.00 for the first month for me and my husband. I joined the gym for the classes and the day care.
On the first of the next month they changed the gym to planet fitness, keep in mind they are the same owners. The took the classes away and the day care. When I called for a refund they refused. My attorney is writting a letter as of Saturday and I will start to call the owners every day until I get my refund. They had over 300 members cancel and alot of locals not happy with them at all.

Just out of co-insidence they took out of everyone's debit or credit cards on the 1st of the month and put the new name up on the 2nd of the month. Taking everything out of the gym by the end of the week.
They are the biggest pigs I know.
They started a world storm with me.
This is just the beginning.

It's not the money, it's the principle...

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Pissed Off
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Jun 02, 2008 7:38 am EDT

Screw these ###s.. i recently moved out of state the closest gym was like 20 miles away so i tried to cancel, they told me the closest gym has to be 25 miles away in order not to be charged a fee to break the contract who the hell is gonna drive 50 miles round trip to go to the gym with todays gas prices. So i let my contract expire by paying 3 months left i sent a certified letter to cancel and they still charged my card 5 days after they received the certified letter.

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Freedom First
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May 22, 2008 5:13 am EDT

I want to bring a sit aginst these ###.. they are un professonal and the gye sucks. so do the staff. They know nothing about the gym and most of them are fat and out of shape

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Bennett Frumer
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Apr 14, 2008 10:06 am EDT

4/14/08

I have been working out, and working in gyms since the 1970.s.
Your Altamonte Springs, Fl gym is not the best equipped gym around but it is close to my home.
Lately I have been harassed by the gyms employees!
I have more gym etiquette in my right pinky then most people do in their whole body.
One day I was doing dumbbell presses on the large ball and my right hand put the dumbbell down a little harder the usual, I was jumped on right away by one of the gyms employees, this happened around 3 weeks ago.
Today I was doing wheel outs where I am on my knees holding the wheel and rolling my body fully out.
I do about 150 of these in a row, today I did 160.
I do not make GURNTS or loud noises, but I do breath hard because I am working out hard 160 reps is VERY hard.
As soon as I stopped and stood up one of the gyms employees a young blond haired girl came up to me and said SIR you are grunting to loud and you are right next to our counter, you have to STOP!
This time I told your staff I was not grunting and to please stop harassing me, she asked me to leave I told her NO and to leave me alone or I WILL file a law suit against PLANET Fitness for harassment.
I went on with my workout for the next 10 minutes then the police showed up and told me to leave, I told your employee to cancel our 4 or 5 memberships.
I left being escorted by the police in front of other gym members who know me and my store.
I own a PLANET SMOOTHIE 3 MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM YOUR GYM, I see close to 200 loyal customers a day, that I will share my horrible exsperenece with that your Planet Fitness did to me.

Bennett Frumer
[protected]

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Laura Benjamin
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Apr 13, 2008 5:27 pm EDT

I was just fired by planet fitness this morning because I "don't fit in." Exact. Words. Used. Way to go, judgement free zone! Sure, they let me open the gym this weekend at 6.45, but no, don't stay your whole shift and get paid, leave at 11:45 because we're done with you now. Fabulous.

I frequently hear employees judging others. I can't even count how many billing problems I've seen that I think are questionable, at best.

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Sam
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Apr 03, 2008 1:31 pm EDT

A New Hamshire newspaper reported an incident involving Planet Fitness CEO Marc Grondahl.

Fremont May 4, 2004 10:04 p.m. : In a motor vehicle stop on Main Street and Sandown Road, an officer arrested Marc Grondahl of Dover and charged him with crossing a yellow line and driving while intoxicated.

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Sam
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Apr 03, 2008 12:50 pm EDT

Planet Fitness claims to offer a non-intimidating judgment free zone.

A quick search on the internet will reveal the opposite... that they quickly and capriciously JUDGE members for issues not covered in the rules or anytime they think an issue may escalate they quickly and capriciously cancel memberships.

A few weeks ago I spoke with CEO Marc Grondahl and quickly learned what an unwaivering ### hole heads this company, and it helped me make a decision to cancel my membership and move to a club that is more friendly and accommodating and respectful of individuals.

I suggest people consider alternate fitness clubs where the workers are professional and respectful of members individual needs.

s

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anwar vanegas
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Jan 11, 2008 7:08 pm EST

I went to the 225th Street location in Bronx NY on 1/8/07 as a guest of my brother. He needed to upgrade his membership to allow guests and to use all locations. We were taken care of by a guy named Joel who was very professional. But there was another employee behind the counter who was joking back and forth with a few of the gym members. They were all Hispanic in nationality. The reason I mention this is because they threw around the N---- word about 30 times within the 10 minutes that my brother and I were being helped by Joel. I find this very disturbing coming from a legitimate business. Customer service classes should be given prior to an actual start date. I understand that in some circles the N---- word is thrown around as a term of endearment and maybe the employee in question along with the members that were using it thought that we wouldn't mind because they thought we were hispanic too (we're African-American), but the employee should have known better. We really hope this issue is addressed and not just thrown under the table since it is not financially damaging to any party involved.

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mike weinberg
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Dec 08, 2007 9:34 am EST

I also have been harassed by staff, than they cancelled my membership, and wish to file a sit in Florida against gym, any others care to offer help or join my suit?

MIKE WEINBERG [protected]

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John Graves
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Nov 21, 2007 11:04 am EST

I had an experience with planet fitness recently... I joined, complained about their discriminatory dress code, in a very calm manner. Then I asked for the contact info for their corporate office, they refused to give it to me, basically saying *don't call us, well call you*. Then without letting me make my own decision, canceled my membership and gave me my money back. At least I got the money back, but still... its pretty messed up that they canceled my membership simply because I complained and asked to speak to someone higher up!

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Jackie Hedgecock
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Oct 16, 2007 10:37 am EDT

My situation is a little different. Because of a new job, I took a break from the gym for a year, yet did not cancel my membership because I purchased the "family plan" and was told as long as I didn't cancel, once I got back to the gym I still had the same benefits because that is what I purchased. Now they are saying that they are no longer offering that plan (at the moment) and that my plan is now just for me. They will not allow me to add my family member, even though after a full year of paying double, which means I actually paid another whole membership. Their response, too bad - so sad. Now I can't even find a number for corporate office.

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Alex Arias
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Aug 13, 2007 11:14 am EDT

Listen, I have a similar issue with Planet Fitness. It seems that this is a common practice from planet fitness. Let me know if you would like to take legal actions against them. I would like to get as many people as I can and take them to court. They are breaking the law.