Orangetheory
reviews and complaints

going to a different gym.

I had a terrible experience with Orangetheory Fitness. Their lack of transparency and documentation made me feel unsure about their practices. I couldn't find any information about their protocols, nor could I receive documentation for my own records. Their untrustworthiness was evident from the very beginning.

They also have a shady autopay system that you should not agree to. If you do, it seems impossible to cancel your membership without jumping through countless hoops. This is unacceptable and it's not worth the hassle.

If you value your fitness journey, I suggest taking your business elsewhere. There are other fitness centers out there that are much more reliable and transparent. Do yourself a favor and don't start your fitness journey at Orangetheory. It's simply not worth it.

So, I had some trouble with Orangetheory Fitness recently. I had to put my account on freeze for the summer because I didn't have childcare, and I called in to make that happen. They told me to come into the studio on Saturday to sign the paperwork and everything, which I did.

But then on Monday, I saw they had taken out about $160 from my account anyway! I was really upset about it, so I called them up and explained the situation. The manager told me that I would get one free month in September instead, which I didn't really want since I needed the money now.

I was really frustrated at this point, so I told them I didn't want to go to their studio anymore. The manager just said that this would be my last payment, and that was that.

I have to say, I'm really disappointed in how they handled this. It seems pretty crooked to freeze my account but still take out money. And then just offering me a free month later doesn't really help me out in the moment. I'm definitely going to be looking for a different gym to go to.

I recently joined ORANGE THEORY WEST PALM BEACH back in May. I was charged on May 1 and cancelled on May 17. I got a confirmation email on May 18 confirming my cancellation, but unfortunately, I missed the cut-off deadline. This meant I would be charged for just one more session. Although I wasn't happy about it, I was okay with it. However, they charged my card again in June. This was supposed to be the "one more time," but I was charged again in July. Now, Manager Ashley Wehnes is refusing to give me a refund, and to make things worse, she won't even return my call. This is not fair! They seem to be fraudulent in their billing practices, and I can't trust them with my credit card information.

To make matters worse, the workouts are nothing special. VERY REPETITIVE! Doing the same thing over and over again is not good for my body structure. With so many other options out there, there is no need to spend upwards of $80 per month on a gym that provides poor service. I even had to file fraud charges with my bank and credit card company. In my opinion, OT is a huge rip-off! I urge everyone to stay away from this gym. They have no clue when it comes to customer service. I'd advise anyone to RUN as far away as possible from OT. Trust me, you won't regret it!

At Orangetheory, the classes are filled with eager members looking to get in a good workout. However, there seems to be a problem with the ratio of trainers to class members. With only one trainer trying to lead three different classes at the same time, it can be difficult to get proper individual instruction. The trainer is split into three, leaving each group without sufficient attention from the trainer.

Members are working through the exercises without proper instruction on how to use proper form, which can result in injury and less effective results. It is essential to have a trainer that can observe each member and provide guidance and feedback on how to keep their bodies safe while working out.

Upon finishing your class, you are quickly escorted out and not allowed to use the equipment or workout space. This makes it challenging to cool down after an intense workout or stretch properly. Additionally, there are no locker rooms with locks for your valuables, no private spaces for changing, and no showers, spa, or pool available for use.

At nearly $200 a month, it is quite a hefty fee for a lack of attention and inadequate facilities. One could quickly find a different gym for less than a quarter of the price that offers similar aerobic classes with proper instruction from experienced trainers.

One requirement of Orangetheory is that you buy a fitness band for the classes, which is unnecessary. You could use an Apple Watch or Fitbit to track your heart rate and progress, making it a redundant expense. The Orangetheory band only works for using the machines at their facility.

All in all, it feels like a waste of $179 per month. The workout facility is subpar, deficient, and does not justify the steep price.

Me and my wife joined the Orangetheory program back in February at the East Boca Raton Unit. We were eager to join since we were promised that we could use gym facilities all around the country and even in Canada. We were moving to different places like Vancouver and New York in March and April so this seemed like the perfect solution for our fitness needs. The sales pitch was quite impressive which made our decision easier.

After using it for a month in Boca, we went to Canada expecting to use our membership there, but we were surprised that they refused to accept subscriptions from the USA. This meant we had to freeze our membership, and not use it, and move to NYC for the next month. We were again surprised that we could only use certain gym locations in New York, and only if we paid an extra fee. These locations were considered prime and thus the additional fee.

Our disappointment led to us requesting a cancellation and refund of our unused credit, which turned out to be a difficult process. We had several discussions over the phone, but we could not recover any of our payment. The sales pitch was deceiving, not to mention the additional costs that were only revealed after we attended the second session like the $15 fee for OT's heart monitor. They misled us and lied just to fool us to join, which left us very angry and disappointed.

The customer care service was not very helpful either, lacking empathy or understanding of our situation. This experience left us with a bad taste, and we wish that the company would be clearer and more honest with their clients. Despite the bad experience, we have to recognize that Orangetheory has a good fitness program, but the experience would have been much better if they had been honest and transparent with their terms.

So, my father tried Orangetheory therapy and unfortunately, it did not work for him. He really hoped that it would help him with his knee pain, but he did not feel any relief during his two months of treatment.

My father had to travel from his small town of Hatta, Damoh to Indore where the clinic is located. This was possible for him because we have a relative in Indore, but it may not be practical for others who don't have local connections.

During the treatment, my father was able to walk and lift his legs, which was a good sign. However, as soon as he returned home, he was unable to walk for even a single day. It was disappointing, to say the least.

The clinic may offer extended therapy, but there is no guarantee of how many days or months it will take to see results. This can be challenging for someone who may not have a generous budget for treatment.

Overall, I think it's important for patients to have a clear understanding of what to expect during treatment and how long it may take to see results. While Orangetheory may work for some, it did not work for my father.

Wow, this is my first time writing a review and I feel like I need to share my thoughts on Orangetheory Fitness. So, I have been a member for about 3 months now, and I'm not sure if I am getting my money's worth.

First off, I don't feel like they really care about us "members". I mean, I have been turned away for a class just because I was 1 minute late, and they charged me for it even though I was standing in the lobby. I understand it's for safety purposes, but come on, what is the difference in one minute?

Furthermore, I referred two friends to join, but I never got any information about a referral bonus until I overheard some people talking about it. How come they never communicated this important information to me as a member who brought in two new members?

And if you forget to bring your heart rate monitor that you paid $119 for, they charge you to rent one for the class. What a rip-off!

On top of it all, they have showers, but no towels! How are we supposed to use the showers after a workout if we don't have our own towels? It would be nice if they provided that for their members.

Honestly, I feel like they don't make us feel like members at all. It's more like we are just dollar signs to them. They go the extra mile to make people who are just coming for a free class feel comfortable and cared for, but what about us paying members?

The only reason I am still there is because it's walking distance to my house, but once I move, I am definitely canceling my membership. And I am definitely going to make sure to look for these things before I sign up for any gym membership in the future. Lesson learned.

So my kiddo checked out the local Orange Theory spot with her school buds and had a chat with the manager. She let them know that she goes to school in a different part of town and they said no problem, she could hit up any Orange Theory spot. Plus they told her about the 30-day guarantee - if she wasn't digging the classes after 12 visits, she could peace out.
After a few classes, my daughter wasn't loving it but she was determined to finish the 12. When she hit her 12th class, she tried to cancel her membership, but Orange Theory wouldn't let her. They said that since she hadn't finished all 12 classes at the same spot where she signed up, she wasn't eligible for the guarantee. Now, my daughter knows she should have read the fine print, but come on - the manager never mentioned this detail to her, even though they talked about going to other locations. When she talked to the manager about it, they basically said, "Sorry, not sorry." They did agree that it was her own fault for not reading the fine print, so no refund for the $80.00 membership.
But then they had the nerve to charge her an extra $160.00 for the next month because she hadn't given 30 days' notice to cancel! That seems pretty unfair - like, how can you expect her to cancel before she's even done the 12 classes she needs for the guarantee?
The manager didn't seem to care or want to help when my daughter tried to explain the situation. Honestly, it's pretty disappointing that Orange Theory seems to care more about making money than making their customers happy.

I am so cheesed off right now that I can't even think straight! I talked to the studio in Riverview, Florida back in March about canceling my membership, but they gave me the hard sell to just put my account on hold. I agreed to this, thinking I could just cancel later on. They were really trying to keep me from canceling, you know? Anyway, the hold started at the beginning of April, and at the end of May, someone from the Riverview studio called me up and said they could only keep my account on hold for one more month, which would be June. After June, I could either come back every month or cancel altogether. I told her I wanted to cancel because I couldn't afford it anymore.

The person on the phone told me that in order to cancel, I had to pay for one more month, July, and then that would be it, my membership would be canceled. I wasn't happy about that, but I figured, "What the heck, one more charge won't hurt, and then I'm done." I even asked if I had to come into the studio to sign paperwork, but she told me no. She sounded very nice and efficient on the phone, so I figured everything would be cool.

They charged me in July like they said they would, and I attended classes that month. But then on September 1st, I got a call from the studio manager in Riverview, X, who asked me why I hadn't been to class. I was like, "What are you talking about? My membership has been cancelled for a month." She acted all confused and said she had no record of me calling to discuss my membership.

I told her about the conversation I had with someone from the studio months before and how they said July would be my last month there. She said, "Well, I don't know anything about that." I was surprised, so I went online to check my bank account. Sure enough, on August 9th, they debited $159.00. I was fuming! I told them I wanted my money back, but instead of apologizing or working to correct the problem, they put the blame on me. I was beyond angry by this point. She said she would call me back, but it's been six days, and I haven't heard a peep from them.

I can't believe Orange Theory would treat a customer like this! I'm feeling so stressed about $160.00 that was taken from me. I had to call my bank and cancel my debit card. Now I have no debit card for the next week, and I have to switch all of my auto debits because I'm sure they'll try to charge me for September too. They'll probably say, "Well, you never said you wanted to cancel."

This is not right, people! I never thought a company like Orange Theory would behave in such a predatory way. They are clearly not committed to customer service. I feel like I've been lied to and robbed. I want my $159.00 back as soon as possible. It's really disappointing, to be honest. I'm starting to think that all of those negative reviews online might be true after all.

I gotta be honest with y'all, I've been to two different Orangetheory studios cause I had to travel to another city for work. I signed up with the temporary studio and told them that I live in Los Angeles, but there were some issues. Apparently, LA and other big cities aren't part of the premium unlimited plan. So I had to join the LA studio for $199 a month, which sucks cause I had to go home for two weeks and then back to the other city for four. I would've had to pay the daily rate otherwise.

I've been a member for about 18 months now. I will say that the Santa Fe studio is AMAZING. The members and workers are so friendly, happy, and encouraging! But when I went back to Santa Monica and Brentwood, I almost quit. The members there are so stuck up and rude. One guy would stretch all over the treadmill, sweat all over it, and wait until the last second to switch to another machine with a rag. The instructors there are also like a clique. They miss their marks and seem like they're forced to be there. Only two were good. Not great. One Sunday in Brentwood at 8am, this young one played hardcore, street underground rap. It was sooo horrific and jarring, and I'm from the hood. No one wants to hear negativity while working out, especially in the AM. She tailored the music to herself - not the people paying $200 a month. It was like night and day, I tell ya.

Regarding the workout, it's great and all, but it's not going to get you in tip-top shape. Why? Well, it's only about 40-ish minutes long. You get 5-6 minutes of warm-up, 5 minutes of total recovery during sets (like if you're on the treadmill - it's 23 minutes and there's a good 5-6 minutes of recovery), 3 minutes of switch, and 5 minutes of end stretch. Plus, I hate the tornado where you switch stations every 3 minutes, then 2.5, then 90 seconds. It's unbearable and not conducive to working out. You technically only get to work out for 33 minutes. But they don't take into account the first minute that you need to get moving again. It's a rip-off for paying members.

Some of the exercises are also dangerous. They don't make sense. I played sports in college and went pro (only lasted half a year cause I got mangled), and when I asked them about certain exercises, they scoffed and said it wasn't good for normal people. Exercises like doing push-ups or in that stance while pressing weights against the floor, throwing weights (thrusters), or jumping onto a bench can injure you by throwing out your back, dislocating your arm, etc. It's nonsense. They can assign exercises that are effective and beneficial to normal people that don't require these moves. It's like they're just trying to "mix it up." They don't consider that most are not teens. There's also a lack of core exercises. We barely do core ever, and for the past two weeks, we've been 95% using body weight vs. weights. We already run and row. We need to tone. It's ridiculous.

Furthermore, there's the issue with not forewarning us about 3GS or tornados. We were also forced to walk at 3.5x for runners, especially those who run above 6mph (and I'm a New Yorker), that's nothing. It didn't feel like I was exercising. The weight challenge does more harm than good as well. Their system is way off. I ran 260 miles in eight weeks cause I do a 5k every morning, I worked out daily, and I eat healthy. My doctor said I lost 11lbs and 7% body fat. Theirs showed I did neither, but I wasn't the only one this happened to.

What about the discrimination? Old vs young? Four of us are over 40 and all of us have hypothyroidism. Not to mention, I got my period the week of the weigh-in. They say to try to come before or after, but women begin to gain weight two days before and after. It's nonsense. They should use a real scale with real measurements. Also, I don't want more muscle. I don't want to lift more than 20lbs. Some women do, but there are a few in my gym that don't. I don't like that look. I like a lean look.

Now, I know this review seems like a huge complaint - and that's because it is. But for me, the Orangetheory studio in Santa Fe - the community, kindness, and the fact that they have no say in what corporate picks for the workout - trumps the negatives.

Lastly, I had no problems with cancellations. It varies from studio to studio, though, because studios are individually-owned. You also have a duty to read what you sign. Most places require a month's notice. That's consistent "doing biz" with gyms.