So, ever since my gym was bought by another company it seems to be going to logistical hell faster than most of their personal trainers can spell their own names backwards. Since the transfer, my payment shave intermittently failed, and were typically remedied by paying debit at the front desk. No problem. Things happen. However, none of my payments go through now, and despite paying at the desk, my account is continuously accruing an outstanding balance and they now threaten to go to collections, even though I’ve already paid up and have proof! And what’s worse is that I’m the one pursuing information on this. Each time I sign in with my swipe tab, the information shows up on their screen and they say nothing unless asked. Each time they are asked, they act surprised that it’s an issue and tell me it will be resolved in “2 days”. Well, I’m not surprised these people don’t know the difference between “2 days” and a month, but that’s exactly how long this outstanding balance has been sitting on my account despite being paid. I’m not the only one suffering here. This same thing happened to a friend of mine. —Pissed-off
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.
they say one thing you should never have to pay is, excercise! just throwing it out there.
im cranky today hmph, i think it’s the weather :/
pay for, is** oops
Yeah, they screwed up my corporate payment plan a few times. Took forever to fix.
I dumped that gym last week, though. $12/bi weekly gets me a membership at the CGC, which includes a pool (and aqua fit classes ^_^) and amazingggg cardio machines (they have fans on them — I’m too short for the fans to actually fan my face, but at least the top of my head stays cool :P). Haha. Only thing that still throws me off is how their resistance machines have seats that fall backwards while you’re using them. Sometimes I’ll go and forget and make a dumbass “OMG” face when it happens. Great entertainmant for my fellow gym-goers, I guess 😛
And their lack of a stretching station is kind of annoying, but oh well. I’m short enough that I can use the ledge by the windows to do the back of my thighs *shrug*
OP, did you speak to the manager to resolve the issue? If that doesn’t work, contact their head office and file a complaint against the location. Also start fucking with their machines….you can locate most of the “programming access codes” on the internet (you just need the model number of the machine)….. one favorite is setting the maximum speed to 0.1 km/hr, or the time limit to 1 second. Staff are too dumb to know how to fix it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://brutalhosts.com/images/Yo-Dawg-I-he…
I may never end up saying this again, but I 100%agree with sebastian_’s post. Give them the chance to rectify the situation first, then raise hell.
Besides, there are some “awesome” workout videos on YouTube, like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfcedFJ14So
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you’re at the gym now owned by Good Life Fitness? You’re not the only one with this problem, check out Marketplace (http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2011/biggymr…).
i saw that episode of marketplace! it was pretty interesting. its maddening how much we (people in general) get ripped off.
if you’re resourceful enough, you don’t even need a goddamn gym membership.
Ooooooh I’m watching it now and it makes me so angry.
It also brings a good point up about automatic debit. RBC fucked me over a few times by double billing me for my line of credit interest before I paid it off. I called TD about it and they told me I either had to put a stop payment on it every month ($15 bucks a shot) OR close my account and open a new one. It was ridiculous! You should be able to stop a payment permanently if you so choose.
at the CGC
WHERE DAT PK?
canada games centre – 26 thomas raddall drive. 🙂
GL did this to me. My bank showed that they were withdrawing, their computer showed they didnt. I gave them my bank statement…they never got back to me on it. I ended up paying $200.
I liked Nubody’s. They were pushy, but not AS pushy. I joined the gym where life is good in ottawa and the membership guy was sooooooo slimey and snakey and pushy. He tried to make me call the bank to get them my billing information right then and there. Yeah, well, most banks don’t give that info out over the phone.
When I ended my contract I called to make sure I could do that in halifax and not have to go to my actual home club. They said fine. When I went to the club in halifax, they told me I had to go to my home club. LOL yeah, I’ll just get on a plane and go right back up there to cancel a stupid gym membership.
It just amazes me because the staff is so not helpful at the private gyms, on the whole, from what I’ve experienced. You ask them a question and they won’t answer you and they tell you to get a personal trainer. And if you DO get a personal trainer you pay whatever ridiculous rate for an hour session when they just stand there for the last 30 minutes and watch you walk/run on a treadmill. All anyone really needs is a half hour session at most, and you don’t really need an ongoing training program. Just something to get you started, and once you plateau, you can get more sessions to vamp your routine up a bit. Meanwhile, I was sure I had seen one piece of equipment to work out your calves at the CGC when I took a tour, but I couldn’t find it the first time I went to work out and I went to ask the chick at the front desk in the fitness centre and she was SO helpful and told me if I had absolutely any other questions to be sure to come ask her. And when my dad joined he got two free hour PT sessions and a workout program set up for him.
I think it all has to do with the nature of the “business.” Private gyms are there to make money. Community rec facilities are run by the government for the community to enjoy, therefore the rates are usually lower and they’re not all about money grubbing. Plus they gots three pools, a sauna and a hot tub (and a track too!) 🙂
Hmm I’ve never had any trouble with gl.
the money that some idiots spend, for shit that they can do at home amazes me. holy fuck people, are you that fucking stupid, that you have to have someone tell you to exorcise, or how to do it? get a fucking home gym or nautilus system, it will cost about the same as yor yearly membership. and you get to keep it.
also, you won’t have to bitch about the fat slob, drooling over it either. there have been too many bitches about going to gyms, that it drives me fucking banonkers, and it could be an easy fix. just fucking get your own shit, it’s cheaper today, tha 10 years ago, and much more elaborate.
… we do have stuff to work out at home including a treadmill. I go mainly for the group classes LS …
Plus who cares.
Some of us don’t have the room for home gym equipment. I know I don’t. Maybe if I get a two bedroom I’ll get my own treadmill, but not like I can buy a competition-sized pool and park it in my living room.
Also: group classes FTW. Zumba = <3; cardio aqua craze= <3++ (tomorrow nite squeeeee!)
I like Spin, Body Pump & Yoga/Hot Yoga (sometimes). Yippee! Gym peeps.
I’ve taken a break though, back on the bus on May 01.
Spin. Yup. I’m pretty sure I’d die if I did spin 😛
I miss yoga. I just stopped being able to afford it. I try doing it at home, but i lose focus after about 25 mins. Sigh. I’m hoping they’ll have classes when I go home, but I doubt it. That place has fallen apart since I left!
I was a member @ GL when they bought out the other one – my club was here in Halifax above a gorcery store. It was a great place before the merger. Within 3 weeks of the merger, I quit. I couldn’t get into the classes, I had to wait for machines, and I hated the fact that out of no where came these 19yo blonde things with fake boobs. I went to the gym to get healthy, not to have to wait for bimbo’s to adjust their push up bras and get on the elipitical so I could have my turn. Try out Paookas OP – they’re open 24/7 on the bedford hwy, you’ll never have to wait, and they have so much more to offer then GL. Trust me on that one.
I’ve never had a problem with GL. 🙂
That marketplace video was fascinating, though. Definitely a must-watch if you’ve ever had a gym membership.
Hi All
While we cannot speak for other fitness clubs its always great to hear feedback from the community for our clubs, both positive and negative. As a company we cannot fix a problem unless we are aware of it. Which is why we have set up our member experience line at our head office. If you are ever experiencing any issues with GoodLife or are looking to find out more about the club you can contact us at 1-800-387-2524.
Sincerely
GoodLife Fitness
Aw hell, we’ve gone and done it now!
LOL ^
It’s a legit number. As for whether or not the poster is legit, that remains to be seen.
Whoah.
That Marketplace segment is not referring to Goodlife as ripping people off, but other large fitness companies.
Goodlife itself actually have an A+ rating from the BBB and continually wins awards for being one of the best managed large companies in Canada.
There is a WORLD of difference between Goodlife, and some of the other ripoff options out there.
Best thing to do would be to call the Member Experience line and discuss the matter with someone who’s there to help you solve the issue 🙂 Call 1-800-387-2524
By the way, as a trainer – I have no problem spelling my name backwards 🙂
AJV I’ve never had a problem watching a roomful of blond bimbos playing with their tits… Which location was this?? LOL
our power is growing donk http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HtfS_Ex–IA/Scmq…
I’ve never paid for a gym membership. It was free during my undergrad Dal days (included with tuition). I used to be overweight, but any amount of cardio – whether jogging, or elliptical, etc didn’t get the weight off. What did? Strength training. My bf introduced me to real weightlifting. I now do kettlebells, and barbell exercises in his garage. I squat, deadlift, and do the olympic lifts. I don’t ever do calf raises or bicep curls. The fat has melted off and I now flaunt my butt everywhere I go! Ladies, listen up – lift real weights. You won’t get muscle-bound. Just fit and strong and more athletic. This is coming from a girl who gained a lot of weight during school and was never extremely athletic.
Cancel your membership and go somewhere else and make sure they know it’s because of this issue that won’t get resolved. There are other gyms out there if you must go to one.
i have a friend who recently had her personal health assessment (complimentary) with GL, and was then told she needed a personal trainer to meet her goals. she was given 2 options only. 2! a 9 mth plan, and a 12 mth plan. nothing less. i was FLOORED when i seen the prices! $460 down payment, and then $180 bi weekly!! overall, the 12 mth plan in total was like $5500!!! my jaw dropped!! i couldnt believe it! its not worth going bankrupt over, my word..
just to clarify….iiii, me, myself, never specified which gym was ripping people off. i was being pretty vague.
and “BBB” means nothing to me ^ im not sure what that stands for. sarry.
Actually, I will say that I”ve never been ripped off by goodlife. I just found the membership guy in the ottawa club to be really pushy and snakey and ultimately I ended up with something I didn’t want. And, I found staff to be kind of unhelpful to those asking questions about machines and the like and always recommending personal training.
I don’t blame them, necessarily, they are a business and a HUGE amount of business comes from personal training. I just don’t see the need for hour training where the trainer stand there and talk to you/watches you walk on a treadmill. That’s kind of pointless. 30 minute sessions are often good enough, and with goodlife I found they were pushed the most. With Nubody’s it was always the hour sessions. I even remember when I joined on my mom’s corporate plan the first time a few years ago he membership coordinator called me when I hadn’t brought my banking info down for the PT debits and got quite huffy when I said I decided against them. Missed out on the commission, I guess. But really, I didn’t need any PT sessions because I had had a full summer of them and had a great plan in place.
I just like the idea of the rec facilities like CGC because they’re more about the community and less about profits. Demographically I preferred the membership at Goodlife because I find the people who would enroll there were more serious and you didn’t have anyone under 16, and it’s rare TO see someone even 16 at goodlife. I’d go to the park vic location and it was mostly students and people around my age (women), who were really serious about working out so you didn’t get a bunch of idiots hanging around just taking up space. I find there are a fair few of those types at the public facilities. But, oh well. I’m there to work out and I generally ignore everyone else and stay in my own little world. Unless someone’s hogging the machines. Then I tend to speak up (something like “hay, you almost done with that machine?” or “yeah, you probably didn’t see the signs but you’re supposed to wipe down the machines — here, here’s an extra wipe so you don’t have to go grab one!” in a wink wink nudge nudge kinda way. Works every time because who can say no when they’re being indirectly shamed by such an adorable individual in a sugar and spice and everything nice tone of voice? heehee).
emilings: I was told the same thing when I had my complimentary health assessment there. My mom was also told the same thing.
You realize that’s just a way to up sell PT, right?
It’s funny because with nubody’s you could purchase one or two PT sessions — my grandfather got a few sessions for my mom when she was sick to jump start her getting back into the swing of things. It’d be a real shame if GL changed that because some of us might only want or need a couple sessions to get back on track or to learn how to amp up our workouts.
And, your friend could totally do it on her own. As long as she did some research, she’d be fine. I’ve lost 22 pounds since february just doing it on my own. I did some research and started doing interval training for cardio on jonno’s advice and have had fantastic results. And all on my own 🙂
Oh and what bugs me is with nubody’s the corporate plans were month to month, when GL took over all the corporate plans were rolled over into new plans that were year long contracts. Our rate DID go down, but the year commitment, especially after being a member for a few years, rubbed me the wrong way.
smurf, bbb, stands for better business beaureau.
BBB is better business bureau. It’s where people can officially make complaints to a third party who’s job is to clarify and resolve the situations. You can actually view all the unresolved complaints against a company (including Goodlife) online. And as I said, GL maintains an A+ rating 🙂
Pretty Kitty, back with Nubodys – Yes you could purchase 2-3 training sessions. However, those people never reached their goals, and stopped coming to the gym after 2-3 months.
Since Goodlife bought Nubodys, while many policies have changed – at my club we have twice as many trainers each training twice as many people. We’re changing more lives than ever 🙂 It’s not necessarily for everyone, but we see to it that those on board get the results they need.
Change my life! Get my booty back into shape!
What I don’t like at the gym are women in booty shorts and men without shirts on … I know it’s hot I know you’re working out, but … in a public gym, I dunno.
Also some people use that as their regular pick up spot … yeah, I don’t get it either. I don’t like looking people in the eye at the gym! It’s my personal time to de-stress … so no, I’m not trying to pick you ass up!
I find there’s even more modesty at the public gym. I think it’s because there’s kids around and the min age is 14, so you have SOME younger people around there. Plus I find there are a lot more older pudgy baby boomers milling around and they don’t tend to exercise with booty shorts and the beer gut menz don’t tend to show that shit off. 😛
emilings and others – I got the same thing with GL when I bought my membership (which I use & enjoy). But I was told that without AT LEAST 3 sessions PER WEEK for a YEAR, I would FAIL! The fact that I am motivated on my own, due to health concerns, apparently is not enough. The fact that I go to the gym & go to fitness classes is not enough. The fact that I’ve cut the crap out of my diet (sigh!) is not enough. Nooo… I need personal training at an hourly rate that is MORE THAN THREE TIMES MY SALARY! Not only THAT, but apparently, I should be willing to TAKE OUT A BANK LOAN TO DO IT!! As proof of how sensible this is, the PT told me of a NINETY-YEAR-OLD woman who was living on a small pension and who maxed out her credit card to take advantage of the (ahem) benefits of personal training.
In theory, I’d love a personal trainer, a few times a month, maybe. Someone to show me technique and critique what I’m doing – but not to babysit me while I do it every friggin’ time I’m at the gym.
And as has been noted, one cannot purchase just a couple of sessions with GL, as you could with Nubody’s – apparently, their MINIMUM is 3 sessions a week. So I’m doin’ it alone. And it’s working.
emilings and others – I got the same thing with GL when I bought my membership (which I use & enjoy). But I was told that without AT LEAST 3 sessions PER WEEK for a YEAR, I would FAIL! The fact that I am motivated on my own, due to health concerns, apparently is not enough. The fact that I go to the gym & go to fitness classes is not enough. The fact that I’ve cut the crap out of my diet (sigh!) is not enough. Nooo… I need personal training at an hourly rate that is MORE THAN THREE TIMES MY SALARY! Not only THAT, but apparently, I should be willing to TAKE OUT A BANK LOAN TO DO IT!! As proof of how sensible this is, the PT told me of a NINETY-YEAR-OLD woman who was living on a small pension and who maxed out her credit card to take advantage of the (ahem) benefits of personal training.
In theory, I’d love a personal trainer, a few times a month, maybe. Someone to show me technique and critique what I’m doing – but not to babysit me while I do it every friggin’ time I’m at the gym.
And as has been noted, one cannot purchase just a couple of sessions with GL, as you could with Nubody’s – apparently, their MINIMUM is 3 sessions a week. So I’m doin’ it alone. And it’s working.
I can assure you, Goodlife has no such 3 sessions per week minimum policy, I’d agree that’s ridiculous.
We do however strive to prescribe the best plan to see that clients meet their goals in a timely and healthy fashion – Which for some individuals would certainly mean a higher frequency of training than some other individuals 🙂
However, congratulations on your dedication and on working towards your goals yourself. If you can successfully and safely do it yourself in the time-frame you want – that’s incredible and hopefully you can help/inspire others 🙂
If however you’re not successful, you can get a free Personal Health Profile anytime, and re-evaluate your goals and discuss the best way to reach those goals.