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| i was thinking about joining a gym, and it's definitly not going to be fitness first!! NO WAY!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yep, have to agree, avoid Fitness First if you can. I have been in a few gyms and have to say I found FF quite sterile in their treatment of members, sure they have all the things you want in a gym, equipment, classes etc, but the cust service is terrible, you are a number there to pay money, dont be deluded. If you are ok with that go for it, dont ask for anything more. However my biggest gripe is when you want to leave they make it very hard, you have to make an appointment, an interview, sign some things etc. I actually called ahead being in the area, left work turned up at the home gym no appointment (has to be the home gym!) asked to cancel and was told I need an appointment, the customer service mgr cant talk to me because they are on a 'teleconference', and I cant have the form I need to sign. To me this just shows a lack of respect for members... like I'm not busy, and can just keep coming back. They are very inflexible with their process. I had earlier asked them to fax me the cancellation form and I'd sign and fax/mail back... they wouldn't do this either. By the way, I left a written request to cancel the membership on a piece of paper with my membership card. They were going to call me, never did... that is a breech of the fitness centre code of practice (they must call me within 7 days)... you can download it from the dept of fair trading in NSW ( http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/corporate/legisl ation/fitnesscentrescop.html ), it's worth knowing this when you are dealing with any fitness centre. After 3years membership, and the past 2 months I'm still trying to extricate myself from Fitness First, who are still charging my credit card... wish me luck! |
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| Well, in answer to your question roadie_traveller, my experience with different gyms, has been thus:- Everyone has their own style of excercising. Some people prefer to go to a gym where they can have the support from other members or the staff themselves(or sub-conscious obligation to go) while others like myself end up deciding that they like excercising outdoors. I much prefer going for a walk, jog, or bikeride in the fresh air. Everyone has their own style, but you won't know this until you try it. I was a member of 4 different gyms (2 were small ones from the Uni I went to, 2 others were established gyms for the public). I found that having fun classes to go to was a huge motivator - My favourites were the dancing ones, the aerobis ones, and the yoga/pilates ones. And once you're there, you can't help but do a few weights before or afterwards. As to keeping up with your motivation levels overall? Definitely keep reminding yourself of your ultimate goal - to look sexy in that swimsuit, to walk confidently into the local cafe, to do girl-on-top more often *wink wink*, to fit back into those one-and-only jeans. It's different for everybody. Just keep telling yourself over and over what your ultimate goal is : ) As to a recommendation for a gym? Curves seems AWESOME. I have had an Introduction at Curves, and only heard good things. They are women-only, and very much designed for women's bodies. The only reason I won't join up is cos I get free gym at work ! I have been horrified to hear of prices such as over $100 a month ! That is insane ! The most I have ever paid for a gym has been $54 a month! ; ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| i was conned by fitness first i rang ff about a 10 day pass and they tryed to get me to join i said i couldnt afford it and he asked me how much i could afford and i said $60 a month iwas then told no problem come down and ill sign you up. he then signed me up for $34.95 a fornight and that he would change it by putting down that i had refered 2 freinds. suprise surprise when i got my credit card bill 1 day after the cooling off period i was charged the full ammount. so i rang the gym and asked for the sales guy and he no longer works there. so i said i want to talk to someone about it and made an appointment. at the appointment the lady laughed at me and said i signed a contract so now i have to pay an extra $20 a month for a year. she said there was nothing she could do even though it was only one day after the cooling off period. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Go to a well established independently owned gym, even if u have to travel a bit further. You will get better advice and less of a focus on stealing every cent you have to use dozens of machines that do the same thing as a well set up weights area. Whatever you do avoid franchise gyms at all cost, they usually employ young inexperienced people who they can pay a pittence to instead of older people who have been in the industry for yrs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you are interested in joining Fitness First Gym email me on spmoturi@yahoo.co.in. The reason am cancelling is am travelling overseas for work. 7 months left to terminate membership. You Just need to pay membership fees forthnightly of 39.95. You dont need to pay joining Fee. My personal experiance with Fitness first is good..The group fitness class instructors are very friendly and helpful. |
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| fitness first is sooooooooooo bad , they have the worst customer service and it is impossible to cancel your membership, well i just left a message sayign they should call back to arrange to cancel my boyfriends membership as he has been trying for over 2 months to cancel it , with excuses like oh my manager will call u back , which has never happened !!! and it just seems impossible how hard should it be to fill out some forms and pay a cancellation fee , fitness first is terrible. Is there any legal action that could be taken? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Don't believe in him!!! He definitely is one of them from Fitness First. I booked a time to cancel my mum's gym membership and I can only make an appointment with a customer care manager(who is the only one who has the authority to cancel a membership in the whole gym and only works until 6:30 pm every day) after one mohth!!! The sales guy never told me that I have to pay $5 for every two weeks if I want to freeze my membership before I join the gym!! And the classes is always overpacked! I rarely have chance to get a token for a class!! It is not worth joining FF. Definitely waste of money! |
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| After my credit card was compromised online, I cancelled it. In the process of setting up a new account and re-routing all direct debit accounts, I noticed that FF had already contacted Comm Bank, telling them I gave them authority to debit from my new account. Isn't this illegal??? Also, my girlfriend tried to cancel her membership due to overseas work. Despite telling them of her time constraints (flying out in the next week) they never kept any appointments made for her to cancel her contract. She is now currently in London, with repeated emails not answered and paying full membership rates whilst overseas. It's interesting to see so many other message board threads regarding FF's difficlut cancellation policy. It seems to be a standard, indoctrinated procedure around the world. Another enlightenment I came across in my research of FF's woeful cancellation procedure, was how the the Customer Service Consultant, is actually given commissions, based on how many potential cancellations they reverse. |
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| Hi Amanda, I'm a member of InShape Health club at Loftus Recereation Centre in WA and I strongly agree with you. I joined with FF but didnt like their service and cancelled during the cooling off period (it was hell trying to cancel and it's still not sorted). I rang InShape and the girl that helped me gave me prices over the phone (much cheaper than FF) and offered me a free trial. I joined because I was comfortable with the girl that helped me and she wasn't pushy. Also they do an exercise program to suit you, unlike FF who couldnt care less. To anyone wanting to join a gym, I thoroughly recommend InShape :) |
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| Hi, my name is Amanda Taylor and I've been reading everyone’s comments. I'm the manager at a health club called InShape Health Club. Not all clubs are the same and it's a good idea to shop around for the club that you feel comfortable in, is close to home or work and has the programs and activities that you would like to do. It is important you 'like' your club as you hopefully will be spending at least 3 hours a week there. All readers are most welcome to have a complimentary seven day trial pass to try any of our clubs (Eastgardens, Alexandria, Hurstville, Five Dock, Mingara) that way you can try before you buy as another reader has already suggested. Simply contact me at eastgardens.manager@insha pehealthclubs.com.au and I'll organise your free trial pass for you, no obligation to join (but hopefully you like us enough to do after your trial membership!). The most important thing is that you join somewhere and start enjoying all the great benefits that a regular exercise will bring. If you have had a bad experience with a club that you are a member at, contact the manager to discuss and maybe they might be able to do something to make your membership more enjoyable. All the best with your fitness regime, Amanda. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mate you obviously work for these people or are being paid or offered something to write down all these lies and missleading information about how good ff are as a gym.( These previouse words are not what i wanted to write but the system blocked me when i tried to voice my true views ) Do the rest of us a favour mate take your hand of it before you go blind or is it your boss thats got his hand on it for you? |
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| Sign off the contract with FF on 14 of june last month, not knowing that i was signing for a year contract given that i have told the sales person that i cant afford FF fee, he then recomanded me to sign the contract that day and then freezed it for 3 months. I bought it ... BIG MISTAKE. Recently found out some bad experiances from a couple of my friends with FF, i've decided to pull myself from the contract. I was a ping pong ball from one manager to another one. Please notice, they have 14 days cooling off period which supposed to be time for you to try the gym and time for you to think about going on with your contract, however becuz my acc was frozen hence I HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE!! Last week on the 6th of July i tried to cancel my membership it was a bloody nightmare. I've decided to go to consumer affairs and they are really interested in this people, so here i am trying to collecting bad experiance from other people with FF. If you ever had a bad experiance please email me your story at tronz_h@yahoo.com and i will put it on my complain to customer affairs. |
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| Haha. I appreciate your honesty. I have found the counter staff and floor staff to be very rude but fortunatley all of the class instructors i have come across are super-friendly and helpful. But the counter staff are definitely a shocker. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DONT JOIN FITNESS FIRST... A previous post was a marketing plug if i have ever heard one! I have had the Worst experience with Fitness First! They screwed me around completely and they were fully at fault and i didnt even get my money back.. I took my complaint all the way to Head Office who couldn't give a S*!t about my complaint and took over 2 months to sort it out.. which they didnt even do that. I am absolutely discusted with thier service & greed! Want to read more... Check out www.notgoodenough.com.au |
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| Yes - the staff at Fitness First have a lot to answer for. When they don't know the answer to a question, instead of saying so, they just tell you some crap to get rid of you. Most of them are not good at bull- *** ting so it's rather amusing watching their body language. I got really sick of this attitide and decided to start complaining loudly at the front counter - they hate that, tee hee. It's best to make a scene when there are prospects (people being harrassed by the membership consultants) within earshot. I only started getting my way following letters to their head office as well as direct approaches to the area manager. And yes, the membership consultants tell blantant lies so make sure you read the fine print. I had a recent win because the guy was silly enough to be dishonest in front of a couple of my friends (witnesses). I simply told the manager that common law would support my case and that they would have to honour what was said - forget about any fine print. I reckon this must be correct because they backed off real quick. I suspect that, although they are the biggest Gym chain, they are still rather green when it comes to dealing with people that know their legal rights. |
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| DON'T JOIN FITNESS FIRST!!!!! Fitness First is the one of those companies operating in the "grey areas". Their business practice is questionably UNETHICAL. Pyramid selling is illegal, so they spin-doctored "referral selling" - one of their very debatable "marketing strategies" - to get members to refer their friends to join by giving incentives to existing members who bring more friends in. Simple reasons why NOT to join FITNESS FIRST - 1. ONCE YOU ARE, YOU CANNOT GET OUT (even when your contract ended). To terminate, they will ask you to put in writing, come in person but you'll have to arrange an appointment (which may take ages), they have chains of gyms across the nation with high-tech database but you can only cancel your membership from where you sign up, next month's fee will still be deducted cos it's too late, etc. YOU NAME THE EXCUSES, THEY HAVE THEM ALL. 2. They get sooooo many members in, during peak hours, it's jammed packed. No lockers, waiting for you turn to use equipments, all instructors "booked out", pool is "overcrowded", filthy toilets, etc. 3. They are only nice to you when you sign up. Don't bother asking anything when you are a member. You will get sucky service or crap excuses. 4. Ironic bit. They are questionably unethical, but they make sure that it stays legal when it comes to you. E.g. watch out for your terms and conditions of the contract. They make it a point to be "very legal" and "binding" such that if any one is to breach the contract, it will be YOU!! 5. They never fulfil their promise. Existing customers are always WRONG. Only newbies are right. 6. BELIEVE ME... any gym but FITNESS FIRST... otherwise I wouldn't be writing this... |
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| Agree with the Finess First comments. Their way too expensive and constanly harrass you with more offers and your expence. Sure they they have lovely gyms but I go to my local and it's less harrasing and a third of the price!!!!!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I work for fitness first and I absolutely hate it. I work as a Body Combat, Body Pump and Body Jam instructor and they way the members is just disgusting. It was my first day at the gym and I walked in and because I wasn't wearing the designer clothing. They looked me up and down and went hmm. I nearly hooked her one. So in short do not join Fitness First |
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| DON't JOIN FITNESS FIRST!! I have been working out now for a number of years, and Fitness First has just the worst service. I currently work out at two Fitness First locations and they have the worst customer service (Unfortunately, I have signed up for a 1-year contract). They have just too many customers. They don't care about you if you have a problem. I recommend you joining a non-chain (or small-chain) gym. Also, Fitness First gym's are very impersonal and cold. Considering on how the gyms are set up, I doubt you will have a good time there. I recommend you joining a smaller gym. Non-chain (or small chain) gyms often permit you to cancell the contract if you move to another suburb or city. The atmospehere at these gyms is also much better. Also, if you are not experienced and you need a little help at Fitness First, you won't get anywhere without paying first AUD60. They are just so arrogant and stuck-up at Fitness First that they don't care about any of their members. |
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| I think whoever wrote that message worked at fitness first. Personally I hate fitness first. I can't wait until my membership expires. Everyone I speak to who have been to fitness first feels the same way. I go to different branches and have found that all staff are the same. They don't care about the members. It is clear that what is important to them are getting more people to join (they always ask if you want to refer a friend) and flirt with the rest of the staff. Not one staff have ever showed me how to use any machines. Also, there's been more than a few times that I couldn't do a Step class as there wasn't enough Steps! They have too many members to accommodate. And most members are treated just as a numnber.. not a person! For girls. I recommend Fernwood. I was with them before I joined Fitness First. They give you a full gym induction, including use of machines, weight assesment, and show you exactly what you need to acheive your goal... without having to pay for a personal trainer. I have also heard from my other friends that going to the local reputable gym is a good option as they will make you feel more welcome and comfortable, esp if you are a new member, they are always very helpful. To sum it up.. DO NOT JOIN FITNESS FIRST!!!!!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT! There are plenty of other great gyms out there! |
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| Stay as far away from Fitness First as you can!!! Not only do they use their gyms as a sales ploy but have the worst customer service known to Man kind!! ie. Fitness First Park Street Sydney. If you are looking for a good gym, I would first book an appointment to inspect the gym and the equipment and if they are a decent gym, they may even give you a day pass so you can trial their equipment first. Go in around the time that you expect to work out so you can see the availability of the equipment and know the environment. All the best and take care. |
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| I'm a journalism student and doing a story on gyms in sydney. Interested in people's views on gym practices and complaints. I've got a tight deadline (8/8/05). Anyone willing to talk about their experiences would be most appreciated. My email is alekgemini@yahoo.com.au | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Very very bad experience at Fitness First - do not go there!!! The membership consultants tell you that you are joining the gym because your family member just died and you were too lazy to sign up before. Do not believe the fees that the consultants offer you - they offered me $128 per month and withdrew that offer upon knowing that I am from a particular firm, quoting that my firm receives corporate rate, which is $138. When I questioned why is corporate rate more expensive than walk-in rate - they could not give me an answer. From what I gather, some of my colleagues joined that gym at $115 per month!!! Nonetheless, they agreed to the fee of $128 per month if I have other friends joining as well (which I did). Just minutes away from signing up, I was told that I have to pay $138 per month. Pardon me if all these sound confusing, because I am truely confused by Fitness First too. Thay just waste your time and are not sincere in you joining their gym. My bet - you are better off going to Planet Fitness Clubs or California Clubs. Do NOT join Fitness First!!! |
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