Hi All,

I really don't have much time to be writing this but I am so angry about my experience with fitness first that I'm MAKING the time! Firstly, too all you current happy employees or happy customers of fitness first, I have worked 20 plus years in the service industry and I'm right there with truck loads of praise and whopees when I have been blessed with service, I am not talking "great service", I'm talking just "service". fitness first, yes people, fitness first are my first experience where I have not even encountered the "s" in service. Everything is hunky dory when they are getting your payments ...and all you do in go in use the equipment and leave. All you happy customers?...hehehehe....your day too will come, for some reason one day you will need to cancel your membership and its then you will see for yourselves what happens. My point being, on most part, ....it's only when you decide to leave that the cra" starts hitting the fan. Here's my story, I notified fitness first on the 17/8/2008 that I wanted to cancel my membership...after being with them for 12 months...I was going on holiday, so I thought I'd sign the paperwork before I leave...I tried to contact the manager of the gym who takes care of this paperwork over the next two days....2 responses were..."she's in a meeting" ...so I left a message for her to call me back....first day ...not one call....second day I called back, I still didn't get to talk to her but was told it takes one months notice and I can do it when I get back from holidays....get back from holidays....call fitness first 04/09/08, managers have changed over...new manager now....she's busy....she'll call me back...wait 2 days nothing...I call back on the 6th, I get to talk to her....she apologies profusely about the run around...she's been extremely busy...etc...ok, that's fine....lets just finish business....cos regardless her situation....I feel like i've been given the run around....her staff virtually looked up my account everytime I called....I was not liking the tone in their voices ....the conversation was quick...manager says yes...I know your situation ...just send me confirmation email on your membership cancelation...I'll take care of it. I send her a confirmation email....she replies. Then later look at my credit card...I've been charged again after my months notice had ended. I call her back....after the usual run around and being told she'll call me back....WHICH SHE HAS NEVER EVER DONE....I call consistently and finally get hold of her.... she apologies profusely...I don't understand how that happened ..she says...I'll get that money refunded...don't worry...I'll fix it. Ok, am still naive at this point so I think ..thank god that's over with. Ha! Going through my credit card bill some time later....what the???? my credit card has been charged again ...and as far as I'm concerned ...unauthorised...by fitness first...(after my month of notice has ended! and still no refund on the other payment!!! it's bout 2 weeks later). I call back x4 and given the usual run around, I finally get hold of her again... OF COURSE I AM NOT HAPPY!!! who would be?? I say ...what is going on??? she says...oh dear! I don't know...I've put a stop through to admin ...I don't understand. I am losing my cool, something I do not like to do...frustration is high. I realise ...when someone offers to help or fix something?...and when it comes to service and the service industry....its only successful if there's a mutual result. In other words....(for you fitness first staff who want the opportunity to talk about it, help and sort and fix things? it don't mean squat if its just TALK, and we all know talk is cheap. So I've concluded...fitness first don't have an administration dept at all, it's a ploy...to hold on too and/or take your money as much as they can. Come on, they couldn't! No one could be that consistently incompetent.....I just don't believe it. I mean just read the stories on this site! ..and these are only the people who have taken the time to sit down and write bout it! what bout those hundreds out there...who just haven't bothered! I say this cos I know one...I was frustrating out loud bout it one day...and a friend of mine said....Oh My God! she was with them...she finished up 8 months ago....after being given the run around on the phone, with fixed appointments, she went in 3 times to sign the elusive cancellation of membership form...on the third time when they said manager was in a meeting...she said to the poor guy at the counter....well, you better find someone fast...cos any minute now i'm going to scream like a banshee in your foyer...they kept chargin her credit card too. It finally got refunded but only after extreme harrassment. Do we have to threaten to scream like banshee's to get back what's rightfully ours? fitness first have found a loop hole in business practice....you can front up to the regulators with all the legal jargon in contracts you like....and look pretty damn fine....but the proof is in the pudding...it's about what ppl think and we are definitely not talking about the odd disgruntled customer here.....and with sites like this...hopefully word will get out and ppl will wise up and take their business else where....or....the heavens may part ....and fitness first will actually provide a fully functional amiable cancellation service, er, but I doubt it.
Cheers.

 

seems like youve had nearly as much trouble as i have had with fitness first.ive posted a thread,to get out of your contract.ive had so much trouble with fitness first (bognor regis) and head office.if you contact head office,within 5 min,they will have contacted the branch that you go 2,and warn them.its the worst club ive been to extremely unprofessional.listen to the md voice mail(JOHN GAMBLE).he values your comments,please leave me a message and either il get back to you,or one of my executive staff will................... HORSE POO .
Because they are so incompatant,they have no answer,they wont talk to me.instead they have tried their bully boy tacticts and got a soliciter to write to me....big mistake,coz now they have made thinks worse.you can get out of your contract.easily im going to help as many people as possible.