Worst Gym Experience?

I really doubt the staff would point you out and laugh. Are you sure you weren't imagining it?

Write to the manager and complain!

I find it shocking that you even have to wait until your contract is over. Either you didn't make your feeling clear enough on the matter to a manager or you are telling porkies.

^ This.

I don't know what it's like in America (I'm assuming you're from America?) but here in the UK you can just cancel direct debits. That's just unacceptable and you shouldn't take this laying down.

I had an appointment with a personal trainer for joining Planet Fitness a while ago, and was not in the best of shape at all. The personal trainer was this @ss of a guy who was showing me how the triceps weight machine worked and cheering me on for doing such a huge weight so well. When I looked in the mirror, he was pushing the machine so I was doing absolutely no work at all, because my triceps were wimpy. I wouldn't go back after that and cancelled my membership the next day (had to make sure I wasn't just over-reacting and truly was upset.)

Now I belong to another gym that has women's only centers. They're great and I wouldn't consider going anywhere else!

You definitely should contact the manager about this trainer. That is totally inappropriate for him to do, not to mention incredibly rude. If the manager won't do anything about it, like others said, write a strongly worded letter to the newspaper. Word of mouth can be very powerful, and the manager should do everything in his/her power to prevent that from happening. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, and I hope it doesn't put you off of working out elsewhere!

As a former manager, I say get in contact, please! Good managers will definitely address your complaint with their employees, and work to see to it that you're compensated somehow for this sort of nonsense.

If the manager avoids or ignores you, go over his/her head. If it's a chain, there will be a manager beyond and probably another manager or two beyond that person as well. Just keep asking to speak with supervisors until you get things settled. Going public with your complaint can also be effective if management won't do anything. Don't just go to the papers--go to the Better Business Bureau and any other professional association that rates businesses, gyms, whatever.

I've never had bad experiences like that at gyms or with personal trainers, thank goodness, but if I did, I'd go right to the management. That is really poor and unprofessional behaviour. I think I'd want my contract cancelled, too...which is totally understandable and not at all unreasonable given the circumstances.

I'm trying to think what my worst gym experience would be, but I just can't come up with anything I consider to be really bad. Hmm. There are always those dumb guys who think they're trainers and want to tell everyone what they should be doing or how they should be doing it...haha. They're kinda funny, but also really annoying! Those dudes have been part of every single gym I've gone to. Also the guys who never wash their gym clothes, or those people who come in reeking of alcohol/garlic/whatever. UGH. But again, they're part of every gym I've ever been to.

Mine isn't how the gym treated me. Its just a pet peeve.
When 2 people (who come in together) cant get 2 treadmills next to each other - take one on either side of me and then proceed to have a full blown conversation "through" me - i was going to offer my treadmill up and switch but I was already 35 mins into a 60min run and didn't want to stop in the middle... they kept leaning foward to talk in front of me... aggh it was so frustrating and distracting... I know it is petty but really have a little consideration for those around you.
Oh yah and I love to see people working out but please dont wear the same shirt to the gym everyday without washing it.. the smell can also be quite distracting...

But I do think the OP should contact management about her issues. that is unacceptable. Good luck!!

My worst experience was at a Golds Gym.

The staff were rude and not helpful. They had like ten TV's (all terrible quality) and over half of them were showing the same thing one Saturday morning (KID'S CARTOONS WITH NO CHILDREN IN THE ROOM). I asked them to change the channel to the food network (knowing ahead of time that they had this channel). First they take over a half hour to even walk over to the t.v. After asking them a second and then third time, the guy goes over and dinks around with the t.v. for, I kid you not, 15 minutes. He gives up and says "I just can't find it. Sorry."

I would show up for classes that they had on the schedule (pilates) on Saturdays only to find out they cancelled them and did something else instead.

When I told them that their service was horrible and their customer service was horrible and I would like to cancel my membership, they inform me that the only way I can cancel is to show up on a weekday at very limited hours (when most people with regular jobs would be at work). When we (my husband and I) left, they just laughed and said "Let 'em walk..."

My husband had some choice 4-letter words for them.

Horrible experience. I would NEVER go back. The only time I did go back is to actually quit and to hand them a hand written letter explaining in very great detail what made Planet Fitness a better gym than theirs. Terrible.

What has been your worst gym experience?

It involved a pre-workout carne asada burrito and squat day.

Were you able to go back afterward?

We were all allowed to return after the hazardous materials team completed the cleanup/decon.

bahaahaahaaa *snort*

Absolutely spot on. Just have to handle business and not cry about it. If they delivered terrible service (and they obviously did) then you go to the management. If the contract is not allowed to be terminated without penalty then I would also involve the local papers to make sure that everyone is informed. I would also hit up a site like theconsumerist.com to make sure that it is well publicised how bad they are to their clients.

It's so crazy to hear how badly some people are treated at gyms! It's hard enough to find the motivation to show up there, then to be treated so poorly - anyone who's had this happen has my condolences and I hope you find a good gym where people are respectful and helpful.
I'm very lucky that my gym is so comfortable. I don't think I've ever even noticed a sideways glance. Trainers and classes are very helpful and motivational.
That being said - I was putting my weights back after a Spin & Lift class on Friday when my shoe got caught in my bootcut style pants. People were in front of me and behind me, there was no where to grab on to - so I had my most embarrassing gym experience of falling on my hands and knees in front of lots of people. I got up so fast and left that I have no idea if anyone laughed or not.

One of my coworkers and I belong to the same gym, so one day after work we decided to go work out together. When we walked in, the sales manager (who, btw, has a beer gut...) saw us and said he didn't know we knew each other let alone worked together, because he "didn't know she was that smart." Really? We reported him to the manager and now any time he sees one of us, he puts his head down and runs the other way!

Oh, he did. On multiple occasions, and my husband saw it. This was after we turned him down for trying to strong arm us into personal training sessions. We told him we were just getting started and wanted to try working out on our own first. He looked at each of our bellies and said, "Obviously, what you're doing isn't working." That was the day we met, and he only got worse. We met another obese couple at the gym who said he'd treated them the same way.

I would honestly talk to management if the STAFF especially is being rude to customers.

Thankfully, most of the people I've run into at the gym have been nothing but supportive and encouraging at the fact that I'm obviously not going to be winning any strong man competitions soon, yet am pushing through and deciding to go to the gym anyways... The only time I've ever been uncomfortable at the gym (because of someone else... not just my own insecurities) was when this crazy annoying guy in the weight room decided to take it upon himself to tell me exactly how everything I was doing was wrong and I needed to be doing it like he was doing it... a WAY nicer gym is now open in my town so no longer at the old gym anyways... but I just switched times I did weights and problem solved... I've NEVER had a staff person be rude to me... Sorry for your experience, I'd probably report him.