LA Fitness - Personal Training Scam help?
Replies
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I'm still trying to figure out what the scam is
^This0 -
I ran in to the same thing a few years ago, those LA Fitness PT salesmen are soooo slick it's disgusting. They definitely don't make it clear exactly what you're signing up for money-wise. They make it sound so affordable until you really sit down and do the math yourself and realize you're screwed. I had to call them them the next day saying I suffered an injury and by doctors orders I wasn't allowed to continue with the exercises. The guy gave me an attitude, of course.
Good luck :-(0 -
I think the internet would've thanked you, based on some of the stuff you've posted today.
I just have no patience for the internet today. I should have gone home to go work out
"I bought some kettlebells! I'm excited to work out!"
"Nobody needs kettlebells, idiot, I don't use them."
"I trusted a gym salesman, now LA Fitness gets thousands!"
"So? Wise up, dumbass."
"Anyone got links to show my mother about why women should lift?"
"Tell her to just google it herself, the lazy *kitten*."
:laugh:0 -
Because you signed a contract with LA Fitness for 12 months of personal training, they will send you to collections for the remaining amount that you do not intend to pay. This will impact your credit and you will have difficulty for many years when you want to buy a car or a house or rent an apartment. Your creditors will make you pay higher interest rates if they decide to take a risk on you by extending a line of credit or loan.
Laws governing this kind of debt collection is different in each state. You should probably read into your state's debt collection laws to get a better grip of what you can expect.0 -
So I was tricked into signing up for a 12 month contract with LA Fitness for personal training. One really good salesman talks to you about changing your life and all the things he's going to do for you- he even does a practice session with you to show you how great it's going to be. Once you sign on the dotted line, he passes you off to other trainers who don't know you and don't care about you.
Oh, and the ONLY reason I signed up for the 12 month contract was because they expressly told me that, if I wasn't happy, I could cancel after 6 months with no penalties. Of course now that I'm at 6 months and am completely unhappy with the "personal" training, this suddenly isn't true? I even called the corporate "customer service" and she just kept giving me the same line. The only option is for me to do a "buyout" for 50% of the remaining contract which is over $500! I don't have $500 lying around... I'm a student who recently moved to LA.
Anyway... I went ahead and canceled my cards in a panic because I'm going dead broke and can't afford this ****ty fake training anymore.
My question is... has anyone battled this? Could I get in serious legal trouble if they start calling for updated payment information and I ignore it? I just don't have money to pay them and certainly don't have money for a lawyer... I just don't know what to do.
My friend got screwed over in a contract with a gym once, and he just said "I'm not paying anything, bye." They called him over and over again until finally they gave up.
Gave up calling him or transferred it over to a collections agency?
I cancelled my cell phone many years ago because they automatically renewed the contract on me. I refused to pay the cancellation fee because I never told them to renew it. They just did it (and no, they never sent me anything in the mail stating they were doing this). It got transferred over to a collections agency where I was constantly harassed for the $120 I owed (that's right .They paid a collections agency to collect a whopping $120). They reduced it in half and I paid it to get them off my back but if I didn't it would have gone on my credit report for ten years and it's not something you can just have removed. It stays on it and it does lower your credit score and can keep you from getting loans.0 -
It got transferred over to a collections agency where I was constantly harassed for the $120 I owed (that's right .They paid a collections agency to collect a whopping $120).
Just FYI, that's not how collections works. The collections agency paid the cell phone company for your debt - probably about 5 cents per dollar owed. So if you owed $120, the collections agency paid maybe $6 for your debt.
They then attempted to collect $120 from you, which is a pretty good ROI.0 -
I'm still trying to figure out what the scam is
^This
seconded.
they are not some fly-by-night operation.
whatever they did, i'm sure it was legal. theyre in the business of making money, just like any company.
something tells me you didnt read all the fine print of the contract that you signed (which is legally binding).
theres a difference in being scammed and not reading the fine print.
sorry this happened to you, but take this as an expensive (though it could be much MUCH worse) lesson.
keep us posted. :flowerforyou:0 -
I cancelled my cell phone many years ago because they automatically renewed the contract on me. I refused to pay the cancellation fee because I never told them to renew it. They just did it (and no, they never sent me anything in the mail stating they were doing this). It got transferred over to a collections agency where I was constantly harassed for the $120 I owed (that's right .They paid a collections agency to collect a whopping $120). They reduced it in half and I paid it to get them off my back but if I didn't it would have gone on my credit report for ten years and it's not something you can just have removed. It stays on it and it does lower your credit score and can keep you from getting loans.
I know a person who was put into collections for a $3 late fee she did not realize she missed paying on a DVD from Hollywood Video.
Also, re- auto-renewal. The phone company I work for auto-renews contracts. It's in there in the small print. People get pissed but they have no legal leg to stand on because it is in their contract.0 -
Gave up calling him or transferred it over to a collections agency?
I cancelled my cell phone many years ago because they automatically renewed the contract on me. I refused to pay the cancellation fee because I never told them to renew it. They just did it (and no, they never sent me anything in the mail stating they were doing this). It got transferred over to a collections agency where I was constantly harassed for the $120 I owed (that's right .They paid a collections agency to collect a whopping $120). They reduced it in half and I paid it to get them off my back but if I didn't it would have gone on my credit report for ten years and it's not something you can just have removed. It stays on it and it does lower your credit score and can keep you from getting loans.
sort of related to the thread and a good reason to always read the fine print - a collection actually stays on your credit report until it is closed (balance is settled or paid off). for the most part, it will be very difficult or even impossible to open new credit if you have an open/revolving collection on your credit report. once the collection is closed it does eventually "age out", but until then you are stuck.
as previously mentioned, the collections agencies "buy" the debt from the company it originates from. servicing debt collection would generally cost the phone company (or gym) far more than you owe, so they instead sell it off. I have worked with several collections agencies before and, trust me, it is very wise to avoid them at all costs.0 -
They were hit with a class-action about this very issue a few years ago. I'm very surprised they're still pulling this.
I don't know that there's much you can do about it, though. I doubt showing them a Consumerist article from 2011 will get anyone to let you off the hook after 6 months, even though I have no doubt they lied to you about the cancellation policy. Sucks. There are plenty of great trainers out there that have no contract requirements though, thankfully.
http://consumerist.com/2011/06/09/get-cash-in-la-fitness-class-action-settlement/
Here's a bunch of legalese that I don't understand because I'm not a lawyer but it might be interesting to read.
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=3749&zoneid=300 -
So I was tricked into signing up for a 12 month contract with LA Fitness for personal training. One really good salesman talks to you about changing your life and all the things he's going to do for you- he even does a practice session with you to show you how great it's going to be. Once you sign on the dotted line, he passes you off to other trainers who don't know you and don't care about you.
Oh, and the ONLY reason I signed up for the 12 month contract was because they expressly told me that, if I wasn't happy, I could cancel after 6 months with no penalties. Of course now that I'm at 6 months and am completely unhappy with the "personal" training, this suddenly isn't true? I even called the corporate "customer service" and she just kept giving me the same line. The only option is for me to do a "buyout" for 50% of the remaining contract which is over $500! I don't have $500 lying around... I'm a student who recently moved to LA.
Anyway... I went ahead and canceled my cards in a panic because I'm going dead broke and can't afford this ****ty fake training anymore.
My question is... has anyone battled this? Could I get in serious legal trouble if they start calling for updated payment information and I ignore it? I just don't have money to pay them and certainly don't have money for a lawyer... I just don't know what to do.
I had this problem with Gold's Gym. Horrible.0 -
Never heard or seen a year long PT contract. Every one I've ever dealt with was "sessions" based. Buying either 5, 10, 20 sessions at a time. And I've worked for corporate gyms like Gold's, World's and 24 Fitness, so as Dav stated, that would be news to me too.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
So I was tricked into signing up for a 12 month contract with LA Fitness for personal training. One really good salesman talks to you about changing your life and all the things he's going to do for you- he even does a practice session with you to show you how great it's going to be. Once you sign on the dotted line, he passes you off to other trainers who don't know you and don't care about you.
Oh, and the ONLY reason I signed up for the 12 month contract was because they expressly told me that, if I wasn't happy, I could cancel after 6 months with no penalties. Of course now that I'm at 6 months and am completely unhappy with the "personal" training, this suddenly isn't true? I even called the corporate "customer service" and she just kept giving me the same line. The only option is for me to do a "buyout" for 50% of the remaining contract which is over $500! I don't have $500 lying around... I'm a student who recently moved to LA.
Anyway... I went ahead and canceled my cards in a panic because I'm going dead broke and can't afford this ****ty fake training anymore.
My question is... has anyone battled this? Could I get in serious legal trouble if they start calling for updated payment information and I ignore it? I just don't have money to pay them and certainly don't have money for a lawyer... I just don't know what to do.
I had this problem with Gold's Gym. Horrible.
what was your experience?
i'm baffled at how these large corporations are able to "scam" people.
just playing devil's advocate, but a contract is a contract. gotta read em.0 -
They have year-long contracts at one of the southeastern chains I used to go to. Minimum contract term was 1/week for 6 months. It was insanely expensive, too.
^^ IIRC the problem with the original class-action against LA was that they would have a certified trainer give you a free training session and promise all sorts of nutritional help and training scheduling, and after you signed up would pass you off to a college kid who was basically a glorified rep-counter.0 -
You have to learn the demon's name before you can break the contract. Haven't you read Faust?0
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This exact thing happened to me!
I asked for 8 weeks worth to get me in the swing of things at the gym again. It was a VERY high pressure sales environment, by an awesome enthusiastic trainer. The guy I got the next week was a shocker, and kept asking me to do star-jumps (one month after having a baby - I had to explain it to him every day - terrible). I signed the contract, don't get me wrong, I accept the responsibility, but it was a year long contract with 2 day cooling off period. I didn't know.... I am a super busy working mom who (at the time) travelled a lot (hence the 8 week window, I knew I would be out of the country after that).
They were so unhelpful, I caught them lying to my face several time (for instance "we rang customer support for you, there is no way out" blah blah blah). I was in tears many times. I finally found out for myself that I could opt out at 50% (weeks of arguments later) and this was a blessing to me at the time. Expensive - absolutely - but I couldn't bear the sight of the place, I didn't want to have to think about them or see them ever again. Unfortunately I have to drive past the ba*!*rds every day. I have learnt to look away.
I was totally conned. As the OP said, the original 'trainer' is a salesman, a shonky, corrupt used car sales man... I was so angry.
Lesson learnt. I signed it, I didn't understand what i was signing, they lied to my face as i signed it telling me it was for as long as i wanted. Totally appalling customer service. I made a formal complaint, the girl didn't sound surprised and I never heard anything back of course. It obviously is a technique they train their staff to deploy on unsuspecting unfit people wanting to improve their lives.
I feel for you. But pay it out and move on with your life. I'm scarred, won't be joining a gym for many years to come, if ever again
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So glad that I now work in a place where people ask me if I can fit them into my schedule.
But even then, there's no need to pressure people into buying sessions. They either want them or they don't. People aren't dumb. They know if they can't get it done by themselves and those are the ones who'll WILLING pay for sessions.
Now I will say that those who usually feel "scammed" are those who haven't gotten results from them whether it's lack of trainer knowledge and/or application or lack of commitment (eating correctly, consistency with sessions) from the client.
Haven't heard yet from a client that got great results stating that PT sessions are scams.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I find this typical at most big gyms. Let's be honest, the personnel trainers and globo gyms are in it to make money.
Many globo gyms have pre made templates they want the trainers to use on people based on what they want. If you educate yourself, you can build your own plan and be much better off. Many many moons ago (I've been going to gyms for > 20 years) trainers use to walk around and help people free of change, help on spoting, form, etc. Mostly what you see know in the gym are salesman though there are good personal trainers who can help you.0 -
Never heard or seen a year long PT contract. Every one I've ever dealt with was "sessions" based. Buying either 5, 10, 20 sessions at a time. And I've worked for corporate gyms like Gold's, World's and 24 Fitness, so as Dav stated, that would be news to me too.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
LA Fitness is my current gym since they bought the Ballys contracts so I checked when I went in today. Sure enough, 6 month to 1 year contacts are normal, and they don't go by sessions. Basically it's routine writing. You tell them that you're going to work out 4x per week, and they write a routine for you. Maybe you work with a trainer once or twice per week, maybe less, but the routine covers the other days and they switch the routine up every month.
Essentially it's like online training, but instead of $15-30 per month, they hit you up for real money. I am sooooo in the wrong line of work.0 -
OP, if I were you, I would turn the table on them. I would pay them, but they would earn it. First thing I would do is get a copy and read the contract I signed, if they cant produce a contract with my signature on it, it didn't happen. If I was told that I was going to have a certified trainer each session and you think that isn't what you got, I would ask to see the certification on everyone who trained me. I would literally hold them to every jot and tittle of the contract. I would be such a pain in the *kitten* that they would want to get rid of me. But like others have said, you have got to pay them.0
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Every LA Fitness has a Personal Training Director. If the trainer you've been working with isn't a good match, go talk to the PTD. I have over $2K invested in training with LA Fitness and it is well worth it. I observed the trainers on the floor and picked the one that I thought would work for me. He is very interested, encouraging and pushes me just enough to make me realize that I can do this.
Don't give up on the personal training, get the right trainer. Go to the gym and ask for the PTD.0 -
I joined LA fitness, paid for the training 2x per week and I LOVE my trainer. He even called me at home after my 2nd workout to see if I was okay. I had a stuffy nose and was having trouble catching my breath, he slowed down the session and called me to make sure I was okay. To me that shows he cares. Then he was there when I went to just work out on my own, he gave me 1/2 a session just to "make up" for our slowed down session. Since then I have seen him 2x a week and he works me hard but makes sure he doesn't go overboard. I'm seeing results, and look forward to my workouts. I signed up for a year, but figure I need the encouragement. The first trainer that did my first session and the sales pitch told me she wouldn't be my trainer and introduced me to the guy I ended up with before I signed up.0
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Then contact the BBB.I checked in all my paperwork from the gym and they didn't give me a copy of my contract.
Go to the gym and ask for a copy that has your signature on it. Then read it.0 -
Then contact the BBB.I checked in all my paperwork from the gym and they didn't give me a copy of my contract.
Go to the gym and ask for a copy that has your signature on it. Then read it.
The BBB is useless. No one cares about the BBB and they have no power to do anything.0 -
Thanks for sharing. I contacted the BBB when I had a dispute with t-mobile. I got everything I asked for.
Then contact the BBB.I checked in all my paperwork from the gym and they didn't give me a copy of my contract.
Go to the gym and ask for a copy that has your signature on it. Then read it.
The BBB is useless. No one cares about the BBB and they have no power to do anything.0 -
Thanks for sharing. I contacted the BBB when I had a dispute with t-mobile. I got everything I asked for.
Then contact the BBB.I checked in all my paperwork from the gym and they didn't give me a copy of my contract.
Go to the gym and ask for a copy that has your signature on it. Then read it.
The BBB is useless. No one cares about the BBB and they have no power to do anything.
And what specifically should she dispute? That the gym should read the contract to her very slowly and then make sure she keeps her copy of the docs?0 -
Thanks for sharing. I contacted the BBB when I had a dispute with t-mobile. I got everything I asked for.
Then contact the BBB.I checked in all my paperwork from the gym and they didn't give me a copy of my contract.
Go to the gym and ask for a copy that has your signature on it. Then read it.
The BBB is useless. No one cares about the BBB and they have no power to do anything.
And what specifically should she dispute? That the gym should read the contract to her very slowly and then make sure she keeps her copy of the docs?
Accountability is a lesson that doesn't just pertain to one's health. Just putting that out there.0 -
Lol, if that's all it takes, then I'd probably make a ton of money with LA Fitness since it only takes a couple of minutes to write up a decent routine!Never heard or seen a year long PT contract. Every one I've ever dealt with was "sessions" based. Buying either 5, 10, 20 sessions at a time. And I've worked for corporate gyms like Gold's, World's and 24 Fitness, so as Dav stated, that would be news to me too.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
LA Fitness is my current gym since they bought the Ballys contracts so I checked when I went in today. Sure enough, 6 month to 1 year contacts are normal, and they don't go by sessions. Basically it's routine writing. You tell them that you're going to work out 4x per week, and they write a routine for you. Maybe you work with a trainer once or twice per week, maybe less, but the routine covers the other days and they switch the routine up every month.
Essentially it's like online training, but instead of $15-30 per month, they hit you up for real money. I am sooooo in the wrong line of work.
But I do honestly care about the success of my clients and do take the extra time ensure I'm not just winging a program together, but specifically putting programs together (and instructing them through it) that help them reach the goals they want.
It's not about the money for me (or else I'd be working at a corporate gym with more members), but the gratitude I get from successful clients. Yes, I do get paid (and it's actually not bad for the amount of time I work), but where I work now, it's not just about looking good, but trying to get people back into good health after cancer, accident, stroke, heart attack, or surgery.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
What happens is your trader quits and the training is nothing like the super Duper sales guy who wasn’t a trainer sold you and they have this contract that they refused to give to you despite the number of trap made in writing and then they harass you nonstop I had to pay for the sessions when the trainer didn’t show up. They told me it didn’t matter if the trainings were inadequate or if the trainer didn’t even show up. So they don’t care about service they just want to take your money . Stay away from LA fitness training it’s a scam0
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