I have had it with the harassment at Planet Fitness.
Written: May 29 '08 (Updated May 30 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dirt cheap membership, flexible hours, not too crowded.
Cons: Bad parking, broken mirrors, filthy facilities, corrupt owners.
The Bottom Line: It is NOT the "judgement free zone." If you are making great gains, or you look like a bodybuilder, you will be harassed.
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| dcsiren's Full Review: Planet Fitness |
I have been subjected to harassment for several months by the manager and now the owner of the Planet Fitness chain in Falls Church, VA. In fact, I am actively seeking legal representation to find out what can be done so that this will never happen to another member again.
You see this stuff in movies, you read about it in the papers, you're completely desensitized to it until it becomes your plight. It's shocking, it's infuriating, it's degrading, and no one in a fitness facility, or anywhere, should have to suffer through this. There is something wrong with a gym that makes members self conscious about their physiques, even though PF hails itself as the "Judgement Free Zone." Can you imagine being in a place where you were once welcome (PF used to be another gym and a much more honorable one) to find yourself on the receiving end of constant ridicule and boys club sneering?
I have been publicly denigrated and torn apart by the Planet Fitness management. Mind you, I am a WOMAN who is bulking up and building muscle naturally in pursuit of competing. I have made great gains in size and muscle, and now the owner, of all people, is interrupting me in the middle of my workout to lecture me and tell me "I'm too big." He continues to harass me by telling other staff members that I must be on steroids and that I look like a man. He even said it in front of my personal trainer, thus attempting to humiliate not just me but someone who has become a close friend. When he suggested I drop from 140 to 115, I almost lost it. The owner looks like a short and overweight myopic frog and I couldn't believe he was advising me to lose weight. And while he accuses me of using illegal substances, his son, a professional athlete, is rumored to be doing just that.
The manager, another rumored roidhead, also has the best set of knockers to ever grace a man. He is especially fond of calling me fat and stupid. Together, these two tools make life miserable for anyone who is making great gains in their workout.
For any human being who has ever suffered through racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, you will want to avoid at all costs being immersed in this toxic environment. The ONLY reason I stayed so long is because I have one of the best trainers in the world and, as a survivor of a life threatening disease in my twenties where I lost a good portion of my stomach, it is hard for me to give up and let go without a fight.
The PF in Falls Church, VA is a physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually draining atmosphere where you will find little respect and absolutely no support. If you simply want to go there and eat their free bagels and pizza, socialize, and do cardio, fine - for the rest of us, you will end up in self loathing misery.
As if it can't get bad enough, the owners are currently toying with the idea of installing cameras so the manager can watch what goes on 24/7 from an outside location, not just to monitor the desk but the whole floor. If that's not control freak sick, I don't know what is.
The manager has also made derogatory remarks about Asian people, saying we all look alike. Considering this facility is located beneath a Vietnamese strip mall, many of those same people "who all look alike" have signed up to take advantage of the location and cheap monthly membership fees. Now imagine what other racist or misogynistic infused parting shots he takes in front of the young, impressionable employees, some who are of other races and ethnicities but because of their age, are too afraid to speak up.
So ask yourself, do you want to give your money to a racist, sexist, misogynistic establishment, even if it's a measly ten bucks? Don't be a fool like me. Please peruse some of the other reviews about Planet Fitness for you will see they espouse RACISM - ask any member about the anti African American sign that is openly displayed on the floor. You can read about it in this review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_425941962372
Now, as to the basics such as the cleanliness of the facilities. One word - filthy! Yes, filthy, with pipes above leaking some sort of brownish or rust tinged water onto the floor and the exercise machines. Whatever it is has once hit my face and body as I sat down to use a machine which was quite unsettling. The pipes CONSTANTLY leak and as someone wrote [about this particular PF], you will see a litter of buckets all over the place. Classy, huh? One time, my personal trainer's office was totally trashed from water damage and management had to evacuate the office until the problem was resolved. For those who are current members, you can call 703-324-1937 which is the county code enforcement office and file a complaint with Mr. Nelson Pearson and ask him to send an inspector to look into what nastiness is leaking from those pipes.
As to the rest of the floor, the mirrors are broken and in dire need of repair and a good old fashioned cleaning! It looks as if they've all been hit with an acne residue! That goes for many of the machines, which make ominous noises as if they could tip over any time. Squeaking and rattling, you never know when it's time for the benches to roll while you're holding a big set of dumbbells in your hands. The Smith Machines are also in need of fixing, and the mirrors in front of them has been missing forever.
The bathrooms are in generally decent condition. I don't know how often a cleaning lady visits, but I do know that management has instructed my trainer, on more than one occasion, to clean the mens' room! They've also made the young employees behind the desk clean up whatever [hazardous] material it is that drips from those pipes because they're too chintzy to hire a professional cleaning crew.
Parking is terrible as many of the Vietnamese community use the same spaces to visit the restaurants and shops above. Forget about find a decent space on a Sunday, you'll end up parking almost a mile away.
The hours are impressive, as it seems this gym is open from approximately four thirty or five am to midnight, almost 365 days a year. The advantage to the long hours, besides the obvious, is that if you are hardcore and need to grunt, or if,like the majority, you cannot stomach the manager, seven pm is when he leaves and nine am is when he arrives. Saturdays and Sundays are completely free of him except Sunday evening around nine when he comes in to do paperwork.
The membership is dirt cheap at ten dollars a month, and another ten if you want to add tanning as a benefit. From my understanding, the extra cost also entitles you to bring another person with you for free.
For those interested, there are no classes and no daycare. As a side note, a young lady came in at night and peed all over the now defunct daycare room, just to let you know the quality of some of the members. How do I know? One of the staff members witnessed it as it was happening.
Used condoms has also been discovered in the back room. Apparently, two of the staff members were having sex late at night on top of one of the benches and not disposing of the party favors properly. Do you know how many people use that equipment?
If for some ungodly reason you're brave enough to sign up, double check your monthly statement to ensure the proper amount is being debited. I was charged twice once my gym turned into a PF chain.
I'd like to add, be careful about making even the tiniest peep of noise. You will be subjected to a belittling in front of other people. Also, if you like to carry your bag on the floor, even discreetly, forget about it. Most of your items need to be stowed away in a locker.
PF doesn't believe in selling power bars or anything that reeks of bodybuilding culture, so make sure to bring your own snacks. You won't find it here unless, of course, you've come in on free pizza night or bagel Tuesdays.
To sum it up, PF is not for you if you want to be respected, treated non judgmentally, or left alone. Ironically, PF was created as an alternative to "meathead" gyms so the average person can work out without being made image conscious. If someone, such as myself, a person who is in fairly good shape, should get treated in this manner, what do you think they say about those who need who really need the most help and guidance?
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dcsiren
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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