Fitness First (Thread 2)

[twiist]

I'm looking for a gym to go to while I'm a bum for the month of July (class starts in august). Checked out their megamall branch because it's very near me, kind of disappointed because it was dark and gloomy.

At ganun ba talaga mga sales rep nila na pinagpapasa-pasahan ka for the parts of the gym they show you? Parang every other part of the gym may naririnig akong "for a while ma'am, may aasikasuhin po akong ibang customer, please wait for my associate"

One of the reps (the lone female among the 3 who passed me around) also didn't make me feel very welcome. She asked for my age, and when I told her, she very rudely asked why I didn't have a job yet "because I'm at the age when I should already have a job". So I told her I was a fulltime law student, and after that, ang lakas makasimangot sakin at yung responses niya sa mga tanong ko as if hindi ko kayang magbayad. Excuse you, if I can pay for postgraduate education, I can pay for a gym.

Are all fitness first branches like this? Pa recommend naman ng maayos na fitness first branch.

[_AiaH_]

@twiist

alam ko sis mga bastos ang mga sales rep ng FF (not all of them, there are VERY few who actually care but majority of them are just after the sale). Saang branch yan sis? pangalanan na yan. I've had my fair share of really bad experiences with FF management. So far, the best I've been into lang is sa SM north edsa the block. Kilala na nga ako ng manager nila dun. sobrang bait ng manager nila dun and the people there saka yung personal trainer ko are actual human being na makakausap mo, you can voice over your concerns to, basta andyan sila. present. kahit receptionists are maayos.

don't be fooled sa mga platinum clubs nila. it does not guarantee a good customer service din.

[kgrl04]

Hi sisses!

After going to FF Eastwood with hubby as his guest, i finally decided to become a member too! nakakatuwa kasi sa eastwood, kahit na guest lang ako they let me took a body assessment test and a PT for the day..mababait naman mga tao dun and hindi naman kami nakaexperience ang pushy annoying sales, binibigyan pa nga kami ng tips kung saan ang branches na matao and not so good ambiance..so ayun nagpamember na rin ako, yun nga lang hindi ako magiging madalas sa eastwood, mas malapit kasi ang office namin sa moa branch kaya dun na lang..anyone here na sa moa nag-gym? lets be workout buddies haha!

[mischa04]

Hi sis twiist,

Ako rin na-sad sa kwento mo, kinokonsider ko pa naman ang megamall branch dati tapos ganun pala dun, mas malala sila sa naexperience ko sa trinoma branch. Ako ang naging prob ko lang sa trinoma is yung waiver because of my health condition. Ngayon pinapa-cancel ko na membership ko kaso no feedback pa. Pwede ko rin daw i-transfer ang membership ko, so habang no feedback pa sa cancellation, i'm still searching sa mapapagtransferan. Baka interested ka to consider trinoma branch. I have platinum membership.

[_AiaH_]

^sis wag ka pumayag. icancel mo yung membership mo. na charge ka na ba nila? you can cancel that lalo na health condition ang problem mo. ieextend nila as much as they can yung membership mo unless talagang ipush mo sa kanila na icacancel mo. or 'transfer' ang magiging solution kuno nila. pwede nila icancel yan, ayaw lang nila.

[twiist]

Grabe, ganyan pala yung marketing style nila? Hindi ka nila basta basta papayagang mag-opt out sa membership mo? Parang contract with the devil naman sila LOL

One month lang talaga ang balak kong gawin, kasi di ko sure kung makakapunta pa kong gym pag nagsimula na ulit law school. Maybe I should try another gym instead, and reconsider Fitness First when I have a job.

Thanks for everyone's input though! I'll consider the Eastwood and Trinoma branches in the future.

[dreamweaver83]

^Same thing happened to me. I got pregnant a month after signing up and I couldn't work out because it's a high risk pregnancy. They wouldn't let me opt out so 6 months na ko nagbabayad ng freeze fees.

[mischa04]

Yes sis Aiah, na-charge na ko for the month of June ng hindi ko nagagamit. This coming July 1 another charge, kaya pinupush ko talaga na ma-cancel kaso mukang pinapagtaguan na ko nung manager na kausap ko, ngayong buong week di ko na sila titigilan hanggang makulitan sila. Nafu-frustrate na nga ko eh..

[artegirl]

^sis mischa04, ang unreasonable naman ng FF! 

just a suggestion.  what if you have your credit card cancelled asap?  para the next time they try to charge, it will be declined na.  It will just be a bit inconvenient if you have other auto charges aside from FF since you'll have to inform them of your new credit card no.

[mischa04]

Hi sis artegirl, i am considering na nga na ipa-cancel kaso sa mom ko kasi yung card, i'll try to call na lang muna yung CC company to ask if they can hold or decline all transactions from FF. Nakausap ko na finally si manager, yun nga lang ininis nya lang ako by saying na hintay-hintay lang sa response ng management, eh going 3 weeks na nga ako naghihintay. Haaay...

[mischa04]

Good news.. FF Trinoma called me yesterday and my membership is canceled na raw! I'm so happy! Ganon ba yun, wala talaga ibibigay na proof na canceled na? Baka kasi kaltasan pa rin yung credit card.

[artegirl]

^sis, hingi ka written confirmation of the cancellation.  kahit email lang.  Check the effectivity date.  I think it should be same as your enrolment date?  Dapat they should reverse the previous charge to your card.  If not, you can dispute the with your credit card company.  you just need to show the cancellation advise from FF

[_AiaH_]

^ yes korek sis. mine has been terminated narin. they've given me amendment/change of membership form stating my membership has been cancelled and fees will be refunded back to my account. you need this in case you would file a dispute with your CC company to reverse the charges. they need proof na cancelled na raw.

One thing I've learned from my ordeal with this company, don't be too trusting. LOL. i have a very bad experience from them aside from my experience the first month I joined that has given me the right to cancel my membership agad agad. Always, always, always ask for proof of transactions. Mahilig kasi company na to na magsalita ng magsalita but once they were not able to deliver, wala ka proof na napangakuan ka nga ng ganon. too deceitful.

termination of membership itself is a grueling process. as in grabe.

[spensierato]

Hi mga sis. Gusto ko sana ulit magpamember sa fitness first. I was a member 2005 to 2007, pero ngayon I can work out lang friday, sat & sun. Meron pa ba silang weekend warrior membership? If yes, magkano na po monthly?

[paulfranc]

may aero classes ba sa fitness first mega branch? sungit nga yung girl sa front desk.

[_AiaH_]

@spensierato

for membership na 6 or 10 months old lang available to sis. hinihingi ko rin sa kanila last time to. hehe.

@paulfranc

check FF's website, they have the schedule of classes there. i believe meron. kasi sa megamall lang may belly dancing.

[spensierato]

Hi. Anyone who wants to transfer their platinum membership? I want to enroll for 6 months starting october and ayoko sana iavail yung 5 months rate ng platinum mas mataas kasi kesa 12month rate. Sino po need magtransfer ng membership?

[_AiaH_]

ingat kayo sa nakawan inside these gyms. my phone was stolen here inside the locker mismo. marami nananakawan sa kanila. i have yet to settle this with ff mgmt. they refunded my membership pero the phone, wala.

[karenstar]

Hi mga Sis! Share ko lang experience ko when I inquired about membership sa FF. After gaining so much weight, my bf and I finally decided to take control and started looking for gym options in our area (near Caloocan). We took a 6-month membership sa Slimmers Caloocan before pero it was crowded and small so we checked kung ano pa pwede malapit samin. We inquired sa Gold's Gym Waltermart (Ms Kline is so nice, and hindi nagpipilit - we'll sign up with her today), Bodyworx West Ave (deadma lang sila samin and daming additional fees) and finally Fitness First SM North Edsa.

Nung una ok pa, the guy who assisted us was friendly. Then came the weight and body analysis, he told us what we needed to lose, etc. He asked us the normal questions like what activities we do, sports etc. I told him na ako hindi ako athletic, I don't have any sports. So he asked again, any other activities like jogging etc. Sabi ko no. Tapos sinabi ba naman niya "So wala kang ginagawa? Nakahiga ka lang sa bahay?". Di ko alam na kasama pala pang-iinsulto sa consultation. So I told him, "Teh, hindi ako nakahiga lang sa bahay. May work ako, lahat ng time ko napupunta dun." Humirit din bf ko nga na yung time namin, sa work namin umiikot (we have a business together). So after nun, hindi na siya nag-comment, continue na lang sya sa ginagawa nya.

Then came the discussion of membership rates. At the back of our minds, we kinda liked Gold's Gym na because of the rates, location and facilities. In fairness naman din kasi sa FF, mas maganda talaga facilities nila, madami equipment, and malaki yung gym. We don't mind paying extra as long as we know na masusulit naman yung binayad namin. The one thing talaga na hindi nagbabago sa sales rep nila is sobrang kulit na pay alam nila na hindi ka decided, tatawagin pa yung manager para kunwari may additional discount. And so when we talked to the manager, we told her na pagiisipan muna namin options namin. She told us na pag di niyo kinuha offer ko ngayon, hindi na yan available bukas (may naniniwala ba dun?). Sabi ng bf ko, we have to think about it muna and babalik na lang. Sabi samin ng manager "Sa 4 yrs ko dito, wala pang bumalik sa mga nagsabing babalik sila." So ano to trap? So she asked again kung what's holding us back. My bf told her na it's the additional cost (may mga admin fee, body first etc). So after a few minutes of her trying to haggle and convince us to sign up right away, my bf finally said na hindi na kasi may better option for us sa Gold's Gym. Sabay sabi ni Manager, eh kung yun ang afford niyo eh di dun na muna kayo. Kapag kaya niyo na saka na kayo lumipat dito." So sumagot nako na siguro ganun na nga lang, thank you for your time. Then we left.

If they had been less insulting with their choice of words, we would have chosen to sign up with them. Kaso dun pa lang sa unang agent na-badtrip nako. I wouldn't even be there inquiring if I didn't know and accept that I need it. Dun naman sa manager, hindi naman porket naka-slippers lang kami ng bf ko at casual lang shot namin eh wala kaming pera. Yup, it's true na we are looking at the cost (just like any practical person) dahil syempre we are looking for value of our money. Kung ganyan pa lang any maeencounter namin sa start, I'd rather go elsewhere. Sabi nga ng bf ko, hindi naman tayo papayat sa facilities or freebies nila. Nasa samin naman yun and pareho-pareho lang naman any paggamit sa equipment na yan.

Just thought I'd share this. Most of the time hindi deciding factor ang sales rep/manager/gym employees when it comes to choosing the right gym for you but in this case, they made it an easy decision for us to enrol with their competitor.

[_AiaH_]

@karenstar

I wouldn't be surprised na ganyan experience mo sa kanila. FF isa sa mga walang modo ang sales team. I experienced that din, FF fairview naman. I regret every single minute I spent on my stupid impulse sign up with them.

Sobrang loko ng FF na to. Wag nyo na tangkain tumuloy pa. You'll be better off spending your money sa ibang gym with better and flexible options. dito puro pera pera pera kasi they will always try to maintain the # of sign ups against # of cancellation ng membership nila.