Olivia
January 8, 2018 00:51
I had great hope when I joined this gym. I left almost a year ago but every time I think about this place I get really upset and here is why. I was in a great gym before I moved to Bayonne and was able to lose 60lbs in 1 year. I wanted to continue my weight loss journey after the move and thought I could do it alone this time. Well I was wrong, I joined planet for a year and instead of losing I started gaining weight. I gained 10lbs back. So I decided to look for a gym that has a weight loss program ( nutrition and training programs) like my previous gym. NYSC was not close to any public transportation and they are quite pricey, forum had a very complicated and expensive membership programs, I wasn't too much into CrossFit, so retro was my best option. It was either that or NYSC. I walked in and I was told that they had everything that I needed. I signed up for the 8 training sessions per month + the VIP membership, to mix my training with other cardio group classes. First month was great, I loved the dance class, kickboxing session, and the zumba group classes they offered. I realized that they didn't have any certified nutritionist on site, but my trainer was fantastic, very professional, knowledgeable and tough and I needed that inflexibility to stop winning ( remember I don't do sport at all, and go to the gym because I have to, if I wanted to live longer). Fast forward, the whole thing went south, when he quit, management changed 4 times in less than 2 years. I ended up with trainers who didn't care much ( I understand, they were not being treated fairly by the company), so they would quit after a month or two, nobody will inform me, and I would go for weeks without a trainer until the new management is in place, or a new trainer is hired. After 1 year and half, I wasn't gaining or losing weight. But because I still had so much faith in them than myself, i didn't cancel my membership. I ended up being paired with Lauren, she is wonderful.She is the last trainer I worked with and was finally getting results. But I got promoted at my work and had to move to another state. And guess what, the program was under new management again, and Retro was trying to take control of it ( it was managed by another company). I had 40 + sessions still pending at that time ( the sessions are prepaid, so every month the money is deducted from your account even though there is no one to train you) They, owed me $600+. I spoke with the new manger, his name was Mike. He said he will look into it, and check with the company if they can reimburse me, because it was too much money, and it wasn't my fault. He suggested that I cancel my retro vip membership before leaving, since there was no retro facility in the state I was moving to. I trusted them so much that I did everything I was told. After, my move I called several times to check on my case, just to be told that he wasn't around, when I finally got a chance to speak with him, I had to remind him of my name and explain my case again which was strange. That should have been a red flag, but I was still too trusty. He said he will call me back again when he hear from them, which he never did. I called him back on his cell, just to hear excuses. He told me that he did all he could, but the company sold the memberships to retro for $1, they didn't give them any money, and since I cancelled my membership with retro, they can't do anything for me or transfer my membership to any gym in my area (and there is no retro in my area anyway), blah blah.
I know this is a long post but I am telling my story to warn others. It was my fault for trusting them too much. So please do yourself a favor, and don't make the same mistake I did. I left them in April 2017, I am not sure if things have improved but please read the red flags, don't be blinded like I was.