gloria andersen
February 23, 2018 19:45
I travel a lot and everywhere I go, I try to go to an OTF session. I'm really happy that I spend the $169 on my monthly membership so I have this option to go to other studios. I love the OTF workouts. OTF is great.
The Spokane center is the least favorite I've been to. They charge a $12 cancellation fee no exceptions. I'm from Georgia and my car was stuck in the snow. When I called to cancel a very hostile receptionist explained that 'lots of people were not showing up due to snow and they would have to pay.' Okay - I get that. But I've never driven in snow and this is a rental. Maybe if I lived there I'd be better at it. Or maybe you could just cut the guest some slack. They later explained to me that about 20 people per day no-showed or late canceled and its a huge stream of income for them. I guess if it increases your daily bottom-line $240... okay I get it.
I was so rattled by the snow, I forgot my heart monitor in the hotel. Guess what, at this center there is a $10 fee for using their heart-rate monitor. No exceptions.
Here's where I own up to - my own bad behavior. I was livid about the charge on the monitor...I was frazzled by the snow driving and I've never-ever-ever had to 'rent' a monitor in any other orangetheory and I've gone to quite few in Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, and Florida. I'm sure I was less than cordial to the receptionist. But she met my attitude with one of her own and stepped it up a notch.
And it was about this time, I realized I forgot water. You need water when you do an OTF routine. I was about to leave... since I either pay $10 for a monitor or $12 for late cancel. And I was sure (in my head. I don't know their retail dollar for water) that water (the kind you buy at Costco for about thirty cents a bottle) was gonna run me $2.
She gave me the water. That was nice. It was kinda snarky how she said she would 'do me a favor and buy it for me.' but at this point I didn't care. Like I said -- we were both in a snarky contest.
The partner workout was great. The coach is my least favorite coach I've ever had. She was pleasant but not really available to help with modifications for my degenerative knee. I just was doing what I was instructed to do by other center coaches. I did interrupt her lifting weights, I've never seen a coach personally doing a working out, once to ask her if I could use the t-straps near her. She asked why and I explained about my knee and how I couldn't do the exercise. So she suggested a modification.
I partnered with the head coach and the studio manager. They were great and for most of the workout -- It felt like I was in my home studio and I was focused on splatting it up. Lots of high fives and support.
When I left I cancelled my reserved time for the next morning and prepared to battle about the fee... this time she didn't charge me.
I looked up the OTF workout on Reddit the next day and did it at my hotel exercise room. I love the Orange Theory workout. I think its a value to spend $169 for a gym I go, rather than $10 to a gym I never step foot in.
And to be fair, they have 2,000 members (they told me) and none of them mind the charges. So it's probably just me, cause I haven't been charged before by the mid-west and east coast centers.
I think if you live in Spokane and know going in that there are charges, you'll be fine joining. If your from out of town... well now you know.
That being said, I don't think I'll go to this one again.