I'm so excited! I know some of my friends were enrolled already. .. As I entered the gym, a guy smiled at me and asked "hello, anything I can do for you?" so I answered "Yah, just wanna inquire about your gym" with a silly grin on my face (I'm ignorant to this! duh!)
Then the guy started asking me questions like what's my purpose,what do I want to achieve,what's my goal. It got me even more excited when this guy promised that I will have the body that I want in one month's time. Then he started showing me the amenities and facilities..wowwww!! They have this theatre room with thread mills inside, free drinks, free borrowing of VCD's, free internet, free spa..ooohhh and I told myself..I can feel, these must come with a price!!
After the tour, the guy brought out a paper that says 3,000php and 5,000php. He explained to me the terms and my options and asked me which of the two is my choice. I chose the 5,ooophp plan because it's longer. Aside from the 2,500php for the monthly.
The guy continually explained the benefits when he suddenly mentioned auto debit. uhmm.. I interrupted him and asked what do you mean auto debit?. The guy, as if didn't hear me kept on talking, so I thought it was just an honest mistake. So I let it passed. He left me and said will be back in 10mins.
10mins passed a different guy came introduced himself as Carlo Esguerra and asking me for my credit card!. what do you mean credit card? in my very surprised and high pitched voice. Then Carlo smiled and uttered ma'am for you to be able to start and enjoy everything,you have to give us your credit card. I said but I don't have a credit card. Carlo's facial expression shifted from smiling to someone irritable and he said manghiram ka na lang sa mom mo or sa mga kaibigan mo. I felt so ashame, I kept my cool and said you know that's not easy to do,pwede bang cash na lang?. A girl came and joined us; explained they don't accept any payment options other than credit card.
They all look frustrated. Sorry if they lose a sale.
When I came home, I kept on thinking how weird it is that they don't accept cash.. I mean, i'll understand that if I'm out of country, but HEY here in the Philippines, majority uses cash. I went online and searched for another Fitness First Gym branch and phone number. I dialed the number and had a girl on the other line...Miss, credit card lang ba talaga ang tinatanggap nyo na payment?the girl with no hesitations answered no ma'am! we accept Post dated checks. When I hanged up the phone grrrrr I was freaking mad! I mean how come they never mentioned that as a matter of fact they said credit card is the only option.
I'm still wondering so I googled "fitness first manila" and the answer came up so quick yuhooooo!
from http://www.yellohgirls.com/gyms.html
Title: Beware of Fitness First Gym
First, I must say that it is my experienced opinion that Fitness First in the Philippines, i.e., Metro-Manila, Makati, etc, cannot be trusted. A friend of mine joined them in 2004. He gave Fitness First a TERMINATION notice, in writing, because he did not like their facilities.. So Fitness First did as he requested at first...and froze his account pending account termination. But at the 12 month, i.e. contract end point did they cancel his account? No way. Instead they re-started his account and billed him another 16 months beyond his one year contract at FULL PRICE. Honest mistake on their part? I doubt it considering the existence of the written request plus all of the resistance he is facing now. When he requested a refund from Fitness First, they first claimed to have lost his request to cancel. So he produced it. Then they claimed that it cannot be reversed because he was not proactive on reversing it when they charged him. He protested and pointed out that he produced a termination notice with their signature on a receiving copy. They still are saying 'no' because they froze it, even though he clearly requested termination.
So let me get this straight...Fitness First won't give a refund because they over-billed a client and when he asks them to fix their mistake, they claim it's his fault?
Fitness First Philippines, it is my opinion and the opinion of many that you are scum. It's bad enough that I've rarely, if ever seen your clients get results in your gym. When people join your gym they are expected to hire a personal trainer at an additional Php770 per session. I HAVE NOT ONCE MET A FITNESS FIRST TRAINER WITH A CLUE. If they did, maybe some of the people working out there would get noticeable results. Now, just because it appears to myself and others that your company continues to lose money in Manila Philippines, you feel that it's your right to fool your members? This is the way it appears to anyone who has seen this evidence from my friend. Don't you feel that it's your obligation to do the right thing before you are faced with a class-action lawsuit?
The truth will come out about all of the people who have been exposed to this apparent trickery. So to all of the Fitness First members who are trying to get out of their contracts, and there are dozens based on people who have e-mailed me for help, my advice is simple - call your credit card company and tell them that your credit card was stolen. They will cancel your credit card and Fitness First won't be able to bill you anymore.
Read these discussions for more stories of questionable acts -
http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14379711#post14379711
and this one -
http://forums.istorya.net/index.php?topic=35462.0
So that's it. Beware of Fitness First and don't give them your credit card. There's a reason they demand it from you and refuse to let you pay in cash now. Haven't you ever noticed that all of the workers and consultants in their head office don't appear to work out themselves? When I see a bunch of pasty managers with their bellies spilling over their belts whenever I've been there, something is very wrong with this supposed 'Fitness' company. Mark my words...Fitness First will be gone from the Philippines in a few years. People already know that their so-called trainers usually immediately put you on their crappy second-rate machines and you won't get results. Look around at how many people are working out in their clubs but appear to have never entered a gym for a day in their lives. Most people quit after a few weeks yet...they have your credit card for the whole year and you can't get out of your contract. Even then you run the risk of being billed beyond 12 months, EVEN WHEN YOU REQUEST TO QUIT IN WRITING. Php30,000 for no results is not worth it. Before you join Fitness First, consider that there are better options. TAKE YOUR TIME AND LOOK AROUND. DON'T PAY FOR A GYM WITH A NAME ONLY BUT NO SERVICE OR RESULTS TO BACK UP THEIR NAME.
Examples - In Malate, Manila, there's Eclipse at -
2339 Taft, EGI Tower on the 2nd Floor
and
Eclipse 24/7 Fitness Center in Le Mirage de Malate, Condominium, 2126 A. Mabini Street near Banco ng Central and Manila Zoo. It's 24 hours, 7 days per week. Check out their website soon at http://www.eclipsegym.com
In Quezon City, there is Pinnacle at Eastwood City. I'm sure you know where Eastwood is located near Libis or C-5.
Don't make the mistake of joining FITNESS FIRST for serious or realistic results. It's not for people looking for serious change in my experienced opinion. Is Php30,000 really worth losing by not listening to me here? Ask some of their current or previous members you know. Research and do your homework before you take a risk with them. You might be surprised at how negative most people are about them. Finally, do the people that you ask or their members that you see actually look like they work out? I see many fat girls and stick boys carrying their bags all of the time...and they never seem to change. If the answer for you is also a 'no', I've made my point, regardless of their questionable dealings with my friend.
haaayyy! Scammer!
