Compel Fitness's reply to: These People are Criminals. No better way to describe it.

Hello Mark,
Thank you for reaching out to us and providing a description of what occurred from your perspective.
To clarify a few details in your review, we do not rob or lie to our clients, nor do we try to deceive them into doing anything. We are in the business of helping people achieve their goals through fitness and lifestyle coaching.
When you initially sat down with our Training Director, he thoroughly went through all of the details of your agreement with you. Clients are not given the opportunity to sign up with us until they are made exactly aware of what they are signing up for per the typical procedure. Our Training Director informed you of your contract duration, biweekly billing schedule and pricing in addition to how many sessions you would receive per 2 week period. You chose to sign and consent to the agreement. In your review, you stated a false assumption that "we hope that the client does not read the contract" when the opposite is the case as all clients are immediately given a copy of their agreement and our staff always encourage clients to thoroughly review the entire agreement. It is the responsibility of the client to read their full agreement as all policies are explained in detail therein. By your review, it seems that you neglected to read your contract.
Clients have 3 business days during which they may choose to reject the terms of the agreement with no ramifications. As you did not submit a cancellation notice within your initial 3 days your agreement was considered legally binding.
Had you reached out to our staff to ask questions about your billing, cancellation options, or any other information, they would have gladly assisted you and provided the information. Beyond that, you had all of the information contained in the agreement that could help answer your questions.
According to the notes on your account you did not submit any cancellation notices or medical notes to attempt cancellation via the Medical Cancellation policy. Further, you neglected to issue a cancellation notice of your account until this review.
As a courtesy, we have closed your account so no further billing will occur as you have made it clear that you do not wish to continue to train with us. All of your payments are considered valid according to the terms of the agreement and are not eligible for refund, however, we do encourage you to utilize your remaining training sessions while you are able.
Sincerely,
Mark H Nuh

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Varina, Virginia

These People are Criminals. No better way to describe it.

Compel Fitness - These People are Criminals. No better way to describe it.
Compel Fitness - These People are Criminals. No better way to describe it. - Image 2
Updated by user Feb 13, 2024

No one has reached out.

Original review Feb 13, 2024

If by chance you happened to get lured into a meeting with these crooks, dont do it. Dont talk to them and dont give them your info.

When you sit down with them they have you believe you are purchasing a bundle of training sessions, but once you sign up and pay, they rob you blind.

Period. I cant believe I fell for it. The contract was created by lawyers who hope you dont read it. The sales people or trainers will have you believe its a set fee for a set number of training sessions once you pick out a package.

If you complain or try to get out of it they will tell you you should have read the pages and pages of 8 point font in fine print on the contract you sign,

I injured myself very seriously just after signing up. I let the trainer I was working with, Darius at Golds Gym in Richmond (Willow Lawn) know that, in writing, in a text we exchanged just after it happened. I described the injury to him and explained that it was very serious. I was never even able to complete the initial consultation.

It was never explained to me that I was able to provide a doctors letter and avoid being charged further. I was never told they were going to continue to charge me. The guy then just disappeared, knowing full well that they would continue taking my money. I assume he was probably continuing to get paid for doing absolutely nothing and therefore wanted that to continue taking my money as long as he could.

I had a six month old and a two year old at home and have a major surgery scheduled.

This was a major blow to my finances. I was told by Vance, the manager I met with at Golds Gym who sold me on all of this, that I was purchasing a set number of sessions for $320 plus a $40 processing fee, which I intended to use once I was better. It was already a stretch for me to agree to that. I signed up in October and was told it ended in December.

Its now February. So far they have charged me $980.00. I never received a single session, and they are still billing me. They make it almost impossible to get out of.

If you read all the complaints on this page, what they want you to do is sign the contract and not read it just like people do every day with credit card contracts and cell phone contracts.

Unlike those arrangements though, there isnt someone sitting across from you smiling at you and telling you their goal is to help you be healthy, lying to you the entire time so they can fleece you if anything ever happens and you either cant or dont want to continue. I cant believe this is legal and still going on.

I hope anyone considering this reads my experience and the experience of others on this site and doesnt fall into the same trap. There is no doubt in my mind Compel Fit hopes you sign up and dont read the contract, and dont realize how much money they are taking until you complain loud enough to make them stop. What a great business.

Why not just be genuine and help people train and be healthy. I dont understand how they get away with it and I cannot believe Golds gym allows it to go on inside their facilities.

I will pay a lawyer as much as it takes to end this unconscionable practice. I absolutely hate these people.

Loss:
$980

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Don’t engage with them, ever. If you are under contract, end it immediately.

Compel Fitness's reply to: Stay away

Alex,
Thank you for reaching out to us. Our Customer Service has reached out to you informing you that your agreement has been removed from collections and fully cancelled due to your circumstances. Your full past due balance has been waived.
It was determined that there was a drop in communication between you and our team with the transition from one Head Trainer to the next and our staff were not able to reach you regarding changes with the training at the Swift Creek location.
There is no further action required on your behalf.
Sincerely,
Alex Z Vju

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Stay away

Compel Fitness - Stay away

i have a bad experience with compel at golds gym swift creek. The trainer was good, but he left without any notice.

We didn't have a trainer for 2 months. I canceled when the new trainer reached out to us, because our program was based on monthly adjustments to our program. Per section 2 of the contract I can cancel if they do not provide service for 30 days. I talked to their support though email and explained the issue.

They said if the trainer was not available, they would cancel the contract. I just received a call from collections.

I emailed them and tried calling but they only have voicemail, no live person answers the phone. I'm in the process of filing a complaint with the company and if this does not get resolved will be taking legal action against the company.

the address to the location is Golds Gym

13606 Hull Street Rd N, Midlothian, VA 23112

Loss:
$650

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Dont sign up for training

Compel Fitness's reply to: To cancel my membership

Hello Challis,
Thank you for reaching out to us, we apologize for any difficulties in resolving your request.
It appears that we do not have a record of your previous cancellation attempts on your account. In order to cancel an account, clients are required to complete a Client Account Change Request form indicating their request to cancel. There are no notes or signed documents on your account that mention your desire to cancel prior to your message.
As a courtesy, we have canceled your agreement as requested so you will not be billed further by Compel Fitness. If you are able to provide a record of your previous signed Client Account Change Request forms that indicate your cancellation request then we can certainly refund any payments made after the date of your documented request unless the cancelation request occurred before the end date of your initial term length.
You may send your documentation to customerservice@compelfitness.com.
Sincerely,
Challis J
map-marker Dale, Virginia

To cancel my membership

I got my membership used it for about three months and switched jobs so I didn't want to continue at that location. So I wanted to cancel.

I've "canceled" 3 times and am still getting charged this company is absolutely horrid at putting the customer first. Every time I call the location no one is there.

Loss:
$1152
Pros:
  • No pros
Cons:
  • Costs too much
  • No corporate number to handle issues
  • No customer service options

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: DONT GET A MEMBERSHIP.

Compel Fitness's reply to: Cancelling me never ship

Hello Sheri,
Thank you for reaching out to our team with your inquiry!
It seems that there may have been a misunderstanding in regards to when your agreements cancellation would be effective.
We can see that you signed a form on 6/17/22 to cancel your agreement at the end of your initial term length. That was implemented immediately for you as requested so you would not be billed past your final payment date. At the time of signing that form, you had 9 payments remaining until your agreement was complete. You now only have 1 payment left on 10/11/22. Once that final payment goes through, your cancellation will occur automatically as requested.
To clarify, you signed up on 10/26/21 for a period of 52 weeks. More specifically your agreement is for a fixed number of 26 biweekly payments ending on 10/11/22. Thus far you have paid 25 out of the 26 total payments.
Let us know if you have any further questions regarding your agreement!
Sincerely,
Windell Osk

Cancelling me never ship

I met with a representative in the middle of the year this past year cancelling my membership and I sat down and signed a contract saying my time with compel fitness would stop September 13 th and no more money would be taking out of my credit card account I look at my online banking and it says 9/27 another $33 was taken out of my credit card account I still cant afford stupid training so fix it or else .

Loss:
$1000
Cons:
  • Just want to take your money

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Don’t sign up for compel it was they won’t end your contract on time

Compel Fitness's reply to: Lack of transparency

Hello Lola,
We are sorry to hear that Compel Fitness did not meet your expectations for training. We can say with confidence that we have been transparent with you and have given you all of the information that you have requested. When you signed up our staff informed you of the details of the training and provided a copy of your agreement. The agreement states our cancellation policies explicitly, all of which we explained to you in detail. As we explained, relocation is not supported in your agreement, however, we do make exceptions for military personnel with active duty orders or orders for a permanent change of station.
We have informed you of the requirements for medically canceling your account. Unfortunately, the information that you provided did not meet those requirements. The note did allow us to apply a freeze to your account to prevent any upcoming billing for the next two months in order to allow you some additional time to provide another medical note that will meet the requirements of the policy, or equally, enough time to help you recover so you can resume training.
We look forward to hearing back from you with your updated information, or on how you would like to proceed moving forward as we want to help provide a favorable resolution for you.
Sincerely,
Lola A Ofp

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Capitol Heights, Maryland

Lack of transparency

The lack of transparency with this company is terrible, I walked into the gym and they promised heaven on earth without showing you the clauses on the tab. They just want your money.

Just one month into my training, I start to see red flags, a terrible reluctance from the trainers. They sold a dream they cant keep up with. The customer service is terrible as well. I got a note from my provider who is a director of nursing, apparently compel fitness doesnt recognize DNPs, the relocation clause for cancellation is clearly stated on the website, but It is also not recognized by the company.

Im moving for health reasons, and wont/cant continue to pay for a service I will not use. I explained this to the customer service agent, but he insisted on getting a note from a Medical Doctor. You need review your policies.

As a educated person, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, directors of nursing are able to see patients and give scripts to patients. I need a canacellation.

Preferred solution: A cancellation

User's recommendation: Don’t sign up with the company, they lie their way into your pocket

Compel Fitness's reply to: Membership

Hello Lola,
Our staff has informed you of the requirements to cancel over the phone in addition to replying to both of your emails with the same information. We have followed up with you clarifying that you will need to provide further information in order to cancel your agreement via our Medical Cancellation policy at this time.
You may reply to those emails with any further questions and we will be happy to clarify any confusion that you may have to ensure clear communication regarding the attachments that you have provided.
Sincerely,
Lola A Ofp

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Capitol Heights, Maryland

Membership

Nobody has called me back, I couldnt speak to anyone as well, Ive been calling for over an hour. I need to speak to someone

Preferred solution: Full refund

Compel Fitness's reply to: Ruining my Life....

Compel Fitness would like to address this issue with the client. However, the individual posting this comment did not leave a name or contact info - therefore we cannot address it.
Anonymous
map-marker Baltimore, Maryland

Ruining my Life....

I literally went to the gym to work on myself and just to focus on my body.... While working on my shoulders, Someone randomly just started spotting me and then from there, started talking about my gym goals.

I have an anxiety where I am easily pressured or being scared of saying no, so I just did what he said in kind of getting him to leave me alone as quick as possible without being mean. I REGRET IT... Now they are saying I owe over 2000 on something I didnt even go ask for. Something a Man pressured me into.

Wasnt told I'm in a contract or How it works. Just told me to sign and print my initials at the line.

This has been horrible, everyone else I spoke to about this said the same tactics was used for them or how they had a hard time getting out.. Please help.

Compel Fitness's reply to: Unethical contract - unable to get out of it

Compel Fitness honored Faryal's request to cancel her agreement on 1/12/22 due to the specific circumstances described with no further payments due.
Faryal M

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Richmond, Virginia

Unethical contract - unable to get out of it

I signed up for compel fitness 4 weeks ago - I was not told about the 3 day grace period or the buyout policy at the get go. I had never tried something like this, having worked with personal trainers before, and would definitely not have signed up for it if couldnt just try it out to see if it works for me.

The class times are limited and my work schedule is extremely inflexible (I am a physician in a hospital with worker shortage).

At this point, I cant afford to continue this membership or cancel it. Given that there is no trial period or even ability to see which class times are available when I was initially signing up for it, I just feel trapped and think its so unethical to not talk about these issues up front.

Especially now, reading through all these comments and seeing how many people have bad experiences, I dont know why as a company that is devoted to fitness would cause so much distress to its clients. I love working out, I am so passionate about my fitness but at this point I hate compel fitness and everything they stand for.

Loss:
$700

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Go sign up with an individual trainer, its better than this contractual jail. Do not recommend.

2 comments
Guest

I completely agree with what you said and I had the same problems. They are NOT UPFRONT, PRESSURE YOU TO SIGN THE CONTRACT QUICKLY, and don’t let you leave the contract!

They’ve been ignoring my calls and emails for two weeks. Every time I call, when I say my name they hang up, and yet I’m still being charged.

I can’t believe this. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH COMPEL FITNESS!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-2112620

I’m so sorry, I’m still struggling with this too! I’m wondering if we should post this on their Facebook or twitter as well because they do not seem to be replying on this website

View more comments (1)

Compel Fitness's reply to: Mislead when signing up and want to cancel membership. Plus I'm moving to Maine.

This agreement was cancelled per the clients request on 1/26/21 after verifying the clients relocation.
Selene D Yke

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Verified Reviewer

Mislead when signing up and want to cancel membership. Plus I'm moving to Maine.

Misleading advertisement on facebook . The program is nothing like what is described and very expensive .

I already spent $100 on one 20 min training session . I'm very dissatisfied with this company and I've expressed this to Christy Ernesto . Compel Fitness is set up at a Golds Gym , so you have to pay their fee as well !

I would like my membership cancelled and a refund .

Plus I am moving to Maine. I provided Christy with my new address .

She said when I signed up that's all she will need . I told her I'd be moving in with my mother .

Now she is saying that corporate said I need a utility bill or lease in my name .

Well I don't have that bc I'm staying with my mother .

Over all , very unhappy with this company. Please cancel my membership and refund my $$.

Thank you ,

Selene DiNapoli

dinapoliselene@***.com

207 904 ****

Loss:
$100

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Don't sign up with this company !

Compel Fitness's reply to: Bad quality

Compel Fitness would like to address this issue with the client. However, the individual posting this comment did not leave a name or contact info - therefore we cannot address it.
Anonymous
map-marker Hyderabad, Telangana

Bad quality

Waste of my money please refund me

Compel Fitness's reply to: Membership Cancellation

We have no record of your request.
We can certainly make an exception to cancel your agreement without charge considering your circumstances. All we would need is some form of documentation confirming your hardship due to the house fire. We could accept anything such as a police report, newspaper article, insurance claim, etc.
8/7 - we were provided an insurance document with proof of your house fire. As a result, we will be cancelling your membership at no charge.
9/2 - Our customer service agent cancelled your agreement at no charge on August 7th and sent you a confirmation to your email address on file.
Stevie H Ary

Membership Cancellation

Updated by user Sep 02, 2020

I was contacted and was told they would get back to me on the status of my account. My account was frozen and refunded the biweekly charge. As far as a cancellation, I sent in documentation stating that I was involved in a house fire but I have not heard from Compell Fitness to date.

Original review Aug 03, 2020

Expressed that I was recently involved in a house fire and could not continue with my membership due to financial hardships. Was offered to freeze my account and later told that I couldnt cancel the membership without paying a $300 fee.

Preferred solution: Cancelled Membership

Compel Fitness's reply to: Overdue Payment during Quarantine

The client was contacted. It took Compel a few weeks to get reorganized once the gym opened up. Full service has now been restored.
Brian I Yzm

Overdue Payment during Quarantine

Compel did not open back-up until 6/29/2020 and I am overdue on a payment? I stopped payment during the quarantine.

I was not getting service so why pay for it. The Compel Fitness at the Colonial Heights Golds Gym is a joke.

There is no one there beside my incredible trainer, Moses Israel, if it were not for him I would have contacted the BBB. Compel claims they offer these array of services but they dont, its laughable.

Cons:
  • Customer service

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

User's recommendation: Find a personal trainer that is independent.

Compel Fitness's reply to: Refund

Hey Kailey,
This is a confirmation that your 5/10 payment has been refunded and your agreement is cancelled.
Please allow 7-14 days for that refund to process.
Kailey Vlk
map-marker Germantown, Maryland

Refund

DUE TO COVID 19 , I requested back in MARCH that my account be refunded for my personal training for the month due to the closing and my account be CLOSED due to not knowing when the gyms will re-opening. The Rep insured me my refund was being process and the account was being CANCELLED.

Here we are in MAY and the gyms are STILL CLOSED but Compel JUST DRAFTED 300.00 AGAIN AFTER MY PRIOR REQUEST !!!!!!

Bla-blaBla-blaBla-bla

NOW IM CALLING CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEIR IS NOT ONE REP AVAILABLE, its a RECORDING saying please leave a message ! This is absolutely amazing at this point.

Loss:
$300
Cons:
  • Horrible customer service

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Don’t EVEN BOTHER WITH THIS COMPANY

Compel Fitness's reply to: Terrible

Compel Fitness has agreed to cancel the client's agreement and refund her for any unused sessions. She will be contacted by Seth in Customer Service with the details.
Meg L Nho

Terrible

I am being charged twice the amount of my contract. The representative wont fix the problem.

The gym is shut due to COVID and I cannot continue to pay $800.00 per month. The contract was for $400.00 so frustrated!

Loss:
$2400
Cons:
  • Horrible customer service

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

User's recommendation: Go elsewhere!

Compel Fitness's reply to: Taking money

Our records show that Mr. Reider trained thru February into March - with his last training session being March 11th.

Compel Fitness has refunded his March 25th payment and cancelled his agreement.
Jeffrey R Fie

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Springettsbury, Pennsylvania

Taking money

Since I can't reach customer service by phone, we will do it this way. My name is Jeffrey Reider and belong to the golds gym at the galleria in York, Pa.

The state has closed the gyms in Pa. You continue to take money from my credit card account. I have not had a session with trainer since first week of February. I want an answer why.

Please return reply by mail for my records.

My address is Bahns Mill Road, Red Lion, Pa. 17356

Jeffrey Reider

Loss:
$960

Preferred solution: pay back money collected and no trainer sessions provided. ALSO end this contract. You violated by not giving me trainer sessions

User's recommendation: do not join trainer services : different company providing trainers in golds gyms

Contact Information

Website:
www.compelfitness.com
Mailing Address:
25935 Detroit Rd. Ste #336
Westlake, Ohio 44145
United States
Phone:
(888) 983-3749
Contact Compel Fitness Customer Service

Latest Question

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