LA Fitness — Attraction in Chicago

BEWARE OF THIS CLUB AND SALESPERSON AND TRAINER KVON B.!!!

I had a call from KVON B. at this club on June 27, 2023. He was at first very personable and told me that I could come in for a free training session because my insurance company allowed one free session. He seemed very friendly over the phone, and I felt comfortable enough to tell him about my recent cancer diagnosis. I scheduled an appointment for June 28, 2023, at 9:30 am.

I went in, and KVON was as polite as can be. We had a good workout session. He sat down with me to go over what the costs of a personal trainer would be. He told me three monthly sessions are $ 195.00 per year, charged upfront. I was very explicit in my questioning, leaving no room for misunderstanding when I verified that he quoted the correct price; he assured me that $ 195.00 per year was all I would pay. He said it because the billing is "bundled and annualized." I agreed to that pricing and he had me sign the contract electronically. I know better than to sign something I cannot see. He had me sign on the electronic pad as he explained what I was signing, saying I would get a copy in my e-mail. I could not see the actual verbiage as it was not made available. I know better because I am in sales, but I was conned by his seemingly genuine personality and desire to help me.

When I arrived home, it was nagging me. I pulled up the contract in my e-mail, and not only did he charge me $ 99.00 more ($ 294.00) upfront; the contract stated it is $ 195.00 per month with an annual cost north of $ 2,400.00. I was livid; I called the club and asked for KVON. The young lady transferred me, and I was disconnected. I called back, told the young lady I wanted to speak to a manager, and explained why. Kvon then came to the phone; I told him how dishonest this was and told him this was a blatant fraud. He suddenly changed like Kujo and was on the defensive and said this was for my health. (As if he cares so much about my health, lol). I told him I wanted to cancel, and he sarcastically said that you must come in to cancel if you wished to cancel.

I went in that evening and told the young lady at the front desk that I wanted to speak with a manager. She went and got Kvon. He came out on the defensive. He said there was a misunderstanding; I said, "No, you knew perfectly well what you were doing. I asked you specifically in closed-ended questions about the pricing". This was when the truth came out. He was poking fun at my cancer diagnosis. He sarcastically said, "That is on you because I am healthy." I did not become upset because I knew he was very insecure and unintelligent. He went on and on and continued to argue with and antagonize me. I said, "I will not argue with you; I want to speak to a manager." He said, "You are looking at him." I continued with the young lady, canceled the membership, and walked out as he continued to spew insults.

Please beware of these people and their sales tactics, especially beware of KVON B. They asked questions like how many times you go to Starbucks a month? They are trying to size up your wallet. He also asked questions like who I have as a support system? This is playing on your vulnerability as if they will support you in need. None of this is genuine, all they are trying to do is get you to sign a contract for their commissions, and if you do not cancel within 72 hours, you...

I've been training at this gym for quite a while now, and I think it’s time to share some honest feedback about my experience. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been great, and I’m increasingly frustrated by the ongoing issues.

One of the major issues at this gym is the severe lack of equipment for each muscle group. There are typically only two machines available for each exercise, and more often than not, one of them is out of order. This leaves members with just a single functioning machine, which becomes a huge inconvenience, especially during busy hours. Despite raising this concern with management multiple times, nothing ever seems to change. Machines are left broken for weeks, sometimes even over a month, with no clear effort to fix them. As of now, three machines have been out of service for a long period, and it’s clear nothing is being done to address it.

Moreover, the cable section is in dire need of attention. There are no handles or ropes available for basic exercises like cable flys, tricep pushdowns, or other essential workouts. The situation has gotten so bad that many members have resorted to bringing their own gear, as the gym no longer provides even the most basic equipment for these exercises.

On top of that, the equipment is frequently broken or missing. Dumbbells are often misplaced, and it’s common to find them scattered across the gym. Even worse, the trainers themselves take the dumbbells and other equipment for their own personal training, which leaves members without what they need for their workouts. These trainers seem to think they own the place, and their attitude makes it even more frustrating.

The overall maintenance is appalling, and the staff simply doesn’t seem to care. It feels like no one takes responsibility for the issues that are constantly popping up. To top it all off, management is completely unresponsive and unhelpful. They rarely address the problems, and it’s clear that they have no real interest in improving the experience for the members.

These ongoing issues are not only frustrating but also make it nearly impossible to get a decent workout in. I really hope management takes this feedback seriously and starts making the necessary changes to improve both the gym's maintenance and the overall experience. Members deserve a reliable and...

I do not often leave reviews, but my experience at LA Fitness on MLK may help others. When I first signed up, less than a month ago, my sales rep, Trish lied repeatedly to me about not only the costs of the membership but also some of the available features.

You can update your membership to a signature at anytime (LIE) You can change to a signature and only pay $10 more a month (LIE) You can visit a signature club for only $5 (LIE) The gym has WiFi (LIE) The gym is getting Wifi (LIE) The person you do your (free) personal training session with is not the person who will be your personal trainer (misrepresentation)

Although the gym in clean and well equipped, you have no idea what you are getting into because their sales staff misrepresents their product. There has been ABSOLUTELY NO response from this location about the poor behavior of their employees.I have also talked with corporate and everyone passes the buck. There is no accountability.

To address each of the lies I was told let me expand on each one:

You can update your membership to a signature at anytime (LIE) -You have to pay an additional $180 deposit if you would like to upgrade your membership You can change to a signature and only pay $10 more a month (LIE) - In addition to the $180, the increase is $14 monthly You can visit a signature club for only $5 (LIE) - It is $10 a visit The gym has WiFi (LIE) - I was told the gym had WiFi but there is no WiFi!! There is a juice bar that has WiFi but that is not for gym members to use. And no, you cannot purchase WiFi through them or simply by a drink to get it for the day. It is a closed network. The gym is getting Wifi (LIE) - After I found out that in fact there was no WiFi, I confronted Trish, my sales rep, and she told me that they were getting WiFi soon. This was a complete lie because when I called corporate, they said they have no plans of putting WiFi in anytime soon. The person you do your (free) personal training session with is not the person who will be your personal trainer (misrepresentation) - I had an awesome experience with the personal trainer that I met with, but at the very end of the train me. This information would have been nice to have in...