Planet Fitness — Attraction in College Park

This gym has been a nightmare. Before you become a member, you are treated insanely well. All questions are answered, you're treated with respect, all the good stuff. When you become a member, you're told you have a $39.00 fee for joining. This is normal. But the reason I was told was so your monthly price wouldn't go up, which I was then told after that that it NEVER goes up. Interesting.

I spent a good bit of time at the gym. For the few machines I used, I was typically taking turns with some other person, or even cycling through 3-4 other people because they only had one machine. Many machines were broken, TVs didn't work on most of the treadmills, bathrooms weren't terrible, but weren't very clean. The smell this place has is almost unbearable. Yes, lots of people are sweating, but the air would become stagnant. Most of the regulars took the bench press. From the months I went, I was able to use it a totally one time. Any other time, these hulk-men had complete control of it.

Since all of this, I had moved a few times and had decided to cancel my membership. This is when things get rough.

I talk to someone at the front desk, and he's busy with a group of suckers about to get a membership here. He finishes and I explain to him I wish to cancel. He asks why and I explain. He says the manager has to be the one to process the cancellation, but they weren't in. He took down mine and my girlfriends name and account numbers. He explains that after we cancel, we will be billed one more time. We agreed and left. 2 months later, we're billed for a second time. I call them and ask what the problem was, and they say I must speak to a manager. In person. Ok...

We go in and ask why we were charged, again. The man at the front desk says our membership was never cancelled. I ask to speak to the manager and he says "I can get him for you, but I'll be honest with you... You aren't gonna get your money back. I'll tell you that right now." Yes, this was really said to us. I speak to the manager and he apologizes and thinks it's insane that this happened. I don't believe him, but play along. He again, takes our names, account numbers, etc. Seeing a pattern?

Another month, another charge. This time, it was a yearly $39.00 fee. We go back in and I talk to the same manager. He says he hasn't heard back from the home office or anything and asks "Do you guys want to work out for free?" Well, it ain't free if it's still being paid for, now is it? I'm charged again, and this is when we've had enough. I call my bank directly, explain the situation, and filed a dispute. About 2 weeks later, I get my money back. Just today, I receive an email saying I won't be getting a refund. This was an email from Fitness Evolution directly. I'm n laughing at you and your shoddy company. I got my money back from the dispute, and you all didn't even realize it.

Save yourself the trouble. Find...

Both my wife and I had a very bad experience with this location that caused us to get overbilled by hundreds of dollars through no fault of our own and in a very shady and peculiar manner.

When I signed up, I asked if I could pay with my credit card, and they said that it was fine. I then signed a contract and inputted my bank account information. A few weeks later I got an email saying there was a problem with my payment. I checked my credit card statement and saw that they had given me a late fee (even though I was supposed to be on an automatic payment), so I went into Planet Fitness and spoke with a worker. He told me that this was a problem on their end and that I would get a refund.

The following month, I got the same email and another late fee, so I went in and spoke to the manager. The manager was extremely rude. He told me that my bank account information was incorrect, and that when they take the payment from my credit card, it incurs a late fee. (I went back and looked at my contract, and my bank account information was correct.)

When I told the manager that a previous worker told me that this was a mistake on their end, the manager got strangely defensive and said something along the lines of, "I can't be held responsible for what my employees say." The bottom line: I had given the management my bank account information correctly, but was getting billed late fees on my credit card every month, and they refused to reimburse me.

This obviously caused me to cancel my membership, but when I went home, I looked into my wife's membership, and found that she had been getting late fees applied to her credit card every month too -- and I looked at her contract and she had inputted her bank account information accurately. No one had told her that her payment wasn't being processed correctly, and the emails she had been receiving from Planet Fitness to "warn her" were cryptic and said nothing about late fees.

The fact that this happened to both my wife and I makes me suspect that there are unethical practices happening at this location, especially because of how defensive management became when I brought this up to them.

Other problems with the location: very few free weights, causing long wait times MANY broken machines Unsanitary conditions, especially in the bathrooms. I made the mistake of showering there once, and there was a food wrapper in the shower, and clumps of hair everything. The floor had dirt caked into it, as if it hadn't been mopped in a long time. Rude management.

I highly recommend taking your...

I am truly disappointed with the state of the Planet Fitness location on East-West Highway in Hyattsville, MD. As a paying member of the Planet Fitness community, I expect a certain standard of maintenance and service, but my recent experiences have been far from satisfactory.

I have noticed that the fitness equipment is in dire need of repair. For example, the Seated Calf Extension machine pictured is essentially unusable, with no seat properly attached, making it both unsafe and impractical. The Abdominal Machine pictured has damaged padding and isn’t functioning as it should. The Leg Curl Machine pictured is also out of order, and many treadmills have out of order signs on them and are simply not operational. Adding to the frustration, the Stair Stepper pictured is out of commission, and some levers for seat adjustments are not properly securing equipment.

To make matters worse, there are active leaks in the ceiling. Water is constantly dripping into buckets scattered around the gym, creating an unpleasant and hazardous environment. This not only affects the gym's overall atmosphere, but also suggests serious maintenance issues that need urgent attention.

These problems are causing a significant inconvenience. With so many machines out of order, members are often forced to wait for equipment to free up or discontinue their workout plan altogether. This not only disrupts workout routines, but also leads to longer waits and a generally frustrating experience.

The overall condition of this facility is a major letdown and far from the standard I expect from Planet Fitness. I urge the management to address these issues promptly. Regular maintenance and timely repairs are crucial to ensure the health, safety and satisfaction of all members. I hope to see improvements soon; otherwise, I may need to reconsider...