Planet Fitness — Attraction in Garden Grove

My family was super excited when we found out there was a new Planet Fitness opening down the street from our house. We signed up all 3 adults in the house and were even more excited to hear they were opening 9 days early! We came to the gym almost daily and it was great to have the whole family begin building a workout routine.

About a week after the gym opened, the whole family (my wife, her dad, and our daughter) headed out in one car to run some errands and decided to head to the gym all together to workout. Because the gym did not allow kids under 13 yrs old on the floor, our plan was to have one of the adults sit with my 9 yr old daughter at the lobby tables (while she was reading) and the adults would swap off. While my wife and daughter were waiting for grandpa at the table, a gym employee loudly announced from the counter that they could not wait at the tables because they were reserved for new member sign ups only. There were no signs, no new/potential members signing up, and there were at least 3 other empty tables. Employee explained these were her manager's rules and this was not 24 Hour Fitness (we said we never had this issue at other gyms). Told the fam let's just make plans to leave our daughter at home next time (even though she was just quietly sitting and reading) and forget the incident.

Few days later, I get a call from my wife that her dad was on the treadmill at the gym and an employee made a rude gesture he could not be on the cell and he had to leave the gym. Spoke to my father-in-law and he indicated he didnt realize there were "no cell" signs posted in the lobby, but regardless did not feel comfortable to go back to the gym because gym employees did not treat seniors with respect.

I came back to the gym to speak with a manager about both situations and waited almost 30 minutes. The Asst Mgr came by the front desk, but was on lunch and did not acknowledge there was a member (me) waiting a long time to speak with a manager. The club mgr finally came and I explained both situations to her. I told her I was willing to spend 2-3 times more with one of their competitors and would cancel the membership for my whole family for a better customer service experience because we've never had these issues at 24 Hour Fitness or other gyms. All she could say were these were Planet Fitness policies (which is weird because this is a franchise location and should have more control over op procedures) and this was not 24 Hour Fitness. What really makes it upsetting and will be the main reason why my family (and our social network) will NEVER come back to Planet Fitnet is that the club manager still charged us for our first month here even though we still had 2 days before the billing cycle began. REASON: Planet Fitness policy. She couldnt waive the fee even though she's the club manager for a FRANCHISE location. She didnt even try to keep us as members.

My family was just super mad now at this whole experience and we just went back to 24 Hour Fitness that same day to sign back up. We could sit at front tables, talk via cell on the workout floor, and my daughter could even come into the gym without anyone harassing up. Best part is even regular employees (no manager onsite necessary) are empowered to waive fees, provide discounted rates, and just deliver great...

I’ve been a member of a few gyms like ChuzeFitness ( Westminster Mall), Crunch (HB), 24 hr fitness ( Westminster), and most favorite CrossfitInversion (Anaheim). This gym is ok for beginners and maybe for moderate people who like to workout. It has weights, but not to heavy. My boyfriend comes here once in a while and prefers his gym, Crunch, over this gym due to the weights. I like it because it is 24 hrs and i can bring him along. It is a good price for the machines it has. The staff is friendly, only thing that I got use to was that Chuzefitness is extra on friendliness and welcomes everyone by name. The times I have come here the bathroom isn't checked regularly, thus water is spilled on the floor and around the sink. Sometimes ppl forget to flush the toilet which is kind of gross. I have not use their showers yet, but their is no extra room to change, so you'll see ppl change in plane view or in the handy-cap restroom. I became a member here because I was paying a lot at crossfit and I purchased a new car. The location is convenient for me because it is close to home. The price is reasonable for me. It is 24 hr, so I can come in Saturday or Sunday nights which I couldn't with the other gyms because some closed at 7pm. It isn't as packed at the times i come which is at 9pm or 5:30 am. One thing i was upset was that i can not use my jump-rope in there which i had no problem in the other gyms. Another thing is that the paper towels isn't checked regularly to the time i go at night. It's ok if it happen once but almost every other day it does get irritating since once pays for the annual fee. Overall, its an OK gym to be...

Love the staff, I would say they're very good at keeping it clean.

EDIT: While I appreciate the response from the owner, I feel the reply misses the core issue. This isn’t just about comfort, it’s about safety and basic gym etiquette. People invading others' gym space without asking, and blocking access to dumbbells by lifting directly in front of the rack, aren't just being rude, they’re creating dangerous situations. I literally witnessed someone get hit because another person wasn’t paying attention.

Gym etiquette should be part of every new member’s onboarding, just like rules for equipment use. And especially since Planet Fitness allows teens in for free during the summer, there should be clear, proactive education around gym behavior. Many of these teens simply don’t know the rules and that lack of guidance creates real risk for themselves and others.

Also, it’s not realistic to expect members to go to management every single time this happens. I’ve seen these issues multiple times with different people. It shouldn’t be on members to police others, this is something staff should be monitoring and addressing consistently.

If it’s not taken seriously, it opens the door for preventable injuries and potential legal consequences. Members deserve more than a generic “talk to the manager” reply when valid safety concerns are raised. Clear standards and accountability should be part of the gym’s culture, not just a reaction when...