The Edge Fitness Clubs — Attraction in Glastonbury

I'm writing this review based solely on my experience with personal training. My trainer Stephen was excellent (5 stars) and I highly recommend him personally. In fact, I liked him so much that I attempted personal training for a second time despite having the same terrible experience with scheduling the first time (1 star).

As for the rest...my husband works a rotating shift. Being such, I am unable to maintain a consistent schedule in terms of going every Monday and Wednesday, for example. Apparently, this is very problematic for The Edge. So, I would try to book my appointments for the month, but as they do...things pop up. You can't schedule with your trainer...you can't schedule in the app...you have to call or schedule in person at the front desk. There are very few people who seem to be able to do this. I've called and sat on the phone for 15 minutes while they tried to work out how to reschedule...I've been told by the front desk the system is confusing and to please call and talk to someone else...I've been told I'm in the schedule at times I didn't schedule and not in the schedule at times I did (probably due to the point above)...your appointments also do not show up in the app...so, you only have a verbal transaction to go on...the majority of the employees/managers act like this is a giant inconvenience and talk to you like you did something wrong (with the exception of Amud (probably butchered the spelling), who is literally the kindest and most helpful human)).

This has bothered me since I started at The Edge. On 3/26 at 12:09 I had asked to cancel/reschedule a session that was the following day at 1p (so, more than 24 hours which they state is the policy to be able to reschedule and not lose your session). When I ended my session, I went to the front desk to try to reschedule. The front desk staff noted that I had one session to reschedule, but we were not able to work out a day that week or the following week due to my trainer's schedule, so I told her I would look at my calendar to call back. So, I called today to reschedule an appt. on 4/4 and am notified I'm not in the calendar after 5+ minutes of struggling to navigate the calendar. I ask them to confirm my Monday appt (4/3), which they do. Then I'm placed on hold. Dave gets on the phone and notifies me I have no sessions left. I explain I do have sessions left and am told that they deleted all of my sessions when I canceled my contract which I was told I had to do by 3/10 to not be billed after 4/10 and charged me a little less. I'm just not sure how this makes any sense?! Oh wait...it doesn't. I didn't ask for them to cancel my existing sessions and bill me less and wouldn't expect them to do so or do so without communicating it. And how two front desk staff noted a rescheduled appointment available in my file (up to the moment Dave got on the phone) also makes no sense.

My advice, write down everything - names/dates/times (even though this doesn't help because there is no accountability). But, I did it this time to validate I wasn't crazy! AND, don't spend hundreds of dollars a month to not even be able to do something as simple as switch an appointment day/time and to be spoken to like you're an idiot. I'm a working mom with two young babies at home. An amenity you are paying for to make you feel good about yourself and doing for you should not be this hard nor waste...

I recently moved to Middletown and joined The Edge. I previously trained at Big Sky, where I regularly worked with trainers, in addition to following structured programs from certified fitness professionals on platforms like Beachbody. I’ve developed a consistent and effective fitness routine over the years, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try the complimentary personal training session offered to new members.

While my trainer, Tim, was kind and easy to talk to, my interaction with the manager, Harris, was extremely uncomfortable. He came across as dismissive and condescending from the start. When I explained my background and current workout approach, he seemed more interested in discrediting my experience than offering support or guidance. He used industry jargon in a way that felt intentionally confusing, only to then mock my lack of familiarity with certain terms. He questioned whether I could handle coming to the gym 5–6 days a week—even though I’ve been doing exactly that for years and made unnecessary assumptions about my lifestyle, like suggesting fasting would be too difficult for me, despite the fact that I have fasted many times in support of my Muslim partner.

Rather than using this conversation to highlight the benefits of The Edge’s training program, he spent over 25 minutes invalidating everything I shared, only to end with, “Well, I’m not going to waste your time,” which only reinforced how little regard he had for me as a potential client. The entire experience was disheartening. As a woman, it takes a lot of time to feel confident and respected in gym environments, and this session made me feel the opposite and hesitant to even come back. From my experience as a PR professional, that is not how you sell something to someone.

Harris’s approach was not only unprofessional but it was counterproductive. Harris relied on condescension and intimidation tactics that are not only ineffective but also inappropriate for someone in a managerial role. If the goal was to welcome a new member and potentially sell a service, it fell completely flat.

The Edge should re-evaluates how leadership interacts with clients and should consider training staff, especially those in leadership, in communication, empathy, and respect. No one should leave a gym session feeling belittled or unwelcome.

I certainly don’t want to join the personal training program now but I might’ve been open to that if I had a...

Horrible customer service experience: They just recently changed their shakes menu, where there are no preset shakes to choose from and “customers now have the freedom to build their own shake.” Before with the preset shakes the macro count was clearly given, but for some reason with this new menu there is no info given (makes no sense, especially now that it’s a build your own shake menu). I asked the customer service rep if there is any info I can get, and I was told I could be given the info right after my shake was made. The minute I was charged for my shake, the customer service rep completely changed up and just completely avoided me. When I asked for help, he simply just put one of the shake cans infront of me and walked away (as if all the macros are on that can). For someone who is serious about their nutrition, I don’t understand why this kind of information is not available, and why couldn’t they just tell me they simply didn’t know in the first place? From the shake places and the gyms I’ve gone to, shake menus at least give the number of calories. This is not the first time I’ve had to deal with bad experiences here, there have been multiple times where I have been brushed off. Yes, there are a lot of children who think it’s funny to just scream obnoxiously in the lifting area and for groups of 5 to take a squat rack for around 30 mins. And so many people record at the gym. There might be signs saying no filming is allowed, but clearly this rule is not followed by the amount of cameras AND TRIPODS you see. I am not one to make a scene at the gym, I just keep it to myself but unfortunately I need to write this review for others to see, because this is too much. I have been trying to cancel my membership for the last few months, but I guess I can’t cancel until May, and when directed to call to cancel early, it’s literally impossible. You just jump from one call to the next, and it all leads to nothing. I will just get charged for these next few months and then I will be gladly on my way. This is my experience with the Glastonbury location, to be even...