Planet Fitness — Attraction in New York

The often used argument in defense of this gym usually goes something like: "But it's only $10 a month! What do you expect!!" or "You get what you pay for!!!"

Let me tell you why this argument is totally invalid.

Planet Fitness is a nationwide franchise gym. I joined Planet Fitness as a Black Card member in California 2 years ago. Now, this gym was awesome; it was clean, the machines were well-maintained, the staff were friendly and the place was never crowded. There were the slogans everywhere reminding that it was a "No Judgment Zone" and the staff took it seriously, therefore the clientele took it seriously too. There was a relaxation zone and massage chairs for Black Card members. Bottom Line: People came to work out; not to gawk at others. $20 for a membership to THAT place was an absolute steal.

Fast forward to the present and we can see the polar opposite in the franchise here in Astoria.

Shortage of working machines. The place is constantly PACKED. You almost have to fight to grab a machine, there's so many people. The number of cardio and weight machines are woefully inadequate for the amount of people working out here at any one time, which leads to people lining up to use a machine. Case in point: There's only ONE torso rotator and there's always people waiting on it. And not only is there a shortage of equipment, but many of their machines are in some state of disrepair.

Other people. Some of the people here work out maximum maybe once a year. So don't be surprised when someone's grandma shows up in a mu-mu and proceeds to break the hell out of one of the machines. Then there's also total meat-heads who crowd the free weight area and don't do anything but admire themselves in the mirror. Then there's the creepers who spend the whole time staring at women on the treadmills. And then others are just straight scary. True story: one time my girlfriend walked by some dudes doing jumping jacks in the middle of a hallway and was threatened with physical harm by one of them for getting in the way. Yeah, what DO you expect for $10 a month?

Facilities are terrible. Want to wipe down your machine before use? Too bad; paper towel dispensers are broken. Need to go to the bathroom? No toilet paper. And the locker rooms? Full of thieves. Ok, enough said on that.

The staff doesn't care about the philosophy that make other Planet Fitnesses great. They're not friendly and they don't enforce gym rules. That "Lunk Alarm" they use to keep people from acting up and intimidating other members? They don't use it. People wear their Timberland boots to the gym and slam weights on the ground; they work out in the walkways and block people from getting past. Staff also don't care that the relaxation/stretch area for Black Card members is usually occupied by a molester guy named Mohammed giving personal training to young women.. And the massage chairs always have some elderly people sitting in it.

The price is the same for every Planet Fitness gym. Why should this gym be any different? Is it so hard to fix the machines? Keep the creepers/perverts/criminals out? Keep the toilet paper stocked?

Save your money and go to another gym.

But if you absolutely HAVE to join Planet Fitness, consider the gym in Jamaica. No,...

I transferred to this Planet Fitness after moving to Astoria from Bay Shore at the beginning of May, and my experience at the Astoria location could not have been worse. I could honestly have given 1 stars for the broken equipment and extreme heat, but that's not why I'm leaving this review. I'm leaving a 1 star review because Planet Fitness charged me a late fee for no reason, and the manager, Adriana, could not have been bothered to call me back once despite me leaving several complaints for the workers to document.

After my first or second week there, the PF app popped up a screen that my bank account disconnected from the app. I never got an email about this from PF. But I explained the situation to the worker, re-did my bank account details (even though no bank account details changed on my end). A few days later, the PF app notifies me that I'm late on my payment specifically because of this bank disconnection and that I'll be charged a late fee. I manually pay my $15 membership fee via credit card in person on May 18th. The next week, I have to explain the situation to each worker why my app won't let me scan in. They documented this complaint, with the latest being May 24th. I was told several times that the manager Adriana would contact me, and not once did she ever each out.

After trying to re-enter my bank account a 4th time on the app, this time it seemed to have finally connected. As soon as this happens, I get charged a $20 late fee on June 6th. I tell this to the front desk workers, and yet I still hear nothing from management.

June 22nd, on a Sunday, I finally ran into the assistant manager whose name escaped me. Finally thinking I was going to have this resolved, she promised me that she would call me back after speaking to the manager Adriana on Monday, June 23rd. Again nothing.

After this, I had no choice but to cancel. The lack of respect from the management at this business is appalling.

I would like to shoutout Brian and Claire, who were the front desk workers I spoke to most of the time. They were incredible and very understanding. I completely got this was not their issue and they did not have the authority to change anything. Honestly, I don't understand why they are not in management positions here.

If anyone asks me whether they should join this gym, I will tell them to run as far away...

Update to 1st review below and rediculous response from owners:

I’ve been a member of this gym for a while now, and while there have been some improvements, they feel minimal. A few new machines have been added, which is nice, but overall, not much has changed to enhance the experience. The treadmills, unfortunately, remain a major concern—some of them are still unsafe and need immediate attention. Really unsafe! It’s frustrating when equipment that should be a staple of any gym is either broken or unreliable.

Additionally, there’s a lot of unused equipment taking up space that could be replaced with more popular, in-demand machines or free weights that members actually use.

I honestly think the franchise owners need to get more involved. It might even be worth contacting corporate to let them know about the ongoing issues. Right now, it’s just not up to par. FEELS like 1980's no name town gym. If COORPORATES DOESNT STEPIN. THEN WE ALL GOING TO ANOTHER GYM!

1ST REVIEW: This gym has a lot of potential but falls short in a few key areas. The machines (some broken)are functional but fairly outdated, with some showing signs of wear and tear.

Treadmills are dangerous because they shake when you run or walk on them. VERY OLD place panel plank- the wood underneath them are all cracked and broken and causing unbalance.

The layout feels old, making it difficult to move between equipment during peak hours. The design is stuck in the past, lacking the modern, clean aesthetic and easy walk through- it seems like they just put everything in a basic "LINE" just to say they have it.

Missing a lot other PF gyms have- basic foam rollers that aren't 10 years old. (its $5 dollars -get some), stretch bands, stability balls. - more mirrors are needed- not just on 1 wall on each FL.

(Elevator always an issue. Kids and people with Flipflops and Crocs and working out with Pajama Pants. Missing Proper attire. Massage chairs and amenities are an issue. Broken and outdated.)

It's not a bad option if you've got no standards or expectation as a customer, but those who value a more updated, spacious environment might want to look elsewhere. We should be getting at least the basics for $30-35. This place is...