Fitness 19 — Attraction in San Bruno

Let me start by saying I joined Fitness 19 two summers ago when I was home from college. I figured the $15/month was manageable even if I wasn't there all year. Since I go to school out of town, I only planned to use the gym when I was back home during breaks. I still paid every single month even when I wasn't there, just to avoid the hassle. Fine__whatever.

Fast forward to a few months ago, I called them directly and spoke to an employee to pause my membership while I was away. He told me he would take care of it. I trusted him. That was clearly a mistake. (BTW at the time I called, I was only allowed to pause for max 4 months with small fee)

Since that call, not only did my account NOT get paused, but I've been charged every single month—plus late fees on top of that??? Like, are you serious? First of all, I haven’t been using the gym. Second, I have auto-pay set up, which I activated when I first signed up so why are there ANY late fees at all?? That literally makes no sense. I never turned off auto-pay, and I definitely never received a single call, email, or notification saying it failed or that my payment didn’t go through. So what’s with all the extra fees?

Then last month, I noticed a charge for $85 out of nowhere. Turns out it was their so-called “annual fee.” I nearly lost it. That’s on top of the regular monthly fee and the random late fees that should have never existed in the first place. And for what? I haven’t used the gym in forever. I was already paying when I wasn’t even using the service, and somehow they managed to make it worse.

When I called AGAIN and asked to speak with a manager to explain the situation, he basically shrugged me off. No effort to fix things. Just told me there's nothing he can do—no refunds, no waiving late fees, no accountability at all. I mean as a manager, does he not control over anything there ?? So, who's behind all these BS?? So basically, even though I called ahead of time to pause my membership, and I trusted an employee who assured me it would be handled, they still kept draining my bank account month after month—and it’s MY problem now?

And now that I’m trying to cancel for good, they want to charge me for another month PLUS a $50 cancellation fee? What in the actual hell? I haven’t used the gym in nearly a year. This whole thing feels like a straight-up scam. They just keep pulling money out of my account for a service I haven’t touched, piling on fees, and then refusing to take any responsibility.

This gym doesn’t care about its members. All they care about is milking your account dry, and hiding behind shady policies and unhelpful staff who just say “sorry, there’s nothing we can do.”

I’ve never felt more ripped off by a company in my life. I’m a full-time student trying to manage finances and this gym just kept quietly draining me, month after month, while offering nothing in return. I feel completely robbed.

If you value your time, money, or sanity, STAY FAR AWAY FROM FITNESS 19. Their policies are trash, their staff is unreliable, and their billing practices are shady at best. This place is a scam wrapped in gym clothes.

Never...

I am not writing this review to sabotage the business but rather to warn to consumer. First allow me to began by saying this gym is about the size of a pool. No matter what time you go here it will always be busy and you will always be waiting to use something (except for the cardio). Believe me when I say that I have been here opening and closing and probably tried going here different times of the day and it is always packed. Secondly the eqipment is constantly being broken and the cleaning crew started now cleaning during business hours so they will be vacuming under you while you are working out. Don't let me forget to mention there are only 2 squat racks and 2 benchs, 1 lat pull down. Making it very hard to have an actual workout. Sure, the month to month price may be cheap but let me warn you they do sneak in many fees such as their $50 anual fee. And try quitting before the first 12 months and you got to pay more fees on top of that. Quitting is also very hard, they use a third party system to handle their memberships which is always messing up and charging you extra or not allowing you to cancel your membership. The manager doesn't even have any control over it, they have to email the company and ask them to fix your problem. The staff at the desk are great! I don't have much to say about the club manager, but I do have quite a lot to say about the district manager, Sergio Nava. Sergio Nava is a very pushy salesman, he will push all these tacky sales moves on you trying to pressure you into buying personally training, giving you false hopes. One conversation with him and you can see how ingenuine he really is, you can easily tell that all he cares about is numbers. If you see him at the location and try telling him about a gym machine being neglected he will not take you seriously.

In conclusion if you want to pay $15 a month to use dirty cardio machines and some minimal workout equipment while sergio is trying to upsell you, then this gym will be the perfect fit for you, or should I say a gym...

TLDR: Do not fall for their new membership promos. This gym is worth LESS than it’s price and should be avoided if you’re interested in non-cardio exercise equipment. If you enjoy workouts before 9am or only use cardio equipment, then go for it.

On paper, this gym is hands down the best value option and conveniently located for those living in the San Bruno area. Lots of cardio equipment, although squat racks and benches are limited to 2 each, and is generally clean. From time to time, things break down like exercise machines or the toilets, but they are usually fixed within a week.

Overcrowding and handling of membership are what makes this gym impossible to recommend. They are constantly running new membership promotions, be it waiving annual fees or offering reduced monthly dues. I have varied my visits to this gym at all times of the day (i.e. 6am, 9am, 11am, noon, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 9pm) and it is ALWAYS crowded, with the one exception being early morning (before 9am).

Those limited benches and squat racks I mentioned before? Forget it. The chances of you using one without waiting a minimum of 10-15 minutes or up to half an hour is basically zero.

With all the promotions they’re running (I’ve rarely visited without finding ad board up front) means this problem will only get WORSE. If you’re new to the area and looking for a gym, buy some dumbbells and a chair to workout at home (because that’s about all you’ll get to use here) or pay up for a nicer gym.

On cancelling membership: just know that you’re locked in for the duration of your 12-month contract, unless you become medically unable to workout or move 25+ miles away. A buy out option is available, but this gym outsources their membership billing to another company, ABC Fitness (see: skirting responsibility and poor customer service). Always read...