The Backstreet Gym — Local services in El Paso

STAY AWAY!! Walked in on a random day to check this place out because it is close to where I live. I was a little weary of the $500 cancellation fee and said I'd only sign up if it was a month to month deal ($50/month) with no $500 cancellation fee. This was agreed to and memorialized in the membership agreement accordingly. The agreement was even initialed in TWO separate places by the employee who signed me up. A big "X" was written over the $500 cancellation fee paragraph in the membership agreement initialed by both me and the guy who signed me up.

So I go to pay my monthly membership fee today (which I thought was recurring and they'd charge my card automatically) and they try to charge me a $35 late fee. I ask if they can waive the late fee because I was under the impression they were charging my card automatically. Too bad so sad for me. I have to pay the late fee.

I end up requesting cancellation of my membership. I am THEN told I have to pay a $500 cancellation fee and will be referred to collections and the only way to cancel my membership is to send a written request via certified mail. I bring in the contract and the owner says the modifications are void because SHE didn't sign the agreement and I owe $500 if I cancel. What a scam!

I then look at my bank account and see a charge for $89, which is the monthly membership fee plus the "late fee." Now that they have the late fee they're happy to charge my card somehow. I never authorized this $89 charge as the late fee was in dispute (I can't find anything in the contract about late fees). I had to cancel my debit card and order a new one.

Anyway, I mailed my cancellation via certified mail today. It's almost Christmas (Dec. 23) and this place might as well be ran by the Grinch and Scrooge. I will likely have to deal with a legal action to enforce the $500 cancellation fee waiver initialed in two places by the Backstreet guy who signed me up. STAY AWAY from this gym!!

I will say: The gym itself, however, is great. All I wanted was to pay $50 a month and go to this gym to workout 2-3 times a week (without committing for a full year at $500 penalty to opt out). I didn't even go that much. I would gladly go back and change my review to 5 stars if the $50 month-to-month deal that was originally given to me and memorialized in writing was honored...

I joined this gym about a year ago when I was stationed here with the Army, when i went to see the gym it was explained to me that this was a month to month contract. I thought this was great. In October when my husband joined me in El Paso (also military) he joined my contract as well. In December, I had leg surgery and was no longer able to utilize the gym facilities, but we continued our memberships. In March, they closed the gym. The Army was given direct orders that they could not workout at any outside facilities. Backstreet Gym still charged our account during the time their facility was closed $108. May 27, after moving and we went back and asked how to cancel. The front desk employee handed me a card with an address and said all we had to do was send a certified letter saying we are cancelling and we wouldn't be charged further. No problem. We did this the same day and the letter was received May 29. Today, June 15, another draft showed up on my account for $108. I called Backstreet Gym to inquire about this as we had done what was asked of us to cancelled. The person who answered the phone was extremely condescending and questioning me on why I couldn't go to the gym when they have "E-9s and Generals going every day!" I explained I was given an order that we cannot use local gyms and I am not getting an Article 15 for going to their gym, plus we moved. She kept going back to the fact that other military members are ok with breaking the rules so I should be too. THEN, THEN SHE TELLS ME there is a $500 cancellation fee. WHAT? So I said, this information was not told to me when I asked about how to cancel She told me that I should read my contract. I handed the phone to my husband at this point. I'm astounded at the customer service, the fact that they think I should break direct orders from the military, and the lies that we were told by...

I was a member of this gym for well over a year. My first impressions were amazing. The gym is well stocked, super clean and never super busy. It was and is a fantastic facility. So why the two stars?

In my 30+ years as a fitness competitor and expert, I have never seen such an unprofessional approach to running a gym. The gossip and negative energy generated by the very person who owns the gym boggles my mind.

I did my best to mitigate and ignore the baloney, but when an individual actively tries to pull you into the muck one must rethink why they are paying money to a facility that is sub-par when it comes to a positive experience.

I have a very active social media presence and I happily promoted this facility. Only to be accused of using the facility to make money somehow under the table or at the owner's expense. This is absurd as anybody can clearly see my online presence and I have never made money off the gym.

I could go on, but the bottom line is I will not pay good money to be in an environment where the management is less than professional.

The extremely high turnover rate at the front desk should have been a warning along with the low membership. I was just happy to be in a great facility that was never full. Now I know why. I've had several people decide not to join based on their experience with the owner during their visit with me for a workout. This is poor business at best.

It is a shame. The place was brilliantly designed and has great promise. It should be the hottest place in town, yet it falls short.

Pity, a lot...