LA Fitness — Local services in Long Beach

I signed up for LA Fitness personal training and was told the first four sessions were free and I had five business days to cancel with no penalty. During my very first 30-minute session with trainer Nikolai, I told him I hadn’t squatted in about a year. While using a type of squat machine, I told him I felt like I couldn’t physically continue because he was having me bottom out; something that should not have been done, especially since I was no longer squatting in general and he never tested my range of motion. He insisted I keep going, which caused a lower back strain. In addition, I did not receive the promised logging/tracker book or my personal macronutrient recommendations during this first program session. I only had my body measurements taken, and I didn’t even receive those myself because Ernesto said he had to write them elsewhere at the time since I was not given the book.

I informed Ernesto (training program manager) later, the same day that I wanted to cancel. He did not respond, and when I followed up the next day, he told me he would cancel it on Monday, August 4, but did not. On Tuesday, August 5, I spoke with Daniel, who told me Ernesto was canceling “right then” but also tried to tell me I would still be charged for the remaining two months. I had to explain that I was in my 5-day cancellation window.

On August 6, Janice (manager) confirmed in writing that my full $293 refund was processed. On August 7, only $232 was returned. On August 8, Janice went back on her word, claimed it was prorated, and still showed no acknowledgment of the injury or poor handling of my case, despite me pointing it out multiple times.

No one involved; Ernesto, Daniel, Janice, or Nikolai, ever expressed concern for my injury or took responsibility for the situation. This is not how a fitness facility should treat members who trusted them with their health.

With that state, it’s clear they don’t care about their clients but view...

Last month, I went to the Long Beach location on Bellflower to ask about a membership. I got the typical salesman routine but eventually they gave me the membership costs. I asked if they had a trial membership so I could check out the place (wasn't offered) and they said they would email it to me. After a few days and no email, I called back and spoke with the manager (I didn't ask for him) and he said he would email it to me. After a few more days and no email trial, I went back into the facility and a third person said they would email the trial pass...Finally got it.

Two weeks after my trial membership completed I got a call from the sale person offering me a "special deal" but he would get back to me with the details. As you can guess I never heard from him.

At this point I had already signed up for another gym because the process with them was so long, but I wanted to see how long their incompetence would continue. I called again and spoke with Eric the manager and said he would check with the original Sales Person about the "special deal" and he would call me back. Guess what? He didn't called me back either. I called him back one more time because now I was just curios to learn how many incompetent people were at this one location. When I spoke to the manager he mumbled something about talking with the salesperson and proceeded to give me the same membership costs that can be found on their website! It was sort of comical at this point. I wish I recorded the whole interaction from beginning to end to post to my social media.

Ironically if LA Fitness just had one set price and no sales people and no "special deals" I probably would have signed up for a membership the first time. It seems outdated to still have those used car salesman...

Unprofessional and Customer-Unfriendly Practices

I’ve been a loyal LA Fitness member since 2016, but after my recent experience, I decided to cancel both of my memberships. The way they treat long-term customers is incredibly frustrating and feels like a sales scam.

I brought a guest to the gym, only to be told I needed a guest pass. They informed me that it would cost $30 for a one-time pass plus $25 per month, which would bring my total cost to almost $60 a month. Alternatively, they offered me a new membership at $39/month with unlimited guest passes, but that meant canceling my current membership and starting again with initiation fees. The whole setup felt like a tactic to squeeze more money out of customers instead of providing reasonable solutions.

When I called corporate, I spoke with Victor, hoping they might offer some kind of accommodation for a customer of nearly a decade. Instead, he told me that if I wanted a guest pass, I’d have to pay the additional fees — no effort to help, no compromise, just “that’s what you have to pay.”

I’m exhausted by LA Fitness’s lack of professionalism and their apparent focus on profit over customer satisfaction. Their practices feel like they are designed to pressure members into paying more. After this experience, I cancelled both memberships. Long-term members and new members should be treated with respect, not manipulated for extra fees.

Save yourself the hassle — there are plenty of other gyms that value...