Champion Health Club St. Clair Shores — Local services in Saint Clair Shores

Mac Gym's core competencies: Predatory Practices, Misleading Sales Tactics, and Financial Exploitation

I write to share my troubling experience with MAC Gym, which has left me feeling deceived and financially exploited. This membership is nothing short of a nightmare, filled with misleading sales tactics, hidden fees, and unethical business practices that everyone should be aware of.

Misleading Sales Tactics: I visited MAC Gym to sign up for a monthly membership. I wanted two weeks of personal training to kickstart my fitness journey. As someone who works in construction, my schedule is tight, and I made it clear that I could only afford two weeks of training. The trainer assured me repeatedly that I wouldn't be locked into any recurring payments for personal training and my only contractual obligation was the 39.99/month membership fee. This assurance was a blatant lie.

Hidden Fees and Unauthorized Charges: The Personal Training (PT) Agreement was printed/hand-filled, but the copy that was supposedly executed was withheld from me, I only received the digital membership agreement showing zero PT fees. After I noticed unauthorized charges of $195 in weekly fees I tried to get clarity. The gym acted surprised at my reaction and refused my request by "forgetting to email" or putting a different employee in charge of my case to keep me in an endless loop of meetings designed to discourage me.

I received a copy of the PT agreement via text message days ago (May 3rd) finally revealing obligations I was assured did not exist. Before leaving on Sept 3, 2023, I explicitly stated I wanted to cancel any PT agreement if there was any fee beyond the membership + $390 worth of sessions. The trainer said there was nothing to cancel other than the membership. He even joked, “We are not LA Fitness." Also, the only contract they emailed solely represented the digital membership. Zero PT agreements so I felt as though the trainer had been honest.

Financial Impact: Working in construction means I can manage this financial burden, but what if I were a single mother struggling to buy baby formula? The predatory nature of these contracts could cripple someone living paycheck to paycheck. The gym's practices are not just deceptive; they are potentially ruinous for anyone on a tight budget.

Blaming Employees: When confronted, the gym's owner, Jeff, will not speak to you but has time to fly to CA to watch the Lions play, (with stolen money) and he is the only person who can provide a refund or stop the charges. He instructs his team to blame former employees. They portray themselves as victims of bad employees, but this is part of a calculated strategy. The turnover rate is high, with managers leaving due to the unethical practices they witnessed. One explicitly stated they left because of illegal and unethical behavior. They are willing to testify to these practices, highlighting a pattern of deception and exploitation.

Trained Deception: The sales staff at MAC Gym are trained to mislead customers with statements like, "You have to pay your cell phone bill even if you don't use it," to justify ongoing charges. They create a false sense of security during the sign-up process, only to trap customers in financially draining contracts. When I realized the extent of the deception, their customer service was evasive and unhelpful, further compounding my frustration and financial loss.

Call for Action: I am determined to fight this and am seeking help to expose these practices. This is not just about my personal experience; it's about preventing others from falling into the same trap. The owner's affluent position allows him to intimidate and exploit customers and employees, leveraging his wealth to silence those who cannot afford to fight back....

Update since talking with Mac Gym today:

Still a one star.

7/19

Following up on the email I sent regarding the response to my review, I spoke to Sarah, who was willing to let me out of the contract for $150 and two pieces of identification showing my new address. This was absolutely great and was more than willing to do this! I really thought we had made some progress. However, when I requested this agreement in writing, she said they couldn’t provide anything in writing because they didn’t want other clients to see that they did this for me and have others attempt the same? Which was extremely backwards given the fact that that they are doing what is stated in the contract and I got a lot of pushback about what I signed. They essentially wouldn’t put in writing that they are going to do the right thing. Which is a very baffling business practice.

I was apprehensive about sending the money after already having my membership in collections. Sarah advised that I could either pay the collections or $150. I explained that if they didn’t handle this properly—which has been a recurring issue—I would end up with the collections account and $150 in fees. My apprehension of sending the money without something in writing is valid given that I’ve been dealing with this for years.

I was essentially mocked and told that the reason for collections was my failure to send money, which is incorrect. I ended up in collections due to dishonest business practices and misleading information from their sales team and management. Their management advised me that this that “it was an agreement not a contract” which was the resolution…or so I thought when I finally got in contact with management years ago. I have been going back-and-forth with the collections agency as well trying to dispute this.

It was repeatedly pointed out that it was stated in the contract, but the fact that I was lied to by the sales team on multiple occasions and that all I want is something in writing advising that if I did what they asked would take care of things. This was what I thought was a reasonable request after all the dishonesty from the team. It fell on deaf ears and mockery. As a business, honesty should be at the forefront of their practices.

The audacity of the conversation really took me aback. Towards the end, instead of trying to have a productive conversation, it became unproductive, so I disconnected the call. Throughout this process, the blame was shifted onto me, and there was no accountability for their wrongdoing. This has been an incredibly frustrating and shady experience with this company. We will see if they sent me something in writing, but I doubt it.

When I signed up for the gym I was told that if I moved I would be able to get out of the 2 year contract. Knowing I was likely moving but unsure of the date I explained this to the person who signed me up. They said it was not a problem. That was not true and after calling the gym and letting them know that I moved, they wanted me to come to the gym and talk. Which wasn’t possible because I moved…it has now ended up on my credit report after talking to them multiple times on the phone. After talking with one of the people he said “it’s more of an agreement not a contract”. I thought this was settled after our final conversation. More lip service I guess. What a mess. Lesson learned. Read carefully and don’t give in to...

I live in St Clair Shores been here for sometime. I noticed on Facebook neighborhood page. There was some back-and-forth about this gym and the agreements and some dispute. I’m the kind of guy that takes things at face value, and I give my own opinion based off what I see and feel. I went in there on Monday. I dealt with Mark and Meech these guys were great. First off Mark for sales was extremely knowledgeable. He spent somewhere around 40 minutes, addressing my goals, my needs and carved out a program for me that seemed like it was from a Personal Trainer. I’ve worked out for many years and I’ve never been to a gym that showed that kind of care. It compelled me to sign up for a membership. I did secure my price for two years. Although they had an option for one year and month-to-month for five dollars more monthly with each level. I made an appointment for Tuesday to get my app loaded and utilize Meech and his services called the assessment. They sent me home with a form called a par Q. Which I felt was very professional. It had my medical past current eating habits and things like that on it. After the assessment, they evaluated my muscular strength, endurance, body fat, heart condition. And things I would’ve never done on my own. I think what’s stuck out to me was the comparison of how analytical we are as people in every other area other than our gym and our fitness. We spent 2,4,6 even 8 years in college. To study for our career. Mark made a great point how much have you studied for your body and your fitness with the amount of time you’re gonna spend in it? Based off all this input, which did not feel sales it felt informative and influential. I decided to sign up for personal training with Meech. They were clear that if something happens with Meech and he were to move or change his life or anything for that matter there would be a follow up from the club to assign a different trainer. Which I’m fully understanding of and in support of— I agreed as Mark stated they can’t control how long somebody decides to stay in this career, but they can’t control if I have somebody to help me. I say all this elaborately because I have read the feedback on social media. And if I did not experience this for myself. I can see where some people could be coming from. But I really think it’s not on The Gym. It’s on the person to use it. It really is kind of like a lease when you look at it. So for my experience, it was excellent. I can’t wait to get to my goals with Meech and I will update my progress along the...