Amped Fitness — Local services in Saint Petersburg

Amped Fitness and ABC Fitness work on a purpose built Business Model that is deceitful and predatory to their Patrons.

Let this be a warning that you should review their contract before signing it. This is the reason why:

A sales Personal Trainer (PT) will give you a pitch for their services. Many work off of a sheet provided by management on how to word it. This was admitted to by the Regional Manager, but he would not provide a copy of it after questioning their sale practices.

The pitch is purposely not clear on the costs being monthly or annually . I was lead to believe it was annually, when it was monthly.

I was told it could be cancelled at anytime. It can be, but only with a 30 day notice and a 15% cancellation fee. None of this was mentioned in the verbal sales pitch.

4 . Gyms or Health Sudios are regulated by FDACS under the Health Studios Act due to the high rate of fraud perpetrated on patrons. The Act calls for a 3 day rescission period you are not told about. The Buyer’s Rights afforded you under this Act are not explained to you.

While the PT is giving you the pitch they run the written contract through the tiny 2 x 4 inch (approximate) credit card machine to the signature spots, but never let you see what the actual contract is. This Contract that you are signing is different then the sales pitch. This scenario is purposely done to deceive their true intent.

Since you were never made aware of your rights and foolishly trusted the PT, you don’t realize you were defrauded until the next month when you get a charge you didn’t expect.

If I am wrong in my accusations, why doesn’t Amped present you with a paper easy to read copy of the contract to sign rather than the way it is flashed on the small Credit Card machine. The answer is easy to figure out. Honest, decent people aren’t afraid to show their contracts.

The PT, General and Regional Managers just tell you “you should have read the contract better” if they respond to you at all.

It is a sad commentary on the business practices of Amped and many other companies that you need to be very wary and accompanied by an attorney to sign up for the simplest of services or products.

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS COMPANY

DON’T SIGN ANYTHING UNLESS YOU READ THE CONTRACT IN ITS ENTIRETY AND WITHIN THREE (3) DAYS OF SIGNING

UNDERSTAND YOUR RIGHTS. LOOK UP THE HEALTH STUDIOS ACT.

GOOD LUCK 🍀

Update 4/9/2024

I have seen and read their response to my review many months ago and it goes perfectly according to how they cheat you. They say all the right things to make it seem like they care and are understanding. I spoke with them live on the day I found out they misrepresented the contract to me, which was after only one month and later spoke to the Regional Manager. They don’t care one bit about your circumstances and how the contract signing procedure is stacked against their own customers. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS COMPANY.

Please review the picture posted below where they have retained a law firm to collect on the contract I didn’t fulfill. I quit going to Amped Fitness after 30 days , which is the day I found out I had been had.

I am posting this so it may save someone else the trouble this company has caused me. I am retired and have very limited income and could not afford the contract. The contract that was verbally explained to me I could, but not the actual paper contract that was much, much higher than the amount explained to me.

As I stated in my first review, be VERY, VERY careful with this company. They represent the very worst of corporate...

The perfect example of a mid gym. Cost-wise, there aren't any better options in DTSP but in hindsight I should have just gone to the Crunch on 4th. It's much nicer and has a lot more equipment. This specific gym is very small, has very limited equipment, and is just old - it feels crowded at almost all times of the day given the size. No frills, which is not a bad thing. In my opinion, this is a 3-star gym in terms of quality, however, the whole cancellation process is just absurd. There are a bunch of vague fees that keep adding up. Here's the kicker: you HAVE to make these payments at the actual gym. No online payment processing. In my case, I just moved and after I thought I had made my final payments, another $16 fee popped up and there was no way to pay it online. Ridiculous that I now have to drive more than an hour just to make a $16 payment. That's where I find a problem with this gym's antiquated atmosphere and systems. The convenience factor is just not there. If you are planning on staying locally in DSTP for some time, this gym gets the job done, but be wary of the whole cancellation process and don't expect a great lifting experience here. UPDATE Went to make my final $16 payment in store. This payment rose to $86 without me being notified. Apparently my credit card, which I use EVERY DAY, conveniently declined in the final month. As a result, my annual membership automatically renewed and was charged to me WITHOUT NOTIFICATION. Absolutely scummy business model. The person at the front desk herself admitted that this has been happening pretty often with customer. Absolutely insane. There's no way to change your payment online, you HAVE to call or pay in person. And when you think you are good, your card conveniently is declined through their system even though you've been using it elsewhere without interruption. Again, absolutely scummy. I wouldn't doubt that this gym has collected thousands each year from this little inconvenience. Knowing this, I will never go anywhere near an Amped gym again. You've been...

Amped is a great gym. I worked out there daily during peak hours over the past 3 years. It’s a typical gym and can get somewhat crowded early in the week during those peak hours, but it gets better as the week progresses. It isn’t overwhelming and you can still typically get in a good workout without having to wait on equipment. The crowd is more mid to late 20 year olds through people in their 40s or 50s who are mostly there to work out, and not just be seen.

The location is pretty easy to get in and out of. The parking lot's aisles are one-way, some people can't seem to figure that part out though. During baseball season it can be challenging to get to the gym's parking lot and find parking if you go around the start of the game. Traffic gets a little heavy, and they sell game parking spots in the gym parking lot. I guess you do not have to worry about that this season though. There are some people who may be homeless in the area that have memberships for the showers and to charge their phones. This may bother some people.

The gym’s size is a little on the smaller side. However, there are rumors about them expanding into the shop next door. So hopefully most of the gyms issues of not having enough/proper equipment or space is solved. The first 2.5 years I worked out there I do not think they purchased much new equipment. But they have started to do more of that lately. Hopefully they invest in a deadlift platform in the new space as that is something that is currently missing.

Their staff is always nice, although staff working the front desk is constantly changing. A few of the trainers have been there a long time though and are great. If you are new to the gym or just want someone to push you, I recommend them.

Overall, the gym is great for its size, is a fair price, in a decent location, and people going there are focused on themselves. It’s a good place to go if you live or work in the...