WESTCA — Local services in San Jose

Great gym, friendly people here but predatory cancellation system for gym membership that eventually lead to exploitation of the member.

You always hear about gyms making it VERY hard to cancel the memberships to make extra money and I didn’t really believe that until my experience with WestCA. Before I dive any deeper here is the backstory:

Was looking to cancel gym membership for westca since I no longer go, it was an annual membership so it was $500. My membership was set to auto renew December 17th.

Mid November I call them and let them know I want to cancel the membership and the staff member let’s me know that he put a note in the system and that their process is to have only the manger to be able to cancel memberships. So he advises that he messages the manager and tells her to leave a note to email confirming that the membership has been cancelled. He did give me a heads up that the manager was “busy”.

After 3 weeks with no email with cancel confirmation, I call again this time in early December. The staff confirms that he sees I called earlier and again let’s me know that the manager is busy and he will again shoot her a message to cancel it. I let him know that’s fine she is busy and my main concern is I don’t get charged. He says I won’t get charged and says again that he left a note for the manager to reach out to me when cancelled.

About a week passes and still nothing from westca, so this time I decide to follow up in person since the 17th is only a few days away. This time I stop into westca and ask to cancel. I’m told the same thing I’ve been hearing again: yea we see that you requested this in the past, manager is busy and she is only one who can do it, you won’t be charged, we sent ANOTHER message to the manager to cancel and we’ll send an email once cancel is confirmed.

Now come to the present day 12/18/22 still nothing from them confirming a cancellation. I get an email from westca about the annual membership subscription auto renewal. Thank god the credit card that I signed up with is no longer valid so the auto renew cancelled.

I guess my point in writing all of this is to say their membership cancellation process is absolutely ludicrous. So please heed my warning when considering this gym.

I’m not sure how much more proactive I could have been - reaching out 3 times prior to auto renew date and doing so more than a month in advance. I get the manager may be “busy” but with other subscriptions such as Netflix this process takes 30 seconds, what’s the hold up here?!

I’m grateful that the auto renew didn’t go thru due to an expired credit card because if it did then I would have to continue this process of trying to remedy the situation with someone who clearly is not showing any effort. Would have went to the better business bureau with my complaints but since the payment failed to process (thank god) , I figured a review woth my experience would help others be aware.

PLEASE NOTE THESE SHADY BUSINESS PRACTICES BEFORE SIGNING UP...

The only reason I'm giving this place a 1 because google won't allow me to leave a 0. I went here yesterday after already previously applied for a free 7 day guest pass to check the gym out online . Excited so I called the gym and informed the gym staff member of me checking them out online and asked whats needed i was told i had to be a California resident with id. Upon my arrival I had my two sons with me working in California in from Tennessee. Same staff member I spoke with the previous day was the staff member who was at the front desk. My oldest son asked if he could get some water from the water fountain, the staff member told him no you have to be a member in order to drunk from there. So my oldest son said ok I'm going to Starbucks mom I will meet you guys outside then. We were given nasty looks from the staff member and asked to apply again for the guest passes me and my youngest and just ignored the the hurtful treatment. After applying again we were told were good to go. I was even given a parking validation pass for my vehicle parked across the street. As I was finishing collecting my id with the staff member asking is there anything else you need and him saying no you good to go , a officer already walked in after waiting for the,staff to finish speaking with me.Then requested to use the restroom he was told go ahead while my oldest son wasn't even allowed to drink water from the fountain while applying for the free trial membership. On my way to the lady's room the Officer gave me the hand gesture to say you go first. I then verbally said no you go first I'm a slow walker. We went now as I'm getting out the shower I can hear a woman on the other side saying excuse me you have to leave. I didn't think she was speaking to me because we never saw each other before I didnt know no one, this was my first day. I then asked excuse me are you talking to me she replied yes your not a member that's for members only now you need to leave. I honestly thought she was a angry gym member wanting to use the shower because it only have one and she felt I took to long. Long story short I video taped from there where the same officer that saw me check in was one of the officers in the video who came inside the shower room to escort me from the property. The guy that treated me and my sons poorly from the beginning and forced us to apply again denyed we even spoke. I was told to just get out over and over again by one of the officers and he was saying I didn't belong there and the amenities were for members only I really didn't understand I thought I can use them, because I had the free 7 day pass. I video taped most of the incident mind you it's heartbreaking. I will share just leave info. DONT GO HERE !!!!!!! WORST...

I’ve been training at WESTCA Gym with Ivan since November 2023 and have split sessions with Adam since September 2024, and I can confidently say it’s been a game-changer for my fitness journey. Ivan is an incredible trainer who not only focuses on form and technique but also helps me develop a strong mind-muscle connection, making each workout more impactful. Adam is equally amazing and has built on this new foundation of proper form with challenging (yet effective) workouts.

Since starting, I’ve seen tremendous progress—both in my physique and in my confidence when it comes to training with free weights and dumbbells. Before joining WESTCA, I had memberships at big-chain gyms but never knew what to do, so I’d waste time, stick to cardio machines, and eventually stop going. That’s completely changed here. I have lost over 6% body fat and 53lbs since joining WESTCA! 💪

As a female and solo mom, I truly appreciate how welcoming and encouraging the atmosphere is— which is why I 1000% recommend training here! I was able to bring my son in with me when I didn’t have the flexibility with my schedule for training session and the team was super understanding and sweet!

You get results because the trainers genuinely care about your progress, nutrition, and overall well-being. The semi-private training sessions create an amazing supportive and motivating environment. The other gym members I have met in session and around the gym are so welcoming and supportive. The front desk staff are friendly and fun - with music playlists that keep me going!

Ivan’s workouts are always creative, effective, and adaptable—if a machine is taken, he quickly adjusts without missing a beat. My trainers both know exactly when to push me to lift more, when to adjust if I’m having an off day, and when to match my sassy sarcasm about the torture from exercise. But truly - every session leaves me feeling accomplished, stronger, and more confident.

And last, the owners - Meaghan and Tory are kind and thoughtful individuals. I’m proud to support this local, family owned team! If you’re looking for a gym where the trainers care, the workouts are fun, and you actually see results, WESTCA is the place to be!...