West Loop Athletic Club — Local services in West Chicago Township

Hey I’m typing this review as someone overweight and trying to get back into things with enthusiasm- not someone who’s already in shape and wouldn’t keep it real about what the experience is like. People out there researching gyms, this is for you. My excitement with joining this gym started with an amazing Body Pump class with my best friend that left me sore for three days but made me feel great because I pushed myself. I joined be WAC for that reason. While their classes and amenities are nice, what I don’t like is that:

There’s not enough space in some of these classes. I don’t want to be so close on someone that I feel like I would accidentally hit them in the face. There’s also already been a few times where there just wasn’t any space at all for me. I can’t tell you how disheartening that is. It’s seriously like Sparta 300 to get into some of these classes. I’ve experienced this at three different locations. You have to be a minimum of 30 minutes early to get into the ones that really challenge you. And when you’re coming straight from work, that’s really tough. It’s clear your classes are popular and you need a bigger space. Also it would be nice if there were more classes offered later considering the volume of people and many of us not being able to workout until after 5pm.

Some of the weightlifting equipment needs to be spread out. If I can’t get into one of these classes, I’d like to know I have the option to use other equipment. That’s really hard when everything’s in one room and there’s consistently about 20 dudes using the weightlifting equipment.

All classes offered should have at least a short portion of the class for beginners where instructors explain what kind of maneuvers are about to be done. The gym is composed of more than just people looking to stay in shape. Some of us have never done some of these things before and while it’s cool to just jump in, there’s no way we’re going to know a whole routine of a class that other members have probably been there for at least a few weeks to learn.

I just don’t feel like I’m getting as much as everyone else on these reviews out of this membership. Now I’m committed to a year of primarily using roughly four machines and taking classes apparently when I get lucky that there’s space. And considering everyone’s consistency that it’s nearly impossible to cancel, I’m...

Everything you need to know about how this business is this: They have outsourced their customer service arm, that handles cancellations, to ABC financial, a credit collection agency.

The gym's policies are predatory. When you cancel, you can't even speak to a person who works at CAC - you speak directly to the collection agency. The contract requires members to cancel a full 30 days before their next billing date. This is a gym that provides a service, not perishable baked goods. There is no legitimate reason for this policy, other than to scam members into paying for an extra month of gym that they can't use after they move.

I joined this gym on a 3-month contract. I informed them that I would be moving on March 31 (I informed them of this in January) and told them that i did not want them to renew the contract afterwards. I went in mid-march to confirm that my contract would stop on April 4, and they referred me to a collection agency for customer service. The collection agency then told me that I would be charged for the extra month, despite my initial conversation with the salesperson indicating - in January - that I did not wish for my contract to renew.

I then requested that they remove my credit card from autopay.

The response was that they would remove the credit card from autopay, and my contract would not be cancelled until the final bill was paid. This is not how...

My wife has been a member of WLAC a year now and she encouraged me to join as a member. Unfortunately, today she was targeted by WLAC management (Jennifer). My wife was asked to leave the sauna due to her wearing outside clothing. She abided the request without hesitation. Management requested her to leave the sauna again as my wife gathered her things to leave the sauna, as if she wasn’t in the process of exiting the sauna. WLAC management waited at the sauna door awaiting my wife to exit the sauna, which at this moment is harassment. Jennifer reminded my wife a third time as she exited the sauna; no outside clothing. WLAC manager, Jennifer, displayed poor leadership in this situation. Jennifer did not offer an alternative to meet the rules of the Sauna; such as offering to stay in the sauna if outside clothing is removed. Jennifer could have provided a friendly reminder after my wife left the sauna. Instead, Jennifer chose a passive aggressive approach, resulting in an uncomfortable situation for all parties involved. My wife was the only person using the sauna at the time. It makes me wonder why did Jennifer feel the need to address my wife in that aggressive manner. I am highly disappointed WLAC management. There are respectful methods to reinforce rules of WLAC. Jennifer simply lacked the motivation, possibly the altitude to do so. I truly hope this issue can/will be...