[Resolved]  Fitness First Cp — Fitness First india Pvt Ltd Complaints - Cheating and harassment of the customer

I used there facilities in UK and found them to be pretty Ok apart from some billing issues which other members faced and some high handedness which seems to be there way of working globally.

The Indian MD-Vikram Bhatia was managing the club in Dubai and demoted to india because of his behaviour with clients and the club was almost on the verge of closing. I saw him shouting at a member in CP and when some other members apprehended him, he asked them to leave!

Looks like this guy needs a serious correction in his attitude, He is single handedly destroying a chain which has descent standards globally!

Thanks
Raghav

ACL-Corporate Line — Money debited for a number which is not in use.

I got a Corporate no.[protected] which was deactivated by Airtel as there was some problem in the address verification. Then we were asked to take a new no.[protected]. As ECS was given for the no.[protected] earlier though it was not working but money was debited from my Credit card and I was not able to make it out also as only ref.no. was given in the credit card statement.

Please stop taking payment anymore for the no.[protected] which usually debited on the 11th of every month. And kindly reverse the money to my Icici credit card itself.

Please get back to me as early as possible.

Fitnes First india Pvt Ltd — Cheating and duping the customer

Hi,

This is to bring to your notice that I have been cheated by a fitness company i.e. Fitness First India Pvt Ltd(Delhi, CP Branch) which actually made so many false promises at the time of closing the sale but did not deliver at all and ended up in the most pathetic and worst service one can expect from an MNC chain. I became the founder member of the above mentioned Gym as I had gone there once for enquring about their services, and after that their sales executives were after my life to join the club and offered me good amount of lucrative benefits and attractive discounts. Somehow as it was close to my office I made up my mind and was ready to sign up and the deal was closed by Mr Shams, one of their sales executive who acted very sweet and humble at that point of time and took my registration by taking Rs 4450/- as the total fees including the first month membership and admin fees and also took a commitment for 18 months which was part of their plan.

I was told that the gym would be operational from 15th January and I would be able to avail the services after that. Since then and till date there has been no communication about the same either by mail, phone, e-mail or written form. I tried to contact the same executive but he never attended my call and also I called them up on their Landline and I was told that I would get a call and will get the membership card. Also, the same complaint I had registered on their website but their has been no respones till date. I have been duped and cheated fully by this fitness chain which gave me no information about my membership and was only interested in taking the memberships and collecting the money of different members.the same thing has been experienced by my other colleague also. Pls tell me what to do and suggest me the way forward. I seriously don't want to leave them and want to teach them a lesson for totally misguiding customers and doing these kind of misselling and fraud. These kind of organizations are crooks and are only here for short term gains and actually can't manage the things properly. Looking forward for the desired support with a due sense o[censored]rgency.

Regards,
Maninder arora
E-mail: maninderarora.[protected]@gmail.com
Mobile : [protected]

even dubai burjuman centre fitness first did the same to me...shameful!!

They cheated me in the same way in burjuman center Dubai.

I tried to cancel and they eated my last month payment which was paid in advance and did'nt allow me to use the gym also.

What to do with these cheaters. just a request for the benefit of all.

STAY AWAY FROM FITNESS FIRST UAE & INDIA

rest ur choice

Hi..

I am facing similiar kind of harrasment as i am jobless and cant afford to pay my bills..But no one is ready to understand the same.

please suggest wht to do in this context

Do you hav any e-mail id wherein i can send mails regd the complaints

Thanks and Regards
Shweta Singh
[protected]@gmail.com

Service in India — Who is listening to these complaints?

Dear users of the system, while we all are disgruntled and come here to write our complaints in frustration, who is going to read and attend to them?

They are doing the same thing all over the world. This is the blog of complaining FF consumers in Germany with a whole bunch of links to other world wide websites, where people say exactly the same things.
http://eszaehltdochderkunde.blogspot.com/

Take a look and if you like leave a commentary in english which then I can post! If you do comment, please say where you're from and which studio you go to and why you are unsatisfied.

Thanks! :)

They are prank people, I got to know from there ex employee Salil kapoor that you should never ever go with fitness first membership... Even there MD is also a very short temper person!!!

How they can change others life when most of them are crooks!!!

SAY NO TO FITNESS FIRST SPECIALLY IN INDIA!!!

CHEATERS...

I am aware of examples of some of my friends to who Fitness First has provided with a very quick and fair settlement of issues.

If any one has a issue with regard to payment of monthly fee or inability to terminate, then one needs to speak to the General Manager of the club. Some of the people who have complained on the some blogs have already got a resolution to their issues and infact are still using the club and continuing to enjoy their fitness. I know of one such blogger who now is regularly using the club as a member.

As regards ex-staff, they will allways have a story. As for the MD, all the staff saw that he is very firm with staff who dont treat other staff members with respect and misuse their authority and also is very firm with members who behave disrespectfully with other members and staff of the club.

I am happy with Fitness First and would suggest to all to meet with the concerned General Manager of the club and they will be very fair.

Guys...Dont believe the above blog. It has been written by the staff at FF. I am currently working out here and every 3rd person i know seems to be unhappy with the staff and particularly there GM - Shivali sharma. They will threaten you with police complaints and litigations!!

Dont join!!! Instead look at Celebrity fitness, Ozone, Talwalkars and Gold's. They are far more professional and treat customers betters. FF is a rip off global company. See how they treat people at other outlets across the globe.

http://fitnessfirstsucks.com/news/576.htm

Cheers!!

It is surprising that you are recomending that people join Celebrity Fitness, Ozone, Talwalkars and Golds, and yet you are still working out at Fitness First.

Why? Do things that make you happy, if you dont like the staff and the club, then stop going there. Free country and freedom of choice.

I wish some of the staff would take notice of this blog and write in.

You are obviousely a big fan hunh? did they give you a free life time membership??
The links i posted above more than corroborate how the company is viewed globally!! Thousands of people have described FF as nothing but a group of Cheaters with no respect for clients.

The entire professional team are a bunch of non professionals who think they are doing a favor for running the club. They bill clients for services not availed, Cheat them out of there money to increase there sales and if you have an issue with club management then you are welcome to leave.

And yes i am still working out because my hard earned money is stuck with those cheaters! but the day i get done with them i will definitely teach there MD a lesson in customer service.I got to know from somebody who is close to him that he is very short tempered and impatient with clients and has infact given them call and threatened them

Dont make the biggest mistake of your life and get ripped, Join other clubs. They are far more professional and client focussed.

Hi
I have been following this blog for sometime now as i am new to gurgaon and was planning to join FF. I did some research of my own and found other websites which also talk about the various issues people face with the staff and fees. Think i will give them a skip for sure, Dont want to take a risk with my money.

Do check the link below
http://www.blagger.com/db4/company_id/1035/companyname/Fitness-First.html

Thanks for the other link, Here is a list of all the crimes they have done world over. This is written on Wikipedia and not made by anybody. Its also not a blog but TRUE FACTS verified by wikipedia about them. Need i say more, GUYS STAY AWAY IF YOU WANT TO BE SAFE

Fitness First has used high-pressure aggressive sales pitches. Other common complaints relate to overcharging and creating legally binding contracts that are hard to break or receive a refund.[2][3]

Cases also exist where direct debit accounts are still debited after the member has cancelled their membership.[4]

In a July 2004 study comparing Fitness First with other Australian gyms, Fitness First respondents were less likely to have been shown how to use equipment by a qualified staff member, offered a fitness assessment or advised on an appropriate exercise routine.[5]

In August 2008, Fitness First took a club member to the Australian New South Wales (NSW) Supreme Court to recover a $200 cancellation fee. The court ruled in favor of Fitness First, although she could not afford to pay and was no longer able to use the gym on medical grounds.[6] The patient explained her medical condition before signing up and was instructed to sign the contract. Fitness First sought action to ensure that gym contracts with clients were still legally valid even if the court were to find that the client did not understand what he or she had signed.[7] Fitness First's victory on appeal overturned a prior decision against the company by the NSW Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal, which had found that a contract required a "meeting of the minds, in that they each fully know and understand the terms and conditions of the agreement".[8] The Supreme Court found that the Tribunal had erred in a matter of law.

The company also hit most members in Australia with significant fee increases in August 2008, in the range of 20% - 30% increase, depending on membership type. The reasons provided for the increases were the number of new clubs opened and "increased general costs".[citation needed]

In October 2008, a Fitness First (Stevenage, UK branch) trainer verbally threatened a member and also threatened the members wife. Fitness First alledged that this was a personal matter despite the attack occuring on Fitness First premises, whilst the trainer was in Fitness First livery during working hours. The attack was caught on camera an was also in full view and within earshot of other members and Fitness First staff. Despite the member contacting management and later senior management, Fitness First have not taken any action against the trainer or offered any support to the victims to assist in investigating the incident.[citation needed]

In March 2009, a Fitness First trainer allegedy attacked a member after a dispute about closing times, pushing him down a flight of stairs. The member spent the night in hospital with a broken nose and seven stitches to the forehead from a deep gash. Police are investigating.[9]

In May 2009, the Australian Consumer magazine Choice found Fitness First to have the most aggressive psychological techniques in getting customers to sign complicated contracts and not explaining what the cancellation policy is, in a test involving "shadow shoppers" visiting two gyms run by Fitness First, Contours, Fernwood, Curves and Virgin Active.[10]

Fitness First does not include instruction on the use of equipment by qualified trainers for new members, although in most clubs, trainers with 'May I help you' T-shirts may be on hand to answer general queries. To obtain this service members are expected to purchase a Personal Training Triple Pack, an added cost on top of membership fees. However on a number of occassions trainers have either not made contact or failed to make successful contact with members in carrying out the personal training associated with the triple pack which they have purchased.

Dear Real Chater, you seem to have some personal issue and not a service issue.

Hope it works out for you. as regards any one else, best to shop around and then decide.

I did that and made the right choice.

Bye.

hahaha..are they paying you for writing this?
LOL...i dont believe it!! :P
Something which suxs will continue to suck!! I have issues with people, service and temperament
In short you are pathetic!

And you seem to have no answer to all the genuine complaints that consumers have raised globally in short you are a bunch o[censored]ncouth, unproffesional hooligans! I will pay google to have this page as the forst search page when people search for fitness first! Hahaha...told you will pay through your nose...hahaha

Hi,
Looks like too many people have issues with them, I had joined FF because i have to travel to europe frequently and i was told by the sales chap that all i had to do was take a passport or transfer my membership to that club. When i asked them to shift my membership to a club in frankfurt i was informed that i have to cancel my membership here by giving two months notice or pay a severance fee and join there afresh. I am aghast!! Its the same company after all!!

I cheked back with my freinds abroad and they told me that it doesnt happen in europe. When i got this to the club managements attention they told me that they have different rules for different coutries. I feel i have been cheated and duped by them. I see a lot of distressed people here, lets connect..I know mnay people at the gym who have some issue or another. lets get together and teach them a lesson!!

Do reply back and i will shoot details to you.

Thanks
Prashant

Dear All...
I am having a very bad experience with FF in UK. Once you become a member it would be impossible to quit...they will harrass you to the end threatening legal action and what not.

My sincere advise...STAY AWAY if you have not joined
QUIT ASAP if you have...

Then its upto you...

So i am back after a vacation and i joined celebrity fitness here in gurgaon, Guys i must tell ya. It completely rocks, Awesome equipment/ambience, Nice personnel and Very relaxed timings (6 to 12). I see lot more addtions to the grievences, All i can say is get together nd teach them a lesson and Join some place else.