Is Planet Fitness getting better / worse under True Fitness?

[JGzz]

In the Parkway Parade gym, Yoga classes are always full and cramp. Body combat class are so full now that you can be wacked by other's kick any moment. The instructors there do not practice asking people without registered stickers to please leave the class. The workout nowadays compromises on the kicks and movement due to jam packed arm length body space. The smell of foodcourt takeout food frequently profused certain part of the gym due to staff eating them in their open space partition offices. Cycling classes are as loud as discotheque because the facility isn't sound proof and they keep the doors opened, at the expense of other customers workout. Some personal trainers conduct themselves unprofessionally. The staff patrol the cadio exercise areas round-the-clock like a military officer guarding his prisoners -- is intimidating, and it puts me off. One newly in-house qualified trainer regularly talks loud on his handphone leaning over the Treadmill while "supervising" his client struggling-- no consideration of motivation issue, nevermind about professionalism and courtesy towards other gym users. In another country, they throw you out. The gym is also overcrowded with machines and excessive staff walking around in leisure and eyeing people for reasons unknown. Welcome to the new regime of True Fitness. Is it getting better or worse?

[Tracie]

Hi there JGzz!
I kinda agree with you on certain points there. I've signed on with the then Planet Fitness a few months ago before they got officially taken over by True Fitness. And yes, their service became worse. And as mentioned by you, the Yoga classes, is just terrible! Sometimes it gets tooooooo overcrowded till i've seen those with STICKERS leaving the room once they can't seem to find a space.
They really have to take a good look into their service before we customers start running away

[natashanovik]

I renewed in Sep and since its already under True mgmt, was supposed to wait for new membership card. Till now, jan already still no card despite making a lot of noise. Lol.

[Big Guns]

Great. I’ve been looking for a True forum to get a few home truths off my chest.
I’ve been a Planet Fitness member for 3 years. It had always been a great place to train, with friendly staff whom I’ve built some solid friendships with.
September brought in the True group, and things changed. Changed for the worse.
Unfortunately they are not interested in members opinions. All the old disgruntled members are leaving for greener pastures, but True are signing up more then enough members to cover the outgoing, so I can’t see anything improving in the future.

My gripes:
* There are far less lockers available in the change rooms now then what there were under the Planet regime. And the locker keys have no number tags so after you finish training it can take five minutes to work out which locker you are using. I have no idea how this occurred.

* There hasn’t been any hot water in the men’s change rooms (Suntec) all week. The hot water system is blown. How hard is it? How hard is it to buy a new hot water system? It should take one day to replace the broken one. Not one week.

* Seems my shower selection is terrible. I always pick one with an empty soap dispenser. I’m pretty sure Fitness First offer hot water & soap.

* There are just as many staff as gym patrons. The PT guys walk around starring at people training. Its uncomfortable, but hopefully they keep watching; they might learn something (Granted, they are set unrealistic sales targets by management, so they have no choice but to make nuisances of themselves).

* The new regime treated the old (friendlier, more genuine) Planet staff like shit. Many of them being forced out without being paid their full entitlements.

* Hygiene. Take notice of the personal trainers when they are training a client, or training themselves for that matter. I’d say 80% of the time they are not training with a towel, & so they don’t wipe down the equipment after they’d finished with it.
I’m not a big fan training in a pool of somebody else’s sweat. Not only that; if they persist with this practice, members will have more chance of contracting hepatitis then getting fit.

* The force selling. I don’t pity the people who have signed up under duress. How hard is it to say “No”

[JGzz]

I don't wish people getting invited to pay to get injured. In True Fitness, Parkway, here are some observations about how patrons get trained "professionally":

An eager mature patron was performing forward launch (wide step forward one at a time and knee down half way and up) over 10 metres carrying heavy weights over wobbling legs. This continued for more than I could stand watching knee injury in the making. -- The patron was not ready for this amount of weight. The knee bend angle was as low as 90 degree or less. A future contender for knee surgery.

A 250 pound Personal Trainer was treating a middle age petite lady a back massage on the floor. He pivoted his whole body weight against gravitation with his knees over the back of her knees, one on each. In this position, he leaned forward to performed back massage with his moving fists on her back. -- What would a Orthopedic doctor say? I believe she let the Trainer perform that massage on her was because she thought she was receiving "professional" care. If her husband were to do that on her, I bet he gets a wack. Get what I mean?

A few skinny staff with blank faces are now suddenly wearing "Trainer" t-shirts. One of them almost threw a patron off a Circular Threadmill. The Trainer increased the speed almost beyond human reflexes with an attempt to get the heart rate up. Doesn't the Trainer know that he could increase the resistance level of the machine? The machine was making loud bangs in that ridiculous speed that it looked ready to take off. The so called "trainer" then got called out aside by a senior, exhanged a few words under strange stares, then return to put the exercise right. -- How does True Fitness develop staff competency is questionable.

The trainers also lack competent eye or just care in correctly postures for weight lifting. Many ladies arched their backs when doing weights, the Personal Trainer often oblivious to it. Beginners often locked their elbows in dealing with free weights. This was not picked up either. Leg press machine adjusted to near 90 degree knee band for patrons. In particular in middle age people, this is very damaging.

To be fair, I have recently observed some better attention to weight lifting postures, but is it enough to overall promote injusry free exercise and fitness? I have my reservation. There is no law to spell out the competency required to be a Personal Trainer. There is apparantly some kind of "in-house" dodgy qualifying regime going on. There are Trainer, Personal Trainer, Instructor, Floor Trainer, Fitness Instructor, ...and something else. More interestingly, same faces moved from one t-shirt to another without demonstating observable competence. This is a strange place with injury concern.

A point of added interest after those observations above: in a party last year, a part of the branch manager's speech was, "... We like for you to enjoy your workout, just don't spoil the machines."

[Addadude]

I've been a member of Planet Fitness/True Fitness for the last 2 years. Although I've trained a few times at Chevron House, once at Far East Square and GWC and about 3 times at Suntec, I workout mostly at Vivocity. To be honest the change of ownership hasn't really affected me at all - I don't go to the exercise classes and the PTs have never bothered me.

[shenoes]

hi there, jus to share wif you all my personal account with Planet Fitness/True Fitness . I joined Planet Fitness last year Sept for 2 year membership. Not long after that, True Fitness took over.

I was waiting for my membership card until dec. in late dec, the accounts department call me up and told me tat I haf outstanding bills to pay. I was surprised cos I had instructed them to deduct from giro. So I ask why do they took so long to inform me abt the outstanding bill. The acc ger told me that due to the take over of the gym, they only received my application in late nov and process the giro then. The bank only inform them in late nov.

This is still ok. maybe the taking over procedures reali took up alot of their time n neglect some work.

I went down to pay the outstanding bill Oct, Nov, dec total $317+ and also told them I havent received my card. Denise from Parkway told me I will get it within 1 wk. Indeed I get it within 1 wk, but the card arrive in a very lousy way, with no letter stating a welcome or sorry or watsoever. Just an envelope and the card inside.

Then for the month of Jan 09, I checked my acc to see if the giro had been approved. Yes it has and they had deducted and xtra $108 from my bank for Jan! I called and ask and Denise told me that for the month of Dec, it did not go through. WAT? Got such thing meh?

Then on the 30 of Jan I checked again, they deducted another 1 mth's membership from me! I called and ask denise and she say it's for the mth of Feb! I tot the agreement i signed say monthly deduction occurs only at the end or mid of each month? Super Pissed!!

I told her I will one shot pay off all my remaining mths, just in case this kinda thing happen again. Luckily she agreeded. I immediately cancel the giro payment wif them.

The most angry part is, after all these incidents, NEVER ONCE THEY APOLOGISE!! They are always making up excuses, pushing to other tings etc! I dont tink it's the right way to treat their own customers.

When I went dwn to UOB at PP to buy a cheque, I chatted with the the counter guy & he even ask me, 'is that for the gym upstairs? I read the newspaper abt their complains. I'm more worried for your money in ur bank, better cancel the giro asap"

Better check you account regularly.

[WeightP]

hi all,

this are so different when im in planet fitness suntec before they bought over by true fitness. i used to be a trainer there in suntec city but now the place are so different ler.

[jonnyace]

I've been a member at Planet Fitness for 2 years now, and definitely things are going downhill, esp after True acquisition.

Mostly I use the Parkway branch, where these days there's so many more people. In addition to aggressive signing-on of new members, they also have a sort of "bring a pal" trial scheme. However, logistically, they can't keep up! They repeatedly run out of towels. Even after my written complaints and receiving assurances of improvement, it still happens a lot. Another time very recently, I was in the shower and there was no soap. I switched to another shower stall -- same thing. I gave up after that, so I don't know if all the shower stalls are the same.

On one occasion, I overheard someone complaining to the staff at the front desk. After he stormed off, the staff were mimicking him. So much for service!

To support the increased membership, they now have a lot more equipment. However, the place is now so crowded that it is now difficult to walk among the equipment and possibly even dangerous!

I get frequent newsletters and sales calls to renew my membership. I don't know why they bother. From what I browse online, so many existing members are just fed-up. They should just continue to sign up gullible new members, and forget about retaining existing members as they obviously don't give a hoot about them. From what I've read elsewhere, this is trademark of the True group: aggressive sales and lousy service.

I'll have to fork out more once my membership expires and join Fitness First, which I heard a lot of good things about.

[fitnessdept]

any better health clubs in singapore?

[BodyBlitz]

depends there are many commercial ones and non-main stream ones - strongman/weightlifting/crossfit for specific purposes.

Depends on what you want to train.