EXTREME FITNESS
EXTREME FITNESS MORE LIKE EXTREME SCAMMERS!

A friend of mine back in june 2007 recevied a flyer in the mail from extreme fitness promoting a free for 3 months deal. we decided to check it out at the location on eglinton close to yonge in Toronto, Ontario. we went there and apparently after the 3 months, you as the customer can decide whether or not your going to continue with the gym and that would be the point where you would start paying a monthly fee.

The sales person we spoke to named Nino was very friendly and seemed very genuine in helping us. After he explained "half-assed" about what the gym consists of, he told us we would have to sign a contract. i was skeptical and told him i would rather bring the contract home and review it with my mother. In a sort of annoyed voice he told us that we wouldn't be able to take the contract with us and we had to sign it now.

He highlighted some sections on the contract about the equipment and new sound systems that were being installed, but didn't put much emphasis on the money that had to be spent.

After we spoke with him a bit more, he told us he needed a credit card number or void cheque. I said but wait a minute, if it's free for the first 3 months and you DID say after the 3 months we decide if we're joining or not, why do we need to have our credit card number? he gave some reason that I was obviously dumb enough to fall for, and I gave him the number. My friend didn't have her visa so we put my number temporarily on hers as well.

After we talked some more, my friend and I left and we were very skeptical. Signing up for this gym seemed too easy. After we discussed it, we decided this wasn't for us. Two 18 year old girls who were working and would be going to college in the next few months, really couldn't find the time for the gym.

Sometime in July, I called the Dunsfield club and asked to speak to a manager. The receptionist asked me what the nature of my call was and i explained to her that I had 3 months free and I wanted out. All of a sudden, the manager wasn't available, he was in a meeting. so i said okay and called back about 5 hours later. still the same response, manager's in a meeting. This continued for about 2 weeks until I'm like this is complete bullshit so me and my friend found ourselves down to the gym.

I told the receptionist what we were their for and she said he's just about to go in a meeting. so after waiting there for close to 2 hours and knowing that we're being duped, we decided to leave, but not before asking for head office's number.

When i get home i call the number the recptionist gave me and low and behold, it's a fax number. Now with working and stuff we sort of forgot about it because accoring to Nino, the guy who signed us up, no money would be taken off my credit card. about october now, i see on my visa statement that $160 (80 for me and 80 for my friend) had been takin off my card. Now i'm extremely pissed now because Nino did say after the 3 months, you decide if it's for you. Now mind you after the day we signed up, we hadn't gone to the gym. And if we were so called "members", where were our membership cards?? so we go to the gym and ask to speak to Nino. I tell him that there's a charge on my credit card and the friendly, enthusiastic, scammer that we once witnessed, was now speechless, not enthusiastic anymore, and telling us he can't do anything about it, we have to talk to the manager.

So I decided that i was going to contact head office, which is supposedly located in Thornhill, but when we call the Thornhill office, they say their not head office. So we called the yonge and sheppard extreme fitness and asked them for head office... and they gave us the thornhill office?? like wtf?? what kind of game is being played here. so i decided to call back the gym we had signed up for and ask to speak to the manager, but i realized once you say you want to cancel, no manager is available. so i finally after many weeks got an appointment with the manager named Stefan at the end of October. I went in i told him him listen i am a student, i work, i have responsibilities at home, there's no way i can make time for the gym. I told him me and my friend were duped, we feel scammed. and he told me well you signed the contract you deal with the consequences. i said well listen your salesman Nino didn't put enough emphasis on the money part and he was rushing us to sign the contract, plus if it's SO EASY and SO CONVIENIENT to sign up, why can't i cancel??? contracts can be broken you know. he said wll your on a 12 month contract! now at this point i'm thinking of socking this fool in his face but i kept my cool and explained again that i have no time. his response, well im sure u can find a few hours in your day blah blah blah. and im like this fool isn't hearing me, so let me just leave. so now we're in mid november and me and my mom are having conflicts, so i decide to move in with a relative in brampton. i'm not sure when i'm going back home, so i decided to buy a P.O Box at the post office, so at least i dont have to change my address but i can still receive mail in it. So i make another appointment with jackass Stefan (this is december now) and show him my po box that shows i will be living out of the city, which i believe is the only way you can cancel your membership. so he tells me theres no gym location in Brampton but it's still in a 40 km radius from another. I'm like are you a dumbass??? i go to school in etobicoke, live in brampton, and you think i'm going to travel all the way to the closest location, the vaughn location??!!??? plus is not like i have a car, it's public transportation, I take.

well after all that, we are now in January and i'm trying to maybe contact head office one final time, and then possibly take this a bit further.

I am now 19, i work on weekends, because travelling from etobicoke to brampton doesnt really leave much time for anything. and from october to now, $160 has been takin off my visa, which totals about $640. Nino sucks and Stefan royally SUCKS!!!...ANYWYAS IF ANYONE IS READING THIS AND CONTEMPLATING JOINING EXTREME FITNESS, DON'T!!! AND IF YOU DO, READ THE CONTRACT OVER 5, 6, 7, HOW MANY TIMES IT TAKES YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR SIGNING UP FOR. AND IF YOU NEED TIME, INSIST ON TAKING THE CONTRACT HOME!!! DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE ME AND MY FRIEND MADE, BECAUSE YOU WILL REGRET IT.

Chelsea Calvin
TORONTO, Ontario
Canada

Company: EXTREME FITNESS
Country: Canada
Province: Ontario
City: Toronto
Address: 110 Eglinton Avenue East (Dunfield Club)

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