LA Fitness Casa Grande

Originally posted on 7/15/09 with another complaint board:

My hubby and I were thrilled when LA Fitness opened last August. All the other health clubs in our smallish town are about the size of our living room, so we were very excited to have a big, new gym in town. We were so looking forward to it that we joined in April, well before the club even opened.

The first couple of months went fine. But then things started going downhill.

Now, only 11 months after opening this brand new location, the machines and locker rooms are filthy. I used to get sick once a year. Since I've joined this gym, I'm getting sick every 2-3 months, and that's the only thing that's changed in my daily routine so I know it's because of the uncleanliness of the machines. And I take a TON of vitamins every day to help boost my immunity. I talked to someone who works there, and he won't even work out there because it's so dirty. He works at LA Fitness but has a membership for a different gym. I think that says it all!

The AC has been out of order several times. And, yes, we are in the desert, and it is summer, so you can imagine how great that feels. When I complained to the VP about it, he said it was good that it was out of order because that means it's working properly to filter dust out of the air. Gee, I've never heard the saying, "It's broken, so that means it's working!" What a moron.

The hot tub has been broken more times than I can count. The pool's been drained a few times. Free weights are hardly never re-racked in the proper places. There's an assisted pull-up machine that has been out of order for over a month. The dress code isn't enforced-I've even seen people in bare feet on the treadmill. The staff hasn't even gotten around to untying the palm tree fronds out front even though they've had 11 months.

And let's not forget their "customer appreciation days", which consist of handing out unhealthy food, such as Papa John's pizza, a DJ who blasts music like you're at a nightclub, and companies who are allowed to set up tables to try to sell you stuff. After a long day at work, these are the last things I need.

My hubby and I tried complaining to the manager, but it did no good. Nor did it do any good talking to Corporate. Therefore, I will vote with my wallet. While I don't want to join a teeny tiny gym, it's better than continuing to work out at LA Fitness, getting sick and frustrated all the time.

I have also heard that the staff does drugs in the parking lot, and they get promoted when they do bad things. For example, some sales guys set up their canopy outside a competitor's door to try to steal their business. When the manager ran them off, one of them threatened her with "you have no idea what I'm capable of." She went to LA Fitness to tell the manager, and then she found out the guy got promoted the next day.

I'm taking my business elsewhere!

Note: To cancel your membership, make sure you print the form from their website and then send it in via certified mail. My hubby and I both cancelled our memberships this way and had no problems.