Extreme Fitness

would not recommend this gym-unfriendly un ethcial tactics

Would not ever use this gym. Head Office does NOT exsist for assisitng in any complaint- no phone number or mailing address.
Very unethical.
If you wind up messed up in this; call your credit card company, change cards, call the police Fraud unit, Consumer Protection Agency and the Better Business Bureau.

I don't recommend joining Extreme Fitness-Richmond (nor the others). The club is very crowded. You have to leave your member card at the front desk when you arrive and often have to wait to get it back when you leave. If you forget to pick it up, they throw it out at the end of day so you have to pay $12 to get it replaced.

Their strategy is to get people as many members as possible to join. Once in, you?ll have pay monthly for a 9 months (I guess that?s what they mean by advertising no annual contract). Once you do join, they?ll put on the high pressure tactics on to get you to dish out more money on personal training.

If you use machines, good luck getting one. The air quality systems in the spinning and aerobic classes haven't worked since the club opening. I don't think it will ever be working.

If you do aerobics classes, there is constant flow of people walking in and out of the classroom to get equipment. It's disruptive. Why you would store the equipment in the class as opposed to outside the class (like every other gym) is beyond me.

Bottom line, they seem like an honest and professional organization. Don?t be fooled this is just another fitness scam.

I am use at the pickering location, and i would definatly not recomend it to anyone(and i work there) the sales people and the GM are very un ethical and will use any tactic to screw you over, this is a warning to anyone who is thinking about joinging this gym, if it wasn't for the sales people who work there i wouldn't be saying this but unfortunatly the extreme fitness in pickering is a complete joke of a place to work at, its hoestly the worst scaming i've seen.

unfortunatly no, they will want u to prove that ur moving, like a new address or a ticket showing that ur leaving "the country" otherwise they wont break the contract, the only way out is using a medical reason but even with that u will still have to provide a doctors note saying that u will not beable to do any physical attivities. but even then i still wouldn't trust them.

To Megtoast, at the danforth gym was it some asian woman who yelled at you? just want to see if we got treated the same by the same person. i wouldn't recommend this gym to anyone they all a heartless companies and just want you to shell out your money.

I have been at the Richmond street location since day 1. I gotta tell you it has been the best gym I have ever seen in toronto and i have been to alot of them. There are a few hiccups with the building but the guy Gord (who seems to live there) always delivers every time I ask for something. I asked for more weights cause there werent any in the beginning. Then they got MORE then enough. They got extra equipment in when I complained that they needed more. I atleast found the staff helpful and give good answers to my high demands. No health club is perfect but this one is the closest so far. Worth a look and a consideration for sure. Pricing is around 50-60

I raised a large amount of money for a charity and I ended up wining a free membership to Extreme Fitness. I was shocked at how quickly the sales girl's attitude changed when she figured out that I didn't have to pay. She was rude and rushed me through the entire registration. I get it that there is so commission on $0 but I did not deserve to be treated so poorly. She handed me my package and practically kicked me out of her office when the whole thing was done. The only time she paid the closest bit of attention to me was when I mentioned that I worked for a large company which currently didn't have a corporate gym. When the free year is up I will absolutely switch gyms!

Extreme is in big trouble do not join.
There losing money and probaly going to sell quick

Extreme Fitness is a lieing SCAM! The representatives sweet talk you, and lie to your face to get you to sign a membership that gets you bounded for 9 obligatory months.

DO NOT JOIN THIS GYM AT ALL! BUY EQUIPMENT AND TRAIN YOURSELF AT HOME! IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY, STAAAAAAY AWAAAAAY!!!!!!

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as a gym its great; at the least the thornhill location is. Very well kept, clean, top-notch machines, and for the most part, friendly staff. In terms of their "bait and switch" style of advertising, its not ethical. their aggressive sales tactics aren't ethical either. the way they advertise "no annual contract" isnt ethical. however, we live in unethical times where businesses and corporations will do anything to make a quick buck. So the answer: be smart. Don't sign up for a 1 year contract and use the direct deposit method of payment. Heres what i did; i wrote 12 post-dated cheques for each month of the 1 year contract. You still have all the benefits that the other payment methods offer, just without the bullsh*t. Be smart everyone, ask questions, and don't let these sales people persuade you to buy things you don't actually need/afford

I will admit that I feel very stupid when I signed up with Extreme Fitness. They take on to being fast paced so they get you to sign their papers/contracts. It's almost like signing a deal with the Devil (or grotesque being of evil). You see the good side to it, then it rears it's ugly hidden details of what you signed and you're totally screwed over.

Now I'm half freaked at what the hell is going on. See, there is a mistake on my contract (personal trainer/nutritionist) with the payment amount I owe and how it will be done, and I just notice this by the time I got home and looking the paper over. It seems as though no will fix it, because they want the mistake to stay there and take what they can until it gets really serious.

I must be a laughing joke to them by now. By the way, how does an 18-year-old deal with getting something like this corrected? I've never dealt with this type of problem before. Do I go to the BBB or police unit in the fraud department to check is out or something?

DO NOT JOIN ANY EXTREME FITNESS GYM.

THEY ARE SMOOTH TALKING, AND WANT TO RIP YOU OFF. ALL OF THEIR "SPECIAL PROMOTIONS" ETC. ETC. COME WITH STRINGS ATTACHED... THO THEY WILL TRY AND TELL YOU OTHERWISE.

even if they give you a "grace period" or "trial period" where if you cancel within a certain time you will not be charged, DO NOT DO IT. They will make you write a check, or at least sign something- DO NOT DO IT! It is possible to cancel, and they are required to do so within the time indicated on your contract, GOOD LUCK trying to get in touch with the person that can do this for you.
I called and went into the location 5 times within 3 days attempting to cancel before I was charged, and the manager was "unavailable" or "just stepped out" or "not in"... they gave me the run around, hoping the period would run out and they could charge me.

I finally lost it, threatened to file a complaint with the BetterBusinessBureau (which I am still going to do).. and I finally was told my membership had been cancelled and I would not be charged. I decided to still put a stop payment on the check I had given them, not willing to risk it, and totally NOT trusting a word they'd say.

Ignore all their flyers, sales reps, and "promotions" because they have it down to a FINE ART- they know what they can "promise" and how to say it so that you think you are getting a deal- you are not, and they will give you the run around the second you come with a complaint.

In my experience with ethical and worthwile businesses of any sort- they WELCOME complaints and deal with situations properly and promtly because they do not want to upset the customer- They want to be the best they can be. This is absolutley NOT the case with Extreme Fitness. That alone sends up red flags. Any company worth dealing with will respectfully deal with complaints and less than ideal situations. Extreme will just give you the run around and be horribly rude.

Here's a link to a more recent article on blogTO:

http://www.blogto.com/sports_play/2008/05/extreme_fitness_extreme_ripoff/

I had joined extreme fitness recently and had my consultation which by the way is a way to try to get anyone to join their personal training i felt pressured by comments from the staff oh come on you can't afford this much a month I had ended up joining. Two days later i went in to cancel it later that month i was charged nearly two hundred dollars went back in to get my money back didn't even want to help me very rude said i had not cancelled it and too bad they will continue to charge me every month not even willing to do anything for me i have never been treated so poorly in my life is this how you treat paying customers my membership is now costing me over two hundred a month i can't afford this you would think if i am paying for a package i don't even want they would call and try and set something up with me nope they just take your money and ignorantly treat you like a piece of shit if anyone knows how i can stop this or get some kind of response from even head office it would be greatly appreciated....

The President and CEO of Extreme Fitness is James (Jim) Solomon, who is from NYC. There are so many people out there with so many problems with Extreme Fitness, lets get together and bring them down. Yes, what they do is illegal. That's right, it is illegal. What each of you needs to do however, is bring a complaint. Start with a written letter, fax or email to the Better Business Bureau. Flood them with letters of complaint. Next try the City licensing Inspector's office, (believe me it works), How about Consumer & Corporate Affairs (gov't body), CTV or CBC, flood them with complaints. You want to effect changes, then everyone needs to do more than rant! Actions speak louder than words. Lets hold these thieves and con-artists accountable, maybe have them thrown in jail too!

I can't comment as to every one else's experiences - but I have had no issued with Extreme since joining back in March. I went in with eyes open, negotiated a fair deal for my membership, and turned down all offers of personal training. I work out at one of the 'premium' locations and find the facilities clean, well equipped, and staff courteous and professional. Furthermore, their Yoga instructors are better than some at exclusive Yoga studios and for a fraction of the price. I also work out at Dunfield, and save for the headaches with renovations - have found the facilities to be of similar quality.

Unfriendly staff and Managers. Would not recommend this club (especially the North York locations) to anyone

Customer service really really really SUCKS!
When they get your credit card no, finished, you are done.
you can do absolutely nothing if you have a complain or something. I will definitely cancel my membership after my contract.

Extreme Fitness
- Convoluted marketing schemes, sales personnel, and contracts
- Membership fees do not reflect anything in, around, or about Extreme Fitness' facilities or staff
- Gym is more than over crowded; unable to follow a tight workout regiment (facilies might as well be rendered useless)
- weights are all over the place, if they're even there to find in the first place
- Poor air quality/circulation ( a lot of people that attend stink as well)
- Not one ounce of customer service exists unless it is to add additional services, which in turn is you know what, additional fees! "Yeah, great job little Timmy!" says boss
- No options for anyone under any circumstances available for those of us, even legitimately, need to withdraw from the contract.
- The worste part of having to negotiate an alternative is that they have no EAMPATHY whatsoever, which is one of the worste traits a human can exude...and even worse, one that they stand by even for their sad paying job.

I have an idea, you let me out of the contract and i'll give you a real job earning honest money.

If any of us had half a brain, Extreme Fitness would be out of business. Like noted before we must take action ratehr than spit words. I'm about to pull a scheme of my own on them! Tehe

I should have read all these blogs before, definitely is the worst gym EVER.
I cancel my membership because I got a job in another province and after two moth still are charging me at my credit card. They say my cancellation sheet is not there, I faxed it and they said didn't get anything, so I faxed it again and now they say the fax machine is not working, besides everytime I call they are "BUSY".
As everyone says unethical completely and very unfriendly when it comes to coplain, but they very sweet when they are trying to get you in.
I'll do whatever it takes to get my money back....

Joe is an idiot that has no d i c k , this club sucks!!!! Don't JOIN ........If u want to get ripped off , go to this club.

Stay away. They only want your money. They are rude, misleading and have very pushy salespeople - also dishonest marketing!

I'm warning everyone now don't go and join the Pickering Extreme Fitness, i use to work there and the GM Trevor Pattison is a fucking joke, he and most of his staff will try and screw u as much as they can, the trainers there are actually really good but its to bad that u have to deal with assholes like Trevor to see them.

Fraudulent advertising, extremely rude staff, pushy sales. The decent facilities are not nearly worth the shit you'll have to go through with these people.

They try to pressure you into buying diet or trainer programs and when you don't they will start insulting you and tell you that you will accidentally kill yourself without their help.

Their pricing is outright fraudulent as they tell you one thing and then turn around and charge another, staff members constantly contradict themselves and once your money is in their pockets its good as gone, regardless of what they tell you about refund options or 'time credits'.

There are better workout places out there, stay away from this dump.

I joined the extreme fitness @ Yonge and sheppard approx 9mnths ago. When I first joined Ive never read the sign outside the locker room that says "any lock left on overnight will be cut off". I left my lock on and all my brand new gym clothes, shoes, $100 hair straightner,and my contract in the new gym bag fully expecting it to be there when I came back. I came back in a week. I freaked when I saw the lock gone. I was directed to a semi room downstairs they said was there "lost and found". A door opened and two big tupperware tubs with dirty sneakers and old water bottles was all I saw. No sign of my bag or stuff. directly around the corner of the tupper tubs is a big long hall with many doors all leading to staff rooms. I asked why it wouldn't be put aside. It was obviously brand new and it was staff who cut lock and handled it. I told them i knew it was staff who took it and figured they'd "scored". Another customer told me a similar situation happened recently but the client/customer had been in the gym and were sure that it was staff who had stolen there belongings. Staff acted all indignant and said my fault. Fine. I rarley go to the gym. Ive probably been there 10x at most due to busy schedule of 2 jobs and volnteering. I went a few times and the last time was the evening of Aug 11-08. I arrived and found a bench with no one around it was abit secluded. I went to one locker that was slightly open and it was full of someones belongings so I closed it and went to a diffentent one. As I began to empty my bag an older Asian lady (staff) was just lurking around staring at me. I felt uncomfortable. On the bench was a crumpled towel so I pointed to it and said "its not mine, you can take it". She took it and left. I went in gym and did 1/2 a workout. I returned to locker to get my got my bottle of water. I have a small book I write my exercise routine in. I put the book and lock with the key sticking out the botton, on the bench directly infront of my locker. My locker was slightly open. I went to the washroom around the corner and re-filled my water bottle. I was bery fast, maby 3min. I went back to locker and my book was still on bench but lock with key was gone. There was a couple young women changing and I asked if they saw my lock. I looked under bench and all around like an idiot. I went straight to front desk. I told her i went to washroom, came back and my book was there. Only lock gone. I asked do you have any lock here. she pulled out a lock with a key sticking out bottom but it wasn't mine. I was lived. I couldn't stay and finish workout leabving locket open which Im sure was the "plan". I wonder if the lock front desk had belonged to the locker I originally went to use. It looks like that girl continued her work out leaving her locker open. I wonder how many items were stolen when she returned. Im sure the "staff member who gave me a weird feelling like she was waiting for something, was waiting for people to set there locks down and leave momentarily. Im sure many customers thind they must have misplaced it and continue workout with locker open. I wanted to finish workout, but I left. I guess sometimes the trick/theft works and sometimes it doesn't. As I said iv'e only been about 10x and robbed twice and I know it's staff.

http://www.myfit.ca/gym_ratings/services_available.asp?edit=yes&;id=76

check this out

This Club is terrible.. especially their Danforth location.
The manager Steve Venet is a complete idiot. When I complained about problems at the gym he was very condescending and said they had invested over 3 million in the club and that my complaints weren't reasonable.. ie messy weight room even when they just open in the morning.. a sauna that is on a timer and always cold when you go down after a work out... bitchy staff and high pressure sales tactics by trainers who tell you you need a trainer when you don't. Ive overheard them lying to clients telling them they need another 2-3 months of training when they obviously don't. This place isn't going to last because of they way they treat their customers which is like dirt.

I found a contact for P.R. for the club ! FINALLY

For further information: Alison Stephens, Public Relations, Extreme
Fitness, Ph: (416) 303-0947, alisons@extremefitness.info,
www.extremefitness.info

Extreme Revenge at Extreme Fitness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ArAqck74A

My e-mail address is:

charles@torontocomfort.com
or you can call me at 416.837.4965

Best wishes!

Charles Huang
Director/Producer
Spicy Editions
&
Owner of Toronto Comfort Rentals & Executive Comfort Canada

Anyone who would like to tell their horror story about Extreme Fitness please contact me at c7smith@ryerson.ca. I am a student broadcast journalist at Ryerson University and I am doing a piece on this. If you see this before Friday, Sept 12th please respond (this is the day the story will air in our classroom). I'll come to you and film what you have to say, this type of customer service is unacceptable!

What's interesting about the posts here is that 90% concentrates on the sales tactics and there's very little mention of the clubs themselves. I joined the new Yonge and Dundas location and sorry to disagree with everyone but I love the place. At 80 bucks a month with tax it's not cheap but compared to some of the crap I spend my money on it's a f*cking bargain. I've been going 4 times a week for the past few months and I feel great and can see the difference. I'm impressed with the changing facilites, the space and the equipment. It's made a real difference to me. My advice would be to look on it as an investment in yourself and to have the committment to make the most of the membership. I don't see the point in signing up for something that costs money and then bitching about how much it costs when you don't use it. I have to agree that they do adopt a bit of pressure selling but they are a business after all, not a public service and they do have a good product. You're obviously interested in what they are offering or you wouldn't be there.

The best bit of advice I have for anyone looking to join a gym is to join the one that is in the most convenient location for you. If you join the one next to the office or one that is en-route to or from work then you or far more likely to go. Then you'll get your money's worth and maybe then you'll all stop moaning!

I was looking into the Dunfield location but i'm now some what spooked (plus the $96/month is a bit steep). The search continues for a decent gym.

Here is newly upload clip of Extreme Fitness Revenge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p0uerkQtFo

Hey James,

Before you think I am idiot, perhaps you should ask me how many membership have I helped canceled because of that video. I can't count them all since I only have 10 fingers!

Sometimes you have to be ruled to deal with those idiots!

I other words, I don't believe being professional all the time, and frankly, I don't care what other people thinks!

The video worked and it scared them off... whenever a member mention it and threaten to contact me while trying to cancel their account.

I find the staff at Extreme Danforth location are whole bunch of snobs, especially that guy who works early morning.

He threw card at me too. No hi no bye. Can't believe they let him work at the front desk!

Sorry to dis-agree with 99% of you guys but pls pls pls do not accuse the staff of these clubs when you yourself are signing for the membership. Please read carefully what you sign.
As far as my experience, i just love being in the club. I came here from a goodlife fitness location which is drastically going down in maintainence. I visited Extreme's cedarbrae location and the sales staff was very helpful. I was clearly told that the best way to save money in long time would be entering a 1 year contract and not to forget after the 1st year is over, it is no more a contract and we can still use the club.
Overall experience at cedarbrae was excellent. I would highly recommend this gym on top of any other gym.

Ya i agree, but to be truthful except for a cpl of days in my tenure with the club... i've never faced a problem getting a machine for myself. I got a good plan too, i got them some friends to join afterwards(they were members at another gym and had problems accessing the equipments).
Haven't been to the Danforth one, but been to their new club at Richmond street and thats pretty good too. And the customer service at atleast Cedarbrae is very good. Planning to goto pickering this weekend with my neice as guest, hope its ok with them :)

THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!!!!!!!
My God! They almost made me beleive that I am some kind of a lunatic who doesn't remeber when she cancelled her membership or anything. If you are already in, the best advice would be to ask for a receipt after every transaction and keep it!!! otherwise you can't prove anything!!!! Their computers suck. I finished my 1 year contract and will never join the Dunfield club again.

I have no problems with Extreme, in fact, it is the best gym I've ever been to. It's not all about the best price.

The gym does use marketing tactics to convey prices, but more or less, when you crunch the numbers, everyone gets the same price. When they offer you a contract, total the amount you will be paying, and divide it by a year, plus the amount of extra time they give you, if any. Take a moment, and use a calculator and figure it out.

Often, this will be something like 9 payments of $96+tax for a 12 month membership for the ALL CLUB rate (which they will say is 'first three months free') plus a 2 month free "time certificate". That's a total of 12+2 months = 14 months. Divide the total by 14, and that's how much you are paying on a per month basis. I pay about $65 a month for ALL CLUB access. For single club access, I have heard this rate working out to about $50 a month, which is very much on par with the rest of the major fitness clubs out there. I actually USE four locations a week depending on where I am, so this is worth it to me.

The key to getting a deal like this, is to BE SURE to be on top of your contract's end date, keep a copy of your time certificate - and BRING IT IN at the end of your 12 months - and then CANCEL the contract before you get to your 15th month. At that point, shop around at the locations, and on about the LAST TWO DAYS of the month, you'll get flooded with calls from agents with fantastic deals, to meet their sales quotas. This is when the best deals have always been offered to me and the people I know.

Also, some of their instructors are TOP NOTCH. I mean, TOP. There are a few 'meh', generic instructors, but the good ones, are really good. And their classes aren't "canned" Les Mills classes - same thing every week, for three months at a time, like Goodlife. I mean, how boring is that? WTF???!

Goodlife uses its own tactics, making your payments sound minimal with their "every two weeks" payment plan. Old equipment, small locations, crowded clubs. Who wants that?

Yes, Extreme has contracts. But under the CPA, you have 10 days cooling off period for ANY contract signed in Ontario. You have the right to refuse Personal Training, and if you don't want to be solicited, ask to be put on a do not call list.

Read the contract carefully. The stipulation for cancellations are all spelled out. The wording isn't that complicated as far as contracts go. You should always read a contract before you sign it, and if you don't understand it, ask them to explain it clause-by-clause. If they want your business, they will do this. Try breaking a Goodlife contract - their collection agents will be on you even faster than Extreme's if you default on payments, their administration is much, much more powerful than Extreme's.

If you want single-club access, no contract, you can go to the Y. If you go to Extreme first however, you'll never want to go to a place like a Y again, it will seem like a garbage dump in comparison. I have done both - I know.

I love Extreme.

They should have at least bought me dinner before they fucked me!
Dont join this gym!
I say we all pay homeless people to stand outside their gyms and cause a havoc!

I just discovered the "no contract" promotion I fell for back in January is the bait-and-switch mentioned above: You get two months at whatever their discount rate is (I've seen everything from $8 to $60/month), pay full price up front for the "third" month. But what the contract ACTUALLY says is you agree to pay for 9 more months (2 + 1 + 9 = 12 months, a year), and that "third" month is the fee for the last or 12th month.

I tried quitting just the other day because my job no longer covers gym memberships and I find it too expensive for what I get out of it, only to discover I had been tricked 10 months ago.

I was also told when I joined that the renovations (the Bay/Bloor location) would be done by March and there would be a sauna and salt water baths and whatnot. The renovations didn't *start* until late September!

Extreme Fitness is a rip off, staffed by con artists.

Going to the BBB seems like a waste of time though, they won't do anything to get Extreme Fitness shut down or force them to change their marketing scam, so what can we do?

bad !!!!! it's a scam !! they will not cancel you membership or refund. if they do help you cancel. make sure it;s a COMPUTER print contact that say CANCEL

This place was complete bullshit. i joined at the thornhill location. basically they used high pressured tactics which i should have known better than to sign up. they tried to get me in a training contract that cost a shit load of money and i was like...sure...but i want to think about it. they said why dont u start out and let us know. when i was about to sign it. i saw that u had 10 days to change your mind and i asked about it. they said dont worry its flexible. 7 days in...i changed my mind and they said that the guy to talk to isnt here...and i said well i only have 3 days...some dude said dont worry...we're flexible....obviously i passed the 10 days...and they completely screwed me. and then the guy i had to talk to was being a jackass. when i decided to pay off my training in a lump sum months later...they kept billing me. which sucked. and it took me 6 months to get my money back..talking to one person to the next and they all said i'll b on it but it will take 2-4 weeks...after the 6 months i got pissed and talk to the GM and bitched him out and he did it for me in 2-3 business days...those fags could have had my situation taken care of quick IF THEY WANTED TO. im on my last month with them...soo excited...i've never had people lie to my face sooo many frigging times. like did the guys who said that "it was flexible" not realize that when i get screwed i would obvious know? its like 100% chance i would find out. i dunno. they're retarded. if you planning on joining strictly for the gym sure. its a nice gym. but fuck training unless u got the money and can really afford it.

If you want to complain about any consumer or retail service in Ontario such as gym contracts, call the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services Consumer Services Bureau at 416-326-8800 - Consumer Complaint Line (Toll Free: 800-889-9768)

or see:

http://www.gov.on.ca/mgs/en/ConsProt/STEL02_045922.html

Note that the government can't instantly determine your complaint is valid, but they can lead you on the right path to resolving it. If there has been any scamming on you, lying by the company or anyhting like that, the onus is on your to prove that you were scammed.

Make sure you read the back of the contracts and read the section pertaining to your issue. They will ask you this sort of thing, and they will only lodge an investigation or mediate if they feel it is warranted. They treat both sides fairly.

ive been a member of extreme since march of '08...at 1st i wasnt impressed with how ridiculously high their prices were. i talked the guy down to 56/month for the 1 location only. i dont know if you can call that a discount, but he gave it to me because i used to be a member at that location when it used to be ballys. i could have gotten 40/month if i cud actually find my old ballys card, but after 3 months i talked to another sales rep and he was fairly nice..he got me another location for free. so that would be 2 locations for 56/month. it some what makes up for it..but is still a ripoff considering my brother goes to goodlife fitness and he pays 40/month for all locations. anyways..i experienced the verbal stomping of self-esteem given by the "assessment" and gang-up with the manager to push personal training on me...i can tell you it really pissed me off but i got through it..all you have to do is stay strong and firm and repeat NOPE several times. the part that annoyed me the most was the assessment though. i got this skinny lil chick..she put me through some simple exercises...and yea i couldn't really do them cuz ive never done those particular exercises before..so naturally i would suck at them. and she has the nerve to call me weak..and repeated it to the manager during the gang-up followed by an arrogant short laugh...so i told them straight-up that i power lift..and was sure that the skinny chick and the bald headed manager cant even come close to what i pull in my lifts..they had no idea what deadlifts were and asked me to explain it to them. so i think i shut them up pretty well....but on a hypocritical note..im actually trying to get a job with extreme lol. as a fitness consultant hahaha. i dont like how they treated me but they do get paid and i like getting paid..but ill be nice to people not a douche lol.

I have been a member since January and I have been trying to get out of my contract. I figured it was past the 14 day "refund" period, so I stuck around because I had to get my moneys worth. The staff is VERY rude (Scarborough location at Markham & Lawrence) and they treat you like garbage. For example, I refused to purchase a "personal fitness" package after my consultation, and I was feeling pressured, so I asked to speak to the manager. He was absolutely rude and did not even try to calm me down ... I have gotten better customer service from BELL ... if you know what I mean.
I am furious and feel so taken advantage of. !!! I HATE EXTREME FITNESS.

http://mwco.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=160&;bbb=0107&firm=1036564

If you have any notions of dealing with Extreme, why don't you review their UNsatisfactory record at the Better Business Bureau

This company is so sleazy they don't even respond to BBB complaints

Extreme fitness vs a lower monthly at goodlife. I guess it all depends on what you're going to the gym for. If you're going to the gym to waste your time on shiny machines, then by all means choose extreme fitness. But if you're going to the gym to become a stronger, more fit version of yourself, then you wouldn't be using machines in the first place. Granted, that extreme has a free-weight section, you're still paying a higher price for the machines you don't use. So you might as well choose goodlife because it has a good, if not better, free-weight section. I am only speaking of the scarborough locations for either of these gyms because I have been to both. Goodlife's equipment is older but it does what you need it to. I only go to extreme because it is literally down the street from me. To the guy who said "it's better to buy your own equipment." That's a horrible idea! You go to the gym to get out of your house which forces you to workout, because it gets you away from influential laziness such as, the bed, the couch, and the tv. Your membership basically buys an active atmosphere which motivates you to excercise. If you have your own machine/equipment at home, some people might find it harder to stick to a workout schedule. The reason is that they may be tempted to postpone their excercise time because they think "I'll do it later I don't have to leave the house anyway."

I have received the same scratch and win. Like you I'm having second thoughts especially since the odds are supposed to be 1 in 1.1 million. Its for a 4 day (3 nights?) cruise. Let me know how it turns out.

Ed

I dont recommend this gym at all.. You can try premier fitness, its much better.. they are offering pure scam deal like their $8 per month deal.. and hey claimed that there are no annual fee. PLs. Beware of this club..

The odds are not 1 in 1.1 million, it is 1 in 1.100000000000000000 , it means 1 in 1.1....that means EVERYONE WINS....... hehe....... this is a funny world and till the time there are suckers, there will be suckee ......SUCKEEE.....hehe

BTW just wait till you see your free cruise.....it will cost you an arm and a leg to register to some duche bag website to get your prize......it will truly be FREE

The Delisle location is a joke, a total pigpen... crap and weights littered dangerously all over the floor, "vintage" rank locker-rooms, puny free-weight floor, minimal equipment variety, and scuzzy trainers. The Delisle is the scale of an average hotel gym, and as filthy as a innercity YMCA. This is the worst of the Extreme locations, and the joke is that it is considered their "premium" location. The classes taught there are good, and it's fine to go for cardio and fat-burn... that's all one can say good about the Delisle.
The other locations are presentable, and the Eglinton location is very efficient. But overall the Extreme gyms are unfriendly, not a winning atmosphere, not a place to give or receive a smile.
Regarding getting ripped-off, the gym business is one of the sleaziest businesses, period. It is not just Extreme, but all gyms... always be cautious when joining a gym... never give your credit card number (credit card companies are responsible to the business) and always use debit (banks are responsible to to the account holder). Again, NEVER USE CREDIT CARDS AT A GYM.
** Regarding Extreme in particular, every location has more floor space allocated to sales offices than to workout area... that glaringly obvious factor should tip you off where their priorities are.

I should mention that I used to go to Yorkville Gym (at Hazelton Lanes) and it's expensive... but that gym is legit, organized, friendly, and professional. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Hello, For those of you who are locked into a contract part of the contract is to have the right to be there and obviously you still have your free speech! start conversation with club members and new arrivals and let them know your story let them know about this site. tell them to see if there is anything on rip off report inform them of the better business bureau ratings. speak loudly. Sit in the waiting room and start conversation let the truth be known to those who are considering and are members! This will most likely prompt a response when you are costing them more money than they are getting from you! i made a shirt that says CAUTION HIGH PRESSURE SALES TACTICS and plan to wear it during a workout session there. if they remove me then they have broken the contract

I actually have broken my contract with Dunfield Extreme Fitness by documenting all the problems that I have encountered...times, dates, concerns and who I spoke to. After I have accumulated quite a few I met with the manager and informed him that I agreed in joining the gym because of the following services that you as a company promised to agree upon therefore you are in breach of you contract and therefore it is in my right to cancell my agreement as they were not with holding their part of their bargain. He cancelled it once I informed him that I had a case if I was to hire a lawyer for breaching the contract!

As a former member of Bally's Fitness and almost a member of Extreme Fitness I just wanted to say thanks for making up my mind about joing Extreme Fitness. I think my money would be better spent in investing in a home gym!

i scratched a ticket last night and appartently won a all-enclusive trip for 2 to jamaica. I have an appointment in an hour to claim the prize. I will come back on here tonight and post the results.
It seems a little too good to be true cause when i called i asked if i had to sign up or pay anything and i was told a distictive "no" not some "beat around the bush" answer.
I will let you guys know what happens tonight, and if im off to Jamaica

Dude your an idiot. dont talk about training when you clearly do not have any idea what you are talking about. Extreme Fitness is garbage, but 90% of society will not obtain their goals by simply doing bodyweight pushups and burpees. And wtf will "jumping" do hahah you must be kidding, ive been a personal trainer and I compete in bb and I have never read such a retarded post.

Alexander at the Yonge and Dundas location blatantly LIED to us to get us to purchase a membership. We got a scratch card that said we won a cruise, so we called the 1-800 number and they connected us to him. We then dropped by the gym so he could give us a tour. Quotes from Alexander:

"We sent out 10,000 fliers and only 5 of them had the cruise as a prize; you guys are very lucky!" [The smallprint says the chances of winning are 1/1]

"The cruise is worth $5000!" [It's actually worth $249 plus tax and we have to pay that in full plus airfare plus a $35 processing fee. This is almost exactly the piece of paper he gave us: http://www.vacationgetawayincentives.com/oceancruiseforyoucertificate.php?sample=true. Vacation Getaway Incentives are an interesting company. They pay Extreme $3-$5 in commission every time the cruise is redeemed]

"You have 18 months to redeem the cruise, but you need to still be members at the time" [Nowhere is this written on the certificate]

All this and we hadn't even brought the scratchcard; all he had was our word that we had won the cruise.

Personal trainers cost TOO much. They ask for something like $75.00 an hour. Most of them are college graduates, who just studied fitness and exercise science. I honestly dont think they are licensed trainers. Do not be pressured to sign for personal trainers. More so, always read the contracts and dont be fooled for any of the promotions.

Hey alex I aswell used the same method i had a trainer that was consistently not showing up for appointments. When i called to complain i was confronted and called numerous names i pointed this out and got out of a $39 month membership and 4 training sessions 3 of which i used scot free.

I'm right in the middle of fighting with EF to cancel my membership. I've only been going to the Danforth location for a few months, and don't feel like I've gotten my money's worth. When I went in to get information about memberships, they acted like I was THE most important person on the planet... and as soon as they got my credit card info, I became a bum. I got suckered into one set of personal training (which I actually enjoyed), and 2 sets of nutrition (WASTE of money!!) before I realized the cost of the membership just wasn't worth it, and tried to cancel. I was treated VERY poorly by the manager, and basically kicked out the door, not being able to cancel. So I changed my credit card info... Hopefully that works.

One more thing: I'm pregnant, and I've had several sessions with my trainer that made me wonder if the exercises he was putting me through were safe for me & the baby.

BE CAREFUL!!! If you go in for information and find the pressure tactics to be too much, BE PREPARED TO WALK AWAY!!!

I am soooo sick of Extreme Fitness, Whitby location. How many times will the staff there fail to show up on time, making customers wait minutes, or even over an hour (like this morning) before the doors are opened. The management is absolutely pathetic. Not to mention theire complete lack of response to customer feedback submitted through their online feedback too. This business doesn't know how to run a business - they're absolutely oblivious to the makings of good customer service and ignore the fact that in today's economic environment and the competition that's out there, they have a tough job to keep their customers. Shame on you Extreme Fitness - Whitby and Corporate!

DO NOT SIGN UP AT THIS GYM! And if you do...Good luck dealing with these scam artists. Just try contacting their head office! Apparently they have no head office. Actually they do, they just keep it well hidden. Why would they want to hide? On top of having absolutely no way of contacting them - except the club - where customer service is just dismal and lacks any responsibility or accountability - they are very good at taking months to actually cancel your credit card. Contact your credit card company directly - and ask for a charge back immediately and report their behaviour.DO NOT SIGN UP AT THIS GYM!

The day I left Extreme was the day I found sweet bliss...hello Swann Fitness for Women! They are new to Ontario and this facility on the Danforth is facility super clean, the machines and equipment are tailored to women of all shapes and sizes & by the way personal trainers are included to assist you throughout your workout with no additional fees :)
Thank you Swann Fitness for making my visits to the gym truly a positive and life changing experience.

The cruise is such a scam, everyone I know who got the scratch card won the cruise...I wonder if anyone actually took the prize and it was legitimate!
I have been with Extreme since 02 (long time), and never suspected they were so bad (I guess I never had to cancel) but now I am a bit scared that they were or are overcharging me and I am unaware of it...now I feel like switching gyms...huh...interesting...

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DEAR SIRS,

I AM PLESED TO INFORM YOU THAT WE ARE DEALING IN EQUESRIAN LINE. BEFORE ME , MY FATHER WAS RUNNING THIS COMPANY AND AFTER HIM, I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE MATTERS.

WE ARE A WELL ESTABLISHED COMPANY SINCE 1970 WITH OUR OWN FACORY AND WE HAVE ABOUT 150 STITCHING MACHINES IN OUR FACTORY.
WE ARE SPECIALISTS IN
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FOCUS PADS KICK PAD,PUNCH BALLS,
HEAD GUARD,CHEST GUARDS,GROIN GUARDS,RASH GUARDS,

WEIGHT LIFTING GLOVES, HALF FINGER (gel in palm)
EXERCISE GLOVES

JUDO/KARATE/NINJA MARTIAL ARTS EQUIPMENT
JUDEO KARATE SUITS
BOXING/KARATE SHOES
JUMPING ROPES
HANDWRAPS
WEIGHT LIFITING BELTS, EXERCISE BELTS,DIPPING BELTS, POWER BELTS CAPS ETC

SPORTS BAGS

T-SHIRTS, SWEAT SHIRTS AND BOXING SHIRTS, FLEECE WEARS, HOODIES
UNDER WEAR,

WE UNDERSTAND WITHOUT SAMPLES , ALL IS BOASTING, SO WE WELCOME YOUR ENQUIIES FOR SAMPLES OR ANY OTHER INFORMATIONS.
WE ASSURE YOU PERFECT QUALITY PRODUCS AND VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES.

THANKING YOU, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR REPLY.
BEST REGARDS/HAZIR
QASAAB GLOVES COMPANY.
SIALKOT-PAKISTAN
TEL & FAX ;0092-052-4589114

P.S: APART FROM OUR OWN DESIGNS, WE ALSO WELCOME BUYERS OWN DESIGNS FOR COUNTER SAMPLES AND BETTER QUOTE.

They have so many trainers that just stand there and do nothing!! They pay them to talk to each other

Extreme they are the WORST...I work at a bank and i see alot of customers who tried to cancel there membership and they denied them, they also messed up sooooooo many peoples account.. They ARE HORRIBLE... I am having the same prob right now..It was sooo easy to sign up and now Im moving far away and they wont even cancel. The MGR their is a BIG FAT GUY.. WOW for extreme fitness and their IMAGE. U would think they want to get someone who is in shape and represents FITNESS not looking like CRAPNESS. DO NOT GO TO THE ONE AT INTERCHANGE IN VAUGHAN

Cancel it ! you have a week to cancel that "contract"

save your time and money

Oh yes, I forgot...

CHEAP, CORNER-CUTTING, LYING, UNETHICAL WEASELS!!!!!

I BEG AN ETHICAL COMPETITOR TO OPEN PREMIUM CLUBS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM EVERY EXTREME FITNESS.

I'LL JOIN.

ALON IS A PLANT!!!!! an Extreme Fitness employee planted to try to counter-balance the negative comments about this weasely organization.

You can dress it up as much as you want, but this place is totally modelled after a Bally's-type business model... cover the blemishes and declining services with a bit of sparkle here and there, but keep over-selling memberships. Trust me, member's concerns are the LAST thing they're worried about. Hitting membership targets and high volumes is where they focus their energy. It's all smoke and mirrors. The renovations they made added little to no value to the club - it was all just cosmetic.

I could keep going, but I must sleep.... more later when I feel another rant coming on.

Hi did u get out of it? if so how?
I just signed up with them today but after reading this I want out.
Thanks

Now, thats not to say that people dont flat out lie to you...because there are some people that do. I am well aware of that.

But, as I previously said, all the terms you are 'agreeing' to are written out in black and white for you. Take the 5 minutes to read over what you are signing, and it makes worlds of difference.

Just came back from visiting Extreme, was thinking of signing up but after reading all the negative commentary.......not a chance!
thank you all for saving my pocket book!
Now has anyone had any experience with Good Life, I really need to lose some weight and tone up, they have a 12 session weight circuit programme, with a personal trainer of sorts,
what do you think?
many thanks

Buy Canadian
Boycott Extreme Fitness

I canceled the contract right away I signed it so I got all the refund back but that's not the end of story.After 6 months, I found that I was being charged for 3 months already. I went to the fitness center in person and told them that I never signed anything. The manager and his employee said I was sleepy on that day that I signed that contract.They are telling me I signed another contract on the same day that I canceled one. I am gonna do whatever it take to get my money back. Guys, I am sure we gonna make it difference if we take action together so please reply me or email (poechuu@yahoo.com) so that we can talk about it.

Can anyone suggest a good alternative in the Pickering/Scarborough area?

Thanks

They welcomed me with flowers. When time to cancellation came I felt that the flowers were all drama. I will never join this gym again and will not recommend anybody to join. The Manager Elliot Karantjas says he is the proprietor of the gym and there is nobody else we can complaint to.

Here is the numbers you can complaint to or state your concerns to:

Extreme Fitness Inc (Head Office)
8281 Yonge Street
Thornhill, ON L3T 2C7
(905) 709-1248
Just dial 0 for a representative.

If Scarborough also call property Administrator with complain: Anthony Leano 416.431.3431

I always get hassled to join Extreme Fitness, and I almost caved in to join. Thank goodness I read about the negative reviews!

And thank you for recommending Swann Fitness, Virginia. I happen to live quite close to it but I never noticed it! Thank you so much, I will drop by to check it out.

Andrew, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but EVERY business is out to make a profit, even not-for-profit, but the issue here is Extreme's practices. Sort of brings back those dirty memories from the 80's when consumers signed ambiguous legal agreements to health clubs that went out of business, after they got everyone's money. I'm a dissatisfied member too.

PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS TO: memberswhocare@hotmail.com.

We'll collect all info and will work toward improved satisfaction or a better solution.

Hi Andrew,

I'm TOTALLY with you, I was just responding to your "profit" comment. I too was a member of Sports Clubs and I NEVER had one single complaint in over 10 years. Excellent customer service, polite staff, the trainers were helpful experts, versus "sales" staff... I knew it was the end of an era when they sold to Extreme. I've only remained a member because I love the Delisle location and facilities. The renovations were a joke... purely aesthetic to change the corporate identity - with no improved value for members. I've been on the waiting list for a reformer pilates class since January 2008!!!

Unfortunately there aren't any other Sports Club club options around anymore, but I've heard some rumours about another fitness group looking to start something. I'll be anxiously awaiting that announcement, so I can quit Extreme.

I regularly use the Sheppard and the Richmond locations, and I really like this gym. They have some great instructors, the newest cardio equipment; the hot yoga studio at the Richmond location is fantastic; and I appreciate the saltwater pool at the Sheppard location. Yes, signing up was extremely unpleasant, as the manager at the Sheppard location was like a pitbull, bringing a guest is horrifying because of their high pressure sales tactics, and getting a small refund took forever (I renegotiated within the cooling off period because I found out about a corporate discount) but I don't do these things very often. I work out 3-4 times a week and generally have a good time there. I couldn't stand Goodlife and their cookie cutter fitness classes.

How is it possible that this people do not have a Head Office,
All company's even if it small has to have a head office.

I got a letter from Dr that can not go the Gym until further notice and they are asking for an exact date or time frame, they told me they will freez the account and no further payment will be done for month well that contract for freezing states, paymnet will continue to go thorught and when i called they yes it will.

Pleas i need the office A.S.A.p and the number is not 1(800)637-9045 This is the number for the Extrem Fitness club in Danforth

Wow i got that flyer in the mail and i was planning to go there to get signed up thankfully i seen this site i will def NOT do this wow

Hi Andre,

that also happen to me and when i'm trying to cancel my contract after 4 days they said i can't because it's a contract, so do you think is there a way to canceled my contract i'am already 1 month member of this greedy gym(Extreme Fitness)

All i can say is WOW! there are alot of people here who really hate extream fitness. maybe you guys weren't ready for a commitment to a gym? and would rather bash the company then admit you failed? for what ever the reason i totally diagree. i am married with children and my hours at work have been cut back due to this econemy. but i knew i really needed to loss some weight and get into better shape. so i started looking around at various gyms in Ajax. i even checked out the mclean center which i thought would be dirt cheap and they wanted 38 bucks a month to work out in a small,smelly,public gym.NO WAY. my wife and i had gotten the promo in the mail from extream fitness for the 8 dollars a month and once i read the fine print(i think most of you's need to do) it clearly stated first 2 months were 8 dollars there after you pay regular fee! none the less the wife and i went to go check out the pickering location with my daughter. right from the start they were very friendly and accomadateing. our tour guid was Allen Bell really nice guy and down to earth. once finished our tour we were really impressed with the gym compared to the others we had looked at this gym was top notch! so from there we went up stairs and allen explained all the different payment options (which where way out of our price range) so i explained to him that we don't have much money and really can't afford those payments. so they the manager came in and was more then understanding and offered us a payment plan of 46 dollars a month! so all in all it was an extra 8 dollars more then the other gyms we had looked at but a much better place to work out.

even up to my assesment i didn't feel preasured not once to get a PT. all in all i would recommend this gym!

Wow, I thought I was alone here...


The gym is HIGHLY unethical and a TERRIBLE environment

I joined the richmond extreme fitness in november of 2007 on a "$8/month, no annual contract basis". I informed them I'd be moving away in May of 2008 to work and I was told that there was no problem the contract would be canceled. Well as you can imagine May 2008 came around and when I went to close my contract I was informed that I had to have proof that I was moving away. So I showed them my terminated lease as well as a certified letter from my employer at a job over 200km away including my contract.

It's now April 2009 and I'm STILL trying to get the $700+ they charged me on my credit card until the end of november 2008. After going through all this b.s. with a "head office" which does not exist, now I'm being tossed around the curb about a cancellation form which I was never informed of in person by the previous manager Gord and now the new manager of extreme fitness, Rinardo. Also apparently they have no capability to write refund cheques either. I don't even live in Toronto anymore so I can't just come into town and meet with a manager who is never there!

I think I just have to face it. I was robbed and I will never get my money back.

how much does it cost to cancel your membership? Isnt there an xpensive fee to break the contract?

I am flabbergasted and wished I have read all these comments before I signed up with Extreme. I also wish I would have read the 171 complaints they currently have with the Better Business Bureau.

My story is that I signed up with Extreme while I was currently employed and was told by my doctor that I needed to loose weight.

I played around with my bills to make it so that I could afford a membership. They insured me that what I was getting was a corporate rate. This ended up being pure BULL****. I found out I was paying just as much if not more than anyone who just came off the street.

I had almost fell for their whole trainer act but managed to wiggle my way out of there and insisted I sit on this and will get back to him in the morning. I didn't appreciate the amount of pressure they placed on me by insisting I make an immediate decision.

Then two months into my membership I was laid off and my employment was terminated. I went to Extreme to try and arrange a hold on my membership (which I know they can do) until I got a job or until my unemployment kicked in. The general manager told me that he will see what he can do and get back to me the following day.

That day came and went.

I called the day later to find out why he never returned my call. He stated that he still didn't have an answer yet, which was pure BULL**** again because when I asked him who I can talk to about this who was over him, he insisted there was no one over him but him... so what I would like to know is who he was waiting to hear from?

Anyways he assured me he would call me back on the following Monday and again he never did.

I wanted to see how long it would take for him to call me back and over two weeks passed, and still he didn't call.

I called him back and was really pissed at this point. I had explained to him the first time around when this whole thing began that I cannot afford my membership being recently terminated from my job. There would be no way I could afford my membership because I was living paycheck to paycheck.

April's payment came out which then put me into overdraft, making cheques bounce costing me even more money which I don't have. I understand that me being recently terminated is not their problem, I get that... but their lack of compassion regarding the situation really disappointed me.

The gym is refusing to put a hold on my membership... I mean even for three months at least until I can get another job, but no... they are more concerned about taking your butt to court and sue the snot out of you and creating many many unhappy customers, then trying to build a relationship with their customers which will then in turn affect their long term clientele.

Perhaps with all the angry people, is the reason why their gyms are always empty.

I highly highly do NOT recommend going to this gym... I mean a few years ago when I use to attend Goodlife, at least they placed my membership on hold for three months when I lost my job, and when I got a job two months later I went to them and told them that my membership can now continue because I am now employed, and then I carried out the remainder of my contract. No fuss, no muss, and a happy customer in the end...

IS THAT TOO HARD FOR YOU EXTREME? TO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS!

let us go to the Media and expose this suspicious and anomaly activities of Extreme Fitness

..I just discovered 2 days ago that they doubled what they were charging me for the membership and personal training, and has now become $498 bi-weekly .....WTF and when i went in to get help, all the sales staff were kinda smug and giggling.....And when I called them earlier in the day they kept passing my phone call to the wrong person. ...Now I'm selling off Shares just to pay rent. I'm trying to get out of this stupid gym, how the F**k can i get away from these assholes? Does anyone know how to break the contract? I'm looking into having a lawyer acquaintance help me out.

So my boyfriend set a personal training "contract" however he realized that they are still charging his credit card even though his training ended 2 month ago. He was informed by Farham at the Cedarbrae location that he that is how it works, and conveniently enough the person who sold my boyfriend his membership is no longer there. Essentially he has to pay another 400 hundred dollars after his trainings is done. I will be contacting extreme using all the valuable information that I have read from your post and from the other post as well. I will update on the outcome

my friend and i went to find out about the $8 per month....it was bs..... we signed a paper for a 10 day pass which i cancled when they called......now they billed my friend visa for both of us....cuz i didn't have my banking information on me....they say she bought my contract .....what the hell is that?...now i'n fighting to get us out...no matter what it takes....the dunfield location....they messed with the wrong person....i'm not takin this sitting down with my mouth shut.....no ....not this girl....good luck to everyone trying to get out of hell(ef)...and to the few that didn't get fucked ....fuck u....u just don't know it yet,,,

Have 10 day trial and want to cancel IT.. Just wondering if the payment will still go through. I wanna stop payment..but not sure any suggestions...

I took your advice...got first 4 months free!!!

cancelled my membership after 10 days. Glad I did. They were so rude....but i just want to workout not be F**ked

I recently was suddenly debited double for my personal trainer. They said they sent out letters to all the members with personal trainers that we would be doing both payments on the 15th of the month. I recieved no letter because the person who signed me up didn't put my address in to their system. (if there even was such a letter). I havn't even been there a year, and I have not moved yet they are claiming it's my fault for not updating my address so they refuse to repay me for the NSF's THEY caused. They are still debiting my account and causing NSF's for different amounts then what I had signed up for. I will be blocking everything coming out of my account tomorrow morning. I think this is fraudulant. I was treated rudely. I do not recommend Extreme Fitness.

a week ago I signed up for a corporate membership at Yonge and Sheppard location for $66/m with the first three months free (after paying the hold on the account fee up fron for $66 plus applicable taxes, this will then be used for my last month apparently).
I attended my assesment wearing my protective knee brace. I recently had a scope done and used to be very active prior to my injury. Talks with my physio and surgeon said I was able to head in the gym and do light exercises. I thought 20 minutes on a bike, 15 on an elyptical to get myself back in to train was better than the time spent on my butt in my apartment.
My assessment was with George who started off with "I'm the companies best consultant" and continued with "damn I'm good" when he guessed my bmi. I informed him of my injury and 10 minutes later I was doing all sorts of squats and jumps and was regretting my decision to train for snowboarding! I also was just getting over the flu...
Never have I felt so degraded by his responses to my injury. He left me with nothing I couldn't have googled and didn't show me how to use a single machine and I'm left to figure it out on my own after they quoted me $145/mnth for the next 18 months to have a personal trainer. I felt as if my injury was seen as a way to convince me I NEEDED a trainer for $145/month ONCE A WEEK for 32 weeks (then the interest and rest of the payment dragged out for twice as long)! I thought there were dollar signs on my knee cap instead of taking the hour consultation and giving me a few solid tips, it was scaring the life out of me and made me feel as if I had a huge mountain to climb and the only way I could do it was by shelling out the money for training.
I was unimpressed with the director of training (whatever his exact title is) remark that physiotherapists don't know what it means to train and that its better to be in a gym than in physio. I'm sure all major athletes who come out of recovery would love to hear that their need for rehabilitation can be met by a 'roid head xtreme fitness guru consultant like george.
Thanks for taking me seriously guys and thanks for the level of care exhibited. These things don't go un noticed.

ALSO the USELESS reception staff. Are they trained to be rude or does no one seem to care that they ignore members questions. I stood infront of the desk for ten minutes waiting to see someone about a membership. I also waited for them to acknowledge me when I had a question regarding schedules for classes.... they were talking about how they wanted chocolate and they were looking right at me and NOT ONE said even hi. What image does this project to people who spend $130 on average a month at your PACKED facility.
Check your over inflated egos friends, its a bit disgusting.

recently my son randomly wont go back to the day care and im suspicious that the care givers did something to him. he used to want to go there and i can't get him to leave, now he won;t even going the room and he;s only 17 months. i tried to talk to head manager and the manager of the place on dunfield wouldn't give me a number, instead he would say he would do a full report on abuse or something... like some one would say they struck a child and not loose there job, and throwing shit in my face being like reputation and we've been here for 25 years and blablablah, my son wont go back and i can't afford to pay for day care, how do i break the contract, it;s unreal how there attaching me to this stupid member ship and have to pay when i can't go? thanks for your replies it would help alot

I had the same exact thing happen to me - only the person who sold it to me at the North York location fully lied to my face about the contract and payment. My boyfriend also suffered from a similar fate where he specifically asked a question and was lied to regarding the contract. The moral is definitely to not sign anything you're unsure of, but the practice of flat-out lying is clear misrepresentation and definitely something that can be disputed in the courts. I am trying to find the witness who was in the room with me the day of the incident (conveniently, she has left the company). Once I do, you can be sure that I am going to file a complaint to the better business bureau. They've also double charged me this month, and having dealt with them already, conveniently the manager is always busy. In trying to deal with this gym, I actually had to stay on hold for 20mins before a manager finally consented to pick up the phone. Further, you'll notice that the managers only work Monday - Friday 9-6pm (because everyone who goes to the gym doesnt work...).

Bottom line - Extreme Fitness = SCUM

If you're serious about a complaint, you should not complain on just blogs - to make your case stronger, or even to at least try to get some form of justice, complain to the Better Business Bureau. Best case scenario - your issue is resolved as you wanted. Worst case scenario - you're in the same boat as now, but at least you tried. I'm filing my complaint against Extreme Fitness today for their dishonest sales practices (and no, I'm not the first one to do so). The more complaints there are, the more proof that the Better Business Bureau has against Extreme Fitness.

Check out Extreme's Rating on the Better Business Bureau
http://mwco.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=160&;bbb=0107&firm=1036564#ratingdetails

Here's the link to file a complaint(make it against Extreme Fitness Inc):
https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx

Oh man, Last night i went down to the Extreme at Danforth. I just wanted to find a decent gym where i lift weights and run. Nothing fancy. But of course they gave me tour and asked me a milion questions. Brought me into a room, and i straight up didnt want to pay 70 or whatever it was to sign up. Asks me to wait. Brings in smooth talking manager, trying to bring the price down, and sweet talk me into signing up for a year. Trying every angle they posibly could.

Just from how hard they push you can tell that they know if someone walks away without joining, they're never coming back.

It took me so long to finally break away from the HIGH preasure salesman. It was close though, they were really trying to get me to put down a credit card or my bank info. I said i didnt have it on me, My sister was with me, and they started asking her for her credt card for me. Cleary just wanted an account.

I had a bad feeling about them, seemed shady to me. Told them i would be back the following monday.

After reading these post, i can cleary tell i made the right decsison, and i feel bad for all those who got suckered into signing up with them.

Importnat thing to remember is never to let anyone bully you into buying something.

Its true about this place they will suck all the money out you if you let them. I don't get it how at the Danforth and Pape location there's this girl who is the manager for the trainers but shes completly out shape and has no clue what her trainers are doing around the gym also its crap that when I start my hard upper body work out if am finished with one exercise then I have to wait on some one else or even wait on line of people to do something and by the time I got my next plank I was finished already or no more energy left, if these guys want othave more partrons going to there club then it should be bigger and better equipment, even their so called "kickboxing room" is a joke most of the times you can't even get in there becuase of yoga or something and when you can there are to many princesses in there telling me to kick softer because its to loud for them and am breaking their concntration. What the f........

Hey

They are a great gym for my self but when i went to the desk for may pass i layed out what i wanted and if they did not like it i would go to there leading competitor they changed there aditueds same with the trainers that you get lay everything out and don't step down it is all about money they will do what you want. e look at your selfs you let them take your money, pay in cash month by month and never take a contract. This is a corporation which wants money and they will get it one way or another if you limit their access to your money you will have no problem, this means no credit cards, no account numbers no direct withdraw nothing is safe once you give them access they keep it until your contract ends taking as much as they want because there are no rules on how fare in advance they can make you pay so that is example of the 3000 trainer, so everyone limit access and tell what you want and they will change. Think of it as negotiation like a cell phone contact.

Hop this helps for the rest of your life.

Word to the wise anything you buy in todays world weather it is phone cable fitness, do in cash and month to month becuse they are only out there to make money protect your self

Hello,
I am in the process of suing Extreme fitness and based on the posts on this blog I think it should be a class action law suit!

Their bait & switch policy is illegal and I think they should be made to stop it. My brother and I signed up together. He was with me when I asked the question:

"Can I cancel at any time?"

Not only was I was told yes by the sales rep, but he also went out of his way to reference a section of my contract that stated I just had to give the club 14 days to cancel the contract!

So while I agree that consumers have a responsibility to read the documents that they're signing, I also feel that a company should not be allowed to lie to potential customers!

In regards to my upcoming lawsuit, I would really appreciate it if I could get statements from everyone. Alternatively, I would also welcome anyone else who wishes to join my lawsuit. Please feel free to contact me at my email address: nashebes@hotmail.com

Thanks in advance to anyone who helps!

Nasheba

I support your action.

In my opinion, Extreme Fitness is dishonest. They are misleading people into signing contracts. They are taking advantage of people.

I hope you succeed in your lawsuit. Extreme Fitness should be stopped from victimizing other people.

Buyers beware.

Better yet, stay away from Extreme Fitness.

The competitors of Extreme Fitness have never had these many complaints from their members. The the blogs of other gyms.

There is really something very seriously wrong with Extreme Fitness. They will grab you money.

Just a suggestion, stay away from Extreme Fitness. Do not be misled by their flashy advertisements and "discounted" offers. It is all a scam to entice you to sign a contract and tie you for a year. Then, they will not let you off the contract even if you decide that you want to cancel, in case you move.

Stay away from Extreme Fitness.

Beaware of signing contracts with Amir Emadian and Nathan Nathan
The extreme fitness club chains and specially the one in Thornhill is sending misleading flyers to its customers in Thornhill and Richmond Hill and the poor customers sign off contracts with some scammers and thiefs who are sweet talkers and female shaggers and if any of the customer would like to cancel during the fake free period it will declined because they are either in a meeting or available with other clients hence the bank accounts will be kept taken advantage of as well as any credit card and if the amount is not paid it will reach collection harassment and the black listed credit report.

Amir Emadian is the membership manager who would exerce negative language and physical gestures to scare off the members who would like to cancel whilst Nathan Nathan the training manager, York region teacher at the board of Education will be the repressor who will make you feel that you are the worst dump and silly person who signed off a contract without understanding its little hidden details.

Well, I didn't think it would happen to me, but alas, I've been hoodwinked by Extreme Fitness!

I was working with a personal trainer, which was costing me 180$ a month (steep, but somewhat manageable). Anyways, my personal trainer told me my sessions would be coming to an end, and I should renew to ensure a smooth transition. I sit down with a manager, scrutinize the contract, it looked fine, so I decide to continue.

15 days later when I get billed, direct deposit style, my account it virtually raped. Checking my account statements, I see Extreme Fitness has charged me a bunch of times, over 600$ worth of fees!

So I rush into the Extreme office thinking they've made a mistake... nope, apparently when I signed, they are still charging me 180$ a month for the first 5 months a session, and now an additional 300$ for the next sessions, essentially shouldering 600$ a month with gym fees tossed in there.

I'm flabbergasted, told them they didn't tell me I'd be double-billed if I renew services, thought I'd be billed in the same manner as before. The manager had assured me they could break up the costs into smaller installments before I has signed, so I ask him to do that. He tells me no, tough shit, go to your bank, get a credit card and start paying off your dues ASAP.

SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS a month? I barely make 400$ a week as a fledgling freelance designer, who can support costs like that?

I spent 4 hours of my time trying to quit Extreme Fitness yesterday, (as well as most of the weekend playing phone tag with managers, or dealing with people who didn't have any authority to cancel my account) Spent the Monday chasing runaway managers and trying to jump through hoops.

While waiting for an hour for a manager to emerge from his office, I poke my head in to realize he'd slipped out! Pissed, I sat in his office, and on his desk there was a giant stack of letters, all dated from June, essentially saying, "I canceled my account and you're still billing me; You're double billing me, cease and desist!", etc...

I finally managed to corner the manager while roaming the building and we went to see the head honcho together. My paperwork to "move" looked fine, and I could quit, IF, I pay them 171$ to cover my "free" three months that were on gym membership. They also told me, there was no guarantee my account will actually be canceled, it was the discretion of head office to approve or deny, they were simply sending my request to them...

Anyways, I was frustrated, yelled at them, called their scam, told them I was closing my bank account, and dared them to bring their collection agency after me...

Wow, I thought I was the only one who'd been screwed over royally. This is like a lame support group but I guess misery feels better diffused over a greater number of people.

They too got me when I tried to renew and it took awhile to figure out I was being charged twice for personal training services. I went in a few times because it felt like my account had been hit, and the manager assured me with a smile that the problem was taken care of. Sure enough, they were charging me twice... I only found out where the problem was stemming from when I peered over the manager's shoulder at his computer, and saw their price structure... I had to turn the computer screen my way, because the manager kept hiding the problem with smiles, obfuscation, and "free" gym time to calm me down.

I wonder how the people feel like who work there. How can people be so cold, and tell you one thing (we can break up payments into installments, everything's been taken care of) and then turn around and mess with you. Lie to my face, scam me, make my life a living hell.

We've got a big bad business that's moved into town and my feeling is they have to be chased out. We need a modern day lynch mob, no holds barred. People keep warning me about creating waves, as though I could get in trouble for tarnishing their reputation. You'd think screwing people over indiscriminately would do that just fine.

I called my bank to block the gym, and the woman was very lenient and understanding, saying they'd been getting tons of complaints about Extreme Fitness and assured me they won't be able to charge me again.

What worried me, is that they started up their new direct mail, THREE FREE MONTHS, Summer campaign all through town, and we really should be protecting people from wandering into this snake pit of lies.

I joined this gym @ the pickering location with a promise of two months free, half way through the first month these ass holes took three payments off of my credit card, two months later I am still waiting to get my money back and that mighty mouse on steriods Trevor is a complete asshole and an uneducated waste of space. That gym is just as bad as ballys was... DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY WAY TO GET INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. I have now had to cancel my credit card becasue of them useless bunch of SCUM BAGS!!!

PS, it was the Pickering Location

It looks like Extreme Fitness is a scam pretending to be a legitimate business.

Whoever is running Extreme Fitness is probably a con man. And he has most likely accumulated a lot of money already by scamming honest people.

It is sad to see that crime pays.

I hope people will stay away from Extreme Fitness, for their own sake.

I just signed up with Extreme Fitness under their "standard 10 day no obligation" to "try out and get a feel" with the club. I won't reveal the location, it is one of the downtown TO location. Thankfully, after what I called the courtesy call from the personal trainer of reminding me of my "assessment", I told him that I was not interested in pursuing with the assessment nor the agreement, then he gave me the "Pressure customer speech" asking me why? Was not going to the gym was my intention for my health, etc? Well, I told him that it was nice of you to remind of how I should pay attention to my health, he then, told me that I should go to the club again to cancel my membership in person. The one thing that I am proud of myself is this: I DID NOT GIVE CONSENT TO ANY OF MY FINANCIAL INFORMATION, NEVER MIND MY PICTURE ID! I made the sales manager signed his name on the membership agreement that I AM WITHIN THE 10 DAY TRIAL, AND MADE HIM WROTE NO OBLIGATION! In short, I am going to cancel, after all, it is still within the 10 day NO OBLIGATION PERIOD!

In addition to my earlier comments, I also would like to advice anyone wanting interested in joining any fitness club, be a smart buyer, do you shopping around first, to find the best deal that fit your lifestyle and most importantly, make sure that your financial can support it, otherwise, what is the point of going to the gym if you are going to add another stress, b/c of disgusts of how much the membership fee(s) is going to cost, etc. MAKE SURE THAT when you are doing your inquiries in finding out the right club, ensure that you ARE NOT GOING TO BE SUCKED INTO THEIR WEB OF DECEITS into contract(s) and additional garbage services that you can probably do them yourself, i.e, bring your towel? If somehow, you are somehow got "sucked in", like in my case, I did, b/c I signed the damn agreement and luckily, I DID NOT PROVIDE ANY METHOD OF PAYMENTS, THOUGH THE SALES COUNSELTANT WAS TRYING TO PRESSURE ME TO DO SO, I KEPT SAYING NO, SINCE I ONLY WANTING TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE CLUB, GIVE THEM THE MERRY GO ROUNDs of NOS, AND YOUR PICTURE IDS. I was AWARE OF THE 10 DAY NO-OBLIGATION WHICH WAS STATED UNDER THE CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW, 2002, THAT WITHIN THE PERIOD OF 10 DAY, basically you can cancel ANY contract from the day that a written contract was issued, it IS OUR RIGHT AS A CONSUMER!Lastly, WHEN YOU GET YOUR CONTRACT CANCELLED, MAKE SURE THAT YOU GO TO THE EXACT SAME SALES CONSULTANT, AND MAKE HIM/HER TO PRINT YOU A PRINTED CANCELLATION CONFIRMATION STATING THAT THE MEMBERSHIP IS INDEED CANCELLED, CHECK THE MEMBERSHIP ID NUMBERS, ETC THAT WERE WRITTEN IN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT TO MATCH EACH OTHER, AND FINALLY, THE SIGNATURE OF THAT SALESMAN! Cheers..., the one thing that I do know for sure I WILL NEVER WANT TO SET MYSELF INTO A GYM, OTHER THAN THE GYMS IN THE CAMPUS IN THE UNI I AM ATTENDING RIGHT NOW, AS THE FEES ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE SCHOOL FEES. Otherwise, just be happy and thankful with what you have and NO YOU DON'T NEED THOSE PERSONAL TRAINER TO GET YOURSELF MOTIVATED, I KNOW IT IS EASIER THAN DONE, BUT, it is all about the will power!

In case you are wondering who is running Extreme Fitness:

Steve daCosta - President and Founder of Extreme Fitness

Jim Solomon - Chief Executive Officer

Taso Pappas - Executive Vice President

Alison Stephens - Public Relations
Ph: 416‐303‐0947
alisons@extremefitness.info
www.extremefitness.info

Hey everyone,just wanted to add my two cents in. I went to extreme a few years back, and i have to say i had nothing but a good experience.

I went to the yonge and shep. location and found that it was never to busy to get on a machine, and it was fairly clean. When signing up I asked a lot of questions and made sure everything was in writing. Just remember, BUYER BEWARE. When signing up, ask for clarification on certain points, and if you don't understand it, walk away. Yes i paid about $70 a month, but i lost about 30 pounds and felt great. The equipment was new, I had a tv on almost every machine to watch. I more recently signed up with goodlife for a year, and found that their machines were run down, locations weren't as clean, bathrooms stunk.

I've been to a few extreme locations: yonge shep, thornhill, and pickering. Compared to goodlife locations at: vic park and steeles, yonge and shep, and 404 and finch. Verdict, i would go back to extreme fitness anyday over goodlife. just know what your signing. If you want personal trainers, be aware of what your paying for at extreme. I inquired about it, and they break the payments down over a full year. Eg: $1200 worth of personal training /12 gives you an extra $100 per month. Lets say that $1200 only lasts for 4 months, and you want more, they'll charge you more. just remember, BE AWARE. I loved that gym, and its probably been one of the best ones in terms of equipment availability. PS I always had a good interaction with their customer service/sales people (signed a friend up, and instead of giving us one gym bag, we got two)

Rating of Extreme Fitness at BBB (Better Business Bureau):


Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of "F".


Reasons for this rating include:

182 complaints filed against business

Failure to respond to 4 complaints filed against business.

6 complaints filed against business that were not resolved.

Length of time business has taken to resolve complaint(s).

From the Better Business Bureau website (www.bbb.org):

Customer Complaint History - for EXTREME FITNESS

BBB processed a total of 183 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 183 complaints closed in 36 months, 93 were closed in the last year.

These complaints concerned :

6 regarding Advertising Issues
46 regarding Billing or Collection Issues
84 regarding Contract Issues
5 regarding Customer Service Issues
1 regarding Product Issues
15 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
21 regarding Sales Practice Issues
5 regarding Service Issues


These complaints were closed as:

134 Resolved
6 Unresolved
39 Administratively Closed
4 No Response

Extreme fitness is A SCARY GYM!

I'm a member at the Richmond location, and I'm very happy with my experience there. Very nice facilities and good equipment. Rarely so busy that I have to wait for a machine. The staff seems, for the most part, very friendly and helpful. The girls who did my initial registration still stop to chat and see how i'm doing when I see them around the gym. I did sign up for training (something I was interested in going in) and they matched me up with a phenomenal trainer who really knows her stuff and is a pleasure to work out with.

Judging from the posts here the other Extreme locations have serious issues. But I can vouch for the Richmond gym.

Extreme Fitness is one big CRAP !!!

I think this is the WORST GYM EVER. There is a guy name Amir Emadian who works in the Richmond Hill Extreme Fitness Gym. He is the membership manager. He will be very polite and courteous to you, and make you feel that joining this gym is the best decision you will ever make in your life. It's all an ACT. These people are simply there to rip your wallet and once you sign their contract they don't care about you. AVOID THIS GYM. PLEASE. THey have excellent facilities, but they will rip your pocket apart. They are very hungry and greedy people.

i joined EF a couple years ago because i was told about it by a friend who was thinking about joining it. she joined it and she seemed fine with it. i then received an ad in the mail saying something like "$20 for the month of june/july". so i went to check out what it was like inside and to SIMPLY find out about how much the prices/fees were. after about 45 minutes of someone feeding me a friendly/cheery sale, i got suckered in to gym membership AND personal trainer. the sales rep. TOLD me i could cancel when i wanted to. so i figured that i would join for the month of the $20 deal or whatever until school resumed in september (i go to university and [at the time] paid for school out of my own pocket). it hadn't even reached a month, and i wanted out because i wasn't using my time as much as i thought i would. so i went to talk about cancelling my membership after the one month and that's when things got annnnnnoyingly complicated. the guy i talked to said i could 'freeze' my account, so that's what i did... HOWEVER, fucking EF continuously (even after i told them to stop several times and was told "okay! no problem!") withdrew money from my bank account without my consent, putting me into overdraft and some serious debt. after the many frustrating events of chasing the person to complain to (who was a complete bitch) and sorting it out, i had to resort to closing my bank account so EF would stop taking non-existent money from my bank account. they're still after my money and this happened TWO YEARS AGO. i paid for my time there, but i refuse to pay for the time i was NOT. it's because of them, i need student loans to support my edu-fucking-cation.

I agree with you, I am NOT saying that EF that I visited last month was a bad place, it was indeed one of the BEST and MODERN gym I have ever been in my life, but, the fitness's administration who administered this type of aggressive tactis and on top of it their cunning approach in gaining customers to sign up IS THE ONE I HATE MOST! I was LUCKY ENOUGH THAT I REMEMBERED TO SIGN UP, THANKS TO THAT TRAINER COURTESY CALL, OTHERWISE, I WOULD BE TIED IN THE WEB OF THIS BUSINESS! I rather get tied up in a contract for mobile phones, credit cards type of agreements, but, at least, I KNOW FOR SURE THAT I WILL BE MAKE USE OF THEM, after rereading the posts, I AM JUST digusted with EF. I posted a comment here last month. I guess I am one of those lucky ones!

im an athlete. But i said i was "looking" into personal training when i joined the gym in December. just to get back into things and tone up by my birthday in march. i had set goals to lose 20 pounds in fat and get my BMI to the right level, etc. They said that FOR SURE gauranteed that I would be able to reach my goals with 34 sessions of personal training at a TOTAL cost of $238.00. I was like..uhh sure ok! Sign me up. They said a TOTAL OF...they didn't say $238.00 for 12 months!!! Which is what it ended up being. I didn't even sign a pre-authorized debit form, i gave them a cheque for $238.00 upfront because I thought thats all I would have to pay, they took my banking info from off of my cheque and used it on a pre-authorized debit form! WTF??? My personal trainer was cool, but his schedule was only during the day...HELLO?? I go to school and work full time, i have a life! So I would have to cancel on him almost everytime,but guess what? They would count that as a session taken!So I never got any assessments to see how I was doing throughout the few months, never was weighed in, my personal training finished in february all 34 sessions, and I'm the same size and everything, and i'm still paying $238.00 an effin month for a whole year even though my personal training was done within 2 months and no goal reached!! how do i get them to give me more free personal training to help reach my goal that they promised before i signed up?? ANd a personal trainer who actually has time for people with normal everyday schedules! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

You couldn't seriously have believed 34 sessions of personal training at a gym in Toronto would cost $238.00 total!!! That is $7 a session!!!! A dedicated 1 on 1 session with a personal trainer for 45 minutes??? These guys hustled me pretty hard as well when I joined, but the personal training plan they laid out for me (which I didn't fall for) was clearly a monthly cost. And really if your personal trainer only works days, all you have to do is complain and get one with a later schedule. Of course they charge when you cancel with little notice, the personal trainer has already booked you for that time. My advice to you considering your post is never sign or agree to anything ever again without a second opinion.

Sweetgirl 15 - I had an issue with them taking funds out of my account twice a month over a period of time - one they never wanted to rectify and that A$$ - Mini Mighty Mouse Trevor at the Pickering location was as useless as a limpDyck. I got fed up of trying to get any action from them - I went to the Better Busy Bureau and filled a complaint. It took a while, but all the charges have been reversed. Because you aren't getting a service you are paying for your chances of being reimbursed or getting back your PT time is great. Good luck.

I am moving to the US to start a new job. I am a member at Extreme Fitness at Sheppard/Yonge. I went in today to tell the manager I want to cancel the membership, he said that I have a 1 year contract, and will need to continue to pay unless I can transfer the membership to someone else. Regarding my move to the US, he said I would have to prove it. I need to present a one way plane ticket, and a copy of a lease at my new address before Aug. 15th, 2009 otherwise I would have to pay for Sept. as well.
I explained I will be staying in a hotel at first until I find an apt. to live in the US, and this is the contract, so I would have to continue to pay.
I said I would tell my credit card to stop payment from Extreme Fitness and he said that if I don't pay then it will go to a collection company. I later called him to say that I was laid off in March of this year, and have a record of employment to prove it. His attitude to my situation was so infuriating and arrogant, that I did not feel I am a customer but someone who was an obstacle for him to overcome.

I went home and checked the contract, and it was not signed by me or the salesman who sold me the membership.

Since the contract is not signed please let me know if it is binding and does this guy have a case?

In any case he does not have the right to bully paying customers.

Thanks for your feedback Frank.

If the Extreme Fitness contract for 1 year membership was not signed, is it valid? If the sales guy forgot to ask me to sign and he didn't sign it, I don't see how Extreme can enforce payment.

Any lawyers out there who have dealt with gym membership contracts? I'd love to know if they have just cause.

Cheers,
V

I emailed the General Manager at Extreme Sheppard/Yonge and asked that a copy of the signed contract be sent to my home. His reply to this was that if I want a copy of the signed agreement, I must do that by coming in to see him in person only.
He is very intimidating, and overbearing and is a big guy. He did not treat me like a customer but was quite pissed that I am moving, and he kept referring to the terms of my contract and that I am responsible for payment of the full year. I read the small print of the contract and it says it must be signed by both parties to be valid.
I called Ministry of Consumer Services and they said if I have a paper trail proving that I asked them for it, and they refuse to give it to me, I can fill out a complaint form. In this case there is something on record that I tried to get a copy of the contract if they send it to collections and ruin my credit rating.
I suspect that Extreme does not have a signed contract so they can't hold me to make payment against my will. I will keep you posted....
V

Somethings off here-
so where are you reading all of this fine print in the contract? If you have a copy, then why do you need to retrieve the one from the club? If your copy isn't signed but the clubs copy is signed, then its still valid. They have a case against you. Even though it is the responsibility of you to get a copy of the contract (either yellow, white, or pink sheet) that is signed and dated as well. If it is not dated then its not valid. So there's no way that your contract isnt signed but there copy is..because they contract is one sheet with copy's attached to the end of it, when you sign, it seeps into all 3 sheets. You should go into the club and look at your contract.Thats the first step.

Here are the stats from Better Business Bureau (BBB):

Name: Extreme Fitness Inc- HO**
Phone: (905) 709-1248
Address: 8281 Yonge St, Thornhill, ON L3T 2C7

Customer Complaint History - Total 192 complaints

These complaints concerned :

5 regarding Advertising Issues
52 regarding Billing or Collection Issues
88 regarding Contract Issues
4 regarding Customer Service Issues
1 regarding Product Issues
17 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
20 regarding Sales Practice Issues
5 regarding Service Issues

These complaints were closed as:

141 Resolved
6 Unresolved
41 Administratively Closed
4 No Response

I'm going through the same thing too, let me know how it turns out. I'm at the richmond street location. they just took $800 from my account.... that's way more than they are entitled to

thank you. That's exactly what i am going to do.
MONEY SUCKING is what they are!

I heard from someone that they are doing these types of things on purpose to get money from members. Stay away from Extreme Fitness. You do not want to be dealing with this kind of people.

AMIR EMADIAN IS THE WORST MEMBERSHIP MANAGER YOU CAN EVER MEET. HE IS AT THE RICHMOND HILL LOCATION. HE IS A SCAM ARTIST, LIAR, CHEATER, AND VERY DECEIVING. WATCH OUT FOR THIS GUY

I am a member of Extreme Fitness Bay and Bloor branch. My only comment is that it is getting to be very busy and overcrowded. Other than that, it is a fairly decent gym. About the customer service and the receptionists, some are rather friendly and helpful but not all.

If anyone has any idea of what i can do, please contact me or reply because,ive purchased 2 full yr memberships knowing i was going to relocate. Was told by a membership manager that they would buy it from me if i was to relocate as a guarntee. now im sitting her with two full paid memberships (only used 3mths of it). bought the memberships January 31st 2009 good for a whole yr...@ first it seemed like a scan but i still went through with it..GOLD FIGURE EVERYONE THAT WORKED THERE ARE ALL FIRED. BY THE WAY THIS GYM IS LOCATED AT LAWRENCE AND MARKHAM...CEDABRAE MALL BESIDE ZELLERS

SAME HERE..THEY DON DO ANYTHING UNLESS U GO INTO THE OFFICE

im in the same boat as you.
After being pressured into getting the trainer and nutrionist I decided i couldn't afford it and now they won't let me out of the contract.
Have you had any success with it yet?

I probably will be going back to Goodlife, but Ill be going out today to shop for prices at both EF and Goodlife and see what better suits my needs.

complaints to the BBB are only goodif they are a member of the BBB, are they?

I had a very bad experience with Extreme Fitness. I will tell all my friends to stay away from Extreme Fitness.

The BBB issues Reliability Reports on all businesses, whether or not they are BBB accredited.

I am just waiting for my Extreme Fitnesss membership to expire.

On the very next day, I plan to switch to Goodlife.

I signed up for Extreme at the North York location last Summer without having read reviews of the gym (i know!). I was heading over for what I thought was a tour of the gym and was ambushed by their high-pressure sales situation. Needless to say when I went in the NEXT DAY to cancel it was not easy. My salesperson Jay said their computer system was down and therefore he had to do the cancellation by paper.

Long story short I had to go in again a week or two later to talk to the manage, Al Emadian, who was of course very rude. When you first sign up the salesperson asks you to rate the importance of your health on a scale from 1 to 10. They will use this against you when you express that you don't want to join. Both Al (the GM) and Jay (the salesperson) would say "but I thought you said your health is a high priority... you rated it 8/10!" when you say you want to cancel or not sign up. When Al asked me "Is your health a priority for you right now?" I just answered "No, it's not." He had nothing to say in response LOL

Anyway when dealing with the GM's you just have to hold your own and be aggressive. You have to play their game and not let them bully you.

very few free weights.

Is there anybody who knows LAW??? How come I'm stuck in the middle of the yearly contract with Extreme and can't get out of there even though I'm so mad at their service??? Is it legal that there's no way to cancel the membership there???

My guess is that the people who are running Extreme Fitness know the loopholes of the laws and regulations. And so, I think they are taking advantange of this knowledge, knowing that they can get away with in. Fairness, morals, ethics have nothing to do with it. It is all about money. Best option - stay away from Extreme Fitness.

In repsons to Peter; you cannot get out a contract by simply changing your bank account or credit card number. Sure, that would stop them rom withdrawing your monthly dues, but, you are still responsible for the amount. If they are unable to collect the money from you, your account will be sent to collections.
Stopping payment does not negate the fact that the person signed a 1 year contract.
You gave 'DanforthDistress' very bad advice.

I've read a lot of complaints on here about people who bought into something and then got angry when they couldn't change their minds months later. The problem here is not the club, it's the lack of conscientious decision making on these people's parts. Would you go buy a car and then try to return it after realizing cars need gas, maintenance and that there is traffic in the city?
If you decide against Extreme because some people had problems financially then it's your loss. As far as the clubs go - they are clean, well stocked and set-up and the staff are friendly and courteous. Just as every other down-town gym, there are high traffic times, that being said, when I've asked for more equipment, they've gotten it and there's lots of cleaning staff around. I love it. But then again, I have stayed true to my commitment to my health so it's money well spent.

Hi Everyone,

I'm on the fence here. I can agree that Extreme has all the newest machines and atrractive layouts, but I am coming from a bit of a different perspective. I work at an international school here in Toronto and there is an Extreme location nearby to us. Many of our students continue to messed over by EF and it is very frustrating. The students are very clear with staff and tell them that they will be leaving the country at a certain date, and of course after the staff offer up trainers and other services they assure my students that it is okay to cancel when they are leaving. Fast forward to cancelling time and the students are threatened to being charged thousands of dollars on their credit cards or their accounts. This needs to stop. It's a loss for them because no there are signs all around the school now warning them not to go there. I'm sorry but this is the action we have to take.

Me and my friends get around this by getting a card that gives us free access to the club. (Not Extreme) We pay nothing and can use the gym all we want.

If my year contract is up...do I have to tell them that I do not want to continue or does it just automatically end? I have a remaining balance with them...does my yearly contract end or will they continue to charge me.
If anyone can help me out with this question, I will be very grateful.
I do not recommend this gym....just TERRIBLE!!

ARE YOU UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY EXTREME FITNESS TREATED YOU?

I found an interesting comment from Facebook about Extreme Fitness (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6368482280). It could answer all your questions about Extreme Fitness.

"HOW I CANCELLED MY MEMBERSHIP" (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6368482280&;topic=8751):

Many fitness centers out there use various unethical tactics to pressure and persuade people to sign up for a gym membership and lock them into a contract. Obviously this means a steady stream of money from your pocket into theirs for (usually) a year. In many cases this can total almost $1000. In this note I will discuss how I successfully got a full refund a few years ago and hopefully if anyone else is in a similar situation they can use this technique too.


Are You a Victim?


First of all we need to determine if the fitness center you signed up with is one of those unethical money-hungry companies. All of them follow the same basic model. If most of the following happened when you first signed up then you are likely a victim:


* You saw an incredible offer which seemed like a low cost opportunity to test out the facilities : This is used as a 'hook'. It is a technique many restuarants, retails stores and of course gyms use to physically get people into their area of business. Physically getting customers in their place of business is the first step towards getting their money. You may have seen an advertisment such as "$10 per month membership!" or something of the same magnitude. What you don't know is the fine details and the price after the first month.

* When you first contacted them they asked you to bring your credit card: This is to ensure that they are able to get your credit card info from you on your first visit. This is to exploit the Kairos factor which will be discussed later. After explaining all of the costs involved they know that if you leave to think it over you will not come back because it is a substancial amount of money when you think it through. They need to get your credit card information right then while in their high pressure environment. This is a similar tactic some car salesmen use. They may say "Well we have had quite a few people looking at this car, I can't gaurentee it will be here tomorrow". If fact, it may be that no one besides you has shown interest in the car. Obviously this causes you to make a rash decision without thinking it through. Again, some landlords use this technique as well, by saying they have had a lot of people who want to rent a certain place.

* There is no other method of payment besides credit card : With credit cards you are locked into paying them a monthly fee. If you were to pay with cash they don't have this control over you.

* You were given a tour of the facilities before signing up : This is to establish a feeling of guilt and uneasyness later on during the actual contract signing. This is a similar tactic grocery stores use when giving out free samples. After taking a free sample of something do you notice how you feel obligated to buy a package of whatever it may be? Do you feel like you may offend the employee if you don't pick up a box? All of this is planned and known by the stores. In the context of the gym, after the sales associate shows you around you feel obligated to sign the contract or you will be inferring that you didn't like the place and will be offending him/her. On a separate pychological note, simply by seeing other in group members (basically people) working out and enjoying themselves makes you beleive that paying that price is 'normal'. What you don't know is that all of those people fell for the same trap you did.

* The sales associate shared some personal details about their life with you : You may have noticed that the sales associate shared some personal details such as something about their family or life. This is known as interperson interaction as opposed to the usual intergroup interaction in a sales scenario. Essentially this is used to try to establish a pseudo friendship or rapport with you. This is used to make it easier to get you to agree to what they say. Obviously you will be more will to do something that a friend asks rather than a stranger right?

* You were asked to bring a friend or family member with you : Similar to the point directly above, if they can get you to beleive that paying $1000 for a year membership is a good idea then they will use you to recruit your friends and family. In most cases your friends and family trust you and beleive that you won't make them do anything to harm them, include financially. So basically you may be in an office with a sales associate and your friend/family member who want you to sign up. In many cases this is pressure most people can't resist. They will also try to push the health benefits of exercising - which are fully true. What they don't mention is that you can go somewhere else with the same equipment for literally half the yearly price or less.

* They match the sales representative which what appears to be your ethic background or sex : Again, this is to increase the salience of in group membership between you and the sales representative. If you are asian, they may try and get an asian sales associate to deal with you, same with Indian, male, female, etc. By appearing more like you, you are more likely to do what they say.


It should be noted that gyms are legally required to give you a 14 day grace period to cancel your membership with a full refund. If you try to persue cancelling your membership you may experience the following problems if the gym is one of those unethical money-hungry gyms.


* They play hot potatoe with you : It is very difficult if not impossible to reach the manager of the fitness center. They always seem to be in a meeting or out or busy. In addition, the managers frequently leave branches and new ones come. What is actually going on is they rotate managers from various locations and head offices to make it much more difficult for customers to cancel their memberships. By doing this they can play 'dumb' by pretending to not know what your story is and the details of your situation.

* When you ask difficult questions by email or phone you get no response : pretty self explanitory

* They said "You've already made the first step by coming here so obviously your not lazy are you?" This is to establish a feeling of guilt and to make you feel like the one who is doing someone wrong.

* They said "So your just going to give up?, You don't look like someone who simply gives up on something.": same as above

* They say that you can transfer your membership to another friend or family member : If you seem to put up a good fight then they may resort to trying to get you to convince another person you know to take up your membership. Again using friend as a sales tool is very effective.

* If you say that you felt pressured when you signed up they reply with "Well we merely suggested signing up, you made the decision" again, putting the guilt on you.

* Only managers are able to cancel memberships This makes it much more difficult for customers to get a hold of people who can actually cancel the membership. In addition managers are usually well trained in pressuing customers to keep their memberships. Less experienced sales people may not have these skills.

* Cancellations must be done in person : Again, this makes it much more difficult to actually get a hold of the person who can cancel memberships. Plus being in person makes a much more pressuring environment.

* They tell you that cancelling memberships are highly unusual : This is to try and convince you that you are going against the norm.



So finally you may be asking what do you do if your grace period is over and you still want to get out of of your contract? Me and a few people did the following:

Essentially what I did was I talked to a few people at the gym and tried to find some people in the same situation as me (which wasn't too hard at all). We all got devices to record telephone calls (pretty easy to get off ebay for cheap). Then we all tried to cancel our memberships at the same time. We carefully coordinated a system where someone would be in the office at the time when someone else would call to try to talk to the manager. It was soon easy to find cases where the manager was present but was screening his calls. In addition we were able to compile a pretty thorough report of all the tactics they used in every case. We essentially 'reverse engineered' their sales plan by analyzing all of our situations and finding the common elements. Everything from them tilting the computer towards the customer during a recruitment session to everything mentioned above to many other details. We found that they have a carefully thought out procedure but we figured out how it worked. We then gave them a copy of our report to them and their jaws dropped. We threatened to distribute copies of the report to the public (to prevent others from being used) if we didn't get our money back (because we felt we were used). The content of the report was all factual so they couldn't accuse us of slander or libel. We were also careful to present ourselves in a way that didn't constitute blackmail. In addition we then contacted the police force's fraud unit with our report and mentioned this as well. Furthermore, we threatened a class action law suit (however we were bluffing on this because it would have been way to expensive and troublesome).

The whole process took about a month but we all got our money back.


If that report had gotten out to the public then their reputation would have been pretty much ruined and they were well aware of that. Their would be lots of angry people who would want revenge. For any business their reputation is critical if you did not already know. The would have lost a very large amount of future revenue and possibly gone out of business. As with any business, their reputation is the place to attack if you want something to happen.


The following is another counter measure we came up with but never actually had to use. We call it 'starvation':

Starvation:


1. Express your anger towards the manager with regards to you inability to cancel your membership


2.Explain that you will try to come as often as you can. During your visits you will look for people taking a tour and you will go up to them and explain your situation and recommend that they do not sign up


3.The longer you do this, and the more people that do this, the more money they will lose from lost new members. Eventually they will have to cancel your membership. There is nothing they can do since their is no rule against talking to people. If they tell their sales reps to run when they see you then that will just look ridiculous to the customers and will lose them anyway.


So in contrast to above these are things to look for in a fitness center:



* Never give a fitness center your credit card!

* Always pre pay for a time period such as monthy, semi annual or annual

* Don't sign a contract!

* Check out local colleges, universities, recreational centers and smaller not as well known gyms. Usually these places do not require credit cards as payments. In most cases a year long membership will cost around $400 - $600. Probably the best part about these gyms is that there are no contracts!


Anyway, hope all of this helps anyone who is having trouble with gyms. Feel free to copy/forward this as needed. As a final note, do not take your anger out of the receptionists, trainers etc. It is really the executives at the head office, the owners, stakeholders, etc that are responsible for this.

This people have 0 bsuiness skills. My Dr give me a note that until further notice i was not to continiue excercing and know they took me to collections. I need a head office as soon as possible, or need to know how to take them to court for the harrasment.

Reading this blog, I see why there is so much hate for Extreme Fitness.

ENCLOSED IS A COPY OF THE ACTUAL CONTRACT MINUS PRIVATE INFORMATION:

A while ago, I signed up for a two month ($20 total) membership at the Dunfield location with "no obligation", followed by a monthly rate of 129.00. I made it perfectly clear that I only wanted to take advantage of the two month offer and would cancel afterwards; and the employee had no problem with that. I didnt find anything deceptive in the contract so far. See this link for the actual contract: http://ifile.it/sai75zp/38295673.rar (has jpgs with the contract and terms/conditions)

If you look at the contract I've highlighted in red boxes the most important clauses: One stating that after the first downpayment ($20), there are 0 obligatory payments to be made. The second stating that I can cancel within 14 days of the end of my first two months. Together, these mean that I CAN CANCEL ANYTIME. Everyone signing up with EX-F should look at these clauses and make sure they understand them.

Feel free to ditribute this information.

When I joined Extreme Fitness, they said that there will be new equipment. That was more than 6 months ago. WHERE IS THE NEW EQUIPMENT ??? The new paint on the walls does not count as new equipment !!!

I froze my membership three months ago for two month and I just came back from my international assignment and they said that I had not frozen it (even though I have someone's signature that it has been done so) and my membership is over. If I want to renew the charge me 800 as oppose to my older deal for 550. Go figure!

I had a horrible experence at the club and would never join or suggest anyone does , however I had an amazing trainer about 3 years ago and I was wondering if anyone know where he went cause I just had another baby and would love to train with him again , "MJ" from the durham clubs ?? I hope he is somewhere more professional !

To Ann

MJ is now working at Wynn Fitness, 416-633-9966
Canadian owned and very reputable.

DUMBASS, WYNN FITNESS is owned by the same games who run Extreme Fitness LOL!!!! It's the exact same thing. The 2 owners got into a fight and one decided to leave and open up his own gym!!!

I don't know where you got "Canadian owned and very reputable". Must me you medication! ahahaha

Do not ever join or think of visiting Extreme fitness, it is a scam. You get hooked once you give your credit card information. Even after you cancel your membership they will keep charging you. If you don't make payment they will handover the bills to the collection agency. Some one has to take action before this get spread.
I wonder why they still exist, wouldn't the govt authorities and consumer protection authorities and credit card companies know about this.
This kind of practice will permenently damage the industry. I'm spreading this nesw about the Extreme fitness to all my friends and all meetings I go for.
One need to take action to stop this before it goes beyond control.
Recently I saw program called 'Market Place' in CBC or GLOBAL. This program bring all the bad product and unethical business to the light. I'm not sure how to rachout to them to cover a documentary on this.
Please some one who read this take the message across the 'Market Place' program producer.

To back out of a service agreement you have to show that the service that you are paying for such as personal training isnt working for your needs in which you brought forth in the beggining, ie. scheduling, your time is money! you are paying them to conform to your schedule if they are not working around you then they are not providing the service which is a breach of contract, i studied contract law in school and you have to show them that they are wronglfully conducting the service and you DO have legal grounds to dishounor their agreement based on they breaching it first!

Extreme fucked me for $20,000.00

Guy Bonhomme: How in the heck was EF able to take $20,000 from you? Did you lose a court case or something? That figure sounds much too "extreme." Was your loss over a long period of time? Please do briefly share. That's too unbelievable to believe.

I agree with most of the complaints posted here - but use your heads people. If you sign a contract - READ IT. Know what you are paying and what service you will receive in turn. I've been at the Danforth location for 2 yrs and I get exactly what I need. Decent equipment, and a (relatively, it is a gym) clean place to have a shower after. The rest is irrelevant. Simply put, do not let them bully you. I typically don't have much regard for out of shape PT's trying to demean me when I'm reasonably certain I'm already in better shape than them anyway. It is not a social club. The staff are useless, but what do you really need them for anyway? My two cents.

I have been a member at the richmond hill location for over 7 years, with no incident. I canceled my membership in Dec and as it was after the billing cycle they charged me for the month of Jan . However, when I tried to gain access in Feb they denied me the same as the computer screen kept showing canceled member. One of the managers was good enough to give me a personal card with her signature and stating that I was allowed access until end of Jan. However, when I tried again, the girl at the reception named Andrea grabbed the business card and started accusing me of fraud. She started saying in front of the people who were lined up that she did not recognize the signature and that I was making it up, literally calling me a thief and a fraudster. Luckily, i had already canceled my membership. Never again will go to this Club. Just a bunch of crooks.

I hear extreme fitness is closing down at the end of september. Better get all your money before they take off with it!

Be aware of sounds too good to be true.

I HAD A BIG FUCKIN SITUATION WITH EXTREME FITNESS TOO THEY THINK OF THEMSELVES AS FUCKIN DENTAL IF U MISSED UR APPOINTMENT WITH UR TRAINEER THEY CHARGE U FULL AMOUNT I HAD BIG FUCKIN ARGUMENT AND I THREATNED IF I DIDNT TAKE MY MONEY OR LESSONS I WILL MOUTH OFF AT THE LOCATION
DONT FUCKIN SIGN WITH EXTREME FITNESS BAD VERY BAD

In response to common sense is my case is different i have been working my ass hard to lose weight with my trainer since august with a very pleasant results with no right on schedule timing for my personal training and my fucking asshole trainer was very pleased with my results. i missed two appointments with him and in return he charged me for them and he didnot mention anything to me and even warn me that he will do so
so thats y i was so pissed off and the fucker in return was always asking me for my photos before and after losing weight so thats why am saying dont sight with any personal trainers or sign with extreme fitness cuz all what they care about is ur CREDIT CARD THEY R BAD DONT SIGN WITH THEM

If it is true that Extreme Fitness will be closing sometime this year, then, that would be good news. Once closed, they will not be able to fool or victimize many innocent people anymore. Just a thought.

Pretty top-notch equipment are for softies. Like hell I'd pay +70 dollars just to use their gorgeous facilities and equipment. All you need is good form, hard-earned sweat, and a kick-ass attitude. Speaking of sweat, it's disgusting, but hell...you make it yourself; don't be a pussy..cat.
Wipe that sh!t off of the equipment if you need to. Don't know if extreme has towels around for wiping equipment, but I guess they don't, since you gotta pay for towels yourself (I'm trying to think of every situation which would put a person to knowingly PAY for tower service when they could bring one themselves...unless you're not allowed to bring your own? O__o", or maybe people are too lazy to put it into laundry...). But yeah, I go to the Scarborough YMCA at Town Center. The equipment is average, I guess, but they ain't breaking down anytime soon. The employee's are nice, most of them (can't expect everyone to be). Some of them walk around and give advice, and if you ask for some advice from other members they'd help you out. There's towels and bottles full of water and some kind of substance... smells like vinegar, so you can wipe you're own sweat off. Also, the towels are cycled about every 2 hours so the same ones are not used the whole day. Don't know if there's many YMCA's at Toronto but if there is I suggest to at least check it out. There's very nice member etiquette, most people wipe their sh!t off of the equipment after they use it, and most people put their equipment back. I pay $40/month, and I'm going to ask for financial assistance to try to shave it off to $20/month ^^. By the way, the YMCA also have pools and yoga classes and stuff like that. Only bad thing is that there's barley any chicks my age that go there :P. Haha anyways,
just remember pretty pretty equipment does not largely translate to more fat loss or bigger muscles. They may have better physiological adaptations for the general population but when it comes down to it... paying at extra 30 - 100 dollars just to use nice looking equipment isn't worth the money... and especially the sh!t you need to go through to use it.

common sense. You sound like you work for Extreme Fitness you cock sucking whore! Go back where you came from!

Lmao. So angry!

It's not the trainer that's charging you for the training sessions. It's generally the manager who takes the sessions without the trainer noticing. At the end of the month the manager has the quota to hit. He looks at what clients that have alot sessions and charges all those clients a couple sessions that month. Thinking they wont notice. If the client complains the manager will blame the trainer or just give the client free training sessions the next month to shut them up. What is your trainers first name if you don't mind me asking? But to be honest with you. Your best bet is just to sit down and have a conversation with the trainer, it can't hurt and see what is going on. If you say you're close to him...im sure he will tell you. Like i said, 99% of the time it's the manager. I used to be a manger for 6 different clubs. I know how things are ran. It has nothing to do with the trainer...if you try to go after the trainer...it can ruin his reputation and he might not be able to work at any gym ever again. Just ask him.

Do you have anymore questions...write me back!

Its the trainer who charges you the missing sessions cause i had an incident with them that i couldnot go the last session with the trainer and he told me on the phone that it has to be today or he will charge for the full amount so i asked him what do u mean he said i have the right to charge you for missing sessions so i went to the club i brought him and had a big fight with him and the manager who was strongly supporting him explaining that they are like dentists
bottom line fitness club are scam scumbags

Just by the way you are talking? Goes to show how intellectual you are! The fact you are not showing up means you don't respect your trainer. It's his time, he has a family at home probably to put food on the table, meanwhile, your overweight body is not showing up...good example why you are out of shape in the first place.

worst gym ever! R.I.P

Long story short, I went into their office (90 Interchange Way) on November 28,2009 to claim a 3 month gym membership prize. They told me over the phone that I didn't need to sign any contracts and that I just had to go into their office and claim the prize. Instead, I was coerced into signing a 1 year membership. They then went on to tell me that this person who called me about the prize was a new employee and that I had to sign a 1 year membership in order to get the 3 months free.

I knew I wasn't going to anywhere about this so I decided to give their gym a try but I told them that I wanted to do a trial first before I consider joining with them. We then agreed that because I had exams going on during that time, they allowed me to have a 2 week grace period before my 1 week trial membership began, in which I could still cancel during that time (therefore, we agreed that I had 3 weeks after November 28,2009 to cancel my membership). Although this was not fully stated in my contract, a date of December 15,2009 was written down to represent when my trial membership would begin, which my friend who was there with me the whole time, can provide testimonial evidence that this agreement did happen.

I realized soon after I had signed the contract that I was not able to afford the membership, so I decided to cancel my membership on December 13,2009 and since I lived too far away from their office, they allowed me to send my member cancellation by email (big mistake!). I followed up a few days after to verify my cancellation, and was told that my membership was cancelled and that I could expect a refund back for their erroneous charges against me.

Fast forward to March 4,2010, I have still not received my refund back so I went into their office to rectify this issue. After going in, they told me that they would only refund a partial amount of $120 rather than the full amount they still owe me of $188.70, under the basis that I had cancelled my membership too late (within 10 days of signing the contract) and would not acknowledge that I was given extra time to cancel my membership. Because our other agreement was not properly documented, I am in a difficult situation to dispute this. The only evidence I can provide is the first hand witness testimony from my friend who was with me when I had signed up.

After this incident, I got into contact with the general manager, Gordon Roblin and he said that he would look into this but I have not heard back from him ever since. Instead, I was repeatedly put on the phone with the same people I spoke to when I came into their office. They are still not acknowledging that I had extra time to cancel and refusing to give me back my money. I put way too much trust into these scammers, thinking that they would uphold their words and promises but I was dead wrong. They honestly don't care who they scam, even people who come from low income families like me.

I'm still fighting this dispute to this date. I am not giving up until I get my full refund back because what they are doing is wrong and I truly do feel cheated and scammed. It's time for people to rise up and defend our rights. Extreme Fitness is not a proper business and they should be exposed and punished for their fraudulent and unethical practices.

In my view, they are dishonest and deceitful. They are interested only in taking your money. They will say anything for you to sign the contract. Once the contract is signed, you have no more recourse. PEOPLE - STAY AWAY FROM EXTREME FITNESS - FOR YOUR OWN SAKE AND YOUR CREDIT CARD TOO.

I think we are talking to deaf ears. The management of Extreme Fitness does not care about customer complaints. So long as the money is rolling in, they couldn't care less. You can see them drive expensive cars. They must be laughing all the way to the bank.

yes, you have to pay. This gym will swallow all your money!

I really enjoyed working out at this gym for years. But, i have found the social behavior of the members, being PERSIAN/MUSLIM kids and adults. Just such a turmoil atmosphere. They are such pigs and disgust that they can't put their weights away and clean-up after themselves. Especially in the bathrooms, they use blow-dryers to dry off their testicles and shave their hairy backs right on the furniture in the bathrooms.

Most of the staff at one point used to be decent as well, but for some reason, it's like the whole persian family works there too. Since then the business has been going down the slopes really quickly. It is such a shame. I wish they learnt how to interact properly and had a sense of social connection and ability. I guess it is not their fault they come from a country where all they do it labour intensive work which requires no education.

That's why Robert you should get a private trainer and train at a locate they insist you training at.

Paula Dow at their head office will take all your money too!

Last year I lost my credit card a few months after I signed a contract with Extreme and I figured that if I cancel my credit card that they can no longer charge me since they are no longer charging the credit card.
I just recently received a letter from them saying that I owe them almost $900. Is there anyway around this?
I haven't even used the gym since I cancelled my credit card.

How would I go about cancelling this membership? It's been a year.

That's funny soren, how dave the head manager from Extreme Fitness hangs out on this website.

Sorry, but this company does not deserve a 2/5, more like 0/5. I would try to find a number lower? but its unfortunate i can. Maybe? -100/5?

I won a trip to Mexico for 2, and free gym pass for 2 for a month...my question is whats the catch lol there must be a small fine print.

this Xtrme Fitness Gym is no CONSEDERATION..they can't understand what is your problem...

Yea Steve, stay away from these crooks! Bad bad news!

On Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at approximately 5:15pm, the following circumstances transpired at the Extreme Fitness location on Danforth and Pape:

During the middle of my regular workout, the Health Center Manager, who goes by the name of “Dinelo”, accosted me and my training partner and friend, D.A.Nicholson. In front of a myriad gym members and employees, he vehemently told us to get out of the club right then and there. When we asked why, he accused me of “training” my training partner and went on the say that, “…it wasn’t allowed…he had been watching me train him for the last 6 weeks…” Meanwhile, my friend and I have been training together for the last 2 years at that exact same location uneventfully! In fact, prior to Dinelo’s recent promotion to Health Center Manager, he has been privy to witnessing my friend and I train together for at least the last year!

I believe Dinelo has had a personal agenda against me ever since he was wearing the “personal trainer” hat. On several occasions, he has tried to bully me in the gym. About 6 months prior to the termination of my membership, he approached me and told me to “keep my voice down and to not count my reps out loud because it was “disrupting his client’s breathing”. Meanwhile, it was he who had moved his client closer to where my training partner and I were doing our exercises. Also, I was counting out my reps in a regular voice and tone. About 1 month ago, he tried to make me a bring a piece of apparatus (an aerobic stepper) up to the second floor and said if my training partner or I didn’t bring it back upstairs he would kick us out of the gym. Meanwhile, the stepper originated on the floor I was using it on.

I am a prominent and distinguished member of the Toronto District School Board. I have been an Educator in the elementary panel for over 9 years. As it happens to be, I am a very accomplished national level bodybuilder and fitness trainer. I own and operate a personal training business, www.michaelferrer.ca out of “Fortis Fitness” located at 276 Carlaw Ave. So, am I being punished because people know I’m a professional trainer? Therefore, regardless of whomever I’m training with, I may always be perceived as “training them”!

The General Manager at Extreme Fitness (Tim Nielson) will tell you that he has to side with Dinelo because he doesn’t work the “back end” and is therefore not able to comment on what does or doesn’t go on, on the gym floor and that he mainly works “front end” sales. He will also refer to an incident that transpired on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at approximately 11:30am, wherein the head consultant “Jason” told me that I “looked like I was training someone”. I told him the truth: That my studio was out of commission for one day, so two (2) of my clients (who have memberships with Extreme thanks to me) had no place train, so after my own workout, I helped them both get familiar and acquainted with the gym floor. Jason told me that this practice wasn’t permitted; I told him that I understood and that was the end of that. In fact, that morning, Dinelo ran up to me as if to grab me by the shoulder but Jason stopped him just before he could touch me and told him that he had already spoken with me, that we had an understanding and that everything was cool.

I beg to ask, after Dinelo is Health Center Manager for three days, all of a sudden I’m “training” my own training partner that I’ve been training with for the past two years? It’s blatant discrimination if I ever saw it. A misuse and abuse of authority at the very least! How can such prominent organizations such as Extreme Fitness, condone this type of discriminatory practice?

In the final analysis, I’m not looking for reinstatement into the club. In fact, it would be quite uncomfortable to be training in the presence of such discriminatory practice. What is however perplexing to me is the nature in which the accusation was conveyed. Dinelo called us out in the middle of our workout, in the presence of neighbours, friends and cohorts and accused us of doing injustice! He raised his voice, interrupted our workout and embarrassed us in front of the entire (30 odd person) population of the club! I asked him if we could discuss this in private after completion of our workout and he replied, “No! I want you guys to leave right now! Do you understand the meaning of leave? You two can not finish your workout.” He continued to be confrontational with me by standing in my way when I tried to rack my dumbbells.

To make a long story short, I feel that my image of being an outstanding member of the community was tarnished and my reputation as a solid professional trainer was compromised and for what? There is no proof of his allegations and there never will be because the fact that I was training with a friend, was in no way in breach of the membership contractual agreement. I plan to pursue this matter through a civil litigation suit, claiming defamation of character and arbitrary public humiliation.

They are all like this, you wouldn't believe the things they did to me. I have a huge list.Email me if you want to know.

Passo Pappis
Thornhill Corporate office: 905-709-1248
When you call, press # and enter 7277 (spells Papp)
for complaints.

DO NOT JOIN EXTREME FITNESS @ RICHMOND!!

I am a customer at Extreme Fitness and regularly attend Extreme Fitness location on 267 Richmond Street West.

The store manager of this location has been stopping me at the front door every time I enter because he wants me to sign a new contract. My current contract does not end until July 1st. The manager, Greg is forcing me to sign a new contract with him. He is very mean and impolite. I'd like to continue making business with Extreme Fitness, however, he doesn't provide me with good service and doesn't show respect.

Please realise that Extreme Fitness just wants to make money off you.

Like a lot of people in Toronto I get bobarded by flyers from Extreme Fitness that usually say: $8 per month, no contract, no execuses etc… I think I receive at least 2 flyers per month from them. My buddy and I decided to finally check it out, plus we heard they have an MMA program as well. The assumption was to check out the gym see the real costs and what kind of teachers they have for MMA. The conclusion was that it costs way more, they push the sale worse than a used car salesman and their MMA intstructors have more attitude than young Mike Tyson.

The experience started from us filling out some crazy amount of paperwork. After around 10 min a nice guy ( he was actually nice) said that he will show us the gym. He asked us both another 20 or 30 questions about our fitness goals etc… I tried to tell him that we are pretty experiences people and just want to see the gym, get the costs and the schedule for classes. It didn’t matter as he continued the same line of questioning, later I understood that was in order to sell their private lessons. I asked couple of times how much MMA classes costs and he said he doesn’t know “they need to asses my fitness level.” I asked a pretty reasonable question how is the price related to my fitness level? He said don’t worry lets just talk to one of our 2 MMA trainers they both fought in Pride.

So we went to check out the gym which was not bad at all in itself. Then we finally reached George K (couldn’t find his last name anywhere) who is supposed to be the ex Pride fighter. He was leaning back on his chair when he saw us, didn’t even stand-up to shake our hand. On me explaining that I take Muya Thai and Aikido and was just wondering how much MMA would cost here he said “We did you ever see free MMA in this city?.” I said no and I don’t expect it to be free, but I want to know how much does it cost – he still didn’t respond and just wanted to sign us up for a free demo. I can’t explain his attitude in writting, but he acted like he is some undefeated champion of the world and I am kid who wants to get an interview. If I might say quite an asshole attitude.

I finally asked the guy about the prices for the gym itself they are : $66 if you want to use one gym and $74 if you want to use multiple gyms. This price is valid only with long term contract, go figure after all their flyers saying that their is no contract. He still didn’t tell me the price for MMA. Once we were about to leave the manager came and tried to push their sale on us again. He even tried to close the doors till we buy the membership. After we finally left the plae I decided to never go back to Extreme Fitness again! Last thing I need in my life are pushy sales and crappy attitude.

When I went home I checked out a bio of the second MMA trainer George Kiriakou their had over there and turns out he is not that nice of a guy either. Check out the video and comments bellow. BTW I didn’t find any single mention of him or his buddy being in Pride. Also as somewhat experience martial artist I can tell you that there is no way two teachers can give you an adequate training in Muya Thai, BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing and Conditioning.

So overall I figured out that Extreme Fitness spends a lot of money on marketing to you, pushing their sales onto to you and then sign you in a long contract. I really that after that they have a good customer service. This is a no for me.

STAY AWAY FROM ALL Extreme fitness gyms. They are in rip-off business

hey thanks for the input.. i finally got around to see if anybody actually replied... im very nervous to even bring it up just incase it causes any more problems. i want to go to detail but not on this thread, have an email?

do u have an email to go into detail?

In regards to your comment. I just wanted to say that as a Persian I am extremely sorry to see some people (probably from extreme low classes of society) unfortunately do stuff that they shouldn't be doing in public places. It is completely disgusting the way these people act out in public places. I am sorry for that and I hope you don't think all Persians are the same!

The Personal trainer manager at thornhill location, Hammed or whatever his name is, is a pig and a racist. Caught him hitting on my girlfriend while on the job.

Hey Guys:

I've been reading your comments on extreme fitness and it sucks that you feel you have been scammed. (my experiences have been pretty good there)I always make sure I ask a ton of questions before signing anything just to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting into. My advice don't sign anything until your 100% ready, anything you sign is basically a legal document and any money you've lost is very hard to recoup.

http://www.sse.gov.on.ca/mcs/en/Pages/video_gym_memberships.aspx

For anyone who lives in Ontario you should take a look at this. The part about the "10 day cooling period" is probably good to know.

Hello,

I do agree that we shouldn't sign anything unless where 100% sure. The goal for Extreme Fitness (or any gym) is SALES whether you'll use the gym or not during your contract. Please do some research and think before you join Extreme Fitness. The reason why I say that is because I had an issue with them recently. As a result, I was spoken to condescendingly and rudely, was screamed at (by staff!) and hung up on (twice!). The customer service is horrible. There’s no use of calling head office because they have no authority over their gyms. I felt humiliated and hurt when I simply wanted some questions answered. It’s extremely frustrating to know that the staff have no one to answer to and are able to speak to customers the way they did. I would not recommend Extreme Fitness because of my personal experience with them.

Bewere of illegal business practices. Aftera year's membership (which was fien with me, but decided during the year that I didn't want to go to a gym that smelled of dries and with an escalator to get from one floor to another) I realized that my card was still being charged. When calling the gym the person in the phone claimed that in order to cancel I neede to show up in person otherwise the membership would be renewed automatically, claiming my contratct said this.
After 5 minutes of checking, i couldn't find this claim in the contract, AND i discovered that there is actually a regulation making this illegal.
For anyone ending up with the same problem, send a letter with reference to http://www.sse.gov.on.ca/mcs/en/Pages/Fitness_Clubs_Rights.aspx (where it says literally # All contracts must end after one year. Contracts may be renewed only if the supplier complies with certain rules, including:

* Providing you with a notice at least 30 days, but not more than 90 days before the contract expires, that advises that the contract will be renewed.
* Provides you with a copy of the agreement that clearly notes any and all changes.
* States that the contract will not be renewed if you notify the club not to renew the contract.)

That should land you a refund. If not they need to be reported for illegal activity.

I wish I had found all this before I got fooled into Extreme Scam...STAY AWAY...FAR FAR away from this place.
Gyms do not have to be run like this...they only care about your money and will bankrupt you to get it, the staff are horrid and I feel bad for the trainers who have no idea what kind of shat the gym is pulling on their clients.
This place and the managment who work there are ballz....the nasty sweaty saggy kind.

Stay away. Most trainers last a year at Extreme Fitness...if you are lucky! You will make enough just to survive. Worse place to work!

I was stolen my credit card and used!! I recently payed for 3 months in advance because I was going home for the summer, outside canada, but when I checked my card today, I found that they withdrew the members fee for two months in a row, without me telling them my card number. (though I told them my card has expired, so I am assuming they just randomly punched the new expiring year in and got it correct) From the beginning of the contract, I told them only my almost-expiring card info because I researched their malicious and illegal acts toward their customers. I was fine for first few months, paying my bills by cash. but they stole my number and used after i signed the paper and wasn't able to contact their stupid management office! Beware those who are looking into joining the gym, because they are SCAMMERS.

Why do people pay with credit cards? Convenient yes, but dangerous.
I would suggest purchasing a discounted one year membership paying in full in cash. Yes, there's a chance they could close up and leave you high and dry, but I think it's better than being held hostage.

I've been a member for 3 years now and haven't had a problem. The sign up wasn't high pressure, but they did try to sell (can you blame them?) After the first year, the contract went month-to-month. The gyms I go to are clean and well equipped. Keep up the good work.

Everything the person said above is 100% true and even more. Extreme Fitness is the biggest thing next to organized crime like biker gangs. They have scammed clients and employees. They make you feel worthless and make you feel like you should beg for mercy. 98% of the trainers are not certified and are bouncers or drug dealers. Most of the managers are former drug dealers or are. This is the worse place i have ever been and worked for. I have so much more to say, but can not be bothered. They will eventually shut down.

Honestly guys, get a clue. For those of you who expect something for nothing, you're living in dreamland. I just joined Extreme (was really hesitant after reading some of the posts) but the sales pitch was exactly what I expected it to be (actually less pressure). They fully explained that the agreement was for a one year term and yes, I actually read the contract so I know exactly what my rights and obligations are. Wow, who would think to actually read BOTH sides of a contract before signing it? At one point they brought in a manager to "close the deal" who was a bit high pressure, but in my case, not necessary and the pricing (for the executive clubs) was better than what I was offered with my corporate discount at Goodlife. Did I know that I wouldn't get two months free without obligation? I'm not an idiot, so yes. All gyms at least try to sign you up for a year's term. If you don't like it, say no. You can always walk out.

I have no experience with the personal training, but if you've ever been to a gym, you know that the "fitness assessment" is another way for them to sell you training sessions. Again, they tried to push them on me (politely and with only the slightest pressure - when you offer a service and your job is to sell, then it's hardly surprising that they will make a sales pitch - show me a gym that doesn't) but again, I just said no and they left it at that. I had to repeat it a few times during the hour, but so what?

So if your aim is to workout regularly, go in, do your workout and leave, then I don't see any problem with Extreme thus far. If you expect something for nothing, or don't read your contract and don't ask questions, then you only have yourself to blame.

If you have a problem with their fees, try your local Y. They likely have all the equipment and facilities you need less some of the perks of a private gym which although nice, are probably not necessary.

I am extremely dissatisfied with Extreme Fitness at Yonge and Dundas.

During my "mandatory" orientation/consultation, the consultant had me doing a circuit training routine until I had almost passed out.

Upon blackout, I crawled into the office to finish the forms, and he suggested I get a personal trainer. As a graduate student paying over 25k per year, I was insistent in not paying for a trainer, even exclaiming that I couldnt afford to pay $100 dollars per session.

They brought in some other schmuck who essentially broke down the different packages, and gave the illusion that for four sessions, it was roughly $60 which seemed pretty reasonable. Regrettably, I accepted.

As I just finished the last of my sessions today, I went to renew and said I was willing to subscribe to another four lessons for the same amount, when the manager laughed at me and notified me that it wasnt $60 for the four sessions, but rather, $60 per month for six months to pay for the four sessions, costing me nearly $400 dollars after tax. Prior to my getting upset at this, he offered to comp me for two of the lessons I had, because the trainer I was working with quit (no wonder why). He immediately retracted his offer of compensation when I said I was not going to pursue personal training any further.

I want nothing more than to stick it to these guys, BAD.

I can't believe Extreme Fitness does not have a cancellation policy!!!! It is so unethical. DO NOT JOIN THIS GYM!!!!

Well, I'm sold.

Where do I sign?

You won't be able to get your free trial without a high pressure sales pitch and definitely don't give them your credit card or you will suddenly have a membership you don't want.

Better to stay away.

ive been scammed 6grand and workin of gettin that bak

one thing i leanrt from extreme is tht they kiss your ass until u signed their xontract and get PT sessins and then after thatu are a worthless number

overall its not teh follow exployees tht rr assholes its the head management whom show and display this attitude of money first to their folow employees which sets teh rep of teh whole gym..my story is to long n mesed up to post here but if ther is soem1 out there who is tryin to help us ppl who hav been not only scammed but been fuked over by unethical practises msg me

Stay away, some of my sessions was sign-off without my knowledge . My file with all data have been lost ( very convenient) Bad contracts , Rip off , overpriced

Just say NO!I've been a member at Extreme for about 4 years. When I first went in to the Yonge/Sheppard location, they tried to sell everything!"you should get a nutritionist.." "NO""you could really benefit from a trainer" "NO""but we offer..." "NO""don't you want to.. "NO!"I've been paying $65.00 per month including the towel service which I find fair considering what I've seen some other gyms charge. The only time I've had a problem with them was when I needed to freeze my membership - which they offer - due to a busted rib. They told me over the phone that it had to be done in person.. I'm not sure which part of "I busted my rib" they didn't understand. Then they kept charging me.They may seem shady and their customer service is a joke (girls, how about you stop chatting with your b/f on the phone and hand me my f-king towel?)BTW, the link with the "best fitness clubs in Toronto".You're kidding right?? DO NOT JOIN THIS GYM PERIOD!

Great video about Extreme Fitness and how amazing the club is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p0uerkQtFo&;feature=related

whats the problem?

What are you having problems with?

Could someone please answer my question?

I'm planning to join the young&sheppard location (North York)

I DON'T want a personal trainer OR a nutritionist, I just want to go there to workout 3-4 times a week. How much per month should I expect?

Also, if I give them 12 post-dated cheques and don't give them my credit card number, will I still be scammed?

I also see here that there's a "mandatory" orientation where they make you work out? Is this true?

Called to make an appointment to sign up earlier today. After reading the comments on this page I called back to cancel that appointment. They asked me why, and I told them I read reviews online and based on those I would have to pass. Their reply was "I'm not surprised." Thanks to previous posters from saving me a headache.

BAIT AND SWITCH MARKETING TACTICS STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAMMERS.

I went in to the youge and dundas location today because they had called me up saying i won 3 months free. I knew I hadnt been placed in a draw and didnt win anything but i went in anyway since i work close by to see if i can get these free months. Sure enough some woman there wasted 2 hours of my time asking me questions about my fitness and showing me around as if ive never been in a gym before. she was really nice until I told her to give me the 3 months without taking my credit card number because i know how gyms are and they would charge me without option to cancel for many years. When she realized she wasnt going to sucker me, she started acting rude and arrogant. I confronted her about the marketing techniques in a calm and polite manner and she told me i wasnt being polite or respectful to her. At that point I was getting alittle frustrated and was ready to leave before she told me she doesnt need me as a customer anyways and she is too busy to be dealing with this. im sorry but thats no way to speak to a potential client, i think they all need to go take professional selling classes. Everyone be careful stay away from extreme.. I have my college gym anyways but if you want a good gym i was with LA Fitness for a year and it was pretty good. they didnt charge me after i cancelled.

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I used to workout at Extreme Fitness. This place is the worse gym on the planet. The trainers are not certified. They want your money. They are rude! Stay away from this place people!

I heard the manager Alex Egnst and his brother Adam Egnst were taking and scamming people. I was told by employees that the clients did not want to buy any more sessions when it came to training. But, they would put the training sessions through hoping the client would not know his credit card was getting scammed. Then they tried to blame it on the trainers.

AVOID! AVOID!! AVOID!!! AVO?ID!!!!

SCAM ARTISTS.. I did not take any of their EXTRA training sessions, go on line there are hundreds of programs. I froze my membership for 2 months due to forced residence relocation, my apartment was destroyed due to fire. I requested this in person and received printed documentation of this freeze. They still charged my account, contrary to the signed document. They said they couldn't reimburse me so they gave me 2 extra months. As soon as the first free bonus month was complete (they still charged my account) I gave them a written cancellation of my membership, and had them give me a printed termination contract, to stop the automatic payments from my account. I did n't want any more free bonus months when they're not free. They tried to explain again it was an accounting error and apologized that I shouldn't have been charged. Sure Enough they still withdrew money from my account after I terminated the account..They received three unauthorized payments.

HINDSIGHT it's NOT an error but unethical business practices. Had to close the bank account for the bank will not pursue this matter once you have given them initial access for monthly withdrawals.. So that's how they operate, evan if you stick to the monthly rate they still will overcharge you and rip you off as much as they can get away with...

I remember prior to joining Extreme I had to drop by my local bank to get a direct deposit form so I wouldn't have to use my credit card. The lady who was serving me told me that she was at Extreme once and they scammed her after she cancelled her contract with them. She told me, if I ever planned on cancelling with Extreme, I should personally drop by the bank again and ask for a stop payment (this is cost you roughly $12.00CAD). I listened to her and Extreme never got another penny out of me after that! Besides the fact that some people have been scammed after cancelling their membership, I'd say Extreme is a pretty decent gym. I switched from Extreme to Goodlife and now I'm back at Extreme because .. well, quite frankly, Goodlife is a pretty shitty gym. Ancient equipment and pressuring staff. The women who was helping me at Goodlife would NOT let me go and exercise without consulting with a trainer. UHM, I bought a membership to exercise, not to get harassed by the employees.

All in all, Extreme (Danforth and Dundas) are fairly good locations to choose. Although in my opinion, Danforth has a friendlier staff than Dundas does (since Dundas is at the heart of downtown, they have tried numerous times to lure vulnerable university students as well as seniors to buy into their one-year contract.

I just happened upon this blog...
I had the same experience as many others. I personally delivered a cancellation letter to the Extreme Fitness in Ajax (when my contract ran out).
After several months of trying to get them to stop billing my credit card, I filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Consumer Relations.
Apparently, Extreme Fitness is well known as a scammer.
I suggest not wasting too much time and effort arguing with them. File a complaint with the ministry.

Wednesday January the fifth two thousand eleven, I was at the Dundas location and they had industrial fans blowing air around the fitness center. It looked like were in the middle of re doing the trim around the walls of the place, and had an industrial chemical cleaning machine of some type operating there too. Later that night I suffered a bad fever and sore throat, I witnessed alot of other people there too, and I hope nobody else suffered the same way I did.