Extreme Fitness, Extreme Ripoff?

You only get a flyer once a month? I get 2-3 a WEEK. I'd never join the damn club for that reason alone.

I also get at least one a week

What about that "Free Membership for TTC Metropass Holders" ad that was recently in the Metro newspaper...complete rip off! I went to inquire, and was told that I would still have to pay $70-$100 a month for AT LEAST 5 months after the first "free" month. False advertising...big time!

I fell for the $15/month/no contract offer back in January. While I regret having to pay so much, it hasn't been without its benefits.

I had to pay 3 months up front ($15 x 2, plus one regular month at $96), and was told I could cancel my commitment if I gave written notice 2 weeks in advance and made a big fuss of it.

On the plus side though, they pressured me into getting a personal trainer (initially proposing I pay upward of $400 a month, but I hemmed and hawwed it down to $150). I say 'plus side' because I really had no idea what was going on with my body and he got me using the equipment properly, and I've seen really good results so far.

The nutritionists are a joke though, don't even bother talking to them. Every other sentence is about buying supplements, or asking you rearrange your life around constantly eating the most exact combinations and portions. I'm sure that's fine if you don't have a real job and can spend 3 hours a day preparing food...

I got so sick of all the flyers that I finally did 2 things:

1. http://www.reddotcampaign.ca
Here you simply print-out the one page 'letter', sign it and stick it in your mailslot. Your Canada Post mail carrier will see it and put a 'red dot' whereby you will never again receive any unaddressed junk mail! Free.

2. https://ioptout.ca
This one's a beta project by an Ottawa professor that basically continues where the do-not-call registry legistlation (seriously flawed) drops off. Free.

mishka

Interesting piece, Tim. I think the thing about not quoting you rates over the phone is standard, though? At least, I had the same experience when I looked into Curves. I even stopped by on my lunch hour one day, and they still wouldn't give me a price until I actually booked an info session with one of the trainers. I understand the idea that there can be different ranges of prices depending on what you want, but it still seems super fishy that they're so reluctant to even give you those ranges.

While I totally hate the ads I get every week, I can't get over how many of these people signed up without reading what they were signing. I can't really feel bad for someone who doesn't read a contract.

Personal trainers are included FREE at the Y. A $150 trainer is not a plus side.

dave= I know what you mean... its bad enough I get every flyer on earth through my mail slot other than MAIL... to recieve this beautifully crafted POS 2 or 3 times a month is far above from annoying.

I was actually thinking about joining this place because of this amazing deal. But then I thought how the hell would they make up for this. Places like Goodlife charge an arm and a leg to use their facilities. Well here you go. Extreme LIES!
Thats why I joined the gym at my work.. 10$month! no Lies and Deceit!

@aaron - I agree. It'd be interesting to see what the contract actually says, though. It's possible it's still very misleading.

Fitness clubs and gyms are some of the most arbitrarily priced services out there. Good luck ever finding a chain that openly lists the rates for their plans.

I'm about to start a new job, and there's an LA Fitness right beside it...given the convenience, I was thinking of joining, but after reading this, I'm a little skeptical.

Does anybody know how LA FItness is? Same sort of scam?

Thanks for the links mishka!

I heard that there may eventually be a "waste tax" in Toronto. I support the idea so I started to catalog my garbage one day (no seriously) to see what I was throwing out. I realized that more than 70% of all paper products I throw out or recycle are from unsolicited mail. I know Canada Post makes decent coin off of distributing this stuff and I would rather see a postage increase than lay off a great deal of people but this is getting to be absurd. Almost all of my building's mail is junk mail that no one wants and now the city is going to charge us for it?

Excuse the tangent. :)

My girlf checked out the Extreme Fitness next to the Para^WScotiabank Theatre. Apparently, the scammy nature of the membership was pretty obvious the moment they opened their mouths, and not even that, but the women's changing room was still being built. So she'd be paying $70-80 a month for the privilege of changing in the toilets and walking home sweaty. Not a chance.

The best hard sell experience we've had since moving to Canada though, was in that place under the Skyd^WRogers Center, where we got the full used car treatment, including a soul-crushing tour that went on forever, time limited offers that expired if we left the building, and being left alone in an office while the salesman went off to get us a better deal from his nonexistent manager. On the off-chance that they'd miked the room, we had a chat about his body odour issues, it was great fun.

Full Disclosure: I am an Extreme Fitness member and I also working in a marketing job (not with any Fitness club).

There is no scam being run by Extreme Fitness. Sure, their marketing promotions are a little exaggerated, but they do offer you the options they advertise.

Take the $15/mo no contract. You can get 2 months for that price, BUT, if you wish to continue going to the gym you have to pay some extreme price of more than $120 each month. Since no one really wants to go for just 2 months, everyone skips this option.

Next you're given another quote based on how often you want to go, what location and if you want to use their towels (yuck). That price is around $70. But, if you're a schmuck you'll just say yes and sign up for a year. But, if you press the issue you'll pay less. All you do is take control by telling them how much you'll pay. I was a member at a competing gym in university and paid $35/month. They wouldn't match that but I do pay less than $50 taxes in, etc for unlimited use and no nasty towels.

Sure, it's a lot of money each month. But, do I feel duped? No. Was I pressured to get a personal trainer? Of course, that's how they really make their money. Could I say, "NO?" Yes, and I did.

If you're joining a gym they know you're a little down on yourself and are a potential push-over. Don't be. Read some Tony Robbins and get your self-esteem up.

"t no point did they EVER make it clear that was I agreeing to a ONE YEAR CONTRACT WITH NO CHANCE OF ENDING IT EARLY."

A friend of mine is in a legal battle with one of the Extreme Fitness locations. They continued to charge her account for well over a year in excess of $800 and will not drop the charges. It's ridiculous!! I would NEVER join that gym based on her account of their policies.

"You only get a flyer once a month? I get 2-3 a WEEK. I'd never join the damn club for that reason alone."

Ditto. I stuff them (as well as random other flyers and offers) into an envelope and mail them back to locations on a rotational basis.

This is just another reason to avoid gyms altogether. You don't need a gym to be healthy! There are many alternatives to going to a gym that are just as healthy and free (e.g., biking, walking, running, body resistance exercises, sports, hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading a book?all add to good general health and wellbeing). Gyms are big business and unfortunately treat you like most big business treats their customers; like mindless spenders.

This is just another reason to avoid gyms altogether. You don't need a gym to be healthy! There are many alternatives to going to a gym that are just as healthy and free (e.g., biking, walking, running, body resistance exercises, sports, hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading a book....all add to good general health and wellbeing). Gyms are big business and unfortunately treat you like most big business treats their customers; like mindless spenders.

I cannot get the redotcampaign link to work -- anyone have any luck? I googled it, and ever link related to the site seems to be broken.

Reading a book and hanging out with friends isn't going to add inches to your arms or help you shed 20 pounds of fat, Trevor. Being 'healthy' isn't the only reason people go to gyms; changing the shape of your body can mean adding lots of muscle and not just losing lots of weight.

Take the $15/mo no contract. You can get 2 months for that price, BUT, if you wish to continue going to the gym you have to pay some extreme price of more than $120 each month. Since no one really wants to go for just 2 months, everyone skips this option.

If you have a rate like that with conditions so ridiculous that nobody takes you up on it, then it only exists to get them in the door so you can commence the hard sell, that's a scam.

It'd be like me setting up a sign that said "Free Ice Cream!" outside my shop, only agreeing to give people ice cream if they listened to a pitch and looked at the merchandise, and then informing them "Oh, the ice cream is laced with rat poison, do you still want it?"

My personal trainer was great and I actually thought the nutritionist wasn't that bad either. It was far too expensive but I got out when I couldn't afford it anymore so I don't really feel like I got ripped off.

Definitely a hard push but you can say no.

I get at least 1 large, glossy, cardstock admail piece a week from these guys. I'm collecting them to drop in their club's lobby one of these days. I'm sure they'll appreciate it as much as I do.

Their marketing practices do disgust me, though. They recently took over the Dunfield Club at Yonge & Eglinton and while I haven't been there since the takeover, I get the feeling that the place isn't what it used to be. I was a member there when Sports Clubs of Canada ran it and they were always straight-up about the monthly fees and contracts. Their belief was that everyone should pay the same monthly fees to avoid a situation where Member-X gets upset about why Member-Y is paying half of what they're paying. It worked pretty well: everyone paid the same exorbitantly high fee, and everyone got treated the same way. And I'd rather pay more for honesty than deal with cryptic contracts and hassles -- I already have to deal with that for my long distance plan, but that's another rant.

Long-distance plan? Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to ditch those now. My latest international calls (each lasted about half and hour) costed me 5 cents a piece. Check out online services.

I have been through hell and back with Extreme Fitness and I didn't even sign up with them! I joined Jump Fitness on the Danforth in 2006 and they disappeared one night, but the payments still kept coming out...turns out it was Extreme Fitness taking out those payments because they "took over" Jump yet never informed me or posted up a sign.

Other complicated details, but I had a pretty solid case and took them to the Ministry of Consumer Services. Eventually, they went away.

Bottom line - never ever pay for a gym membership with your bank account. Do you want to have to close your account because of these jerks and transfer your payroll, rent, etc?

and don't join Jump Fitness - nothing is far when there is a team of lawyers ready to discount your every ripped off dollar.

The YMCA is about $80 for a family membership, with no lock-in.

I pay 62 bucks a month and have been paying that for the past year and a half over at Eclipse Fitness. I know they're not conveniently 'everywhere' but right at the beginning from my very first tour of the place that's what they quoted me, there were no hidden fees, no extra costs, if I wanted a trainer I was recommended a few according to my goals and their individual hourly rates were discussed after. And they made it abundantly clear that was my rate. It has always been so nice and clear with these guys that I've actually gotten all healthy!
Friendly people in there and always a nice vibe. (Wish they could switch up the music though, I'm one of those non-ipod wearing exercisers. Believe it or not, loud music makes me lose count of my reps!)

Besides, who would want to join a gym for less than a year anyways? Unless you're already super fit and just looking to brush up on parts.. in which case just mooch off your friend's one-guest-per-visit rules. Thats what I did :P

The Y sucks big time! I went to the downtown near College subway for 3 months. Although I got a 50$ a month membership, I ended up leaving to join another gym, the reason overcrowding, and too many people from disadvantage backgrounds so I never felt safe.

"...and too many people from disadvantage backgrounds so I never felt safe."

Somebody call a waaaambulance.

I have been a member there for over 10 yrs until I canceled my membership recently.. I used to pay 25 bucks per month..i have to say that extreme is an incredible gym.. so when i find out they are opening one at yonge and dundas, i am thinking of joining again.. we get a corporate rate of 53 bucks per month(i am a memeber at goodlife now, but they are so dirty and smelly).. so there you go, at least you have a bench mark for your negotiation.. never sign up for personal trainer sessions.. i am sure tim can give you some tips on working out.. just look at his biceps

As someone who has been burned several times by gyms suddenly up and closing, I greatly appreciate this article. Does anyone have any comments about Goodlife? They are allegedly putting one in at Coxwell and Gerrard, and I am considering joining.

Ive been going to Fitness One for the last 6 months, and while bare bones basic, Im only paying $20/month and the personal trainers are free. No pressure, no nonsense, no glossy flyers.

Extreme Fitness has made me more angry than any other business. Apparently I "won" a free month's membership and went into the location at Richmond/John. In order to get the free month I had to sign for the year with the understanding that I could cancel at any time.

Well...I did't end up using the membership and called to cancel. I was told I had to do this in person. When I came in they had lost my paperwork, but gave me something to sign and assured me I wouldn't be charged.

My next credit card statement showed charges for 2 months worth of fees and it took months of arguing with the sales rep (Leslie Jones) to get the charge removed from my statement.

She was the most awful person I have ever had to deal with I urge all of you to stay clear of their pitches.

Total RIP OFF!

I went to a local fast food, and saw the extreme fitness "contest". I signed up. Got a call from them saying that I "won" 4 months for free. I was like "yeh!". The catch was that you had to stay with them at least 12 months. Thus I had to throw away $70 every freaking month until last month - which was finally the end of a nightmare.

Plus, they try really hard to make you purchase a personal training.

SCAM, SCAM. Extreme lies to every innocent person blatantly.

Great comment by trevor morgan, spoken like a true fat person!

I too, won the crappy 4 month free offer. I actually had the hindsight to do an internet search on this 'offer' from Brent at the Yonge & Dundas branch. When I realised it was a load of crap, I called him and challenged him on it. His response was "fine" in a stupid tone and he hung up.

Knew it was too good to be true..

Also, with regards to LA Fitness, I was a member in the UK. They were ok there. I got a decent couples plan. The gym was in a nice area though for England ... so I cannot comment on other UK locations or North America based locations.

I was pleased with my membership for 1 yr - until I had to move cities and part with my car... good luck cancelling my Extreme Fitness membership - they refused to allow me to cancel unless I came in personally, despite living 2 hours away. I had to call repeatedly to speak with a manager on the issue - who finally, hesitantly, compromised and accepted notice via fax.

I was actually with Extreme Fitness for a year at the location of Richmond and John location. When they first started, they give you 6 months free , and then you have to pay the rest of the 6 month with the price of $89 bucks after tax per month.

And then once I am done with my one year contract, i will still be charged with $89 a month!! So I talked to the manager to say that I am quitting. The manager said he will give me the same deal again but i have to sign another year of contract.

People are really getting rip off by Extreme because everyone can pay different pricing. from $40 a month to $100 a month. Who knows.

So I decided to quit qym completely. Gym is just as evil as cellphone company in Canada.

What a bunch of assholes.
I get a 10 day pass from them to work out at their new location at Yonge-Dundas(Which is not even completed yet), the guy has the nerve to take it away, because I did not have the time to talk to him right there! Now, I am glad I did not talk to him after reading this post. Are there are good gyms left?? It's sad. The price of gyms is getting out of control.

Sales people at Interchange Extreme fitness are bunch of crooks. They behave like used car sales people and force you to sign the contract. I was very much interested in joining but walked away due to bad customer service and let everyone know in my organization to keep away from this club

I totally agree with the comments concerning the Extreme Fitness ripoff. I've belonged to Goodlife for years, but out of curiosity, went to check out the new Extreme at Yonge and Dundas. Yes, they were offering 3 months free, but only if I signed a contract for a year. Then they required an "assessment" to pinpoint my "weaknesses" after which they wanted me to sign for personal training and nutrition counseling to the tune of $3000! To add insult to injury, this club isn't even ready yet - the showers won't be installed until September, and it's operating on a very limited floor-space. And for this they want $96 per month after the "free" period is over. My advice - stay away from this place - it's bad news all around!

Biggest scammers out there. They won't qoute you a rate over the phone. They insist you have to come in and talk to them, where they'll trap you in a room and pressure you into signing up.
I was a member of Sports Clubs of Canada at Dunfield. The gym was nice, clean, not too busy, and they were honest. Now it is dirty, over crowded, and have a bunch of crooks working for them. Couple of things: - they keep lying on how long the showers are going to take to fix. I haven't been to the gym there for 3 months due to this fact. The next closest gym to my work is the Dundas one. They touted this to be as the new flashy gym. My butt it is. You walk in there. It is a hole in the ground. No showers and it is tiny.

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.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 fcking towel?) but they ARE convenient with all the locations so close to TTC stations and the hours are great.BTW, the link with the "best fitness clubs in Toronto".You're kidding right??

FYI: You can put a stop payment on your bank or credit card accounts. You do not need to close your old and open a new one.

hey!
yes they send a gazillion flyers and yes that sucks! but when i signed up he made it very clear that there is a one year contract option, as well as a no contract option (of course was lil more expensive)
the moral of the story is: ask the right questions, and dont be a pushover and give in to the extra crap they try to sell you!
be in charge! and if you dont like the offer walk away! no ones holding a gun to your head people...

Does anybody know how to cancell the one year contract for my teen old daughter. They do not allow me. I have to transfer it onto somebody. Other way I stuck with a payment of 69.30 for 8 months. She didnt' show up for assesment ever.
I told them I didnt' know that I will not be allowed to cancell during that time. I was told ..well..no one forced me to sign it.

Extreme Fitness is an EXTREME RIPOFF! They do not offer cheap memberships as their advertisements say and they trick you into signing a one year contract even though they say they have "NO CONTRACTS." They then make you attend an "evaluation" to pressure you into signing up for personal training.

They are very rude and you will be stuck with terms you were not aware if you sign up with them. I also found that the facilities were crappy and there were tons of people with no room to work out and machines were broken.

some motherfxxker broke my lock and stole my $600 smartphone, credit card and cash, nobody care, manager only care my 69.30 monthly payment tried keep me there, just say NO! in front of their begger, you may tell them to stop pushing you when you feel uncomfortable.

$8 on flyer is for 1 month only, no contract/hidden fee is a fake, they will say something to make you feel bad to refuse, after you joined, they'll force you to meet a trainer, trainer will try his best to force you to sign him.... you'll be regret after you sign, cos extreme fitness is a scam!

I'm unfortunately a member of Extreme Fitness only because they bought out Sports Clubs. I loved Sports Clubs, but I cannot say enough negative things about Extreme Fitness. It's like the Sports Clubs turned into the tacky, red-neck cousin who won the lottery... unsophisticated, money but no taste. Management ignores customer service/client needs... Can't wait until I can afford the Granite Club..

I was a member at Danforth for a year and a half. It wasn't bad when I joined- sure, there was the "mandatory fitness test for insurance purposes" when I joined, followed by the high-pressure personal training sales talk. Which I declined. They promised me I could freeze my membership for medical reasons, but what that really meant was that they would still take my money, and "add the time to the end of my membership".
Then they started the renovations. Almost ten months of substandard conditions, a crappy attic changing room, dust in the air, noise, and cramped workout spaces. The new, improved gym finally opened... no new exercise area to speak of, but tons of new sales offices and fancy tv lounges.

They lied to me about the reno, they lied about the equipment, the staff is rude, and you'll feel both invisible and unwelcome unless you're a spandex-wearing young hottie.

Forget the scam chain gyms, join the Y. They're not there to rip you off. It's a gorgeous facility and you'll pay a fraction of the fees.

Okay, aside from annoying cards in the mail, which Pizza Pizza sends every week as well,(not to mention a million other companies that you don't want) They are a biz, they want to make money. However, I have been a member twice at the Pickering Location. I said no to personal training, because I have a BACKBONE and a good knowledge of fitnes and nutrition. Anyone who claims they were duped, is a idiot pushover, who probably needs a trainer so they don't kill themselves in the gym. Most people aren't seeing results at the gym, because they slack and don't perform a proper workout often enough. Let's say you spend $1000 dollars a year on a membership and a trainer. You lose weight, put on some muscle, start living a healthier life. All of these things will improve every aspect of your life. You will have better focus, self esteem, more enegy and save HUNDREDS of dollars not eating crappy food and boozing your life away. It's not a waste of money, it's an investment in yourself. So, don't blame a company, because you were too weak and stupid to say no or read a contract throughly, blame yourself. Or you could make the most of the "awful" situtaion you are in and put in a little effort and change your life.

I entered an Extreme Fitness contest and won the 4-month free membership. She froze the account for me, because I wouldn't be in Toronto for most of the summer, and said that I could return in the fall to pay $80 per month. I wasn't sure if I wanted to join, but the manager told me that I could leave if I gave two weeks notice. I quit in early May, after having joined at the end of April. I even filled out a quitting form and returned my membership card. Today, August 4th, I received a phone call about beginning my payments. I explained to her that I had quit and she responded "You cannot cancel a one-year membership". I have no idea what I am supposed to do. If anyone has found themselves in a similar situation, could you please give me some feedback?

After cancelling my training and fully paying off my fees...they are still withdrawing money from my account. Would it be possible to redeem the extra money they withdrew?

Phone Numbers
Steve Dacosta President- 416-666-4498

VP of Operations
Taso Pappas- 647-274-3709
CEO- jsolomon@falconheadcapital.com

Email The Boss of Falconhead
Look on there web site, the evil empire is all there.

Here is the revenge video for extreme Fitness

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

Hello Guys,

I am gather a list of people who wants to cancel. Anyone who wants to cancel can e-mail me their membership ID along with their birthday and I will pass them on to Marcus, director for marketing...

I told him if he doesn't cancel everyone on the list, I will show up with some of you guys to their new grand opening of their Wellington location in downtown with our video camera, a big bull horn and make a scene on the opening day.

Hope I won't need to do this!

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