Horrible Club Manager Service - De Waterkant

Dear Planet Fitness,

I am writing to formally raise a serious concern regarding the deeply unprofessional and frankly appalling customer service I experienced at your De Waterkant branch.

Let me begin by saying that, up until recently, my experience with Planet Fitness – De Waterkant had been outstanding. I even made the decision to move over from Virgin Active because of the exceptional atmosphere. Over the past five months, I’ve enjoyed engaging with your friendly, helpful staff — from reception to the Muscle Lounge team — all of whom have consistently delivered top-notch service.

Unfortunately, this positive experience was entirely derailed following an interaction with your Club Manager, Nicole Williams, on May 16th.

After paying my membership consistently every month, I recently inquired about the Vitality partnership and was thrilled to discover I qualified for a 75% discount. Clint, your sales representative, helped me through the sign-up process and reassured me that although the R700 activation fee would apply, I would not be debited the usual R1200 membership fee the following day. Instead, I was told to expect a reduced fee of around R300.

To my shock and dismay, the full R1200 was still deducted — leaving me R900 short, an amount that directly impacts my ability to cover essential costs like school meals for my son. I now find myself in the humiliating position of having to ask family members for financial assistance.

I went to the gym on May 16th to seek clarification. A front desk staff member, who was kind and professional, called Ms. Nicole Williams to assist. What followed was one of the most unacceptable displays of customer service I have ever encountered.

Upon arrival, Ms. Williams did not acknowledge me, let alone greet or introduce herself (You can literally check the cameras to confirm this) — something that should be second nature to anyone in a management position. Her first words were directed at her staff, dismissively asking, “Is the profile up? It's Vitality, isn't it?” She then stated, “I may not look like I know what’s going on, but I know what’s going on in my club,” with a tone and demeanour that were shockingly arrogant.

Only after this did she look at me and my wife and bluntly state, “There’s nothing we can do — it’s too late. The debit order has already gone through.” There was no apology, no empathy, and absolutely no acknowledgment of the frustration, inconvenience, or financial impact this has caused me.

When I mentioned that Clint had advised me otherwise, she quickly dismissed responsibility with, “He doesn’t work for me — he works for Planet Fitness,” which felt not only evasive but also completely devoid of accountability or concern for the customer’s experience.

I still can't believe she didn't even greet, hi, hello, nothing!!

As someone with years of experience in customer service leadership — including founding a service centre — I am genuinely stunned by the sheer lack of professionalism and basic courtesy displayed by someone in a managerial position.

At no point was there a greeting. At no point was there compassion. And at no point did I feel like a valued customer.

I have numerous close friends within the fitness and bodybuilding community who encouraged me to join Planet Fitness, many of whom are trainers, owners, and influencers with loyal client bases who genuinely value good service, many of whom attend Planet Fitness. I’d like to ensure them— and their clients— are made aware of the complete disregard and disrespect I’ve experienced at your facility. People deserve better. SIMPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

This experience was, in no uncertain terms, unacceptable. I expected better — and your customers deserve better.

I would appreciate immediate feedback on how Planet Fitness intends to address this issue, both in terms of the financial discrepancy and, more importantly, the unacceptable conduct exhibited by your Club Manager.