Never Gym at Planet Fitness Valley View!!! Their sales consultants are extremely ***** and make you uncomfortable!!!!

I was a member of this gym for more than 5 years and, during that entire period, I had never had a complaint. Unfortunately, my experience changed completely after the gym cancelled my original contract, stating that I was no longer liable for that type of contract.

I was then approached by a sales consultant who goes by the name “Just Max.” He told me that my new contract would be R500 per month and that it would not change from my previous contract.

I had seen Max working at the gym for around two years, so I trusted him. That was clearly a mistake.

The following day, I decided that I wanted more time to think about the contract and went back to the gym intending to cancel it (within the 5 day period). I saw Max again, explained that I wanted to cancel, and he told me that he would take care of the cancellation.

Then, on the 15th, a debit order went off my account. I was confused because I believed the contract had been cancelled.

I went back to the gym and asked for Max. When I spoke to him, he changed his story and said that because I had signed the contract, it would be difficult to get out of it. I emphasised that I wanted the contract cancelled, and he again told me not to worry about it.

At that point, I was willing to continue paying the R500 because at least I could still use the gym. However, without warning, my monthly payment suddenly increased from R500 to approximately R800.

I was extremely frustrated and tried to find Max to discuss what had happened. Every time I entered the gym, he appeared to avoid me by going into the back staff room.

Eventually, I waited for approximately four hours until he came out. He told me that he would personally pay for the cancellation because he had made a mistake with my contract.

He then told me that he would go to a mashonisa (loan shark) to get the money to pay for the cancellation.

I was completely confused. All I wanted was to resolve an issue with my gym contract, yet the situation had escalated to him talking about borrowing money from a loan shark.

I then approached his manager, only to discover that Max apparently could not cancel the contract himself and that I had to contact head office.

This is where the situation became even worse.

I contacted head office multiple times. During some calls, the call would be dropped, and when I did manage to speak to someone, I was given different cancellation amounts.

On one call, I was told that I needed to pay R5,000 to cancel the contract and that it would be a once-off payment.

The following day, I called again and was told the cancellation amount was R6,000. A few hours later, I called again and was told it was R4,000.

At that point, I could no longer understand what was actually happening with my account or why I was being given completely different amounts by different people.

I went back to the gym again and asked the receptionist to speak to the manager. Once again, the manager was apparently not there.

Then another debit order went through and my bill had increased to approximately R1,500, supposedly because of a “levy fee.”

I had been a member for more than five years and had never previously been charged this levy. I also did not receive any email or SMS explaining that this fee was going to be charged to me.

And honestly, I struggle to understand what the levy is even for. The gym’s saunas don’t consistently work, the equipment doesn’t appear to improve or change, and the bathrooms are sometimes so dirty that I would rather wait until I get home.

By this point, I was extremely frustrated. I started contacting the gym almost every day asking for my membership to be cancelled, yet my contract still has not been cancelled.

My experience has been:

* Sales consultants avoiding customers when there are problems. * Managers seemingly never being available when you need assistance. * Head office providing completely different cancellation amounts. * Unexpected fees being charged. * A contract that I repeatedly requested to cancel remaining active. * Poor communication throughout the entire process.

What makes this experience even more upsetting is that my mother recently passed away. She was the person paying for my gym membership because I am a student who was financially dependent on my parents. I explained my circumstances to the gym, hoping that there would at least be some understanding or empathy.

Unfortunately, I did not feel that I received any.

After more than five years as a member, this is how my relationship with the gym has ended.

I am extremely dissatisfied and disappointed with the way this entire situation has been handled. What should have been a simple conversation about cancelling or changing a membership has turned into months of frustration, inconsistent information, unexpected charges and repeatedly having to chase people for answers.

I genuinely don’t want to return to a gym after this experience.

And if a sales consultant who goes by “Just Max” approaches you, I would strongly recommend that you make sure you understand exactly what you are signing, what you will be charged, and what the cancellation terms are before agreeing to anything.

I trusted someone I had known from the gym for years, and I regret doing so.