Worst Service by Management!

I just canceled my membership at Morningside Planet Fitness due to a rude member, but even more so because of the manager, who made the situation worse when I sought his help to resolve it.

I was using the stair master, which, to my knowledge, has a 30-minute cap and a 5-minute cooldown session. Next to me was a man who kept leaning over to look at my screen. Eventually, he told me my time was up and that I needed to get off so his partner could use the machine—she was on the treadmill at the time. I told him I was cooling down and that, as we pay the same fees, I have a right to do so. He continued to yell, so I put my earphones back on, finished my cooldown, and went to reception to speak with the manager.

I explained to the manager that I found it rude that the man repeatedly interrupted my session by leaning over to look at my screen and staring at me with an "unimpressed" expression. I felt bul**** and uncomfortable, and I asked the manager to do something about it because I didn’t want it happening to anyone else. He responded by telling me that the time limit for the machine is 20 minutes during peak hours and that I had exceeded that. I apologized, saying I didn’t know because there’s no sign indicating this. I also explained that I use the machine daily, and the automated cut-off time is 30 minutes with a 5-minute cooldown session. I told him that the appropriate way to handle such a situation would be to politely talk to someone or seek help at reception, not to yell and bully others to get off a machine. The manager said he would speak to the member after he finished, as "two wrongs don’t make a right."

I emphasized that this wasn't about right or wrong but about treating people with respect. I told him that addressing the issue now would be better than letting me leave upset. He responded, "I don’t think ruining someone else’s day is right just because he ruined your day."

This back-and-forth went on for a while, and I ultimately decided to cancel my membership on the spot. It was clear to me that the manager didn’t care about how I felt, and fixing the situation wasn’t a priority for him. He said he couldn’t cancel my membership and didn’t offer any solutions, staring at me blankly as though he wasn’t going to do anything. I told him I wouldn’t leave until my membership was canceled. At that point, he said he would talk to the member right away. When he finally spoke to the man, they ended up laughing together, and I left feeling humiliated.

I then called the call center and explained the situation. The agent was extremely helpful, but by that point, I didn’t want to return to that gym—or any Planet Fitness for that matter. I’ve never felt so upset and unwelcome at a place I visit regularly! I encourage you to listen to the call to understand the severity of the issue – PFQ-225287, or have the manager listen to it, though I doubt he would care.

I highly suggest that you put your managers through customer care training to prevent situations like this in the future. But I’m done!!!