Compel Fitness
Reviews and Complaints

I have had nothing but issues dealing with this company. they completely scrolled past the contract so i did not see what i was signing and told me it was just a bunch of "Legal stuff" after COVID 19 brought the global shutdown of all Gym facilitys they decided to move their training to the online platform. I was not happy with paying them a premium price for online streams. I tried contacting them and they just kept copy pasting the same response. Not only does this company have moral issues but they have several legal issues as well. for one they in direct violation of Maryland's health club services act section 14-12b-04 which states "if a health club facility at which a buyer of health club services is provided with those services is closed for a period longer than one month through no fault of the buyer the buyer is entitled to (1) extend the membership contract for a period equal to the period during which the facility is closed; or (2) a pro rated refund of the amount paid by the buyer under the contract." I also legally have the right to request a refund if i do not want to take part in their online services. however, they said they have the right to change how i receive my training. which is in direct violation of the Maryland health club "A fitness center that offers online options during a closure cannot require members to accept an online option but rather must provide one of the options mandated in 14-12b-04" I have not enjoyed my time with this company. and have spent every second with them trying to get out of my contact because their service is so poor.

I have been dissatisfied with my membership from the start. My first trainer just didn't show up for scheduled sessions, and then tried to blame me, which is just horrible customer service. Have had multiple trainers that are late. You don't get what you pay for "meal plans"? Never had one of those. "Monthly check ins" for your progress? Trying to schedule anything is a nightmare. Someone says oh they'll call you to schedule it, but no one does. I had no idea who to contact to even schedule the apt, they took my information and told me he would call me. So I'm paying for meal plans and the tracking of my progress, and no one calls me to schedule anything. I finally speak to someone about it and he says whoever told me that is a liar? Great way to run a business. Trainers are so overbooked or just running behind because they are always late they constantly show up to my apts late so I'm still paying for the same amount of time, but don't get the full amount of effort, they just throw you to the stair climber to keep you busy for the time you lost. The trainers sit on their phones the whole time they are "training" you. Per the agreement if the if the sessions are not substantially provided the agreement may be cancelled. I believe the lack of effort from the trainers, tardiness, missing meal plans, and misinformation I have been provided causing me to lose on services I paid for constitute services not being provided. I don't think it can get much worse than this place. I just want to cancel my membership, it is a poorly managed operation with employees that do not care.

I signed up for personal training sessions beginning in March. I was only looking for a short term plan since I would not be in the area after August. After telling the personal trainer Jalique Tinsley multiple times that I would not be in Richmond after August, he signed me up for a year long contract without telling me while I signed. This was done by having me sign a digital notepad that did not display the contract. He knew I would be around for. In fact, there was no indication at all specifying that he had me sign a year long contract the entire assessment, even though I told him many times, over multiple weeks before March that I would not be around after August. Furthermore, no information, meal plans, or anything was given to me during the three day cancellation policy leaving me in a grey area and locked into the contract unwillingly. The service from these personal trainers was so bad that I was not even able to use their services after they cumulatively charged me almost $1,500. The Compel fitness team operating out of *** Carytown in Richmond, Virginia have deceived me and then when I tried to cancel, they said the only way to go through with this was to pay an additional 15% of the year long contract to opt out which ended up being $1,200. When trying to contact compel I received only voicemails and calls from the collection office who had no idea how to help. The service from the company was so bad I did not even have the chance to use any of their services, which shows on their records, yet they were able to charge me over $1,200, and when I needed any help with anything there was nobody to call or talk to to fix this issue. Attached is the copy of the document that I signed digitally without seeing the contract Jalique had me sign.

I hesitantly joined a 6 month contract for team-training with Compel Fitness in February . I signed for 26 weeks to go twice a week. I can't even say my first couple sessions went fine because the trainers were consistently 5-10 minutes late and would then have to clock in and get to the training area and look on their phones for the workout for the day before we even started, and half the time they would end the sessions early on top of starting late. That is what deterred me from the start, and then with the shut down from Covid I wasn't having to pay so I didn't bother doing anything about it. When the gym re-opened I decided to not return right away because of my underlying heath concerns and I figured I would just suck it up and pay the rest of my contract and cancel after 6 months. Well, I have paid for 6 months and tried to cancel and was told I cannot cancel because my contract was for 26 payments, when I was told it was for 26 weeks and I specifically asked for a 6 month contract so I was scammed into doubling my contract. On top of that, I have canceled my membership at the gym because Covid is still not under control and like I previously mentioned, I have underlying health concerns and do not see benefit going to the gym and risking my health during a pandemic. I have spoken to customer service on the phone explaining my situation and the mistake that was made intentionally or not about giving me a contract for 26 payments instead of 26 weeks, saying I have canceled my membership with the gym, and that I have underlying health concerns preventing me from attending the training sessions and the only option I was given was a $250 buyout when I have already financially paid for what I was "originally sold" by the salesperson who told me my contract was for 6 months.

I signed up for their program at the end of September . I was initially excited about some accountability for my workouts, some structure for my workouts/nutrition, and some workouts I didn't have to plan myself. It was never about losing weight for me, it was about feeling better and reaching my fitness goals. Everything with the holidays sort of got in the way and it wasn't until early 2022 that I began to get frustrated. Classes were always booked up, I had an issue with some measurements being way off which was completely discouraging, I realized I hadn't been given anymore workouts since my initial sign up AND when I asked about changing the nutrition (that was only supposed to be a 6 week things), I was told to stay on the plan. She offered me macros instead of the plan and I happily accepted the alternative. The macros were way lower than the my initial plan, especially with the calorie count. I contacted customer service who didn't get back to me until my payment didn't go through. They offered me some credits after an issue with some classes and held back my payments for a month so I decided to give it another shot. The head trainer from the gym called to apologize and was super on point with everything for a few weeks, but my work schedule still was intense and limited my workouts. I've been having a harder time finding classes that work with my workout so I've tried to sign up for the online classes again. Unfortunately, yet again, I didn't receive my zoom link for the classes and lost yet another credit. I've called customer service multiple times where it rings and rings, I left a message, and I've emailed them. Not a single person has gotten back to me this week. They're not upholding their end of the contract, and I'm tired of fighting just to get what I've paid for.

On January 26, 2022, I provided a letter from my medical provider prohibiting me from participating in the personal training program with Compel due to a lower back injury that landed me in Physical Training. My request of the local Compel Fitness team member was to understand what options were available at that time, with the desire to put a hold on the account until I learned more about the issue and when I would pysically be able to return to my traditional exercise routine. On January 26, 2022, I asked the local Compel Fitness team member approximately how long until I should expect to hear back from him with additional information. The response I received was 'we email with corporate multiple times/day; I'll know something later today.' I heard nothing for 4 weeks. Around 2 weeks from the drop-off date of the medical note, I started calling the local *** Gym to get in touch with the Compel team member - after 10-12 calls with no response, on March 10, I reached back out to *** again and was told that they could not put me in touch with a Compel team member and to contact Compel corporate directly. I asked for that phone number and the *** Gym representative told me 'he would google it b/c he does not have any direct contact information for Compel Fitness.' Interestingly enough, the Compel Fitness team member then came on the line, told me he had contacted me directly previously (there are no records of this contact, no VM, etc). I explained the history, asked for him to please contact Corporate b/c I had been charged 2 times already with no follow up from him. I was told on 3/10/2022 that I would receive a response by EOD; I have once again not heard a single thing from the local rep. Since, I have been charged an additional amount and this may occur again on 3/28 when my next payment is due. I do not currently have a copy of the letter from the doctor but will obtain and provide here for documentation purposes.

I originally signed up at a local gym branch. After meeting with a trainer we agreed that I would start with coming in once a week to train and the investment for that would be $100 bi-weekly. After coming to an agreement on the frequency and cost, she scheduled my first payment for 8/26. Fast forward to August 26th, I had three charges from Compel Fitness totaling $250 - this was unexpected because I was under the impression that only $100 was authorized for that day. I emailed my trainer about this issue and he explained that "the first payment requires the whole month to be paid for upfront and that it will push back my bi-weekly payments of $100 for a whole month, making my next charge on 9/23". He also mentioned a processing fee of $49. I was upset that I wasn't informed about this beforehand so I could manage my finances appropriately. This was the first warning sign. Two weeks into my program, Compel tried to charge my card for $100 on 9/9, which confused me since I thought I had paid for a month in advance and my next payment wasn't due until 9/23. Then in November, I sustained an injury and was advised by my doctor to not work out. Following the gym's cancellation policy, I provided a written doctor's note via certified mail. The terms did not specify which types of doctors were acceptable, so I was surprised when my cancellation was denied because the note was from a D.C and not an M.D. My doctor even contacted Compel to discuss the issue, but no one responded. Meanwhile, my bank account keeps getting debited for services I'm not using. Despite following the cancellation policy, I've had no success. I need assistance with this matter and no one at Compel is responding.

I had a consultation with Compel Fitness on 4/28/22 and seemed impressed with the enthusiasm and friendliness of the trainers. I signed up and they took my card info and money immediately. I was scheduled with a fitness assessment for friday 4/30/22, while I was at the gym waiting the trainer called me and told me there had been a scheduling mix up. Ok, these things happen so I brush it off. I have my consultation with C Monday 5/2 and am told I will get my workout plan later that evening, it never comes. I go to a group class on Wed 5/5 and mention I never recieved my plan, was told I would get it emailed directly after class. No work out plan arrives. I send an email on 5/6 requesting my work out plan, I receive no response. I speak to J on 5/8/22 in person to ask for my plan, assures me that it is coming and he'll personally do it and have it to me later. Still nothing. I attend group class on 5/13/22 and ask C why i have not gotten my plan, assures me it is coming that evening. I call corporate to complain, leave a voicemail and still no word from them. I see J again on Friday 5/13, he assures me he will write it up and have it to me in one hour. The plan does not come until about 11pm 5/14/22. I have had to hound these people for over two weeks for the absolute most basic service that they offer. Put in formal request with J to cancel membership, I will pay buyout fees on 5/16/22. I am supposed to wait on a call for from HR, it is now 5/24/22 and I have heard nothing from corporate. I have contacted them and left voicemails but there is no response. I proactively cancelled my debit card they have on file in fear of being charged again. Compel fitness is either a scam, totally incompetent, or flat out predatory...actually a combination of all 3 most likely. I don't know how they never had time to create my workouts when I saw trainers chit chatting with staff and women at the gym all the time. Compel Fitness, please contact me and resolve this.

In April 2022, I signed up for a membership Compel Fitness at the *** in Maryland. I was just recovering from major surgery and was cleared by the doctor to begin working out and getting light training from my doctor. The trainer was very professional and motivating. The trainer went over goals and measurements. I thought the person that presented the business to me would be my personal trainer, was just the sales representative. I wish I were forewarned about the personal trainers are not the ones who sell the business. I was not familiar with the personal training process but was eager to begin this new journey of getting myself and my body back on track. I was so excited about the training but did not understand how things add up financially. Due to my work schedule and the loss of hours from work I went into the gym and asked the trainers about potentially freezing my account or cancellation due to the unforeseen financial circumstances that I have been faced with. I came in to see if I can pay the $ 250 cancellation fee so that I can end my contract. I was charged for personal training sessions that I was unable to use. I was told by the staff that unfortunately, I will not be able to because of the unpaid balance. When I spoke to the representatives there at the location, I was told by the staff that there is nothing they can do and that the only way I can cancel the contract is to pay over 850 dollars. I have not used the service of Compel Fitness since May 2022 and have asked the representatives at the location several times to freeze the account until the corporate office has seen or contacted me to fix this issue. I have asked the staff there several times if they heard from corporate in the matter of my issue and have always been told they will let me know. I was told the only way the corporate office will have a discussion with negotiations is if I pay the unpaid balance. As of August 31, 2022, the bill has accrued to 1,295 dollars.

In the beginning of June 2022 I signed up for a membership with *** in the fan district of Richmond, Virginia. Upon first entering I was greeted by a trainer who was very enthusiastic and was asking me about my goals I had for my body. After explaining to the trainer what I had wanted to gain some more weight for medical reasons, he proceeded to guide me over to a small table where we sat and talked about how I would achieve these goals. First, I thought that they were just being helpful but I soon realize that he was offering me a service. After going through what the service could offer, I told the trainer that I only wanted to try this for a short time. I did not care too much for the training sessions and only wanted the month to month check in to track progress. As per my goal of gaining 10 pounds, the trainer explained that it takes about a year to gain 10 pounds of muscle so he proceeded to sign me up for a year of this service. Gaining 10 pounds of muscle was not my goal at all. I also explained to the trainer I only wanted the month to month check in and not the training, He assured me that it all comes together but he can set it up in a way where I only meet with them once a month, and will only be responsible for billing once a month. The trainer did not explain at all the cancellation policy even after knowing that this is something I did not want long term, and only wanted to try for a month. The trainer also did not give me the opportunity to review the contract which I had electrically signed, only going through menial things such as him not having culpability in my injuries. Upon returning home and reviewing the contract emailed to me, it stated that I would be getting billed bi-weekly, and it was for a time period of a year that I did not agree too. I will not even be in the area a couple months from now, so a year would not make sense for me to agree to. I would like a cancellation of my services and a refund of the initial fees.