Lady Of America
Reviews and Complaints

I have a friend that they deducted past commission earned from current commission earned if the customer defaulted payment on their account, which shouldn't be right considering commission is earned as a benefit of performance and hourly wages are paid to employees. So essentially the next sale that is made will have a portion going to the owner of the establishment rather than the employee who earned the initial start-up commission as well as processed the information into a computer, requiring no work from the owner; mind you this resulted in a negative amount of commission earned in a later month. I may not be a CEO Executive, but I know for a fact that by deducting a "bonus" given and then some due to the irresponsibility of consumers (which is eaten as uncollected debt and absorbed into the company, and it's directed to National Fitness to take care of for collection) creates a disincentive for your employee to generate sales as well as lowering overall morale knowing that once a sale is made it can be taken away at anytime.

My complaint is also a question, is this legal for them to deduct commission earned (while an hourly employee) and create a negative balance to collect on future commission earned (before sales have been made). Assuming that employment discontinued could they collect on that amount owed despite how little it is. Apparently instead of being paid to work, you have to pay your employer for future possible results which can be seized whenever costumers default on their accounts. Other individuals' negligence costs hard working and high performing employees who generate sales and revenue for the company; time money as well as feeling devalued for having worked hard and been punished for it.

If someone can tell me if Lady of America Fitness for Women is legally able to seize future commission earned as well as past commission paid for prior sales then I would greatly appreciate it, from the content on this website as well as others it seems there are discrepancies on both sides of the business transaction process with this company.

I am European and when I was sighning my contract I specificaly asked what would happen if I'll decide to move back. Lady at the front desk said it wont be any problem. I'll just have to email them and cancel my membership. Sure enough year later I was moving back to Europe so I contacted LOA and they asked me to email to National Fitness.
First - I signed conctract with LOA so why I have to contact someone else to cancel?
Anyway, I did that. With my cancelation letter I also emailed them my new ID from my homecoutnry.
Week later I recevied call just to tell me that they wont accept it since they can't understand my new id! Uhm daaaaa... what am I supposed to do? Translate my ID so you can understand it? Are you kidding me? I a meantime they charge my cc!
So I emailed them confirmation letter in english from my new employer. Nobody contacted me at all but I coudl see they charged my cc AGAIN! I had to call them to see whats their problem and they just said they wouldn't accept my employment letter..
I contacted Delta airlines to send me a confirmation that I was on the board and I left country! For Delta to reply it took another month so sure enough they charged me AGAIN!
I forwarded them the Delta confirmation and I haven't hear back since!
no confirmation, no email, no call.. nothing..
I called them to make sure they got it and... they asked me for $50 cancelation fee! WOW... I never want to hear about this company ever again! STAY AWAY. There are gyms with actuall customer service out there!

I have been a member of the Chantilly Lady Of America fitness center for over 5 years. It used to be a wonderful, convenient, well-run and staffed gym which I used 5 days a week. No more. Beginning last year, it went into a noticeable decline. The franchisee is unwilling to spend money to repair air conditioning (only the arrival of Fall in 2012 made the gym bearable) and heating (In early January, 2013, the temperature was in the low 50's. I left.) No one in a position of responsibility is ever available to answer questions. Instructors for classes are quitting. It has all the earmarks of a franchise about to go under. And, also aggravating, an e-mail to corporate headquarters (Dallas) didn't even get the deceny of a response. In the good days, I would get two and three year memberships. No more. I now go month-to-month. Unfortunately, I don't see this location staying in business beyond Spring of 2013.

National Fitness ( Lady of America-Facily located in Herndon VA ) is where I used to go twice a week. last year I no longer used that facility because i move 50 miles away. So I cancel my membership on September 20th 2012. I was told since I cancel middle of the month there will be a charge in October $25 dollar and you can still use the facility till the 31st of that month. However they charge me $25 dollar yearly maintenance fee in NOV 1st. I called to find out, National Fitness center Rep. explain me since I am still active ( As of Nov 1st) member cancellation notice does not start from billing date ( Oct 1st -not Sep, 20) I would still have to pay for Yearly Membership fee fo $25 dollar. I will no longer be using this facily and I still have to pay for Yearly facility maintenance fee that is COMPLETE SCAM. Their Supervisor will not talk That explain they all part of this SCAM.

DO NOT RECOMMEND THEY ARE BUNCH OF ###.

I was misrepresented by this company. I signed up for a month-to-month membership with NO contract. The company moved from the location I attended, and I could no longer attend at the new location because it was inconvenient. I faxed over a cancellation letter (30 days) and now I'm receiving harrassing phone calls that I owe them $158.00 from 2009, even though I clearly cancelled the membership (as requested). BEWARE BEFORE THEY SCAM YOU INTO A NO-CONTRACT MEMBERSHIP DEAL...THEY ADVERTISE THEM ALL THE TIME!

I have never had a bad experience while at Lady of America. However, dealing with their corporate headquarters is another story. I am pregnant and will no longer be using the gym,
so I went in person to cancel. I did my three years with them so I was
paying from month to month, with no contract. I was told that I needed to contact National Fitness to cancel... ummm didn't I open my membership in person? Why should I have to contact these people?

Ok, fine, . I call them and what do they tell me? You need to send a letter stating that you would like cancel your membership|. That will be your 30 days notice (didn't know this was a job) and you will be billed for one more month..

FINE. I write the letter and send it. One week later I get a phone call from them|. They received my letter but they can not cancel my membership because my letter was not sent via certified mail. NO WHERE IN MY INITIAL PHONE CALL WAS I TOLD TO SEND MY CANCELLATION LETTER VIA
CERTIFIED MAIL. I would have distinctively remembered that piece of information. I argued with this woman as to what the difference was between what I sent her and receiving it by certified mail, and she said "We can not cancel a membership without receiving the letter through certified mail"... WHY NOT?! I said "You still got my letter obviously so what is the difference?" She could not tell me why there was a difference she just said "I did tell you", but in fact, she did not.
All she said was that she couldn't cancel it. Does that make sense?

To make matters worse, they put your monthly payments down as a
reoccurring debit purchase, and do not have their company ID listed so
it makes it hard for your bank to stop payments to them.

They are so eager to take your money but give you the run around when its time to leave. I think they are incompetent. If you would like a clear answer
you will not get it. I say steer clear cause if you don't have problems
in the beginning, you will in the end. If you like getting screwed over
then join this piece of crap gym. Forty dollars a month is forty
dollars a month (you really do get what you pay for). The equipment is
old, the space is small, it smells like mold and you WILL have a problem cancelling your account.

I went to the LOA in person to cancel my membership. She "cancelled" it for me on the computer & told me to email the corp office, I had asked them to reply- but they did not. This was in August - Oct 15 I receive my credit card bill and I am still being charged. When I called the LOA - she said "Oh there is a 60 day notice! so your membership expires in 3 days" Wow! what horrible service, not telling me that up front- I would have gottem my 60 days worth- a little shady if you ask me!

Not only was the staff unprofessional, but I didn't even receive my one hour of personal training that was included in my contract! When I tried to cancel, it was not put through the system correctly and here I am four months later with charges racking up and UNAUTHORIZED drafts taken from my account! Anyone I've talked t in the club or the billing companies has tried to pass the buck along to someone else instead of just refunding the amount charged which I did not owe! I have my cancellation and confirmation in writing people! Total scam, . Do NOT sign a contract with Lady of America!

My memebership is finally almost over! I've been a member of a fitness center since 1994. It was very considerate for my first 3 centers to contact me to see what was wrong if i wasnt sticking to my workout regime.That concern motivated me to keep on track !

I was in the gym at least 5 out of 7 days a week. this fitness center "Lady Of America", was just the opposite. They had a 3 yr membership contract, that made me think these people were really concerned about my fitness... not once did they call with concern!

On Feb. 11, 2009 I signed a contract with LOA for 36 months. I had read on the internet of an LOA gym not too far from the area closing its doors just a year before and even questioned the sales associate about stability and was told they were doing well with membership and not to worry. On Oct. 14, 2009 (just 8 MONTHS) the doors were locked without notice. When I phoned National Fitness who does the billings/collections for LOA - they said our accounts would be froze until January, 2010 and there would be more information to come. I proceeded to send certified letters of cancellation as required by the contract to get released. On Oct. 29, 2009 I received a phone call telling me that my gym membership had been sold to GOLDS GYM -which they say is a comparable gym within the 10 mile radius as the contract states and I can not cancel my contract - they then informed me it was being turned over to a collection agency and would go against my credit. LOA advertises as a "specialized workout setting for women" and Golds Gyms is listed as "the world's largest co-ed gym". Gold's Gym is huge, it is co-ed, its classes are co-ed and personal training is done in co-ed areas. It's nothing in comparison to the "nice women's only gym" I joined. BE AWARE OF THE CONTRACT YOU SIGN AND THE INTEGRITY IF THE COMPANY YOU SIGN WITH. With later research I find there have been at least 9 LOA gyms within 25 miles of my home that are listed in the phone directory and they are all CLOSED. If I wanted to be a member of Golds I could have joined them for around $35.00/mo not the $64.90 I've been paying to LOA. I'm at risk for over $1, 800.00 There are over 100 women from my gym fighting this same battle. PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE AND GO WITH A MORE STABLE COMPANY - What you pay for may not be what you get!

DO NOT JOIN THIS GYM! when the new owners took over they decided to down size into a much smaller, cramped area. Everything is compacted together. Then they decided to change the hours! They decided it was not worth it to them to keep the hours that they had when I joined originally. The owner showed no remorse in her decision and added that she could do this whenever she felt it necessary. They would not give me my money back - I had to join a real gym and now I pay for two memberships. Lady Fitness of American is not a real gym. They don't even have full weekend hours!

Unfortunately, I'm a memeber at the Reston, VA gym. It is very small and old, but it was cheap. There are no classes after 6 pm. so I can never make it to a class after work. I liked the belly dance class, but the instructor stopped teaching there. So there is nothing there appealing to me anymore. Besides, I moved to Leesburg and could no longer go to that gym. Their website says that you can cancel a membership if you move more than 25 miles away. I provided a mapquest print out showing a 26 mile drive and my new drivers license, as requested. But they still rejected my request! They said that I'm 22 miles away. Just 3 miserable miles! They used the private toll road in their calculation, which costs $5 each way. Can you believe it? I tried to talk to their customer service at ABC Fiancial, but nothing gets to those cold hearts. Don't sign up with Lady of America, you won't like it and there is no way OUT!

They double billed me forever and took a small act of god to fix that. Then instead of refunding me the money they took, they gave me credit with them. They flat out scammed me. Then after that I fufilled my year contract and thought this nightmare was finally done. Now they claim I signed for a membership in a different county. I would avoid them like the plaque, they pass the buck and are run by idiots.

Lady of Americas is the worst company you will ever deal with. Where should I start? First the membership rep lied to me about just about everything. She also never gave me a copy of my contract, which is also my fault for not asking, but I was young when I signed up and it was the first time I ever signed up for a gym membership. If you have a problem you have to deal with another company National Fitness Financial Services. They are no better. I called to ask when my membership was over and was informed that my last payment would be Feb 2009. I couldnt wait for Feb to come and then March came and no shock to me that I was still being charged. I was now informed that my membership goes to a monthly membership unless I send in a cancelation notice which then takes 30 days so I will also be charged for April. The gym in Homestead, FL is dirty and very small. There isnt even a light in the bathroom. Do not join Lady of America, if you do you will regret it! Trust me I had to learn the hard way.

I signed up for Lady of America in Napa, CA. The first owner had signs painted all over the doors saying, "Just $1.00 per day. No Contract." and so on. I talked to a trainer and said "Sign me up." The contract was NOT for 36 months. It was month to month. A short time after, I was contacted by the owner who said, "There's a problem with your contract so I will fill out a new one for you...no need for you to go through this since it's our mistake...all you have to do is sign it. At the time, she told me what the "problem" was, i no longer recall, but it seemed reasonable. When I called to cancel, however, I was told I couldn't as I had a 36 month contract.

By then, the facility's doors were locked and I was assured my payments weren't being taken out. Now, here's what I did that was wrong: I neglected to confirm on my bank statement as we get pages of transactions each month. Further, my husband is the one who usually looks them over and he, frankly, has no idea where Lady of America is open or closed or whatever. He rarely questions charges i have made.

So, they opened a new facility with new owners and I received a letter that they were happy to serve me, blah, blah. This time I was afraid that I was being charged and checked the bank statement and somehow missed the line where it says my money is still being debited. Well this new facility also closed just a few months later. So, thinking about it, I checked the latest statement and there it is again. I have contacted my bank who tells me this is a stop-payment issue and it will cost $30 and last for only six months. This tells me that this unscrupulous company is going to try seven months from now and be able to start taking money from me again. If they'll take money when there is no facility around, they'll stoop to other levels, I'm afraid.

Just a warning to everyone else

Lady of America is an elaborate scam. The sales projections are fake and the number of failed franchises is a lie. Be sure to attend their 'Discover Day', and you'll hear how people are signing up over one hundred members per month. You'll break-even in 3 months. And, the number of failed franchises is practically zero.

The truth is you might get 30 or even 40 members per month. But given the high royalty rate, high membership processing fee, and high rent, you will need over 500 members (maybe more) just to cover expenses. Be prepared to spend over a year trying to survive. Kiss your $200, 000 investment good-bye. Yes, $200, 000, not $100, 000 or $150, 000 like they told us. Hell, there own start-up equipment list costs more that their equipment estimate.

Franchises are dropping dead left and right, but they continue to sell franchises. What we have here is a used car salesman that sells cars that don't work. It is always the driver's fault that the car doesn't work. Regardless, they keep selling broken cars that no one can drive.

Would you rather resell a failed franchise for $100, 000 or collect royalties? Failed franchises are more lucrative. Just ask the owner, Roger Wittenberns, who lives in a $6.26 million house.

Don't buy a Lady of America franchise. Franchisees are not supposed to succeed. If you do decide to buy, ask for a bankruptcy form with your Franchise Agreement. You'll need it later.

I become a member of Lady of America Gym located at 87 Ave and 72 St(already closed)on 01/18/01.My American Express paid every month the amount of $ 21.24 .
When they closed that location I came to another location far from my home and explain to them the need to cancel my contract, because I need a surgical treatment and can continue coming to the Gym.I am a physician and everything was set.
They stop sending bills to my credit car so I supose every thing was clear.
But 3 weeks ago (8 years after that my account was closed)a collection agency was calling me 3 times a day to my phone asking me for a payment of more than $300.00 dollars.
They say that previous letters sent to my office were return to them.
This of course ia a lie, because I never received any letter, and my office is in that location for the last 20 years.They only ask, When are you going to send the money?I told them I have my rights to see what is going on with this matter, but they are disturbing me with that calls, and dont send the papers to see what happens.

How can I resolved this situation, to stop the abuse of the collectiions agencies.

I joined this gym in January of 2005. I have paid my dues all that time.

This summer, a special was run at a lower rate that what I am paying. I talked to management and they told me that in order to get that rate I would have to pay $49.95 and then my monthly rate would be adjusted.

In my opinion, I think they are punishing the loyal members that have been there for a period of time. The new members are getting a better rate then the present members. I just think this is very unfair.

I belonged to the Lady of America in Deerfield Beach, Fl. My contract with them was for three years with very little room for backing out. I married in June of 2007 and moved to Franklin, Tn while our new home in Athens, Al was being built.

We closed and moved into our new home the 21st of August and I stopped the automatic payment from my checking acct at that time and sent proof of my new residence via a copy of our deed and my marriage certificate showing the name change. Please note that there is no LOA anywhere near Athens, Al. If there was I would gladly have gone as I enjoyed my experience at the gym.

They declined my submissions as proof and said they needed closing papers so I sent them. Again declined cause they were not signed copies. Contacted the Title company and had signed copies sent. Again, declined as proof of my residence as I am not on the mortgage loan. I am not on by choice, however I am on the deed and all other legal documents.

Okay, I send them our Homestead Tax Exemption papers which has both our names on it, shows the address and date of closing and can be obtained ONLY if it is your primary residence...again..declined as proof. Finally I send my license but since I did not obtain it till Nov, they want to charge me the extra three months, plus collection fees, plus late fees, etc.

It has been a nightmare dealing with these people. All I owe them is 20% of the remaining months which is under $130 but they are trying to really take me to the cleaners. I am so sorry to have ever hooked up with this company.

I have since checked the Better Business Bureau and they have a D rating. Not good folks. Beware. - Deborah Taylor