A woman thought she was getting a free BMI scan when she signed up for Crunch Fitness, but really, she was getting an advertisement for their $240 a month personal training.
“ It just frustrated me and now I’m like, ‘do I actually cancel my membership?’ Because this has been a lot,” said Hope Murphy in a video that’s gotten over 5,000 views.
Starting her journey with Crunch Fitness
Murphy signed up for Crunch Fitness, partially because the location near her had brand new facilities, and because it’s incredibly inexpensive. Her and her partner have been saving for a new house, leaving little money in their budget for outside expenses.
During her first week there, an employee recommended she get a full body scan with one of the trainers for free. Thinking this was a great one time deal, she booked an appointment on Saturday at 11 a.m. to meet with a female trainer on staff.
During the appointment, the trainer asked her what her fitness goals and overall nutrition looked like. Murphy answered the questions and prepared for the body scan. It told her some useful tips to keep in mind in the future.
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But things took a turn when the personal trainer had her do a strength evaluation. Murphy did not know she was signing up for that. “ She made me do pushups, pull-ups, squats, planks, [an] ab workout. I’m like, ‘ma’am, I, I don’t wanna be doing this in front of the whole gym,’” Murphy said.
After the strength evaluation, Murphy thought she was done. Then the personal trainer mentioned memberships.
Murphy gets roped into almost buying a membership
The personal trainer led her to the front desk to purchase a membership. Murphy tried to explain she couldn’t afford the upcharge. It was of little use. At first, Murphy thought there might be a deal to pay $60 every two weeks for the first six months. She then realized it did not apply to first-time sign-up. She would still pay $240.
Murphy made up an excuse to get out of the situation.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, can I go home and get my mom’s credit card and have her pay for [it]? She’s like, ‘yeah, that’s fine.’ But, I’m not doing that. I don’t even want a personal trainer. I just wanted to know my body fat percentage,” Murphy told her viewers.
Later, they try to sign her up again
When she got home, she thought the situation had resolved itself. She got a text about an hour later from the personal trainer. It said she’d be at the front desk waiting for her, presumably for payment.
Murphy ignored the text. On Monday, two days after her body scan, a personal training assistant texted her and let her know that “since the contract has already been signed,” they would charge her card. “ I’m like the contract. What contract? I never signed anything,” Murphy said.
She texted the assistant back and said she hadn’t signed any contracts. She also said she had no intention of putting a card down. She didn’t hear back, so she called the company.
She had a hard time getting anyone to hear her. At first, she called a front desk assistant who referred her to the managerial staff. All were occupied. When she reached a manager, they tried to refer her back to the personal training assistant she had texted before.
She finally texted the personal training assistant and asked to cancel her Crunch Fitness membership altogether. The assistant replied right away. They apologized and said she did not sign a contract.
Murphy theorized that the PT assistant knew the entire time that the agreement wasn’t signed. She believed they put pressure on her anyway to get a sale. “ She knew. She knew that the contract was never signed,” Murphy told her audience. “ This is why people do not like going to gyms.”
@hopermurphy Crunch fitness update… do I just cancel my membership all together?
♬ original sound – hopermurphy
Murphy debates losing her Crunch Fitness membership
After trying to avoid a $240 charge, Murphy is deciding if she even wants to continue at Crunch Fitness. Many viewers expressed how hard canceling can be.
“I went through hell trying to cancel my crunch membership. They purposely make it a nightmare [by design],” said one viewer.
Another added, “I am as scared to go to gyms as car dealerships. It’s sad.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to Murphy. We reached out to Crunch Fitness via its Contact Us form.
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