Gresham is the fourth largest city in Oregon but is void of popular chain health clubs (sorry, LA Fitness people - it isn't big here in Oregon). Unless you're willing to drive to Portland or another town, you're left with few options like investing in a home gym, paying for an overpriced private club, or just not working out at all.
As a New Years resolution in I decided to visit a local club on a trial basis. Gold's Gym in Gresham on Southeast Stark Street and Cleveland Avenue is a short drive from my home, so I thought I'd give that a shot. Without committing my money long term to the club, I was offered a 30-day membership for sixty dollars. It was more than I wanted to spend. But there's no better way to see if the facility is worth spending money on in the future unless I can try it out now.
Gold's Gym, I came to find out, is a club open round the clock (only on the weekdays) and since I was fairly pleased with the equipment, I decided to keep going. One thing I've always hated about health clubs was that they are always so eager to take your bank information so they can keep taking dues out of your account every month. I've known way too many people who have been burned by this because of miscommunication about freezes and cancellations (while still getting money taken from them). To eliminate any apprehension, I returned to the gym prepared to pay cash up front.
I realize this is a family-run business so it didn't really bother me too much that I dealt with an old woman to go over my membership options. I'd have to assume she was a member of the family because she definitely lacks any customer service skill. Even though I told her I'd pay for a membership a year in advance, she still said I was required to sign a contract. Okay. Whatever, right? So she tells me for $399, I pay for twelve months of membership and since I'm paying up front, she granted me an additional month. And since this is Gold's Gym, I can work out at the other Gold's locations in the area. Great. I'm a happy camper. So I fill out the form, pay my money, and I'm good to go for the next thirteen months. Or so I thought.
Within less than two months, the club decided not to renew their franchising agreement with Gold's, so there went the benefit of going to other Gold's locations, and they returned to the club's original name - Olympic Gym & Aerobic Center.
MY LAST DAY AT THE GYM - I am entering my thirteenth month.By my calculations, I have one (almost two) weeks left. I arrived forgetting my membership card. Coincidentally, the person working the front desk at the time was the woman who sold me my membership. She tells me my membership expired two and a half weeks ago.interesting. How have I been able to keep coming in the last few weeks?"Probably because no one's been checking the computer, " she says. I explained that it shouldn't be expired because I'm on the thirteenth month. Completely disregarding it, she continued to point out her computer read that my membership has indeed expired but she was going to let me in anyway.
I was like, "gee, don't do me any favors, " either I'm a member or I'm not. She was going to need some time to find my contract, so I went in and worked out. On my way out, she shows me my contract (which confirmed I paid twelve and a half months ago), then proceeds to tell me if I want to pay for another year, she'll give me a thirteenth month. HOW INSULTING! She doesn't even bother to acknowledge that I'm in thirteenth month of my current membership, which apparently is expired according to her.
Needless to say, I declined. Shame on me. That contract said nothing about the additional month of membership after paying for twelve. Here's what bothers me.By insisting that I sign a contract in the first place, you're implying I have an obligation. I paid in advance in this case. I have no obligation. As I said, shame on me. I should have had the club sign a contract with me so that they'd honor what they tell me they're giving me in return for my money.
It's bad enough that I feel cheated, even if it is just one month. It's still money spent for which I'm not getting the expected value in return. But the treatment I received in what I experienced my last day at the gym was unsatisfactory and that's putting it lightly. Fortunately for many, people go to the gym to work out and not really have to interact with the staff every time they go. However, Olympic Gym would really do themselves a huge favor for the sake of business if they kept that woman away from customers.
I'd be remissed if I didn't share my experience as a member. I never needed a personal trainer, so I can't comment on that. However, people who use the weights seem happy with the equipment, even if it is old... I never had to wait to use cardio equipment and never did see a time when a piece of equipment was out of order... If you like basketball and have interest in joining in on pick up games, this is NOT the club for you. The court is at full length, however it is not full width (sorry, no corner three-pointers, fellas). Furthermore, the club stores chairs, mats, and steps on the side of the court, further taking away court space... I was happy with the pool, the sauna, and the steam room. The steps to get up to the spa did not seem safe... I will confirm other reports of ant problems in the communal showers (yep, no shower stalls, here).in fact, there were also flies flying around. Not a comfortable situation if you're trying to clean yourself up after a workout.
I realize there are things about which people can nitpick that some can get past, but if you do look into investing your money in a gym membership, think seriously about how much you want to spend, because after my experience at Olympic Gym & Aerobic Center, I can tell you that I did not get my money's worth.
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