# A Warning About Oxygen Fitness In Toronto



## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

Thank you for the lecture, macnutt. 

I have always had good experiences with gyms, I've heard these tales of gyms ripping people off but I have never been a victim of it myself. I think you are unfairly painting an entire industry with the same brush, this posting was to warn people about a specific gym and to warn members that may be on this board.


----------



## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

Sorry to be percieved as being so heavy handed. It was not meant to be that way.

I bet that most gyms are on the level...but I have certainly observed a whole BUNCH of them that were not. And the newspapers are full of this stuff, if you care to look. It's everywhere. In every city.

That's what I was on about.


----------



## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I'm not that good with working out for working out's sake. I trained as a swimmer all during my youth, and sailed and and and. As an adult I find it a bit more difficult to be diligent about my exercise regime.

The farming schtick helps lots, but I also find that there are certain areasa of the body that get neglected - a GOOD 30 minute cardio deal is missing, and regular ab stuff is missing too. 

What is the answer?


----------



## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

No it's my fault, macnutt. I was in a bad mood when I wrote that. When I read your post all I saw was "I was smart enough to avoid a scam and you weren't, nah na na na na na". Obviously that isn't what you meant. I apologize.

I called this morning and I am supposedly OK, I have asked that they send me a letter stating that I do not owe them any money.

I just feel bad for my wife's friend who is getting a bad mark on her credit because of that policy.


----------



## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

I joined this gym in May 2003 because I wanted to get into shape for my wedding. I let my membership expire a year later and had totally forgotten about it. It is at Danforth and Pape in Toronto.

Fast forward to today, my wife's friend was talking to her today and telling her about this gym that she joined and she let the membership expire over a year ago, they didn't attempt to contact her and kept billing her. After a year they sent the bill to a collection agency. Can you guess which gym it was?

I'm sure this is all in the fine print, but what a terrible way to make money. I am going to contact them tomorrow and make sure my bill doesn't get sent to a collection agency and complain.

If you feel like contacting them and letting them know that that kind of business prictice will never get your business their number is 416-465-0558 .

[ October 04, 2004, 01:11 AM: Message edited by: CapitolK ]


----------



## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

In 1980 I joined a gym in Calgary. I wanted to buld up my scrawny frame a bit between oilpatch field jobs and thought that weight lifting might do the trick. At the time, I was offered a "lifetime membership" for 250 bucks by this gym. I declined. I chose to pay by the month.

Good thing too. The place went bust in the mid eighties, and was replaced by another gym...with a different name...with the very same people running it. All of the "lifetime memberships" were abandoned at that time, and everyone had to buy new memberships.

Same thing happened to some of my friends who were "Lifetime members" of the Nautilus Club in Victoria a few years back.

Health cubs and gyms are breeding grounds for serious scams. It happens all the time. (There was a big wave of this when I lived in Houston Texas in the late eighties. LOTS of outraged people banging on locked doors and demanding their money back).

Looks like the latest scam is to keep on billing people after their membership has expired. Ho-hum, new scam.

My advice? For what it's worth?

Buy an all-in-one personal workout device. Park it in a corner of the basement and USE the damn thing. Regularly!

Or...chuck the artificial city lifestyle and move out to the real world. Buy some land and raise your own food. Chop enough wood to heat your house each day. Keep some animals. 

Then you won't need to "work out" in order to get your daily excersize.

Each day will be a "workout" all on it's own. And you'll get PLENTY of excersize, too.

Lemme TELL ya!


----------



## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

I've been trying to do every other day - cardio (I hate it though so it's hard) then the other days either pilates or yoga. I've found yoga has really helped the chronic joint pain I have and while it can't undo the years of damage from doing ballet with a Nazi ballet instructor who made me dance on injuries during my entire childhood and early adolescence, it prevents it from stiffening up and getting worse. My fear is that I'll get all stiff and sore as I age and I want to remain as mobile as I can throughout my life.


----------



## zoeyD (Aug 15, 2005)

*Yes, Oxygen is a real scam*

I signed up for a membership at Oxygen Fitness on the Danforth in Toronto and got scammed for personal training sessions. After taking my postdated cheques, a trainer was supposed to contact me within a day or so - but the only one to call me couldn't fit me into her schedule, she didn't work weekends and all her after work times were taken. So someone else was supposed to call me - and no one did. After 5 days I wrote the club a letter saying I'd like to cancel the sessions and get a refund of my first installment. I left voicemails for the head trainer and the club manager. Days, then weeks went by, and my calls weren't returned. When I would call, the receptionist would tell me no one was available. I was so pissed off with the club i stopped going in to work out, period (although I was still billed about $75 a month in membership fees!)

In the meantime, I had a parent in the hospital and was moving apts and starting a new job. When I finally went in to the club to get my money back I had to sit and wait for about 15 mintues while the club manager chatted on the phone to his buddy about their weekend plans. He finally gave me my money back and apologized for the wait - about six weeks - but not before trying to persuade me to go with one of their new trainers. "I'll give you a couple of free sessions" he promised. Yeah right! So I finally got my money back.

I no longer go to the club, I joined somewhere else, and am still paying the $75/month for the year of my contract - for a club I'll never use. 

So if anyone's thinking of joining Oxygen, beware. Not a place I'd recommend!!


----------



## autopilot (Dec 2, 2004)

I just recently re-joined my local YMCA. Just over $50/month, a buttload of machines, clean environment, low/non-existent number of Ahhnold types, many fitness classes available, and of course, the pool.

I'm making a real effort to go this time, and I'm definitely getting my money's worth!

I would recommend the Y to almost anyone. No hassles about quitting and re-joining. It's month-to-month, so you can just cancel it whenever. I did nearly get dinged for a $60 re-joining fee, but they waived it with no problem. Great staff.


----------



## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

autopilot said:


> low/non-existent number of Ahhnold types, many fitness classes available


The Ahhnold types are great as an incentive to push yourself to (somewhat) their level so long as you keep in mind massive amounts of steroid use, no social life since it's spent at the gym and a happy tailor.


----------



## Ramboman (Dec 13, 2004)

*Another opinion*

My wife has been a member at Oxygen for a # of years and she has only good things to say about it (great instructors, classes, equipment, etc) I will point out this post to her tonight to see if you guys have valid points or if the gym has been slipping, but I know at least one person (two actually now as I think about it, as one of her friends also is a member) who does not feel the same way.

Reading back on the thread, I see CK's point but one must be aware of the fine print in ALL contracts and memberships. It may be a dirty way to take your money, but one must be vigilant in one's personal affiars and gyms are very well known to be a shifty business at the best of times.


----------

