Sunday, January 16, 2011

The trainer fiasco


My kids have heard me say for years " There is no such thing as a Free Kitten" and they get it, and I say it , so obviously I get it, I mean that there is an automatic assumed cost, when you take on the responsibility of an animal, food, vet care, shelter ect.
Yesterday was my " Free " analysis with a a trainer that approached me at my gym. I have since learned that my gym hosts a Training company rather than hire their own trainers. What that meant to me yesterday was I had an appointment with the equivalent of a high end Training Package that was using hard sell tactics that made me feel like I had done a few rounds in a boxing ring. The trainer whom approached me worked for the company and her manager was on hand within 10 minutes of sitting in her office.
My appointment was for 11;30 and we started off wrong from the get start. I saw her on the floor when I arrived ten minutes early and I let them know in the front that I was here and would work out on a treadmill until she finished with her client. She was with her client until Noon and when I decided to quietly knocked on the door and ask if she forgot our meeting, she blushed and stammered and asked me to please stay as she was just " Behind". In hindsight I should have said no, but how was I to know how the rest of this would play out.
When she got to me about ten minutes later and was apologizing profusely and in that apology telling me all about her prior client whom had called that day needing to get into training immediately as he had some heart issues requiring surgery and a Dr suggested he to a gym, she told me his BMI, and I asked that she stop as it was clearly horrified by the number which fifteen minutes later learned was mine as well. She told me things like " it is not so bad, thinking about it this way, at least you were here working on it." " We can fix this by teaching you to work smarter not harder"
" Had you started with this training, you might have been at your goal already"
Again I should have politely excused myself, but I did not and than did five rounds with her sales manager whom I believe may have started his career as an infomercial guy, and the only really nice thing I can muster is, he was good to look at, soon though I heard myself thinking " Pretty is as Pretty does " still I stayed feeling trapped and having numbers thrown at me like a car salesman would and throwing in free this and free that but you must sign today. The more I resisted the better the deals got and the weaker I felt. Throughout this, I was questioning my gym workouts, I heard them say I am not going to make my goals doing what I was doing, I needed the weight training, the guidance, THEM.....and just try us for nine months buy now, cancel within three days if you leave here and decided to not go with us. The free evaluation was not free if you do not sign on. " WHAT???" That is what I needed to hear and that is what gave me the strength to stand up and say, I am excusing myself, you have my information and send a bill if that is what you see fit, please know that I will fight that bill, and will bring it to the better business bureau if necessary, but I am leaving, and I did.
I am disappointed though. I had wanted a trainer, Jillian was dancing through my head, and they at this company may have great trainers but the whole experience with the hard sell turned me off. I also felt like I let them undermine my workouts and made me feel like I did not have a clue as how to lose this weight. After nursing my wounds for awhile I called my boyfriend whom really put it back in perspective, he said number one, let the gym owners whom prior to this experience you liked the gym, know how you were treated and how you feel. Than he said the obvious, you have lost over fifty five pounds, of course you can do this by yourself, by the way, I love that man. Than I searched for fitness questions on this site. I will use every tool I can get on here and not let this fiasco, derail me.

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