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Business Profile

Personal Trainer

Compel Fitness, LLC

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Personal Trainer.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Compel Fitness, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Compel Fitness, LLC has 7 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 45 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 6 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/12/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      In the beginning of June 2022 I signed up for a membership with ****** *** in the fan district of Richmond, Virginia. Upon first entering I was greeted by a trainer who was very enthusiastic and was asking me about my goals I had for my body. After explaining to the trainer what I had wanted to gain some more weight for medical reasons, he proceeded to guide me over to a small table where we sat and talked about how I would achieve these goals. First, I thought that they were just being helpful but I soon realize that he was offering me a service. After going through what the service could offer, I told the trainer that I only wanted to try this for a short time. I did not care too much for the training sessions and only wanted the month to month check in to track progress. As per my goal of gaining 10 pounds, the trainer explained that it takes about a year to gain 10 pounds of muscle so he proceeded to sign me up for a year of this service. Gaining 10 pounds of muscle was not my goal at all. I also explained to the trainer I only wanted the month to month check in and not the training, He assured me that it all comes together but he can set it up in a way where I only meet with them once a month, and will only be responsible for billing once a month. The trainer did not explain at all the cancellation policy even after knowing that this is something I did not want long term, and only wanted to try for a month. The trainer also did not give me the opportunity to review the contract which I had electrically signed, only going through menial things such as him not having culpability in my injuries. Upon returning home and reviewing the contract emailed to me, it stated that I would be getting billed bi-weekly, and it was for a time period of a year that I did not agree too. I will not even be in the area a couple months from now, so a year would not make sense for me to agree to. I would like a cancellation of my services and a refund of the initial fees.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/14/2022

      Good evening. 

      We are sorry to hear of the circumstances surrounding the clients sign up and for any misunderstandings or confusion that may have occurred. 
      To clarify, a copy of the agreement was given immediately upon signing which the client could review regarding our policies. Our staff does not typically discuss cancellation information upon signing as we naturally assume that the client wants to train with us rather than immediately wanting to cancel. Had the client requested information regarding our cancellation policies, our staff would have informed him of the details.


      As a courtesy, we have honored the client's request to allow cancellation with no additional charges due to the misunderstanding of the term length of the agreement. The client stated that he wanted to try the training for a short time and the payment made was considered valid according to the terms of the agreement so we will not be able to issue a refund of the initial payment made. The client is certainly welcome to use the session that he paid for.



      Sincerely,

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/14/2022

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]



      Better Business Bureau:



      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 



      Regards,



      ****** ********




    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/11/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I signed up for a gym membership. Upon signing up i was contacted by an entity that works within the gym however i was under the impression that it was all one company. The individual i spoke with asked me how much experience i had working out in my own and offered a plan that i would pay weekly for and help to establish a routine. I very clearly advised the rep that i did not want something long term. He said that’s fine and that the program was paid weekly and if you don’t pay there is simply no class offered. I agreed to that. While signing up for the classes he had me sign off on different disclosures that be referred to as being “waivers” that he reviewed with a tablet in his hand facing him and would show me the signature line to sign. He even said “ let’s knock this out real fast so i can start a workout with you” which made me believe that i was just truly signing health forms. 2 months later i contacted them to have my billing stopped and they said i was locked in for 1 yr. I contacted corporate and was basically called a liar and was told that account would be sent to collections after 90 days past due. I was told i was at fault for not rereading the contract after the rep “explained it” after signing me up. It’s been over 90 days and they still try to debit me. I contacted them again and this time the rep i initially dealt with called me and stated it was a misunderstanding and he wanted to help me out. That was at the beginning of June and they have not followed back up and still try to debit my account! The corporate person i spoke with wanted to to come up with some fake reason that i needed to cancel but i felt any reason to stop the billing would have been feasible as there should have never been a binding contract. So with that corporate guy saying I’d be in collections after 90 days and the rep calling me saying he would figure it out & never calling back i feel super frauded and taken advantage of

      Business Response

      Date: 07/11/2022

      Good afternoon,


      Our staff had corresponded with ******* in April when he initially made his inquiry with us requesting to cancel his agreement. That was roughly 4 months after he signed up with us. Our Admin team investigated the circumstances surrounding his sign up and it was determined that it was done correctly and was discussed in detail. ******* was given the necessary information regarding how to initiate his agreement which was described thoroughly. According to our Training Director, ******* was shown a chart pinpointing each section for confirmation regarding the agreements information and the details of the training. ******* was also given waivers to fill out in addition to his agreement detailing that he was physically able to work out with us and medically cleared. Just like all of our clients, Upon signing the agreement ******* was given a copy of his agreement to review our policies.


      We informed ******* of his cancellation options when he reached out to us looking to cancel. We informed him that he had a past due balance that we were willing to waive if he could pay the $390 cancellation fee in order to close his account. Alternatively if he needed to cancel due to medical reasons he could provide a medical note to do so as well and we would also waive his past due balance in that case. He initially refused to pay which resulted in a greater past due balance, then he neglected to follow up to inform us how he wanted to proceed. We did inform him that if he neglected to pay, his agreement would be sent to collections after 90 days. As a courtesy we allowed his past due balance to be pushed forward so the client would have more time to decide what he would like to do, however, he never responded to our email.


      We apologize for any misunderstandings that may have occurred regarding the training program, however, everything was done according to policy.

      Good afternoon,


      Our staff had corresponded with ******* in April when he initially made his inquiry with us requesting to cancel his agreement. That was roughly 4 months after he signed up with us. Our Admin team investigated the circumstances surrounding his sign up and it was determined that it was done correctly and was discussed in detail. ******* was given the necessary information regarding how to initiate his agreement which was described thoroughly. According to our Training Director, ******* was shown a chart pinpointing each section for confirmation regarding the agreements information and the details of the training. ******* was also given waivers to fill out in addition to his agreement detailing that he was physically able to work out with us and medically cleared. Just like all of our clients, Upon signing the agreement ******* was given a copy of his signed agreement to review our policies.

      We informed ******* of his cancellation options when he reached out to us looking to cancel. We informed him that he had a past due balance that we were willing to waive if he could pay the $390 cancellation fee in order to close his account. Alternatively if he needed to cancel due to medical reasons he could provide a medical note to do so as well and we would also waive his past due balance in that case. We did indicate that *******s account would eventually go to collections after a period of 90 consecutive days past due, however, as a courtesy we pushed his past due balance forward to give him additional time to choose how he would like to proceed with his cancellation request. ******* neglected to follow up to inform us how he wanted to proceed so no action was taken.


      We apologize for any misunderstandings that may have occurred regarding the training program and we are eager to help bring this inquiry to a quick resolution. We are happy to still honor the $390 cancellation fee and we will waive his entire $920 past due balance as a courtesy.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/16/2022

      Better Business Bureau:



      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.


      The fact of the matter is that the rep that signed me up misrepresented the package. Additionally the company stated that after 90 days past due my account would be given over to collections. Nothing you all do or say is true. I would pay a cancellation fee if that was stated when i clearly asked about it. To take advantage of an individual for the sake of a few hundred dollars is completely ridiculous. I’d like to know how the issue was investigated to prove that i am the one lying?



      Regards,



      ******* ******









       

      Business Response

      Date: 07/19/2022

      *******, 
      We are not accusing you of lying. Likely you simply misunderstood the details of the agreement. We are not seeking to take advantage of you, nor has our staff withheld any information from you. All information that you have requested has been given to you. Regarding the investigation that we conducted, we spoke directly with our Senior Director who had signed you up. He had no previous history of misconduct or negligence when explaining an agreement. For reference, before signing you up, he had signed up nearly 200 clients most of which had no issues at all with their programs.  Our Senior Director explained the interaction to us in detail reinforcing that he had shown a chart of the information to you for further confirmation regarding the programs and stated that everything was done according to policy. We checked your account and the details of your agreement and that was found to be correct. We were not able to find any evidence that our Senior Director misrepresented the package. You elected to sign up with the information that was provided by our Senior Director. If there was any hesitation regarding the agreement you certainly could have asked for further information, or if you were unhappy with the details, you had the opportunity to cancel within your 3 days buyers right to cancel.


      Regarding your statement that your account would go to collections in 90 days, as we explained previously, we pushed your past due balance forward to prevent your account from being sent to collections before you could respond back to us. This was done as a courtesy to help resolve your cancellation inquiry. We did indicate that your account would eventually go to collections after a period of 90 consecutive days past due, but we wanted to give you time to decide how to proceed. You neglected to reply to our email so your account remained unchanged.


      Once again we apologize for any misunderstandings that may have occurred regarding the training program. We are still willing to waive the entire past due balance if you are able to pay the $390 cancellation fee. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/11/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I signed up for personal training through compel at golds gym in March of 2021. I absolutely loved the gym and the classes but in June had to file for divorce from an emotionally abusive marriage and became a single mom that genuinely does not make enough money to buy food, let alone a $250 a month gym membership. When I called compel to explain the situation, their only advice was to either A. Get a note from a doctor or B. Pay my way out of the contract. I asked for the corporate number so that I could speak to someone higher up as neither of which are an option for me as someone trying to feed and care for a 1 year old. During this period (I have not gone to a class since the beginning of May) they have continued to charge my card $110 biweekly although I’ve been trying consistently to try and get this contract canceled. They then told me it would be approximately $450 to buy my way out the contract although I’ve paid that and then some in unused classes. I’m still trying to reach corporate and have yet to be provided with a phone number or a way to get ahold of anyone above in-gym level. I genuinely loved this program but the issues they have caused in trying to revoke the contract in an emergency scenario have caused me to have major concerns with the business. I’m just trying to make sure I can feed my child.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/11/2022

       

      Good afternoon,

      We are sorry to hear of the clients circumstances. This is the first that our Admin office has heard of this situation. We apologize for the difficulty in reaching our staff as we were unaware.

      As a courtesy, we will allow the client to cancel with no additional fees due to her circumstances. We have waived all additional outstanding fees and have closed the account.

      No further action is required.

      Sincerely,


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