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1.0

I posted the following review on Yelp - http://www.yelp.com/biz/anytime-fitness-alpharetta?hrid=2_4K_qenr1WTPQqRwcUk6A

and was subsequently banned from their facility.

Prior to leaving this review, I addressed my issue with CarolAnn Fitzpatrick (co-owner) over 2 months ago.

This gym is owned by Jeremy and CarolAnn Fitzpatrick. We were members for over a year. Everything was fine until personal trainer Susannah had a baby and decided to bring her infant (now toddler) child to the gym with her while she works with clients. This child is a normal child, screaming at the top of his lungs while I am trying to do Yoga.

The official policy of the gym is that members are not allowed to bring in guests without authorization from the gym owners. So why are personal trainers allowed to bring their children while they work with clients (and are getting paid)?

We sent CarolAnn and Jeremy Fitzpatrick an email the first time this incident happened and the response was, "we have spoken to Susannah previously regarding having her baby at her Training sessionsโ€ฆwe have told her that she may need to cancel her PT classes if there is continuous crying or some other disorder in the gym."

Over 2 months after my initial email, the rules continue to be broken by personal trainer, Susannah.

I posted this review on Yelp and promptly received the following email from Anytime Fitness

Congratulations Caroline! By your actions today, you have succeeded in exploiting a child and shown how belittling and intolerant you are of others! If that was your goal you have certainly succeeded. The mother of the child whose picture you posted on a public website did not give you permission to take the picture. That is called exploitation of a minor.

Also, the comments you wrote on FB were entirely unnecessary. We noticed you had already transferred to another gym. This is no longer your home gym. Please do not try to return. You key fob has now been blocked.

Others have brought your poor behavior to our attention on many occasions, and we have told them to overlook it. Perhaps we should have told them to post your tantrums on FB and YELP as well.

As for disturbing your yoga. If you are truly into yoga, you should be able to do it anywhere. That's what the discipline is for.

CarolAnn Denton-Fitzpatrick

CFO/Co-Owner, Fitzpatrick enterprises Fitness, Inc.

Reason of review: Poor customer service.

Monetary Loss: $100.

Preferred solution: Full refund.

Location: Alpharetta, Georgia

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Gwendolyn Xct

Do you have children Caroline? It sounds like you don't know the struggles of a working mother.

You are a member of a community gym, it's not all about you. She is trying the best she can.

And before you retaliate, I am not a member or employee or in any way affiliated with this gym whatsoever. But after reading this, I hope we don't ever join the same gym in the future

Guest

Wow! I had an issue as well with a gym that was not even my home facility and they locked me out of a few clubs..how is this legally possible? My issue didnโ€™t involve a baby but I have a bad review in the form of a mere 1 star..nothing bad said..

Guest

Infants and toddlers don't belong in a place like a gym. They can get injured, hurt, or even worse.

They even tell you that about your own safety when you sign that lengthy agreement. I don't see a problem with the picture and the "exploitation" of a child nonsense. You took a picture of the incident you were describing.

I used to be a member of anytime fitness and this is a franchise that seems to let its franchisee's work in a grey area where they make up their own rules and what not and that includes their ridiculous billing practices. Screaming kid or not imagine if this kid tampered with a machine or had a weight fall off and crush them then it be a different story.

Guest

I work out at this gym all the time... I have never seen any screaming kids at Anytime Fitness.

The gym owners Jeremy & CarolAnn are very nice and personable.

Sometimes the trainers bring there kids but they are never screaming & crying. The gym is also the cleanest gym I've ever been to!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1338665

You are a personal friend, it sounds like, and ready to defend them no matter what.

Guest

This is a sad situation. I am a former Anytime owner.

We had a trainer that brought a child in while training as well. However, the child affected the rest of the members' experience. We had to discontinue the permission.

We didn't have child care, and it is an adult facility. I don't have all the facts here, but I do believe the child (and/or trainer) should have stayed home for the good of the other, paying clients.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1328472

I agree!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1328472

Where does it say that because of a bad review the club can block your key fob from working? What is that about?

Iโ€™m pretty sure thatโ€™s not legally possible thatโ€™s discrimination.

A paying member that left a one star review big deal! Itโ€™s freedom of speech..what are your thoughts on this since you used to be an owner..?

Guest

While I Don't think you should take pictures of other people's children without their permission, I would be upset about a child screaming while I was working out. I choose, and pay to go to the gym because I like to work out in a certain environment.

If I wanted to work out around screaming kids, I would just go running in the park. Personally, instead of taking and posting a picture, which was unnecessary and rude, I would have just taken my business elsewhere.

Guest

Wow I can't wait until you have kids I hope they are monsters and you see how hard it is! So sorry other people's real lives interrupt your freaking yoga

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1044980

You are really ignorant. A gym is no place for a freaking child! That's rude on the mother's part, no matter where she brings him, if he cannot act appropriately he shouldn't be there

Sounds like the gym owners are losing money and at the point of not caring anymore.

I had a membership at anytime fitness, I am so glad I cancelled it, the place was horrible, and the owners were always looking to add bogus charges

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1044980

Oh come on! I have a child, and it is rude as *** to take your kid into an adult environment like that.

Not to mention dangerous! Having a kid doesn't mean you get to inconvenience everyone else to make your life easier.

Quanasia Fbj

According to other posters you were kicked out for threatening to harm the child if she did not keep quiet not because you complained, don't lie.

Guest

I am surprised at the poor way owners handle customers and issues is all I need to say.

Quanasia Fbj
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-955584

This is not the whole story, she is leaving things out, apparently she was kicked out for threatening to physically harm the child if she did not keep quiet.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Quanasia Fbj

Kevin is lying. He is a well-known troll at this group, was for years, under various names and has now moved on to another consumer site, where I keep complaining about him, he keeps getting banned but then coming back with new account names. I will continue to report him and watch his accounts getting banned.

Guest

Why doesn't the personal trainer put her kid in a daycare or babysitter when she goes to work like everybody else? I hated the fact that I had to spend $200 a week for childcare, especially since I had to pay even when he didn't attend or had holidays, but I paid it. Why does this woman get to take her kid to work?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-949199

Wouldn't everyone's lives be improved if more employers were so flexible about children at work and people like the OP had more love in their hearts so you wouldn't have to pay $200 per week for childcare? US people and culture in general would be better if they were more child and family friendly.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1127667

No. There are some places that it is perfectly acceptable to expect to go and not be surrounded by children.

The gym is one of them. This does not mean I'm not child friendly, but I expect to be able to work out, at a gym, in a child free environment, and I don't think that's such a strange thing.

Many gyms have a child care facility on site, but the kids still aren't in the gym area where people are trying to work out. I don't approve of the OP posting pictures of a child on line without the parents permission, and I know that every gym I've ever gone to has a strict no photos or videos policy, so it seems the OP may have broke a rule there, but I also don't think the worker should have been bringing her kid to work.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1127667

You Are Right. But Also, people in the U.S.

need to teach their children Some Manners.

But You Are Right, US people and culture would be better if they were more child and family friendly.

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