Hey, if you're thinking of joining VI fitness, DON'T…read more
I've had a very negative experience with this gym, specifically at the Nanaimo Wellington location. The staff, specifically Carrie, Victoria, and Andrea, were lovely, but the praise stops there.
At the beginning of your contract they make you pay a load of BS admin fees, plus your first and last month's dues upfront. Seems reasonable, right? What they don't tell you is that their cancellation policy is sketchy. I called from Vancouver to request a cancellation, as I had relocated, and I had no paper bills. I was told that a screenshot of an online bill would suffice. I did as asked, two days later, I was told by head office that this was not sufficient, as there was no way to prove it was real. That night, they took another month's dues out of my bank account. The next day, I went to a bank and got a banker's stamped bank statement with the Vancouver address on it, and sent them two photographs of it, and never did get a reply from head office. Two weeks or so later, the manager from my branch got in contact with me. Long story short, they arent going to receive that payment, nor are they going to refund my final month's dues, which were paid up front, at the beginning of my contact. seems a little like theft, by way of lagging on administration, just so that they can squeeze more money out of me.
Additionally:
The equipment is lacking. There are very few fans. There's only two TRX bands, neither of which can be found most of the time. They had more than ample warning about the digital TV switchover, but had they bothered to get the proper equipment? Nope. There was no TV for ages, and, as far as I know, the treadmills/bikes still do not have TV. There is only one of most of the machines upstairs in the women's area of the gym, and the "no sitting on equipment" rule is never enforced. People will sit on the leg machines for 15-20 minutes reading magazines, doing nothing, and nobody does anything.
The showers are awful. Most of them spray everywhere but on you. If you want to shower without getting your hair wet, good luck! The stall next to you will invariably be spraying sideways and soak your hair anyway. That booger you noticed stuck to the wall 2 months ago? Still there. Hairs and pubes sprinkled about like confetti? Yup! Power outlets for hair dryers and straighteners that actually output power? Nope!
There are several obnoxious members. Two nasty older women harassed me after I tried to defend myself when they stole one of the few coveted fans - that I had been using since before they even arrived - and nothing was done about it, at least that I could see. Their justification? "We have been coming here for years!"
Rules and regulations are only enforced when convenient. The NO FRAGRANCES rule especially. I was bedridden for four days with a nauseating migraine, because nobody cared who sprays what in the change rooms.
All in all, It was a significantly unpleasant experience, as is evidenced by the fact that I bothered to write out this warning.
