Best Fitness

They call themselves a club. Then maybe they should be a little more strict in dress code for one. I’m tired of seeing people walking around half naked. No need for it. I bring my children there and they see this. If you wanna walk around half naked go home and do it. Stop crying out for attention.
2^nd. Trainers should do their workouts under the trx machine and stop pushing us out of the way. And as far as I know Gym etiquette your suppose to allow someone work in with you. Well they don’t. They’d if all machines even if no one in the group is using it at that time. I hate this gym!
Oh! And one more thing the gym staff needs a attitude adjustment!

They do anything they can to get you to join but offer no help after the fact. 2 year– minimum contract agreement that you can only break with significant documented health restraints or if you move more than 20 miles from any location, feels like entrapment. Of course, at a gym, a year contract is standard and it’s normal to have a «break contract fee,» I just find the ones here to be excessively harsh.
Also it’s crazy that they are able to and have changed contract privileges midway through their duration; I have many friends who’ve lost the privileges they joined for and are now stuck in a 2 year membership that doesn’t work for them.
Just terrible customer service and no flexibility, and you can’t trust ANY offers and agreements they make verbally so be careful and get everything in writing, I’ve repeatedly received incorrect or dishonest information. I was considering joining until witnessing what so many friends were going through and getting harassed by phone calls and texts every other day for a month, and then only once a week after they agreed to stop calling me.
There floors and machinery are fine, honestly I like them just as much as any other and they do have a lot of locations, but that’s not enough for me to make up for their customer service, business ethics, and contract flaws.
I would have expected this from every gym but I have actually had really good experiences at mill city fitness and choice fitness, so I’m just going to steer clear from best fitness.

If I could give this place a zero I would. Heed the warnings of other reviewers — this place gives you the hard sell and has problem being unprofessional with their contracts. RUN DON’T WALK AWAY!!!

The gym itself isn’t too bad. However, they have a lack of business ethics. Signing a contract with this gym is like signing a contract with the devil. It is almost impossible to get out of, even when the time of the contract ends. You must write a letter stating that you no longer want to be a member. I would recommend starting this process about 3 months before your membership ends. Otherwise, they may tell you that you needed to quit 30 days before the next billing cycle. Contracts with personal trainers are equally as bad. You need to put this contract to bed, by also writing a letter. The funny part is, that if you don’t use all of your sessions within a year, the gym cancels the sessions. Basically, you need to cancel everything in writing, but they do not. I asked if I could purchase 3 hours of training without a contract. They told me they don’t do business that way, so I told them that I wouldn’t purchase any time. Why would they give up the profit of 3 sessions? Isn’t that better than no business. The reason is so that you sign the evil contract. Lastly, beware if your wallet gets stolen, and you have to cancel a credit card. The late fee for this is 19.99. The same as the monthly payment. I thought my contract was up, having been a member at the gym for over 5 years. My wallet was stolen, and they didn’t have the ability to charge me anymore. I received robot calls, and thought they were trying to get me to come back to the gym. Here’s the thing, my wallet was stolen in June. 4 Months later, I received a phone call from an actual human. He told me that I owed over $ 800 in late fees. I had 2 choices, either they could ruin my credit rating and I had to pay the $ 800 or I could sign another contract for 2 years. BLACKMAIL!!! I was crying while telling them I was going through a divorce and couldn’t afford either choices. They would not budge. I am now still a member of this awful gym, and can’t wait to get out of this contract!!!

Do NOT sign up for this gym. They are the worst company I have EVER dealt with. They will make it impossible to cancel your membership, even when you’ve moved out of state. I had sent a letter to cancel, as requested, and was not billed for months. Then received a phone call from their billing company to say I owed 4 months of membership fees. Same thing just happened to my boyfriend. He was not charged for almost a year after he sent his new proof of residence via CERTIFIED MAIL, and now he gets a call from their billing company. They deny that he ever cancelled his membership. Making him send ANOTHER letter via certified mail. Very bad experience. Poor customer service. The worst!!! I have belonged to MANY gyms and this is by far the worst one.

If you can deal with incompetent staff who talk you in circles and try to make a sale at every turn, not to mention endless voicemails, emails, and texts even after you’ve signed up… Then this gym serves its purpose as a mediocre facility.

I got a mail offer to join for $ 9.99/MO with no «enrollment fee» so did some online reading & after an hour or so of others experience I felt very glad to be a non member. The mail card says Drum Hill is open 24 hrs while the website says 10P close. Members relate tales of being actually taunted by staff because they can’t escape the fine print or the Chelmsford Police enforcement division tactics. My impression is of a sanctioned scam, reinforced by the 52 reviews noted as «not recommended» by Unilocal,all of which are one star… Yikes! I called to get actual hours of operation & was put on hold listening to how important my call was. Think my Best move is taking a pass…

This place makes me mad and made me hate fitness. I signed up for this place in July 2010 for a two year contract (because Kasey made it sound cheaper if I did the two year contract rather than the one year).
I signed up for a six month commitment for personal training (it was half an hour session for just $ 39.99). I was given a person trainer who is great for beginners. He was okay but he left the company after 2 months. Then I was given a girl who had her own style that was different from the previous trainer. Then her scheduled changed and didn’t fit with mine the very next month, so I ended up going with another trainer who was not good for beginners. He wanted me to do just more than one session a month. I’m sorry but I was on an very tight budget and I got the impression he thought it was an excuse. When my six month commitment expired, I was pissed that I had three different trainers. (although getting different perspectives was nice).
I went very periodically to this gym but when I ended up getting a ‘normal’ 7 to 3 job, going to this gym was a PAIN. DO NOT GO TO THIS GYM BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 4pm AND 7pm! YOU WILL NOT GET A MACHINE OR A WEIGHT!
When I moved to Methuen in April 2012, I went to Best Fitness and waited around for a few minutes until someone was able to talk to me and told me I could cancel it right now but it would cost more than if I waited until the contract expired in July 2012. The employee told me that I had a certain amount of time to cancel it and that window was for the middle of June.
When the middle of June came around, I went back to Best Fitness to cancel my membership before I got automatically locked into a 2 year deal again. The employee told me I should continue going to theChelmsford location because I would benefit from it more than from Methuen Planet Fitness. (I live in and work in Methuen, all my friends and family live in Methuen or Salem, NH why would I travel to Chelmsford to go to a gym???) The employee asked for documentation to prove that I moved from the Lowell area to Methuen.
Anyways, I played by their ridiculous rules and didn’t get that badly burned as other reviewers have but BEWARE of Best Fitness!

I went onto their website and the next thing I know I am getting continuous emails, phone calls. When I asked Todd how much monthly he said come in and we can talk. Look it, I’ve been to plenty of gyms and I don’t want a personal tour, I don’t want to be constantly called, etc. This is why I will not join this gym. I’ll take my business elsewhere. They must be working off commission.

I can’t even begin to tell you how crooked these people are. My contract expired. I told them to stop billing me. They refused. A Kady E contacted me saying she was there to help me, and then refused to cancel my membership, or stop billing me. She told me to «deal with their collection agency». I blocked them from charging my credit card, and the bank agreed that it was fraud and reversed the charges. Luckily, the the credit bureaus also agreed that it was fraud and deleted the collection accounts. I again asked Kady to stop billing me, and her response was to file a police report with the Chelmsford police. She did this every further time I tried to contact the business asking them to stop billing me. The Chelmsford Police then will not listen to you, and then threaten you with criminal charges if you question them (an Officer Callahan specifically). Best Fitness uses the police like a collection agency… pay us or we will call the police on you!
I have contacted all of the major news stations, filed a report with the Attorney General’s office against them and the Chelmsford Police for being complicit in Kady’s attempts to force me to pay them, and I will also figure out what other agencies I can report them to in order to have them investigated for fraud. If you have been a victim of fraud by Best Fitness, please contact the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office immediately to let them know. The more people that complain, the better the chances are of having them shut down.

They have a lot of great equipment and a knowledgable staff. I’ve been a member for over 10 years and wish I actually stopped by more but when I do the experience is always good. They are always evolving and updating their classes and equipment.

Meh, i’ve experienced better. Here is the thing… the expansion looks good and drew in a lot of additional customers and added cycling classes, etc. They never added any squat racks, benches and took away a few other miscellaneous equipment the lifters like to use. All of which i chalk up to my «meh» rating. Its crowded, but such is a gym. What i don’t like is their instructors «reserving equipment for their private lessons». That’s such bs guys, come on…
The issue i have here is poor management and lack of training for employee’s. They have a cleaning crew of 16 year old’s who are just told to clean. This has included mopping the squat rack floor during the busiest times, leaving extension cords out in the middle of the lifting area and moving equipment while people are using them. For me, its a huge safety concern when guys are having 200 or 300 pounds across their back and a couple of kids are moving weights off a rack to clean. If the lifter is distracted it could easily lead to injury. No to mention the slippery floor from mopping or tripping over extension cords left out in the middle of the weight floor. I don’t think its too much to ask to either wait until the lifter is done with a piece of equipment before you start cleaning it or clean up after yourself before someone gets hurt with a left out cord.
I’ve spoken to management, but they completely dismissed any concerns and i have not seen an improvement in time. My last complaint about this place is the lack of attention to the quality of their equipment. A lot of benches have loose screws, pieces missing etc. I would have hoped the additional revenue could have led to better maintenance of their equipment. I mentioned this to an employee working there and he cracked jokes as the solution that «yeah you should really tell someone who works here huh?»
Last complaint– what happened to the ²⁴⁄₇ you were promising to bring in new customers with? A week into it, and you forgot to ask the building manager if you even were allowed to do it in the first place! If it won’t happen, just admit you made a mistake. But it really comes off sketchy to your customers by promising for 6 months its coming, just keep hanging in there! All in all i say its a good gym, with under-​trained employee’s and management that focus more on revenue than the quality of the gym.

Cheaters,
Even after cancelling the subscription, they keep charging my credit card every month. It’s been second month consecutively they charged me for subscription that I’ve cancelled :/

Used to be good, now after the remodel it «looks great,» but is 1) too crowded 2) they didn’t add any squat racks or benches 3) seems like the upgrades were just to bring members in 4) apparently their cancellation policy changed for the worse.
Good luck trying to use any equipment between 4−7pm, its a zoo. Its great of you can go during the day when it’s less crowded, but that isn’t helpful to people who work 9 – 5 jobs.
Overall, is OK now, used to be better. An hour long wait for a squat rack is ridiculous. They’re following the planet fitness model now, trying to drag in members with food bribes and things of that sort. I’ve been a member here for 5 years and I am jot too happy with the new model of business. May cancel soon.

When I signed up the Chelmsford location was under construction. While inconvenient, it wasn’t a huge deal, despite the fact that it lasted the majority of the time I was a member. Almost every time I visited I had an employee approach me about signing up for a personal trainer. A little obnoxious, but I get it, they’re selling their services. Normally the gym was busy and there was a huge lack of smaller weights (5−20lb), but maybe they’d add more when the construction was finally finished? Who knows.
I ended up having to cancel my membership about a year in due to a worsening of a medical condition. After months of not visiting the gym, I finally went in to cancel. I did not have a doctor note as I currently cannot afford health insurance, so I sucked it up and paid the ridiculous $ 100 cancellation fee on 1÷9÷15. I asked the employee who handled the transaction if I would be charged again (as I just paid the December bill on 12÷26÷14). He told me I would not be charged.
Today I got my credit card bill and was irritated to see a best fitness charge from 1÷26÷15. I called the Chelmsford location and explained the situation to someone who turned out to be a manager. He explained to me in a very condescending way that when I paid my $ 100 cancellation fee, that served as a 30 day notice, and any charges normally billed in those 30 days still go through. Now, call me crazy, I assume that if I pay a cancellation fee, my membership is canceled, especially if that assumption is corroborated by the employee who took my $ 100 cancellation fee. I was extremely frustrated and asked the guy if he could just waive the fee considering I was told I wouldn’t be charged, and cancelled a mere week «late». He said there was nothing he could do. I asked if I could talk to anyone else (multiple times), but he declined that request. I was finally told I could go to the website and send an email to corporate. So I did. I do NOT recommend this gym to anyone. The customer service is unbelievably rude, and policies are a bit ridiculous. It cost the gym nothing but a cheap keychain membership card for my membership. I haven’t been to the gym in over 5 months, reimbursing the petty sum of $ 20 would have been a redeeming quality, but best fitness fell short here as well.

I’ve been a member of Best Fitness member for almost 20 years. I tried to cancel my membership today (after inquiring a month ago as to how to go about it) and was told that they needed 30 days notice to do so. Received misinformation from the front desk personnel who stated that because I was a month-​to-​month member I could cancel at any time. No mention of the 30 days. Now, I’m stuck paying for a gym membership for another month that I am not going to use.
Shane Adams, Membership Manager was not understanding in the least and handled the situation poorly. His attitude was pompous and condescending. He needs to develop some emotional intelligence and train his staff better, so they can impart accurate information to their members.
On the flip side, Christian Padilla, Operations Manager was understanding, sensitive and kind. He took the time to explain the Best Fitness policy in a way that could be understood by me, the client.
I felt like Best Fitness never appreciated me as a member. It’s all about the money.

Run from this company! My son went in to CANCEL his membership. Spoke to an employee, was told his account was frozen because he missed payments while at college. The reason he went to pay and CANCEL in the 1^st place, because of being away to school. He was told to call a number on a card he was given and their billing company had the account frozen so it would not incur more charges. Also, he could not attend anymore till he called the number on the card to reset the membership. LIES. The charges were still being applied as we found out later by many phone calls looking for more money. We told them our son went in to settle and was made to believe the account was suspended and no more future charges will apply unless he started going again. The guy who runs the place, basically a glorified salesperson had the nerve to tell my wife on the phone that my son never came in, that he had no record of it. My wife asked if he was calling us liars? No real answer, nothing but rudeness. Long story short I went in with my son to pay all money owed and CANCEL the membership. The salesman was very defensive, very rude and unprofessional. I told him I was here to pay the whole bill and cancel everything. After a wait he took me to a nearby cubicle, I believe so other customers would not hear my complaint. He said he would need to look up the membership and change it on the computer. I said no change is needed, just CANCEL the membership and here is your money. I asked him to please give me a cancellation record or something saying the membership has been finally canceled as of today. He told me he could not give me that and the are a paperless company. I said write it in pen on a piece of paper, that will suffice for me. He said no because it would not mean anything. I said it would to me. He said I would get an email right away that would acknowledge the cancelation. I waited for the email on my iphone. I received it and it said nothing about a cancelation. All it said is payment was made and it also had the history of a previous cancelation due to nonpayment and other history of payments. It also showed on the computer that the account was in good standing now till January 15^th I believe. I wanted it canceled! I asked are you refusing to give me a record of cancelation? He said he could not give me anything. I said the email says nothing about cancelation and the computer was showing the next payments due through april 2015. I told him there will be no more payments the membership better be canceled. I told him in my opinion this is a scam to get every dollar out of people till they don’t come back. He said he was offended, I said too bad. Anyway, be careful here, in my opinion it is a dishonest company who were caught in lies and inferred that we were the ones lying. BTW, he conveniently found I note in the computer that my son had indeed come in to cancel. Said my son spoke to a female manager and my son spoke to a young man which I remembered my son telling me that months ago when he went in. Also had the yellow card with the billing company phone number circled to prove he was there. Stay away from this place. This is an account of exactly what happened with this place without any exaggerating added. PS, After checking this review I noticed one of the five star reviewer’s here looks strangely like the person I spoke with today. Even stranger is they have the same 1^st name and same last initial! That is really strange.

Overcrowed!, Greedy organization with no personalization.-Hardsell with the «personal trainers” — some are in fact college students and have no business «training». I also suffered an injury while «training».Good luck trying to cancel your membership! After 2 physical visits to sign cancellation paperwork and several phone calls I am still being billed. Very cold and condescending when dealing with «managers» trying to rectify my billing problem. There are plenty of other gyms in the area that could offer a better overall experience. This place is all about the buck!

Yet another month has passed and I am continuing to be billed for a membership I attempted to cancel MONTHS AGO!!!
Beyond outrageous for a business to make it so impossible to cancel a gym membership when you followed their cancelation controls and sent the requested information.

This is a decent gym. It’s not the best place I’ve been too but it serves its purposes.
There’s plenty of parking, it has its own private lot that share its space with a few small businesses but there’s plenty of parking to go around. When I first walked in. I thought the place was large but at closer inspection, I realized that it was an illusion caused by the wall of mirrors they have that reflected back the images of the gym. making it look even bigger. LIES!
There’s a bunch of free weights which I love and a lot of treadmills (they’re too closely spaced though for my taste). I just don’t like the fact that they don’t have an indoor track but for 20 $ a month. I would think that I needed to compromise some things. My brother tells me that there’s a personal trainer there that looks like Jessica Alba! If she does exist, I may bump this place up to four stars but for now. it is fair for me to rate it 3 stars.
Oh and a few last notes. The staff is very helpful and nice. They’ve welcomed me like I was the don of the place. And I love the fact that it’s open 24 hours a day during the weekdays (which excludes Fri-​Sun).