I joined LA Fitness almost 3 years ago as I liked the facilities better than the YMCA. I was frustrated with the YMCA because all of the facilities were different and some were taken care of better than others. I was happy that most LA Fitness locations were similar to each other. There are many LA Fitness locations in Orlando and I have visited them almost everywhere I have been including one in Tampa, Palm Beach Gardens and Ft Lauderdale.
The LA Fitness in Waterford Lakes is the closest to our home in East Orlando, so it is the one that I visit most regularly since I do not travel as much as I have done in the past. Unfortunately, I have found this LA Fitness to be like many other business chains located in East Orlando. That is I find that many people who work in East Orlando feel that the people will continue to do business there rather than go elsewhere. Basically they do not care about keeping up a business as if they were owners themselves. This LA Fitness is falling apart and it appears that nobody cares about it because people continue to come.
I don't plan on coming back to this LA Fitness for some due to the lack of quality and it starts with the management as I feel the management could make things better overall. I enjoy playing pickup basketball with others. It becomes very frustrating when a net rips on the basketball court and then it rips further. It is not that difficult to see and it is not that difficult to replace nor is it that expensive. It is a shame that no matter how many times you tell someone at the front desk, the nets don't get changed for 4 months.
It wasn't until I spoke to Jeff when going out to my car one afternoon that I told him "The only times the nets get replaced is when I tell you. The nets have been ripped for 4 months. I know because I hurt my knee 3 1/2 months ago." Very shortly after a maintenance person came in with a ladder and replaced the far side net. He saw the condition of the near side net and came back a half hour later to replace that also. The nets are only a small part of what is wrong with this LA Fitness location at Waterford Lakes.
I utilize the recumbent bikes quite often to help loosen up my knees. The handles that measure your heartbeat are broken and do not extend on the last 3 of the 6 recumbent bikes upstairs. Also the 2nd bike is difficult to move the handles. I have seen a number of new equipment brought in the weight room including 6 new stair masters, but nothing new upstairs. At least 2 of the elliptical machines near the stairs doesn't read your heartbeat. The first treadmill after you make the turn upstairs doesn't read your heartbeat either. On top of that, a majority of the elliptical machines show signs of rust at different parts of them.
Most of the free weights appear to have been replaced, but there is one smith machine that always appears to have a "Out of Order" sign on it. There has not been much to complain about in the weight room since the replacement of equipment earlier this year, but I don't understand why rules are not enforced. There are 2 that are equally disobeyed by most members and that is regarding gym bags and re-racking your weights. It becomes very frustrating when you are looking for a dumbbell and can't find it. I feel part of the work out is putting away your weights for the next person.
LA Fitness can make correct this by putting a supervisory person to monitor the weight room. This person needs to have the ability to suspend offenders of the rules. I am sure many higher up LA Fitness employees are afraid of losing membership, but these are the same employees that know that there is a problem in the weight room and refuse to interject any ideas to improve on it. A supervisor of the weight room would be helpful as this LA Fitness location has incorporated a supervisory person over the basketball court during peak hours during the week.
The employee supervising the basketball gym at LA Fitness is a good start, but he needs to be given more authority to maintain an organized way of playing pickup basketball at this LA Fitness. Currently he only takes down names for the games, but since there is only one court for people to play on, there needs to be less arguing and quicker play. Many times when there is a dispute, people can be arguing for more than 5 minutes, when the supervisor could step in and make a quick decision to continue play. Keeping score along with a clock to limit games to 12 minutes would be helpful also. The time between games should be limited to 3 minutes also. The basketball gym is another area in LA Fitness that has rules that are not obeyed.
The LA Fitness basketball rules not being obeyed include non-members playing, games are to be played to 11, maximum number of 4 straight games by any team and others, but those are what I remember without looking at the sign on the wall. This is another area where people leave their bags all over and many times members twist their ankles and get injured. Not only do people leave their stuff all over the place, but many sit on the court and lose control of a basketball that has caused other members trip and twist their ankles also. Some rules need to be put in place to prevent injuries. I don't believe that these should be the risks included in the phrase "Play at your own risk."
The last area is also related to the basketball gym when it comes to high school kids coming in to play. I don't know what the rule is for minors, but these minors should not be allowed to roam freely in the gym without adult supervision. I have seen a group of 6 kids come in to play one another before others come in the gym and when they leave, they leave their empty water bottles and trash at the end of the court. I understand that when it is not busy, it the company can not justify paying someone to babysit someone's kids. Perhaps this provides an opportunity to charge an additional fee for minor's membership if an adult is not accompanying the minor during their visit.
The combination of lack of supervision and care of this LA Fitness location have left me in disgust. I am considering my other options for fitness membership such as Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness and possibly going back to the YMCA. I do enjoy the number of other locations available through my LA Fitness membership and maybe I will decide to visit the Oviedo location more often. I am sure there is something that I won't like no matter where I go as nothing is perfect. I can accept flaws that can not be controlled, but I do not appreciate a lack of care for improvement exhibited by this Waterford Lakes LA Fitness location as this is meant to be a place to improve your body physically.
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