Reviews of Charter Fitness of Urbana (Gym)

Gina Manola

My experience with Charter will sound familiar as it is in line with what everyone has consistently expressed. Charter deliberately misleads customers in their advertising and in how the implement their billing. In addition, their equipment, especially the treadmills and elliptical machines are frequently identified as "Out of Order." I've move through three different machines, that aren't even identified as "Out of Order" each time until I can find one that was fully functioning. I've seen an overall decline in equipment over the past two years. Everything is out of date and in dire need of repair or replacement. Additionally, I purchased several one-on-training packages for myself and son. What I did not know was that they bundled group training into the one-on package I purchased and charged me $99.00 each month for 6 months—even though I was not taking group fitness or even aware that I had been enrolled. I never received any kind of notification that Charter Fitness would be debiting my account, or a receipt indicating that a deduction had been made. I believe this was deliberate. When I questioned the manager, I was told that I'd signed a contract. It's true. I had signed a contract for personal training, but was unaware that I had been enrolled in group fitness. This went on for 6 months and I never attended any group fitness classes. I was in the gym frequently and knew all of the employees. No one ever even mentioned to me that I was missing out on all of those group fitness classes I'd signed up for. I'd been a member of the gym for 10 years and had spent a great deal of money on training. I was terribly disappointed in Charter's response and unwillingness to amend the situation in a way that honors the loyalty of a customer. Although I would have most appreciated receiving a refund, I knew that was unlikely as they just point to the contract....however, I was very surprised that as a business there was no attempt to even suggest a compromise. I was treated by the organization as 'stupid' for not realizing that I was enrolled in the program and then not so subtly referred to as a complainer. This after spending a great deal of money over 10 years. Charter Fitness offers no real customer service. They don't even pretend to care. The manager tows the corporate line and is not empowered in anyway to provide real customer service to an important community based business such as a fitness center. He was generally polite in hearing me out, however it was clear that he had no autonomy and could do absolutely nothing but relay a message from "corporate." If you decide to join Charter Fitness then "buyer beware." They will certainly take advantage of you if you are not hyper-vigilant. And there will be no standard redress of customer concerns. Management will hide behind the corporate offices. This conveniently allows for managers to say they have no control over the culture of the facility they manage and allows for the corporation to act with indifference. The business is sliced up into different service providers, i.e. billing in a different entity than the franchise, and the equipment is leased from another vendor and so they have no real control over repairs. It's a mish-mash of a business model that essentially allows the corporate franchise owner to make money, while everyone else scrambles to represent the facility as a legitimate operation. I hope this review is helpful.

Melanie Sivley

When I signed up, I was told I could cancel at any time. When I went to cancel, I was told I couldn't cancel for the first year. I expressed my concern, and was given some flip line about 'past employees who told people the wrong stuff.' It was ridiculous. A truly quality facility would not need to resort to lying to get/keep customers. I'm stuck with the membership for a few more months, but after I cancel, I intend to never go back and to spread the word about their shady practice. I hope the $50 was worth the longer term loss of business.

Shane McFly

The people are very friendly and they have enough equipment. The only problem is that the equipment is in disrepair. Torn upholstery and out of order signs abound. Its okay though. Worth $10/ mo

timur oikhberg

Good place for $10 per month

bill brown

Great place to lift weight and get fit

Dana Sjoken

This gym has went so far downhill it is pathetic. It is dirty, it stinks, the equipment has been there since they first opened as Cardinal Fitness. Most of the weight machines have tape on the leather seats and handles, the weights are rusty, dirty windows, floors, equipment, bathrooms...what a joke. The ceiling is missing in places and the rest is covered in black mold and water damage. It usually doesn't feel like they even have the AC running this summer. I am ready to find a new gym and I have been a member since this opened as Cardinal Fitness. Who wants to work-out in a dirty, stinky facility with old equipment? You can go down the road to a brand new Planet Fitness for the same price!

Aaron Rice

Affordable gym convenient to my home. Effective exercise equipment and nice staff.

lmccann

Good workout space and friendly staff

Matthew Matuniak

Staff is nice. The lifting equipment and space is generally good. Several treadmills may be out of service regularly, but I try to run outside for as much of the year as I can. Locker and shower rooms are not great. For the basic bargain gym price it is good.

Ashley E

Went in canceled in person like I was suppose to and they billed me twice for the same month I canceled in and then billed me again the following month when I went ahead and paid out my contract term with them that day. Their equipment is old and needs replaced.

Manu Batham

Hidden Annual fees, difficult cancellation procedures, small space ( I came to know when I used other Jym)

The Gibus Sniper

Equipment falls apart and rarely maintenanced and the place smells in the Summer, but for $10 a month I dont expect anything fancy and I have everything i need.

Joe Santillo

I was visiting my family over Thanksgiving and the day after I went to Charter Fitness to exercise. The one in Savoy closed so I decided to head over to the Urbana location. Now, I have been member of theirs for some time and a gym rat for longer. I will say this, I will not go back to that Charter Fitness. The machines were in poor condition, the floor was dirty, the walls were all marketed up and we're some pretty big holes in them as well. It's sad, the one in Savoy was probably the older of two facilities but it was in far better shape.

Davood Kianidehkian

Cheap. Get in shape for almost nothing.

Cedar Onyx

They sent me an advertisement saying "$10 to join and $10 per month". That sounds great! I was excited to join, until I learned online that the actual enrollment fee is $49. When I called, they also told me that the enrollment fee is $49. I asked why the advertisement said otherwise and all they had to say was "I don't know". I guess to benefit from the "No Hassles • All Fitness" slogan on the advertisement, avoid joining this gym. It's unfortunate that they wasted paper and clogged my mailbox with their lie.

mathew blankenship

I was in town for a short stay. They were very reasonable in putting together a price for me to work out. The staff was friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was that of the American way with diversity of people and culture.

Christopher Hansen

I started at this gym in December of 2010 - at that time it was Cardinal fitness. After I joined I saw a lot of improvements to the location and equipment and was happy there at $20/month plus a $40 yearly fee. At this rate I was allowed to go to any location and bring in a guest. In April of 2012 the gym was purchased by Charter Fitness and things started going downhill. I finally ended my membership in May 2015. During this 4.5 year span I visited this gym 641 times (I keep a chart). I'm 6' 1", 220lb with visible abs, and can run a 5.5 minute mile, so I know a little bit about fitness and I've also visited many fitness facilities around the country. After Charter bought the place there was a huge increase in posters, banners, and ads all over the gym, and a complete dissolution of repair and upkeep efforts. Charter also advertised a lower $10/mo rate but I stuck with my $20/mo deal since I liked bringing in guests. In the 3+ years that Charter has owned the gym I've not seen any significant improvement or repair. There are several wall mirrors that were broken that were removed but never replaced. A broken water fountain was removed and never replaced (they just pushed a towel rack where it used to be). Simple things like shoulder pads for the squat rack are always busted and ignored. The ceiling near the locker rooms has been leaking almost a year now and the staff keep cycling out buckets. Worn out gym mat? Just toss it and don't replace it. Charter won’t let you instruct other people so if you bring a friend keep instruction on the down-low. Twice during my membership there were promotions to get free months. I qualified twice but never got the months off my bill. Cheated $40. What finally made me cave was when I tried for the umpteenth time to switch down to the $10/mo rate. I'd been paying $20 for years after the $10 was advertised but since I stopped bringing in guests I started to inquire about switching to the base rate. Same story every time: "oh, if you switch now there'll be these fees but if you wait there might be a new promotion next month." Getting irritated I spoke to AGM Daniel Wiggs, and GM Jonathan Hinds telling them that I'd been a customer for almost 5 years and I just wanted to pay the same rate that's advertised on the sign, but got the same bullshit about how it was impossible to waive the fees etc... They wanted to keep the $20 monthly I'd just paid the day before, charge $40 to cancel, charge another $20 monthly plus the $40 yearly because you have to notify 30 days in advance and those were upcoming within the next 30 days, then charge $40 to rejoin, then $10 monthly. Did you follow that? $160+10 for an existing member to get the advertised rate. I argued with them for 10 minutes and was told numerous times that it wasn't even possible for them to change the fees because they don't have control of it and that I'd have to contact ABC Financial. Hinds was unprofessional and rude the entire time - I can't believe anyone who hire a guy like that to manage their gym. At one point he walked away from me in the middle of talking to check on some sports game on the tv. Finally he snakeishly asked, "if we got rid of the $40 cancellation fee would you sign a new contract today?" At this point I was furious because he'd clearly just lied to me over and over about not being able to alter the fees. I called him out on this and he tried to feed me more lies. I told them I was done with their gym, cancel my membership I'm not dealing you anymore, and left. Afraid of further charges, I simply canceled that credit card. A few months later I did go back as a guest and was turned away because I had a past-due account - $123.90 due. Apparently Hinds never processed my cancellation. Checked around - it seems difficult to find anyone who hasn't been through some billing hassle with Charter. If you're still considering joining, just figure in ~$100-200 in extra bullshit.

Rich Schooley

Wasnt there

Lyu Xiaolong

Seems good

GodsDJ1_ Fam4Life

So ...yeaaaaaa..... I've been a member now over 8 years. and Charter has killed this for me. Horrid customer service, RUDE people and hidden fees. I can goto Planet Fitness for the same 10 a month , with no hidden fees, nicer people and its CLEAN!!!!! Unlike Charter fitness where the bathrooms/locker rooms are ALWAYS DIRTY. The equipment is normally "out of order" and hardly anything is ever fixed. Trying to get a hold of the main guy that runs it , is nearly impossible, though I DID find his cell number, but he never returns calls. Just AVOID this place at all costs and goto Planet Fitness. Seriously.

Amy Tomaszewski

Why so shabby, Charter Fitness Urbana? This month marks my tenth year of membership at this location. (When I joined, it was Cardinal Fitness.) I do like this gym for many reasons. The location is ideal. The staff is friendly. The clientele is generally friendly and low-key: all ages and degrees of fitness work out here. But I do think we deserve a bit more. Safe and operating (working) machines. Better, consistent maintenance on machines and building. Regularly replaced mats for stretching and floor work (I did not take a photo of the mats: of the few available, they are peely and punctured.) I will continue to subscribe to Charter Fitness Urbana for the time-being: as I mentioned, it's convenient and I suppose I am loathe to change (old dog and all that). But, honestly, I don't feel very appreciated and if they don't up their game, I will need to seek a cleaner, better maintenanced place to work out.

Idan Schwartz

A great budget gym. If you are working with free weights, it provides the essential things, with a very competitive price. Don't expect a lot of shiny new machines, which personally I find them to be useless for the long-run training.

Spaghetti Lee

Giving a one-star because of their shady business practices. But overall, it'll serve as a bare minimum gym if you're on a serious budget. Staff is nice and the equipment is old but generally serviceable. A couple things to be aware of: 1) They advertise $10 a month but there is an annual $40 dollar "fee" - I'm sure it's somewhere in the fine print. So your total will come out to $160 a year without tax, not $120. Still not a bad deal, but not exactly what they advertise. 2) There is a $50 one-time sign up fee. So your first year will be $210. 3) You'll get the most value out of this gym if you're a casual gym member and you're looking to be in Champaign long term. There is a $60 cancellation fee if you cancel early. 4) If you wait out your contract, they require a 30-day notice and they will slap on the second year's annual fee. If you weren't aware of this before and you go to cancel the day your contract ends, you'll have to pay another month to give the 30-day notice.

Bradley Woodruff

I joined 3 years ago. The facilities weren’t the greatest, but the employees were friendly and it was a convenient location so I ignored the cramped locker room and the fact that half the machines were perpetually broken. Over the years nothing ever seemed to get fixed and the customer service is now non-existant. Tonight as I finished a late workout, thinking I was fine because the website said they’re open until 11 on Fridays, the lights suddenly all went out. Apparently, they close at 9. Some kind announcement from the staff would have been nice, instead of just quietly putting the 5 of us still there in the dark. I’ll be back when you reopen to cancel my membership. Please do all of your customers a favor and just go out of business.

Maryam Koleini

Only for 2 months I have been registered at this fitness center. I really was not happy with their always repair-needed machines, however as for moving to other state, when I went for cancelation they told me that I cannot cancel my membership which sounded so ridiculous to me. I provided the staff with the job offer, but the staff said "YOU ARE LYING... YOU ARE NOT MOVING". Finally, after using abusive language to me he accused me to pay the whole annual fee plus 2 next months fees what I never could use! I promise I never ever would not chose the charter fitness for their ridiculous and abusive rules. I am not sure about all charter fitness staffs , but in this center one of the staffs really has got to get trained about the right of customer service.

James

No nonsense gym. Not as clean or well in shape as old gym in champaign. Cheap.

David Jin

They offer more than PF which is a big plus and the price point is great. However the facility is not well-maintained compared to the other gyms in CU (StephansYMCA, PF, ARC) and there are a number of broken machines or ones with tape all over the handles.

Black Rambo

If you’re lookin for a place to make gains, then they have just about everything you need.

Harshit Agarwal

Decent place for 10 dollars a month

Agata Ruiz

if i could give -10 i will give it. They are thieves. They don't sent you an email so you know your contract just renewed. They have your account number, so you are completely catched. I will not recommend this gym to anyone for you mental health.

Terra Rumer

I wish I took photos but I ran out of there too fast! Went in to look into starting a membership, waited 10 minutes for someone to come to the front desk. The moment I walked in I felt gross, the carpet, air, everything was filthy. I asked the gentleman who finally helped me if I could do the free trial for a week before signing. I’m so glad I did because I was able to see that I would be making a big mistake signing a gym contract there! I tried to workout but the treadmill I got on sounded like it was going to fall apart and the stair masters had rust. Took myself over to planet fitness after leaving there!

Aplustradomus

My Home away from Home..my peace of.mind..Just big enough to get what u need,no alarms..or multitude of under dressed women

Mark Hallett

Very small but good price for what you get

andrew t

A LOT OF TRICKS BEING PLAYED IN THE HIDDEN FEES. THIS PLACE DOES NOT GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I AM DOING ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS A FAVOR BY FORWARDING ALL OF THE "FINE PRINT" TO THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE FOR REVIEW. I BELIEVE THEIR PRACTICES TO BE VERY DECEITFUL! HOW THE HELL DO YOU TELL SOMEONE IF THEY CANCEL BEFORE THE 12 MONTH AGREEMENT IT IS A $60 BUT IF YOU CANCEL 1 DAY AFTER THEY WILL HIT YOUR ACCOUNT FOR ANOTHER ANNUAL SERVICE FEE $43 (?) AND SINCE YOU'RE IN THE NEXT BILLING CYCLE THEY HIT YOUR ACCOUNT FOR ANOTHER $10.... WHAT A CROCK!!

Joe M

Not a fancy or luxurious joint. Just what you need to get the job done. Lots of machines and a good set of free weights. Just recently acquired a lot of additional equipment including a second squat rack. Happy, eager to help staff. Great cost for return on gains=)

Cathy Browne

Good price!

Joshua C.

Ive bee a member for some time, and yes they don't tell you about any other fees like the yearly one..i had to find out the hard way....So on that note it sucks, Now they are over charging me when I paid in advance...I recently had to pay 39.99 for my annual fee plus 20 bucks...which should have only been 10...So yea...People also "drink smoothies and flirt" here, on top of that they make fun of people trying to loose weight .Not to mention they let random people in and those people sit on the equipment and stare hard at the women in tight workout clothing.... What the hell man... Plus there are muscle bound air heads that walk around the whole time they are there....Seriously?! If you wont work out, then stop taking up space in an already small area...The mgt sucks, small space for too many people. If I could get my annual fee and the other 30 from them back I would and id stay away as far as I could. I really don't recommend this place at all. The only reason I go is to get in shape and meet new people and its pretty fast to get too without a car..If they raise any more hidden fees I will gladly file them with the BBB.