Planet Fitness Member Says Gym Kicked Her Out For Taking Phone Call From Doctor

Planet Fitness has a policy that relegates cellphone use to the gym lobby.

Planet Fitness has a policy that relegates cellphone use to the gym lobby.

A Massachusetts woman is locked in a she-said/gym-said battle with the folks at Planet Fitness, with her alleging that the chain went too far in enforcing its “no cellphone” policy while Planet Fitness claims she’s a repeat offender.

The woman tells the Boston Herald that she knew of the gym policy restricting phone use to the lobby but recently took a call while working out on the elliptical because it was from her physician.

She says the “bizarrely angry” gym manager tossed her out for the violation.

“He was enraged,” she tells the Herald. “I said I’d be off in a minute. He said, ‘I said now.’ His demeanor was very threatening. I said, ‘Oh, please, please step away from me,’ and he continued to say, ‘No, I need you to hang up that phone now or I’m going to cancel your membership.’ ”

The franchisee who owns that particular Planet Fitness tells a different story.

“This is a member that’s had repeated issues and incidents with cell phone use,” he explains. “I can assure you that our manager would not be treating a member poorly. Her reaction, when she was approached in a professional way, was extremely unprofessional and rude and dismissive.”

The Herald reports that the Planet Fitness policy against cellphone use in the gym proper is intended to both reduce the incessant chit-chat of people gabbing while they work out and to alleviate members’ concerns about the taking of photos or video with these devices.

As for the customer, she says all she wants from the gym is an apology.

[via NY Daily News]

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