Mieko's Fitness-Magnolia

06/12/2008 Posted by Gretchen9499

This gym has lower dues but understand you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, for $30/month you cannot expect the facility to be clean, the maintenance to be kept up on the machines, the management to take care of you if you have a service issue or for them to be good on their word. I purchased a large package of personal training sessions and recently lost out on a lot of money. I understand the same is true for several other members in each of their locations. Apparently a magical time period ended so they said I could no longer use my training sessions I had purchased. I don't know what was on the fine print of the contract and frankly I don't care. Until recently all representatives of the company both implied by their actions and stated verbally (repeatedly) that there was no definite expiration date. I will be taking my business elsewhere and I hope others do the same.

Pros: cheap, convenient

Cons: management

05/01/2008 Posted by zenbabyz

We live in Magnolia and have had a long history with this club. It is not managed well or in the business of health; more so, it's a business whose main concern is their bottom line. They do not process cancellations correctly and because they use a billing company (also owned through the same corp) to process payments, things become a cycle of which it is nearly impossible for the member to cancel their membership (these companies act as though they do not talk to each other). This is not just my experience, but the experience of a number of neighbors. Regarding the actual gym itself - too small and really not quality. Bottom line is that it's cheap, so remember that you will get what you pay for and you will not be able to get out of paying for approximately 6 months after you initially cancel your membership.... Poor business management, poor business practices, poor service, poor concern for health, on and on and on. My advice: AVOID!!!!

Pros: Next to a great sushi place

Cons: Everything except that it's next to a great sushi place

04/26/2008 Posted by devilhorn

I don't know what the people writing positive reviews for this place are thinking, I can only guess they either work there or this is the only gym they've ever been to. The person claiming she paid more just so someone can have more commission leads me to believe the former, unless they're just dumb. The facility is tiny, which would be forgivable if their hours weren't. They close early on weekends, which makes no sense considering that's when most people have time to get a full workout in. Their locker rooms are small and gross, everything is no-frills. I've had a couple trainers over the years but I would never let any of the trainers there tell me how to lift a glass. I've watched as "trainers" sit around talking to each other while their client's form is completely off to the point where they're going to hurt themselves. There's one trainer who looks like an acne-scarred wiseguy who tries to kick people off weights/machines so that his clients can use them. This worked on me once because I thought I had jumped in during a set, then I realized he's a a** and won't let it happen again. The staff knows nothing about their products and their equipment is worn out to the point of being dangerous (check out the condition of the rope grip for the cable machine). I don't want to sound like I'm writing this to advertise for someone else so I won't say the name of it, but I'm going to the new gym over the hill that' s 3x times as much. The only thing this place has going for it is that it's cheap, but it's just not worth it anymore.

Pros: cheap

Cons: crowded, hours, staff, equipment

11/06/2007 Posted by indie2315

The people who work at the gym are great especially the personal trainers... but beware of the contracts! I received a letter stating to make a payment by the 15th. Today is the 6th and the charged my account without my permission. I only authorized my dues to be taken out of my account but they claim they can take whatever they like and there is nothing they can do. They bounced checks in my account and don’t care at all!!!!! Bad customer service, lack of caring and bad explanations of contracts!!!! They aren’t the only gym out there!

Pros: Great people who work there

Cons: Bad customer service from main office

11/04/2007 Posted by cougfan58

I came into this gym a few months back but was totally turned off by the former manager at that time due to his rude attitude needled to say i didn't join. But I returned last week to find the new managers are from my old gym. So I can tell you it was a great relief to find familiar and friendly faces once again. The gym itself does appear to be a bit dated, but once you get in there the vibe you get is incredible! It's like everyone knows each other and it gives the gym a level of comfort I've rarely found here in Seattle. The atmosphere surely makes up for the age of the gym. I mean I was greeted by 4 or 5 members that have been there for 3 or more years and they could do nothing but praise the new manager and what he's done in such a short time for them. And I wasn't the only one they did it to; while I was working out over the next few days, I witnessed it 3 or 4 more times, but each time different members, I couldn't help but follow suit. These guys get it-they didn't try to strong arm me into something that got them a larger commission, but rather helped me design a strategy to achieve my goals, then allowed me to pick which program I though worked best for me. At one point Mike even tried to talk me DOWN to a plan that would cost me less money, but I explained to him I knew he'd make a smaller commisions and I wanted to make sure he got his piece of the pie for doing such a wonderful job with me. I haven't received such great customer service in a gym in a while-since I joined my last gym acctually. To go with all of that I received 2 FREE hours with a personal trainer. Mike teamed me up with Stephen, what a great call! Stephen is amazing; he knew how to approach my injuries and designed a routine that I don't hate. To be honest with you when i see him next week I'm hiring him as my trainer. You need to stop in a sign up! You won't regret it. But when you do ask for Mike and tell him Zach sent you in.

Pros: month to month; the manager; personal training; great value

Cons: sunday hours-close at 6pm; no pool

09/20/2007 Posted by eddie123

I have been a member of Meikos canyon park bothell for awhile now, mostly due to the proximity to my home. It is a nice facility, however the manager has displayed offensive and inappropriate behavior. I submitted an application for part time employment to pick up some extra cash. The response of the manager (not directly to me) was "if we hire anyone it will be someone YOUNG and fresh out of high school" Considering I am a middle aged woman, I found this age discrimination VERY offensive. He allegedly has also said that a particular employee could no longer work the front desk because she was "too fat". Again I find this inappropriate, offensive, and poor business practice. I do not know if his views are a direct reflection of the Meiko's Fitness Club, however it is apalling none the less. I hope this persons employment at this establishment is short, and some one of higher caliber will replace him.

Pros: cheap, good location, good parking

Cons: Main con is the current manager. Other employees are nice.

05/29/2007 Posted by erinnlyre

I signed up for a membership at the Magnolia location. I have not been to other locations but I can say this this one is awful. The equipment is okay (cardio and strength training) but they have virtually no air circulation in there. If you dont mind sweating profusely then this place might be for you. Usually I can only stand 30 minutes of cardio before I feel like I am going to pass out. I have asked a few times for them to get a fan in there but no such luck. Unless you love to sweat like a dog...go someplace else.

Pros: Cheap membership

Cons: NO air conditioning

05/18/2007 Posted by flydaddyfred

I live nearby, so this gym is great for me because they're close, they have parking, and they're cheap (I pay $18/month). However, I signed up for a trainer, and he was terrible. He'd lose count constantly, he wasn't sure what we'd done before (despite writing it down), and he was terrible at spotting (generally way too much). Also, I tried one yoga class, but you can still hear the booming music outside, it's clear you're in the aerobics rooms, and a trainer even came in to grab some mats while we were in a pose - so not exactly the relaxing yoga you'd find at a dedicated studio... All-in-all, the staff is nice and the equiptment I use is fine... but they have a low bar for staff training. I even heard one staff member say they were exploring letting the trainers teach yoga (despite having no training)!! That just goes to show the low bar... My girlfriend is a member of a new 24 Hour Fitness, and they have much better machines (100% of machines have private TV screens, etc).

Pros: price, parking

Cons: poorly trained trainers

01/12/2006 Posted by ottavina

I was a member for about a year. I got no orientation to the club other than "the locker rooms are that way." So I signed up for a personal trainer. She did 40 minute sessions and charged for a full hour. She also wanted to keep changing my appointment times, no matter how many times I explained what my work schedule was. (They knew my schedule before I gave them money.) She seemed really upset that I couldn't cancel work for her. Very pushy people there. I've cancelled my membership and billing, and I'm still getting bills.

Pros: parking is ok

Cons: pusy salespeople, unprofessional traine, problems with billing

08/30/2005 Posted by seattlebee

My experience was at Meikos on Lake City. The manager there is extremely pushy and doesn't look out for his customers. He is a customer service nightmare. (After years working in customer service and public relations, I would never have him working for me!) I was a member for 8 months and had an "okay" experience, mostly keeping to myself. The facilities aren't kept up to normal standards and machines will be out of order for months at a time. My bad experience came when I was canceling my membership because I was moving. They continued to bill me saying that I requested to "end my membership, not my billing." Make sure you read the fine print and are very clear with them.

Pros: Inexpensive, Ample Parking

Cons: Poor Maintenance, Bad Management, Terrible Customer Ser