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Report: #724865

Complaint Review: Planet Fitness - Port Jervis New York

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  • Reported By: consumer12771 — Port Jervis New York USA
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
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  • Planet Fitness Route 6 Port Jervis, New York United States of America

Planet Fitness No-way is this place a "judgement-free zone" -- THEY judge YOU Port Jervis, New York

*Author of original report: freedom of choice has its risks

*Consumer Comment: How do they know?

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Planet Fitness has rules of conduct and dress posted at all their facilities. Some of the rules make sense, others do not.

Patrons are not permitted to wear blue jeans to do their workouts. Understandable -- blue jeans have grommets, and grommets can scratch or damage the seats on the equipment. No problem.

Patrons may not wear sandals while working out. Again, understandable -- unprotected feet can easily be hurt while using the equipment. No problem.

But here's where Planet Fitness becomes a huge Judgement Zone: patrons may not wear any type of headgear except baseball hats. No bandanas. No skullcaps, do-rags, beanies or anything that might define the patron as an undesirable in the company's judgement. They don't spell this out -- it's only implied. After all, if they were to say straight out that they dislike blacks, Hispanics, long-haired people, hippie-types, religious people, chemotherapy patients -- or whatever they've imagined these head-coverings denote -- people could get REALLY angry.

In a recent visit to the local PF, I wore a faded old blue bandana to hold my hair back. Not in any "gang style" -- but the way a 60-year-old woman would wear it. I am, in fact, a world-weary 60-year-old white woman with bad hair, bad knees, out of shape, modestly-dressed and not a threat to anyone. 

I was confronted by an employee as I walked the treadmill and was told to remove the bandana or get out. When I asked for a practical reason why my blue bandana was threatening to anyone -- or how it could be deemed a health or safety risk, the answer was that those are the rules. Abide by the rule or get out.

If the only answer to the bandana question is, "Because those are the rules," then the rules don't make any sense. However, if the answer to the bandana question is that PF is profiling me and judging me to be a threat to the facility based on my wearing of a particular type of head scarf, then we have some serious prejudicial behavior going on in the executive offices of Planet Fitness. 

I'm not so naive as to not be aware that there are gangs, thugs, drug dealers and other less-than-savory types lurking about our streets. Heaven knows, they're all probably crushed to the core to know they can't wear their gang-regalia into Planet Fitness and work out next to all the vulnerable good "normal" folks in baseball caps. 

There's just one problem with this blanket condemnation of everything but baseball caps: the druggie and gang types in our neck of the woods often wear baseball caps. So what is being accomplished here? 

Yes, I could stop wearing my bandanas -- but this is still America and I'm not willing to give up my right to tie my hair up in a blue cotton-print bandana if I so choose -- just to save a few bucks by signing up with Planet Fitness. I stand to lose a lot more by allowing myself to be judged in this manner. It's not worth it. If anyone else agrees, I hope they will make their voices heard as well.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/02/2011 11:01 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/planet-fitness/port-jervis-new-york-12771/planet-fitness-no-way-is-this-place-a-judgement-free-zone-they-judge-you-port-jervis-724865. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
1Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#2 Author of original report

freedom of choice has its risks

AUTHOR: consumer12771 - (USA)

POSTED: Tuesday, May 03, 2011

I agree with everything the respondent has posted; just want to make clear that I do not feel any one group has a right to special headgear over another. If I or you are made uncomfortable by someone's "different" way of dressing, we need to get a grip and examine our own fears and presuppositions about other people.

I have given a lot of thought to whether or not I should go back to PF and wear a baseball cap to cover my bad hair days. I've thought a lot about the scary people who DO wear bandanas as "colors" and whether I should let them be the cause of me giving up wearing my own favorite cotton headscarves.

When Planet Fitness can show me why a bandana is more dangerous to wear than a baseball cap while exercising, I will reconsider. Unless there's a better reason than fear, then even baseball caps should be banned.

(I know I'm in a losing battle here -- but somebody has to be the first to stand up and give it a try.)

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#1 Consumer Comment

How do they know?

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Tuesday, May 03, 2011

How do they know that there is not a gang of 60 year old women and that that blue is not your "Color"? 

Seriously though, they are not discriminating against you.  They are treating you exactly as they treat everyone else, based on their posted rules.  Clothing choice by itself is not any protected class that I am aware of.  But if they based who could wear certain clothes based on race or age then that would be discrimination.

The reason behind what you call their lack of sense is that there are members of society who see discrimination in everything and will sue a company at the drop of a hat.  All it takes is for a person of another race to come in see that you are wearing a bandana.  If they then wear one and are told to take it off their next action would be to get a lawyer and sue PF for a few million dollars.  So if you want to blame anyone for thier lack of "sense" blame these "sue happy" people and the laywers who probably wrote the policy. 

I am not saying if the policy is good or bad, I am just telling you the reason why you are not being treated any differently than anyone else.  If you don't care what headgear is worn by anyone then you can complain and try to change their policy.  If they don't then leave.   But if you only want certain headgear worn by certain people then you are really the one who is "judging" other people.

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