Orangetheory Fitness Atlanta – Buckhead

BEWARE of sharing bank information with this location! I have had to open disputes with my credit card company because the company refuses to stop charging me even though I cancelled months ago. The manager was completely useless when I called last month, saying she would lose her job if she refunded me for the membership fee they fraudulently charged. All she was able to do is say I would not be charged again. Come next month ANOTHER $ 150 monthly membership fee was deducted from my account. The office refuses to work with me and corporate directs me back to the local so I have been forced to file with my credit card company.
It is a great workout and I used to rave about their customer service but whatever changes they implemented have destroyed their reputation. I will also be filing with the better business bureau.
BEWARE TO ALL NEW MEMBERS go somewhere else!

I really enjoyed my first workout at the Orangetheory Chastain location, so I figured I’d give the Buckhead location a try. Since I’ve only taken one class, I was new to the whole process. I was very very unhappy with the service I received. I showed up early but the people working the front desk didn’t even acknowledge I was there. What really upsets me is that I didn’t even get to participate in the class because the front desk had completely forgotten about me.
I had great customer service at the Chastain location and was expecting the same at the Buckhead location. It’s disappointing when you schedule a workout and you can’t participate. Terrible thing to do to a new client.

Amazing workout! Wish it wasn’t so expensive but I Iove the non stop workout. I leave feeling like I did some real work!

Horrible experience. My gf and I were looking to join a gym that was a bit «different» which would challenge us. We had a great free session after which one of the staff took us though the payment options and cut us a couple deals on membership options. We said we’d take it home and discuss, but we were both keen to join up, and we even told a few friends who all wanted to join as well just based on our recommendation. I called the next week and said we had three friends who wanted to join with us and could we discuss a slightly lower joining rate based on bringing them some business. The staff member on the phone said that would be great and we should come in and he’d sign us up. Cue «bait and switch». My gf went in to discuss the payment plan and the three bros behind the counter dismissed her telling her they couldn’t negotiate and she had no idea what she was talking about, essentially calling me a liar. She was standing next to me when I made the initial phone call. We both loved the workout and thought this might be a different experience, but alas, same horrible gym service and customer service as we’ve come to expect from any regular gym. Lame.

What a joke this place is. My review is strictly about how they handle business, well i guess there faulty equipment is a joke too.
So half the time the heart rate monitors never work and there are constantly treadmills that dont work but my review is about how they handle business.
My credit card was stolen in December and I had to get a new one. During this month and early January I was traveling out of the country so I didn’t update my form of payment with orange theory. They called me ONE TIME to let me know it needed to be updated and I returned the call the same day leaving a voicemail. I never heard from them again until about 2 weeks later. They called and emailed saying if I didnt call them back they would be forced to send my outstanding payment to a collection agency. I called them back the SAME DAY that emailed me that and they said sorry we have already sent it to collections. So now I have a negatively affected credit history and having to deal with this all because of 1 payment. Not a company I want to do business with.

Overall, I’m happy with Orange Theory. I go to the Buckhead, Sandy Springs, and Howell Mill locations. My rating would waver between a 3.5 and 4 depending on whether the equipment is working (see below).
Pros: a much better workout than if I just went and did my own thing at the gym. The workouts are varied so you shouldn’t get bored. It’s a nice balance of cardio and strength exercises, and the heart rate monitors help you see whether you’re challenging yourself. Also, the workouts can accommodate different fitness levels: you can powerwalk, jog, or run depending on your ability and still get a great workout. There are several different instructors, so you can easily find 2 – 3 whose coaching style you enjoy, and most of them are good about modifying exercises to accommodate any injuries or restrictions you might have. If you go to the same locations regularly, you get to know familiar faces and feel like you’re part of something. Plus, as the coaches get to know you, they learn what kind of encouragement you best respond to, and they know when/​how to push you to do more. My faves are Jason and Alana (Buckhead), Espo and Chris (Sandy Springs), and Courtney (Howell Mill). For me, the best coaches are the ones who are supportive rather than demeaning («you can do it» vs. «don’t be a quitter»), know the members by name, can modify exercises on the spot, don’t take themselves too seriously, and will adjust the music for the situation (i.e. if we’re doing a sprint on an incline, go ahead and fast forward to a song with a a great beat). Overall, they seem to have weeded out the lackluster front desk folks-​most of them are friendly, acknowledge you as soon as you enter, and are happy to answer your questions.
Cons: unlike the locations I’ve visited in California, the Atlanta spaces are not well ventilated; it can get pretty steamy/​disgusting in the winter. The heart rate monitors (and/​or the televisions that display your heart rate and/​or the computer system that tracks your heart rate) are frequently on the fritz. For $ 150 month, I’d like the system to be more reliable. I don’t know if this is an ownership/​franchisee issue (i.e. not paying for updated equipment) or an issue across all OTF locations, but I’ve never had this problem at the California locations. Another issue is germs; I’ll admit that I’m a germaphobe, but I can’t be the only one bothered by the fact that not all members (or even the coaches) are good about wiping down the equipment. There have been times when I’ve watched a class end, no one wipes down their equipment, and then it’s time for my class to start with dirty machines. It grosses me in out general, but especially in flu season. Lastly, the bathrooms can get pretty messy.