Fitness programs are meant to encourage people to have a healthy lifestyle, especially for those who struggle to lose weight. But not everyone can afford it as these programs can be quite pricey.
Malaysian Sofia Cholan messaged a local gym on Instagram inquiring if they were willing to assign a personal trainer to her for a minimal fee. She mentioned that she could not afford the programmes that they were offering but expressed her desire to lose weight.
“I DM-ed this gym because I saw that they had a weight loss challenge that was completely free (upon interviews and what not) and also they had classes that are well over what I can spend a month on fitness,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“So I inquired if there was any program or willingness on their side to train me with a minimal fee or less than their usual classes. (Mind you, this is considering the fact that they can’t even be operational at this time).”
Responded with sarcasm and snarky comments
However, the gym responded rudely with no regards to professionalism at all.
They replied, “If you can afford to go overseas I’m sure you can afford our RM880 fees, honey.”
Shocked at such a response, Sofia shared in her post that she has been struggling with weight loss for a long time and that it took a lot of courage to ask for help.
“All I hoped for was a way to help me train and hopefully lose weight since I’ve been struggling for so long and they seemed like a great place to start but I guessed wrong,” Sofia said.
“I’ve been bullied before, but I’ve never been bullied by an organisation that claims to be “for women by women”. How can you attest to that statement if this is how you respond to people?”
Posted Sofia’s personal photos on their Instagram
But the ‘bullying’ did not stop there. The gym took it a step further and posted the conversation they had with Sofia and even her personal photos on their Instagram account to ‘prove’ that she had money.
The caption wrote: “Hmm ? what do you think? Should we ‘help’?”
In another post promoting their weight lost programme, they wrote: “Remember, we don’t want someone that is rude, not taking this seriously, hard headed and no manners.”
While some may argue that fitness programs are expensive because of the equipment they use and the professional training services they provide and that you’ll be getting your money’s worth, many pointed out that an organisation should never respond to a customer this way!
Sofia also clarified in the comments section that her travels had been a graduation gift from her parents and that she never claimed she wasn’t able to afford any fitness programs.
The conversation with the gym continued and the gym responded that they are ‘featured’ in JD Malaysia and Nike and even threatened to see Sofia in ‘court’.
Gyms should not respond to customers this way
After receiving such a response from the gym, Sofia felt she needed to speak up about it and to tell the public that ‘sarcasm and snarky’ comments should not be used to respond to customers or potential customers.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, she said she felt “shocked, hurt, but most of all vulnerable.”
“When I found that they posted my private convo and photos, I decided to take back control of the narrative.”
“It is NOT okay to cyberbully people, anyone, let alone potential customers. My point for posting this incident up was not to say ‘oh look guys this gym isn’t giving me X because XYZ’.”
“No, it was to show people that there are businesses running merely based on putting other people down yet pride themselves of being an empowering and safe space for women.”
“Not all gyms are the same, and this one could certainly use some customer service training or idk a class in kindness? A workshop in compassion? Haha.”
Sofia then encourages people to be brave enough to speak about it if this were to happen to them, and to be strong enough to say “I will find something better for me and this is not gonna stop the journey to lose weight and be healthier”.
“It is important to be okay first with what’s happened before you can create awareness because the information that was shared (in my situation) was very personal – from my current weight to my struggles, goals I want to achieve to even my personal photos shared (without permission),” she told WORLD OF BUZZ.
“For Gym owners or fitness companies, I’d say, always have compassion and empathy. It is not easy for people to buck up the courage to ask for help and when they do, they almost always feel a tint of shame or weakness.”
“So having put myself in a vulnerable position and then having such a response from them, it was horrifying. No business should have such a mindset or approach to getting customers this way.”
The gym has since switched their Instagram account to private.
That was really horrible, how the gym responded to Sofia, who was just inquiring about their prices. If the gym was not willing to take Sofia as a customer, they could have turned her away kindly and professionally instead of being rude and sarcastic to her.
Spread this message so that others will know that this is not how gyms – or any organisation for that matter – should ever respond to a customer!
Also read: Meet Jansen: Once an Obese Boy, Now a Successful Coach to National Athletes With His Own Gym
