The Edge Fitness Clubs

Corrupt billing practices and won’t let you cancel. The Edge is simply a corrupt company that needs to be shut down. Stay away from this one.

Fradulant charges continue! I spoke with the manager of the manchester club a few weeks ago and he ASSURED me the charges for personal training would be stopped after the LAST charge we questioned — the paperwork is extremely misleading — it says you are signing up for four training sessions, which we approved of, but it is very vague and suddenly we found out it is a recurring monthly charge! another $ 257 was just charged to my account this morning even after I agreed with the manager LAST month that I would NOT fight the second charge and would agree to the second payment as long as he PROMISED me (which he did) that no more charges would be made after that.
The charges continue to pile up, the paperwork is vague — I am a Realtor and have never seen contracts as misleading as theirs. when i called this morning the manager was «available, until the person who answered the phone gave him my name — he was suddenly «on another call».

While this is a nice gym and all the ridiculous hoops they make you jump through to quit are really unnecessary. It should be the customers choice as to when and why they want to cancel their membership, the only «allowed» reasons to cancel the membership are if you move too far away from an edge club or if you have a permanent medical condition and you need official paperwork to prove both situations. This just isn’t right. They are many life events that happen to people that they should not have to deal with this pain in the butt cancelation process. What if you can’t afford it anymore or you just don’t want to be part of the gym anymore. Or you don’t fall with in these two very strict reasons. I would think twice about signing up with a gym that basically locks you up and throws away the key. And doesn’t respect your wishes when you want out. I will not be joining a place like this ever again. Make sure you know what your signing into.

UPDATE: After posting this review, I received a response through the Better Business Bureau from The Edge and the matter has been closed. While I will not be returning as a member, the quick turnaround from this escalation is much appreciated.
After being sold on a plan where I can cancel with 30 days notice, and going through the contract with the person who sold it to me on that day, I am now being told I can’t cancel. ABC Financial agreed that based on how they were told to explain the plans, and what was written on my contract, that there may be some missing piece of paper because even THEY couldn’t see how my contract doesn’t let me cancel until after the first 12 months. Either way, they were extremely professional and helpful, and I appreciate their patience. I was then told to call the Fairfield Edge and speak to the manager. My experience with ALL other Edge employees has been absolutely wonderful, but unfortunately it stops there. After an extremely aggressive phone call and getting hung up on by the manager, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and The Edge has yet to respond. Again, I am absolutely willing to pay for the month in between the day I cancel and the 30 days, but The Edge refuses to adhere to the contract that I was sold allowing me to do so.
I am at a complete loss, and feel extremely uncomfortable even calling the manager back, and would feel unsafe going to the gym in person whether to talk to him or use the membership I am still paying for. Before this experience with the manager refusing to adhere to the contract that his employee sold me, and the extreme aggressive and unprofessional conversation with him, I would have given The Edge 5 stars. Unfortunately, this experience has been enough to warrant not only a bad review but to hopefully deter others from going through the same thing I have had to.

The fine points of the agreement don’t just jump right out at you when you click the «join» link on their website. I have excerpted it below. Note that the $ 19.99/mo is a teaser rate for the first year, after which it jumps to $ 24.99. And then the real kicker is that you have to give WRITTEN notice a month in advance to quit. There is also the $ 49.99 annual fee. It’s probably still a pretty good deal, especially compared to more expensive clubs like Equinox, but it’s not a bad idea to read the fine print first.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
I understand that after 12 payments my membership rate will increase to $ 24.99 plus tax (26.58). My membership will continue for successive 30 day periods until written notice of termination of said agreement is received by ABC Financial services, Inc. I understand that I must give 30 days written notice prior to the charge date of the month I wish to discontinue. Writen notice must be mailed by certified mail to ABC Financial Services, Inc., PO Box 6800, Sherwood AR 72 124
I agree to pay an annual club maintenance fee of $ 49.99 (including tax) on or about every May 1^st.

It’s a big gym so you need to accept certain things. A. The staff are going to be socially inept turds to anyone but their friends. B. It’s going to be crowded to the point of being unusable during peak times. C. The cancellation policy is going to be borderline illegal. D. No one is going to have a molecule of gym etiquette. But of course, D. it’s actually a pretty good gym when it’s all said and done.
All of these things are true about the Fairfield Edge. They made me go home and get my membership agreement twice because they screwed up and cancelled my membership. It was the same guy both times too, so yeah «socially inept» is generous. Between 5 – 8 you should just turn around and go home. The cancellation policy is definitely illegal (see the update at the bottom). The dumbbells were constantly all over the place, and the gym is full of morons that, despite living at the gym, won’t put anything back where it belongs.
But real talk, I sampled all the gyms in the area before signing up. This is far and away the best one. The free weights area is actually serious about free weights. The 24/​hour M-​F schedule means you can actually get prowlers in at night. If and when you leave you’ll have no idea how good you actually had it.
Edit: If you do end up cancelling be prepared to lean on ABC Financial, their third party and miserably unethical accounts company. Their move is to just ignore all your emails and continue billing you, because hey if you can’t prove they read it then it must not have happened. Like I said, definitely illegal. Don’t count on any help from the gym. I emailed the gym manager in the middle of all this to let her know what was going on and it got ignored like leg day. Be prepared to goto the ABC Financial website and find the customer care supervisor’s email. If you can’t find it message me and I will be thrilled to hand it over to you and make those chuds do work.

I have been working out here regularly for 3 years with no complaints. Had misfortune to go out to my car and find passenger window smashed and purse that was under the seat gone. Cash, drivers license, and credit cards gone. Staff were completely unsympathetic and did not even offer me a glass of water despite my distress. Police officer told me theft is a regular occurrence at this gym. Very few cameras in the parking lot. No security guard. Next day I went to speak to manager and she said she was not working previous day so whatever. They could care less and seem more interested in signing up new members than providing security. I’m now looking for a new gym.

I am very happy with The Edge Fitness in Fairfield. Love the vibe and the diverse clientele, from young moms, to college kids, serious fitness buffs, to businemen and seniors. It feels like a real community venue. They have recently undergone a major renovation — very tastefully done — and have installed several new pieces of equipment. And, every effort seems to be made to keep the training floor and locker rooms clean and functioning well.
I usually go off-​peak, so have not had any problems with overcrowding or parking. While it is my impression that there is a frequent turnover at the front desk (not sure), everyone is very friendly and have been helpful with any scheduling or billing issues.
I absolutely LOVE my trainer, Carole R. She is experienced, knowledgeable, varies my workouts, tailors them to my specific needs and is a delight to chat with. She is also well-​versed in nutrition and overall well-​being.
The Edge continually provides new programs and classes to keep physical fitness interesting and challenging. My only quibble is that I wish there were more Strong classes, which fit my more moderate level exercise regimen.
Other than that, I have to say that I am very pleased with my Edge experience!

Had an issue with my billing and talked to Katie today. She was very professional and nice and helped explain what the costs where. They had made no mistake. Just wanted to hop on and show that they took the time to answer my questions and explain to me fully. Very happy with the service, machines, and all around atmosphere!!!

I loved working out at Edge Fitness. The facility is great, they have some of the best treadmills (I can’t remember what they are called), and they have more equipment available than most gyms.
It was always packed, but to me that is a good sign so I didn’t mind.
The reason I gave it 3 stars is because I am moving and I see that a lot of people have had similar problems trying to get out of their contracts. I went mid-​August and the front desk hands me an ABC Financial card. I tried to go online and cancel and I ended up having to call, the lady told me of all the things I needed to cancel which seemed weird to me but whatever.
I am moving to England (Where there are no edge fitness gyms). When I signed up, the guy who signed me up did not explain cancellation process even though I told him that day I was moving at the end of the summer and just need a place to stay in shape until then. He said it should be no problem just let them know you are moving. I said great and signed my name. BIG MISTAKE.
Here is the issue — I am a native of NJ where my family still lives and I am headed to play basketball in England. The season is from October — May and I leave on Friday. When I was living in CT, I rented and I never changed my license because I knew I would not be there long enough and its too much of a hassle to switch and then switch right back so I always keep my permanent address in NJ until I decide to buy a house. I do not have what ABC Financial considers to be «proof» that I am moving.
They would not take my plane ticket to England that is from Sept 18 with a return date of May 11^th because it is a return ticket (I am only there for the season). They said its clear I will be returning to the states, I never said I wasn’t, but I will not be in CT. Anyway, here is the last email I have sent them today after being told for the 3^rd time I cannot cancel my membership.
— — — –
Again, it has been over a month I have asked to cancel my membership. I no longer live in Connecticut. I am trying not to get frustrated because I understand that you all are just doing your job and I signed a contract, but this is a gym membership. I will not pay money to a gym (or ABC) that I cannot use any longer and I will not pay the remaining 7 payments. I have provided more information than I probably should have to a gym in order to complete a simple request. To me, this is far beyond ridiculous especially since you have all the «proof» you need in order to cancel my membership. I have sent the following:
My professional contract
My drivers license with my permanent address (NEW JERSEY)
My passport with my state (NEW JERSEY)
My visa for the UK
My certificate of Sponsorship from the team I play for and England Basketball
Letters from the university in England I will be attending
My ticket (which I am aware it is a return, that is why I sent you the information regarding my permanent address in NJ)
I EVEN sent a letter from you guys that you SENT to my address in NJ, which by far blows my mind because it is OBVIOUS that you realize I no longer live in Connecticut and cannot attend Edge fitness.
I am attaching from my bank confirmation of my change of address. My name is at the top right hand corner and you can clearly see that the address is not a CT one. I do not get mail as I have PAPERLESS billing from Bank of America and I will not be in the country when they finally send something to my house to prove to you I do not live in CT.
I have also attached my USPS change of address confirmations.
PLEASE, CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP. Or, unfortunately I will have to seek legal action as you will default my account because I am not willing to pay for a gym I cannot use— my return ticket shows I won’t be back until MAY 2016 and my contract ends in April– and I am not willing to have my credit suffer because for some reason you cannot seem to hit the required buttons in order to cancel my contract. I have been on the phone twice with you guys, I have emailed multiple emails and again I have sent MORE PERSONAL INFORMATION than I ever should (or would) send to anyone.
Please cancel my membership. I would appreciate it.

Pros: Clean, bright facility, newer equipment that is mostly in good shape and promptly repaired. 24 hour access Monday through Friday.
Cons: This place can get very, very crowded, and the front desk staff is truly indifferent. I’ve been going to this gym 4 times a week for two years and I’m greeted perhaps 15% of the time when I check-​in. I occasionally go to Stratford, Trumbull, or Shelton and the staff seem much friendlier there. There is absolutely no sense of community at this place, everyone is in their own little self-​obsessed world — it’s difficult to describe but it’s different than other gyms I’ve been a member of. As others have said, it’s excruciatingly painful to cancel. «abc financial» is a terrible company, I was on hold for a half hour only to be told I need to submit a written cancellation request.
All that aside, the MAIN reason I cancelled my membership is that I travel a lot for work and I need to join a gym with locations nationwide. Something to consider if you’re often away from CT.

Been going to this gym sine it opened many years ago. Over the last year the number of promotional programs to drive high membership has increased. Membership is too high now. It’s consistently overcrowded. It seems the number of trainers has increased leading to less and less space to work out as they take up a lot of real estate especially on the turf. One day while I was working on core exercises on the turf a trainer had his client start pushing the weight sled right through where I was doing planks. The client was literally swerving a 150 lb sled around my head. There were no other spots to workout so I left.
This used to be a good club, but now it’s overcrowded and that one day it felt unsafe. When my term is up, I’ll look for another gym.

So I don’t even know where to start with this.
I came to the Edge Hoping I will find A NICE PLACE TO WORK OUT, instead I found the most pretentious people you could ever meet. Starting with a girl called Melisa, she didn’t really want to talk to me and seemed so distracted. and then they tell me about all those hidden fees that make no sense. and she wouldn’t let me go without buying it was so aggressive. I would never go back there nor recommend it to anyone. plus its such a Lie when they say $ 0 to join BECAUSE ITS NOT. they hit you will all sorts of fees after.

I actually had a really great experience with Chris when signing up here. I took advantage of their $ 0 down or whatever deal. I asked him specifically to outline anything that would be charged to my card (CREDIT CARD FOLKS, do not use a debit). He was completely honest about the yearly maintenance fee and specified that there would be an increase in the monthly rate AFTER a year but if you re-​signed up again it would go back down to $ 20 a month.
I haven’t tried canceling yet as I am still attending this gym so I can’t comment on that.
For $ 20 a month being able to go to multiple locations is great. I now go to Trumbull whenever I can (it’s pretty far) and Fairfield mostly for classes only. The classes here are great. $ 20 for unlimited Yoga, Power Yoga, Kickboxing, Pilates, Spinning, Zumba and whatever else is absolutely fantastic. When I am paying $ 300 a month for a yoga studio in Darien this is like peanuts!
What I love is that I can sign up for a class from my phone. I bookmark the website and have autofill for my username and password. It literally takes me 2 minutes to login, find a class and sign up.
I highly rec Caroline for Yoga and Jen for Spinning. Both are challenging classes but the instructors keep you engaged (especially Jen!). Jen is very motivational and makes you want push yourself harder but beware, the classes fill up very fast and you are basically on top of each other in spinning.
The bathrooms here are fine. They are clean. The locker room area looks a little disheveled and there are a lot of scuff marks on the walls. The tanning booths are out in the open and look HORRIBLE. I will never set foot in one of those booths. They should have one in each locker room or in a separate, tucked away corner room like in Trumbull. Also, are these the oldest tanning booths in the world? Update your equipment!
This gym has a very open floorplan. The cardio area upstairs is decent for working out away from prying eyes. There is a small section where you can do some light weights,/stretching and whatever else you need. The pads are busted up and the mirror is split (which makes no sense? Why not have a full mirror across the entire wall?). There isn’t a lot of equipment to use up there (lack of kettlebells, no stretching bands or resistance bands).
My biggest con with this gym is that A) it’s always super busy and B) NO ONE and I mean NO ONE cleans the equipment.
There is honestly nothing you can do about the amount of people, just pick and choose your times wisely.
The spray bottles are always full because no one cleans anything here. I don’t know if the staff does after hours but if you value your health I would clean everything and wear gloves. The Edge really needs to start enforcing this policy more.
Overall Fairfield isn’t a bad gym. For $ 20 a month you get unlimited classes and a 24-​hour gym. It does need to be updated, severely. With some new paint, updated equipment and more fans it might be more visually appealing. I am of course comparing Fairfield to the beauty that is Trumbull’s Edge but for being in Fairfield you would think it would be a little more classy.

I’ve noticed that lately they’re not fixing the cardio machines, and if they are, they’re just breaking again. Numerous TV’s don’t work and on some ellipticals you can’t adjust resistance. There’s a pair of stairmasters that feel like they’ve been busted for a month. They need to get on that.

The Edge Fitness could be okay. This location is large and has a lot of potential. The problems? They way over register their members. Okay, I get that, but there is nowhere to park whatsoever if you plan on going after work. Okay, well they have other gyms besides this location. Those are overbooked too…
Once you find parking, you’ll get inside and you want to go lift weights, great, except that NO ONE puts them back on the rack. Good luck finding the weights you want. Okay, well you can run instead, except that there are so many people there you might have to wait for 15 – 20 minutes just to get a treadmill. So you decide that you’ll stick it out, since you’ve signed away a year of your life with the company.
Then you come to find out that your credit card was charged $ 90 for one of the months your subscribed to them. You try to call their customer service and find out that they have none (Literally, the number on their website redirects you to the club you joined at), only their front desk staff who are trained to be vague when describing the issue. Why was it $ 90? Well, I lost my credit card and the gym couldn’t process my fee so they charged me a $ 19 late fee on top of my $ 29.99 monthly payment. But wait, that’s only $ 50, where did the other $ 40 come from? That’s their «Maintenance fee» for «keeping their equipment working and up to date». I don’t ever recall that being discussed with me when I signed up.
And that thing about their equipment being up to date… well, they might have decent treadmills (which break often from over-​use) but their «up-​to-​date» equipment can’t even do everything it’s supposed to because the gym doesn’t connect them to Wifi, because they don’t offer it.
Leaving and going to LA Fitness after this month. I’ve had enough.

UPDATE: I have cancelled my membership by emailing
and sent them a copy of my original contract with the email. They have replied and it appears there is no hidden fee for canceling with the 30 days notice I agreed to in my original contract. I should have one more payment and two months membership left. I’ll let you know if the last dip they take off my credit card is correct.
ABC billing is horrendous. They are rude and when they don’t want to fix a mistake in billing they just put you on hold and never come back. They did not present my credit card for my February payment on time. Later in the month they presented for the monthly payment and late fee. My credit card company will not pay. The matter is in my credit card company’s fraud department now. ABC won’t back down. I can’t go to the gym now.
I believe my credit card company is telling the truth because I pay my card off at the end of each month, but ABC insists my card rejected although they have no explanation why.
Overall, the gym is ok. I think the people at the desk are nice. It is a very clean gym. They keep the bathrooms immaculate which is very important to me. They got your typical weight hogs that won’t let anyone use the weights while they are resting. It’s a little too territorial there so I was using weights at home which is ridiculous. Desk staff is empathic to the issue, and try to correct it, but it is a challenge. Members get huffy about it and it’s not worth staff getting punched over it. One member was even reading the New York Times on the bench one morning. They could use a «no testosterone zone» for members who just want to have a nice happy weight workout working in with the weights. Leave the grunt zone for the territorial members.
Classes are great. I follow a few of the Zumba instructors like Claudia, Michael O., and Patrick. Lindsay is a great kickboxing instructor. They are all the best.
I am going to leave because ABC are scammers. Since I don’t use the weights there anyway, I’ll follow my Zumba instructors at Momentum in Fairfield when I want a class.
There have been a lot of complaints about ABC, yet the owners of Fitness Edge choose to ignore them. This is going to hurt their business. What a shame. I will miss the Edge.

Beware some of the locations and their management teams engage in the practice of auto schedule private fitness sessions, and after 8 no shows they book another 8 and the scam goes on.
This is particularly effective against the silver slippers program for the elderly, my mother 86 (unbeknown to her mysteriously booked Her 1 on 1 sessions with a Poeloties instructor and after 8 no show Fitness Edge AKA edge fitness book another 8 sessions on her credit card. When confronted the manger at the Old Greenwich location told her it was out of his hands and that she should complain to the main office, which of course ran her around for months never refunding her money.
Be aware !

I’m currently a member of Planet Fitness and overall I like their services and price. I was thinking of canceling my PF membership and joining The Edge due to all the classes and lots more equipment they have but all these reviews (especially the ones about their billing issues) are scaring me.
I think I’ll stick with PF just to be sure my bank account or credit card isn’t maxed out by The Edge if their billing practices are THAT bad.

$$ Scheme. Cannot Cancel Edge Fitness Membership. Automatic Renewal.
The Edge «is not responsible for payments». You will have to call another company, who will make it Very Difficult to cancel.
In my experience, too, the staff is 1). Uninterested and Incompetent, 2). Condescending and Superior.
Go if you know you want a good grungy gym nearby, just please remember you Cannot Cancel unless you mail/​email proof that you’ve moved 15 miles from any Edge Fitness location (always expanding to entrap new members), and that you’ll continue to be billed if you do not email «
» and request to cancel auto-​renewal.
Beware of Edge Fitness and their «free» or «$ 1» sign up.