Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
We just got this confirmation from one of the employees:
Cheetah will be reopening. The Bucktown and Andersonville locations will be open on Sunday September 9th, Edgewater hopes to follow in a couple of weeks. David Wilshire will no longer be operating Cheetah, employees will be paid, and members are encouraged to come back with the realization that Cheetah is a good facility with a good staff ...
This is VERY good news for us, although we're feeling for all the folks who bolted to other gyms and are now locked into membership contracts elsewhere.
UPDATE 9.10.2007: We worked out there this morning and the staff was very accommodating. We told them we couldn't even give them updated billing information yet and they were fine with it, merely asking us to keep them up-to-date. The only real change we noticed is the abolishment of the "towel rental" charge. Everything else appears to be back to normal, and the staff is doing their best to reassure members who might be wary of rejoining. And, actually, we can't blame wary ex-members. We'd probably feel more secure ourselves if a full explanation of what went on was made public.
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"we're feeling for all the folks who bolted to other gyms and are now locked into membership contracts elsewhere."
Actually, in Illinois you have a 30 day trial period for any health club. This means, that you get to cancel your membership if it's within 30 days of signing up, and you get a full refund.
well that's good to know. thanks guest!
i can't wait to start working out again!!! i love the entire staff, and can't wait to see my gym friends again!!!
I'm glad. Especially for the staff and employees, but also for my selfish self as I live in Andersonville and like walking to the gym.
I'm sure this is last priority for everyone directly involved in all of this, but does this mean the Logan Square location might actually happen? I want to walk to the gym too!
I really hope Edgewater reopens. My wife has been going for a month or so, and the baby-sitting / kids-gym service at Edgewater has simply been a lifesaver for us both. The kids love the people there.
We were incredibly bummed by the closing. It's too early for us to get our hopes up ... but I'm hoping anyway.
Ok, what about those of us that cancelled our September payment?
Also, who is running Cheetah NOW?
How did this happen so quickly?
More info please!:)
I am very happy for my friends in Andersonville and Edgewater who belong to this club and I wish David a speedy recovery. But pardon me for being a little cynical.
If David really is the legal owner of this club chain, there is absolutely no way that a bank could step in that quickly under any circumstance and take over operation. This means that he was actually just the face, as I've always heard, or they are lying and he has agreed to take a back seat while a new owner is found. But what if he renegs?
The fact that the RGM that he publicly accused of being a thief is now running things makes me believe that he was not the sole owner.
What's the real story here?
Do we have a media in Chicago anymore that will ask any questions and not just do the basics and report on his allegations? There's a really good story here and someone needs to do a little digging and uncover it.
No one care's because it is a health club. Call me with some real hard-hitting corruption and fraud.
Guess we were all left a bit parched after George Ryan, Blago, Daley, et al.
In all seriousness, you have multiple posts about this nonsense and not a single mention about the Gov's main-man being a convicted "terrorist?"
No. 9 -- where did you pull the "terrorist" quote from? let's see you back up your ridiculous post with a fact. guess you can't, because you have no facts. i hate blago, but i also hate people who lie, but unfortunately this site has spiraled into a morass of flaming, lies, name-calling and the like, so you won't be held accountable.
as for the re-opening of cheetah, sorry, i stopped payment two days ago and until i see a multiplex or crunch or x-sport or any other nameplate over the door, i am not going back.
What a mess. I wonder how many other people stopped payment on their credit/bank cards? I'd hate to be the person sorting that disaster out.
Ok, what about those of us that cancelled our September payment? Also, who is running Cheetah NOW?
How did this happen so quickly? More info please!:)
Does anyone have news on this issue -- for those of us who canceled our September payment and had our banks issue new debit cards to stop further payments?
I don't know how Cheetah's David could suddenly be removed, legally, as owner within a period of a couple days. Because of this, I'm really wary of coming back to the gym. What if David returns (and in full paranoiac megalomania)? A lot of other folks I've talked to feel the same way, and we're wondering what kind of new system is being put into place to prevent this stuff from happening again.
If anyone has more info on this part of the saga, please post here. Thanks!
Oh yay, I get my "friends" back!
Does anyone think Dave Wilshire should have been a little more vigilant about his business and responsibilities to his members? A million dollars embezzled from under his nose and he doesn't hold himself at all responsible? That note that he wrote on the Cheetah website is an insult and is clearly intended insulate his ego from the truth.
Happened by the Andersonville Cheetah's tonight and saw the signs that they're re-opening. Then Reza came by. Reza is the owner of Reza's restaurant across the street and the landlord at Cheetah's Andersonville.
It seems there are other investors and creditors besides Reza, and Wilshire has lost control. The creditors and investors are bringing back the Cheetah staff, who always seemed like they did a fine job of running the place.
If you paid by credit card you can call the company and tell them you won't challenge the payment. At least that's what I'll do.
I'm really happy. I toured the other gyms. Body Fit near Lawrence & Broadway was new, clean and Chris the owner was super nice; Galter is gigantic and impressive. But Cheetah's was around the corner and I came to love the place.
Poster #10 are you the only person on here with any sense. At first everyone was offering up any gossip about Cheetah and David and threatening to sue . Tons of complaints about credit card fraud and debit card fraud. Then all of a sudden word comes that Cheetah is reopening in a few days after the worst business close down I have ever seen and EVERYONE STARTS SAYING I CANT WAIT TO GO BACK. Are these people just stuck on stupid? so now they go back to Cheetah and give the club their new credit card/debit card numbers with very little information about what happened in the first place. I know when a restaurant is closed down due to a negative health inspection, I don't return.
If you are swindled out of your money once you return to Cheetah after this big fraud then you deserve to have someone wipe out your bank account.
I reposted the # 10 comment below.
"as for the re-opening of cheetah, sorry, i stopped payment two days ago and until i see a multiplex or crunch or x-sport or any other nameplate over the door, i am not going back."
[10] Posted by: guest | September 7, 2007 9:14 PM
I'll Go Back,And For All You Who will Not, Fine, No Waiting At The Machines. And I Hope David IS Around So I/We , The Memebers Who Believe In Him, Can Let Him Known We Support Him With All This Mess. For All Of You Who Have Joined Other Clubs, Enjoy, Good Luck, We'll Miss You At Cheetah, The Coolest Gym In Chicago.
Wow, #17, I didn't think I would ever come across something more annoying that all lower/upper case -- congratulations on your accomplishment.
Well, I'm one of those people who moved to a new gym, Edgewater Athletic Club. Edgewater is adequate but lacks a lot of equipment.
I'm not going back to Cheetah except to make sure to make sure I'm officially canceled as a member. It's not that I don't miss the gym and the equipment but I'm not going to be paying for two gyms. This whole thing just makes me surly.
David may be the "legal owner" but it was done under a limited partnership. David did not build this with his own money! I'm sure there was a default clause that allowed the partners to take over the business if the owner failed to perform. I'm sure the limited partners have engaged a lawyer to take possession and run the business pending a sale. This is far from over.
I look forward to the follow-up posts about how members that went back got screwed over again.
Please tell me that the person who complained about media is not a journalist! - care's????
Yikes.
My trainer recommends not going back because Cheetah has not yet let them know what their new salaries will be under the new membership.
I do have $900 bucks of training sessions that I purchased there. I'm really hoping they will just refund my money so that I can spend that training in a gym that doesn't give me such a headache. I can't be worrying from moment to moment that they are going to have another failed suicide attempt (whether it is the business's or the owner's attempts).
I did enjoy the Edgewater location immensely, convenient and clean, staff awesome. But David Wilshire is an ahole, and in case he ever has anything to do with the gym again, I will not go through this crap again. He's a nutjob, clearly, and had I bothered to check out what the Better Bus Bureau said about Cheetah (not recommended) I would have never laid down the phat cash to begin with. My bad, and I learned my lesson.
I hope that David stays hospitalized for a long, long time. And after that I hope that he goes to jail for a long time and then has to take a job wiping the equipment down at Bally's.
David Wilshire worked as the governor's terrorist??? Where is the support for this accusation?
The "terrorist" comment had nothing to do with the nutcase "owner" of of this trend spot, but with Steven Guerra, Blagojevich's aid who was convicted in the 1980s for refusing to testify in New York in a grand jury investigation of FALN, a terrorist group of Puerto Rican separatists. The comenter was wondering why Chicagoist was getting so hung up on this stupid gym and hadn't said anything about Guerra.
Cheetah gym closing is to terrorism as apples is to oranges.
What's interesting to me is that people are irritated by the mere mention of this topic. I think there is a often some contempt held against people who either pay for gym memberships or perhaps just work out.
yeah, the people annoyed with us at being annoyed for cheetah stealing our money are totally fat.
When David shut down Cheetah, the bank that owned the loan had the legal right to take over the business. It has, and most of the staff is returning. David will not (and cannot) be involved. By not supporting the gym, you would only hurt the rehired employees who love the gym, care about their clients, are working their butts off to get the gyms reopened, and are are trying to pay their rent.
#28 PREACH IT!!! Cheetah is the best and so are the employees. I walked by today and the employees were all in there working there asses off to get everything ready for tomorrow. Thank you, and I can't wait to come back tomorrow and work out....as for david, get better....but don't try to screw anyone over again!
No. 28 -- so now it's run by a bank and the previously silent partners? yeah, that makes me feel much better. like our president has said, fool me once, shame, shame. fool me twice, well, you won't get the chance to fool me twice. i wouldn't be going back there if i worked there, and i certainly won't be going back there as a member.
I'll be there Sunday, ready to work out.
IS THAT BETTER FOR YOU #18. It's a beautiful day, get out, enjoy. Your reply was at 9:00am?? Craigslist does have a rant and rave page, (if you can pull yoursell away from the M4M) Sorry if the caps sent you over the edge. Let's stay focused on the subject of a club closing/re-opening. CHEETAH GYM RULES!!!!!!!!
#28, how could he "fool you twice" if he's not involved any longer? Makes zero sense.
There was a guy who goes to the Andersonville Cheetah and also goes to my church, St. Gregorys. One of the nicest and most decent people you'd ever want to meet. Apparently he slipped on water they didn't mop up in the lockerroom and he complained. Right after that David started harrassing him so he would leave the gym because David (a.k.a Mr. Lawsuit) was afraid someone would sue HIM first. What a joke. Then something went down and this guy said he was going to deck David if he didn't stop bothering him and then had him arrested and in lock up overnight. What's pretty damn funny is that the guy he arrested comes from a police family. His dad and uncles are all cops. LOL I But I heard David apologized and gave him some free membership time because I've seen the guy there there since. I would never be so forgiving. I guess church does teach you to forgive.
the owner of cheetah was one weird dude
No, my annoyance with this topic isn't prejudice toward fit people or anything of the sort. It's simple amazement at the attention this topic has garnerd, as compared to other topics that impact far more people in the Chicago area. It's the lack of perspective this suggests. I mean the first article got 433 comments, for Christ's sake.
It just emphasizes how wrapped up in their own petty worlds Chicago people are. This is what excites them. This is what spurs their outrage. It's absurd.
#17/31, if you're the type of psychotic that works out at Cheetah, then good for you, you can have the gym all to yourself.
And wow, yeah, I slept in and lounged on a blog with coffee at 9 a.m.! Amazing! I know, I should have been out working on my pecs. Most of the writers on this blog were probably still sleeping at that time, I don't understand what the fuck your point is.
#18/36, maybe you should lay off the java. promise, i'll keep the caps to lower. just relax,
anger transference....ask your therapist, he'll get you through it. maybe you should join a gym to relax, get rid of that complex anxiety..again, ask your therapist.
Guest #35, we are a local site dealing with local issues. No one disputes that there are more pressing matters that deserve attention in the world today. I think that that response this news has elicited is actually pretty positive though. It appears to address the sense of community engendered by independent businesses, and the effect that has on many Chicagoans day-to-day lives.
If a Balley's or an XSport suddenly closed, most folks probably wouldn't care, but Cheetah is a gym that makes itself part of the neighborhood community and I can't see how that, or the fact that people care, is a bad thing.
No. 32 -- i said i was paraphrasing our president; it shouldn't make sense.
CHEAT-A-JIM
#40-- LOLROF
LOL @ the idiots that #1 are returning to work for a company in dire straits, and #2 the idiots that will continue to give their money to said company.
If you think all of the problems were solved in a few short days, you'll be SADLY mistaken.
Closing a place of business for a couple of days does not warrant a bank supposedly taking over along with some mysterious silent partners. Demand answers before you go back, because rest assured - the nutcase will be back soon as well....
The sign on Cheetah front door as of this evening reads "The owner is not actively involved with the new management".
In other words, Wilshire isn't going anywhere. That place is so seedy, so corrupt ... eww yuck ...
p.s. Love the CHEAT-A-JIM . Kudos to whoever came up with it.
re: #9, et. al: I have to say how much I love the folks who come on forums just to talk s**t, and I'm going to give them a little more attention just to give them something to occupy themselves. Besides, I can't get to sleep.
The fact that people are infuriated over being ripped off by a gym they paid good money to use has nothing at all to do with the war, the gov. of Illinois, global warming, starvation, terrorist threats, our priceless president, or any other of major issue we're dealing with. It's pretty awesome that so many people helped keep information going and tried to help each other out w/info on cancelling payments, how to contact the BBB and other agencies, law suits, etc. It's a good way to start getting something accomplished.
Seriously...what kind of bitter, sad moron goes to a forum to rag on people for something they themselves don't give a s**t about? If you want the press to report on something more important than gym members getting ripped off, why don't you spend your free time contacting them...we did for our "minuscule" issue (although if stole $500-$1,000 from you, and got you fired, I'd bet it wouldn't seem quite so frivolous). Better yet, why don't you just get a life--one that involves actually DOING something other than pi**ing on people who are trying to deal with a situation. Make an "I hate Illinois terrorists" t-shirt, start your own "I hate people who go to gyms" blog, look at porn, anything...at least you'd be doing something. Seriously: look at your life and wonder what you could accomplish if you didn't just sit around talking s**t. Good luck.
http://www.cafepress.com/iwasrobbed/
what about cheat-yah gym?
I am surprised that anyone thinks there is a possibility of David Wilshire regaining control of the gym. The gym has been taken from David by the bank (MB Bank) because David has defaulted on his loans. They are going to sell the gyms, most likely to a chain. David will never be involved in the management of the gyms again. He will probably be hit with embezzlement and tax fraud charges any day now. I am sure that his homes in Rogers Park and Los Angeles will be repossessed and sold too.
Does this mean the dues will drop to 19.00?
THE FAKE PRESS RELEASE THAT WAS HERE HAS BEEN PULLED AT THE REQUEST OF BALLY TOTAL FITNESS
That's not true.
I guess all that money he gave to charity he should have been paying his employees and bank debt. LOL. He always wanted to be such big shot.
He had to own the bank a ton in order for them to step in and take over.
I don't know him but from his letter on his website and interviews with the press this guy is a real jerk and deserves what ever comes his way.
He blamed good employees for his own actions.
Bally Total Fitness is in chapter 11 and would not be able to buy Cheetah. (See the BTF web site at: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97646&p=irol-irhome for information on their reorg plans.
The Sunday Trib has the following story:
Cheetah Gyms to reopen under bank management
Tribune staff report
September 9, 2007
Days after members arrived at neighborhood Cheetah Gyms to find locked doors and signs indicating that the gym would be closed indefinitely, the three locations in Chicago are reopening under new management.
"Pretty much what has happened is that the bank has taken over," said Angie Frank, who as regional manager was one of the employees accused by former owner David Wilshire of stealing in a "graft and theft" operation that Wilshire said forced him to close the gyms.
Frank will function as the chief operating officer of Cheetah Gyms after they reopen under the management of MB Financial, the bank that held Wilshire's loans.
The Bucktown and Andersonville gyms will be the first to reopen Sunday. Edgewater will open by Wednesday, Frank said.
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Link to story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-cheetahs_09sep09,1,3336897.story
So basically, a bank that has no active role in the management will be running the place.
HAHA!
I'll still be returning on Monday, but only to make sure my membership is canceled. If Equinox or David Barton bought the gyms, I'd think about returning - otherwise I'll happily go elsewhere.
So the gym closed and is now reopened under new management...is my contract still valid?
While there are no proper alternatives in the Bucktown area, we're not going back to Cheetah. We showed up the next day after the close at 5:30 to two TV crews and a closed door which I felt all along would happen. Didn't hear about it prior. Part of what we liked about Cheetah, tremendous access to weights and benches in the morning because hardly anyone is there, isn't good for sustainable business. I don't believe they can pull out of this down spin without changing the model to either that of a Bally's low price and load the gym with people model or a long contract model. I went a couple times during the "busy period" and it wasn't really busy and it made me wonder, how the heck is this place getting by? Even after the New Year, when all of the resolution short-termers sign up, I didn't notice a difference in # of people. Thought that to be the kiss of death.
I JUST CALLED BUCKTOWN CHEETAH SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE, then you will need to go in person to the club to cancel the membership so that you don't get the monthly charge on your credit card, if that's what you had set up. You can't do it over the phone. We'll go this week and we've also disputed the charge at the end of August. We also bit the bullet and joined East Bank because we have to work out and we realized how important it was to go, and we can't go to Bally's, which is where we started when we first moved to Chicago. Probably would have gone with Xsport on Elston, but they won't open until AT LEAST December.
Cheetah Bucktown, you were great while you lasted but Adios. You will not survive as we know it.
PS You shouldn't have fired Billy in the morning either - he was the best and most trustworthy guy you had. Also, quit playing elevator music (harps, french horns, etc.) in the steam room, whackjobs!
#52: That's why the bank retained the current GM who was trying run the business anyway while David drained it of money. I'm sure it's temporary while the package it up to offer for sale. These types of deals don't happen overnight. There's needs to be an independent audit and the proper court papers filed so Wilshire isn't able to impact a deal or delay one trying to take back control. It all depends on how the company was structured and none of us really knows that detail.
We won't know who's name will be on the door a few months from now, but as long as the bank owns and operate it the will keep it up to keep it attractive to a potential buyer. They may actually fix things to make it look better to a buyer. What do you gain by pulling out now? Protect a single month of dues? I'll continue to go since it's walking distance for me.
#53
East Bank Club? You have Equinox and David Barton in the immediate area. Why on earth would you go with a 'gym' straight out of the 80's that gets by on it's style and name more than it's substance?
wow, bucktown had a working steamroom? geez, the andersonville one always had a 'sorry for the inconvenience' sign on it, well, that's when it didn't have a 'the steam room is closed because people are having sex in here' [i paraphrase] signs on it. i won't miss having to step around wet floors and cleaning equipment being left out in the lockeroom, going to get a drink from water fountains that don't work, having to step around people stretching in front of another water fountain because there was just no damned room to move around in the place, etc...
i will miss the TVs on every treadmill, though, but that's about it. i feel badly for the employees who had to deal with his crap, but its just not a very wise move to give your money as a member to a place that seems in such disarray, especially when i went to the trouble already of filling out the forms at my bank to stop future payments to cheetah.
Good riddance to Willshire. And to the guy who's troubled about the number of posts about this little gym chain, trust me, there are plenty of venues to read about the world's troubles. I work for one of them, the Trib. Frankly, I'm glad there's a forum for stuff like this that could never break into the Trib's or Sun-Times' space. By the way, Alvaro Colom is leading in the Guatamalan elections, in case you're here for that.
Does anybody remember the incident in the lobby of Andersonville about a month ago. Alderman O'Connor, Reza and the Farraguts people all came in to look at and discuss the flooding/sewage problem in the locker room and David physically kicked them out. O'Connor calmly left but looked at David and said, "You'll be hearing from us." The next day the place was overrun by inspectors with clip boards. I really think that was the beginning of the end for Wilshire.
I'm sorry, but I just don't see how the bank can take over anything without court orders and a lot of legal wrangling. This had to be in play for quite some time, or the silent partners are just making this up to prop up the business while they try to sell it. I'd be very leery about going back and blindly believing anything these people say.
It depends on the what is in the loan contracts with the bank. And I am sure he was already in trouble with them.
I just can't go back to Cheetah. Too much bad karma! I called and they cancelled my memebrship over the phone with no problems. I had already disputed the September charges.
Oh, come on people. Haven't we rehashed the past enough? Haven't we worked through "the drama and the trauma" of DW's behavior yet? Haven't we told everyone we know yet how unjust it all was?
Look forward and MOVE ON. There is a new management company and DW is no longer in the equation. There is a lot of upside to this: a desire by new management to provide incentives to apologize and retain members; almost certain improvements of those things not as well cared for; the ability to clean house with the staff that were not a good fit for Cheetah; a happier staff; happier members; less time gossiping and more time working out :-).
#60, not sure I understand how not going back is bad karma. It would seem to be the opposite case. NOT going back contributes to your bad karma by holding on to your anger and/or fear. To echo #61, get over it and move on.
I generally try not to ruffle feathers, but quite frankly, most of you sound like a bunch of crybabies.
Does anyone know what membership costs at David Barton or Equinox?
So, let me see if I understand this. David Wilshire left Cheetah Gym to run for president of Guatemala? Is he even Guatemalan?
There's one assumption that a lot of posters are making that's probably incorrect. How do we know that the bank did this quickly? It's possible that this takeover has been in the works for months and that David shut the doors once he realized that they were stepping in any moment. I'm sure his little tantrum and sense of the dramatic is what really lead to the 'closing'. This would have come across as a very smooth takeover if DW had just let it happen.
#65, does it matter whether the takeover happened over the course of a few days or a few weeks? To quote The Wizard of Oz, "Ding dong, the witch is dead." Whether it was a slow or a fast melt, the end result, and benefit to EVERYONE, is still the same.
As a member of Bucktown Cheetah for three years I was bummed to find it suddenly closed. I never had a bad experience, and had it not run aground I wouldn't be leaving. However, something obviously went bad. Like a lot of others, I immediately stopped payment on any further Cheetah Gym billings and took a look at some of the other local gyms. I was actually pleased by what I found. Are they as convenient? No - but I found a few 'close enough' gyms that appeared to be good options.
The first gym I went to was Crunch on North and Sheffield. The facility is clean and larger than Cheetah. They have all of the exercise equipment Cheetah has and more. Crunch has a great view of the city (nice when on the cardio), a boxing ring, swimming pool, many lounge areas to use between sets, wet and dry saunas, and many, many more classes than Cheetah ever offered. Additionally, the lounge areas included XBox video games, classic Frogger games, and generally super comfortable seating. On the whole, a really nice, open facility. The negatives to Crunch include the parking (min. of $4.00 parking in the garage, chancy street parking, or illegal parking in the Best Buy / Whole Foods lot), and a more pricey membership. Crunch also has a childs facility for folks with kids (like myself). However, it was pretty small and really geared to infants and toddlers. I liked the gym, but the dues including the parking would add-up to a really pricey monthly expense. Oh, yeah...and only the treadmills have individual TVs.
The other gym I tried out was XSport. I never liked their hard-sell attitude, but I decided to check out the facility in Pipers Alley. Again, the equipment is pretty much the same as that at Cheetah (but more). The elipticals at XSport appeared more worn than Cheetah, but I found it all in working condition. All of the cardio equipment have individual TVs. In addition there is a climbing wall, 4 lane lap pool, wet and dry saunas, basketball court, and fairly inexpensive tanning facilities for members. Also, XSports has a good array of group classes spread thoughout the day, and is open 24 hours. The membership is less expensive than Cheetah as well. Monthly memberships include a $199 processing fee and $49 monthly payments. Annual memberships are $639 and include an additional 3 months on the end of the first 12. Moreover, whoever joins the Piper Alley's facility also gets access to all of the other XSport facilities free of charge (they have a tiered facility structure of A, B, and C with A being the best. A's can go to all other A's, B's, and C's. B's can go to all other B's and C's, or A's with an additional per visit charge). XSport also has a nice childs area that includes a bank of kid friendly video games and various art activities. It's priced at a $1 per child for each 2 hours. Finally, XSport is opening sometime in the near future by the Elston Target which will make it even more convenient. The down-side of XSport is all the bad posts about it's billing practices. A lot of negative posts about suspect and just plain incorrect automatic charges. I asked about this during my visit and they said they just got a new billing system that has cleared up 99% of the charges. I'll take them at their word. Anyway, I liked XSport and will probably be signing-up.
I went to Bucktown Fitness a couple of years ago, and found it to be smaller than I wanted. It's not for me, but it is VERY convenient and may be a good option for anyone that just wants to work-out without any of the amenities at the larger gyms.
In closing, I enjoyed my time at Cheetah and wish only the best for the employees and for those still choosing to be members. Myself, I don't want to chance another orginizational oops with my money on the line, and I found other options that were cheaper and better suited to my needs and wants.
Good luck to all.
David Wilshire is solely to blame for all of this - I think it's silly that people are not going back to cheetah because of the actions of one a**hole. The right people are in management/re-employed now and DW is gone - which should have happened a long time ago.
Some of you are really pathetic. I mean seriously stupid. You 'can't go back' and 'refuse to trust them'. IT'S A GYM. You pay around fifty bucks a month to spend as much time as you want in someone's gym and use their equipment. Yes, they closed for 4 days. If you don't want to be a member, you just call up and say you would like to cancel like several of the people on this list have done. But for those of you acting like you are having a life debate over weather you can continue to 'support this establishment', you are being stupid. Do you like the equipment and the gym? If so, stay. Do you hate it and can you no longer sleep for fear that you spending 20 hours in a gym is not worth the $50-something dollars a month you pay them? Then just quit! It can't be hard to do folks.
too bad we don't know how many of the 'everything is the same, the evil witch is gone' posts come from cheetah's 'new management.' i suspect quite a few. just hope they're not the ones calling past members 'pathetic.'
What if it is the old management calling the members pathetic with the hope that readers will actually think it is the new management calling members pathetic. Did you ever think about that? Or perhaps it really is the new management calling members pathetic to make them think it is the old management calling members pathetic to make them think that the new management is calling members pathetic. This needs to be investigated.
71! Ahahahaha
yeah it is obvious that the new management is on this blog trying to convince people to come back to Cheetah. I will trust my instincts however. As someone else said, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...well if you fool me twice then you have evidence that I am an idiot.
it is hilarious that people canceled their credit cards and had new ones issued and then went back to Cheetah after it reopened and gave them their new credit card number. and these are the same people on here accusing others of acting like they are hooked on something.
http://www.cheetahgymclassaction.com/forums/index.php
You guys.
David Wilshire (or someone pretending to be him) has joined the Chicago Class Action Forum and has posted 40 times in 12 hours!! He is in anonymous evil jerk ranting heaven! It is so absolutely crazy to watch.