I visited this location as a guest of my mother and left extremely disappointed—not because of the gym's security policy, but because of the way we were treated.
Upon arrival, my ID was requested, held, scanned, and a photocopy was made while my phone number was written down. After my workout, my mother and I politely asked about the copy that had been retained. The employee who handled my ID acted as though she did not know what we were referring to, I then reminded her that she had taken my id, scanned, and held it. We then politely requested a manager.
For me, this was not a trivial concern. Due to my professional background and holding security credentials, I have been trained to exercise caution regarding the copying and retention of photo identification documents. I fully respect that businesses may have their own procedures, but customers should be able to ask reasonable questions about how their personal information is handled without being treated dismissively.
When we asked to speak with a manager, an employee named Sandy—who we later learned from the Regional Manager was not actually the manager—approached us and took over the conversation. Rather than listening to our concerns or calmly explaining the policy, she repeatedly talked over us, raised her voice, and dismissed our questions. In fact, during the conversation, she rudely asked my mother if she was a member, despite my mother being the member who had brought me as her guest. This only reinforced our impression that she had not listened to our concerns from the beginning.
My concern was never that the gym has a security policy. As a business owner and security professional, I understand the importance of policies. Instead of receiving an explanation, we were met with hostility. Even as we stated that we would simply contact corporate for clarification, Sandy made the unnecessary remark, "I should have charged you," despite my being a guest and not even residing in the state.
Policies can be enforced professionally. Customers asking reasonable questions about their personal information should be treated with courtesy and respect. Unfortunately, that was not my experience here.
Thankfully, there are fitness centers in my area that better align with my expectations for professionalism and customer service. I have no intention of returning to a place where reasonable questions are met with hostility rather than respect.