GYM operator Planet Fitness is in trouble, after items belonging to a gym-goer were stolen at one of its facilities.
This after the company was told to reimburse a female member who lost her belongings at a training facility in the east of Pretoria, which were allegedly stolen by a member of the gym, said to have done this before.
The incident happened last month.
The client’s Samsung Galaxy A73 5G 128GB and Sumsung Galaxy 5 40mm were stolen.
The Make It Happen Foundation (MIHAFO), which is representing the woman, said Planet Fitness should be held liable for the damages and value of the lost items. The foundation said the company should reimburse the woman for the full purchase price of the items lost and damage caused.
The fitness operator was given until February 2 to do this, but failed to meet the deadline.
MIHAFO founder Harry Masindi said there was intentional disregard for a known risk of an alleged theft as she was placed on a red list.
Masindi said Planet Fitness did not take reasonable steps to alert its members of this “known threat”.
“Planet Fitness’s omission to protect its members from the alleged thief, by way of better safeguards or informing of the risk, and their notice to protect themselves from liability posed a risk of harm to its members, as it did not afford members who fall victim to occurrences of theft any way to question or recover their items following said risk.”
“It is our view that Planet Fitness digital lockers are compromised, as individuals can access individual private lockers as per confirmation,” Masindi said.
Planet Fitness national business manager, Ronelle Naidoo, said the matter had been escalated to their external legal attorneys. Naidoo said it was understandably upsetting for the woman, and that the company regretted that she has been a victim of crime.
“Upon formal investigation, we have been made aware of one separate, but possibly related incident of a locker room theft at our Brakpan club. While the coincidence of the same person accessing both clubs at the time of these incidents is apparent, we must be clear that without any proof to link them, it is only speculation.
“As there are no cameras in the change rooms, and nor were there any witnesses for this said incident, we cannot confirm whether or not the woman secured the locker; as there was no evidence of any tampering and/or forced entry.”
She said further to this, they were not sure why she elected not to heed their advice not to leave valuable items in the change room lockers.
“It is impermissible to have CCTV cameras in the change rooms and it is otherwise not possible to ensure their security. All members are invited, at no charge, to store valuables in secure lockers that are made available to them and in respect of which security arrangements, including CCTV surveillance, are operational.
“We have had two locker room incidents at the Olympus Club in the last six months, one of which, was the woman’s alleged theft.
“At this point, we are cooperating with the local law enforcement entity as they investigate this matter which now falls outside of Planet Fitness’ jurisdiction. Should a member be found guilty of a criminal act, access to our clubs would be denied, and their profile blocked,” Naidoo said.
Naidoo further said with thousands of gym-goers visiting their Clubs every month, their managers and floor staff assisted and supported members daily on many different levels.
“The one area where cameras are prohibited from being installed by law, for reasons of privacy, is the changeroom area. For this reason, Planet Fitness has three types of lockers: normal change room lockers, bag lockers, and a highly visible bank of ‘valuables lockers’ located in a controlled environment where we are permitted to install cameras set up for constant CCTV surveillance.
“The safety of our members and their belongings is paramount and large signs and posters prominently display messages urging gym-goers not to leave valuables in changeroom lockers. These lockers are designed to hold gym bags and clothing and should not be mistaken for safety deposit boxes,” Naidoo said.
The woman, who preferred anonymity, she said the theft happened on January 18, 2024. She said she was informed that the perpetrator was a member of the gym (National membership) and was suspected to have done this at a few other Planet Fitness gyms.
“The lady is from Brakpan and visited Planet Fitness Olympus for the first time. She was sitting in the change room for a long time, supposedly accessing different lockers until she managed to steal my devices.
“I was informed that the gym management team was able to identify her as she had done this at other Planet Fitness gyms, and she was not flagged on the system. Had she been flagged, I would have not suffered a loss.
“The gym management did not flag her on the system and were therefore negligent, and caused this loss. They now claim that the contract that a member signs fully indemnifies them, even in instances where they were negligent.
“They also referred me to the board at the entrance of the gym that states the terms and conditions when visiting the gym.
“It seems like all their lockers are compromised as this perpetrator is part of a syndicate and they have a way of accessing the lockers. How did this person unlock a locked locker? Other unsuspecting members who do not know about this will experience loss.
“The gym refuses to accept responsibility and replace the items. My watch and phone were not insured, and I lost my photos and videos. The gym management does not care. This Planet Fitness team does not care and simply tells you that they have closed the matter,” she said.