Despite making a detailed account of the misrepresentations that caused me to waste £1600 (+£1000 on new kit), New You Boot Camp management responded to me with a two sentence letter declining to refund any of my money. They did not respond to any of the points I made (see previous posting) but only said they they had spoken to all the people involved (who all work for them and who are responsible for the abuse).
For those who missed the saga, I'll recap in a nutshell. I spent the WORST week of my life at what was supposed to be a weight loss boot camp, but what in reality was a badly-run and completely amateur week of physical, emotional and verbal abuse.
Since my initial complaints -- and complaints to Trading Standards regarding advertising misrepresentations -- the camp took down some of the blatant lies about aromatherapy candles and soaps and luxury linens on their website, and have updated their website to make it more clear what they are offering.
They obviously know -- or Trading Standards told them -- that their website was deceptive when I booked!
Despite the changes, they do not clearly outline the following points:
- The camp is only suited for women who need to lose a few pounds -- it's not for obese people;
- No matter your level of health or fitness, you will be pushed to sprint, lift weights and keep up with the thin, healthy girls;
- You will be abused verbally, physically and emotionally;
- You will be punished by doing push-ups on gravelly concrete if any of the other girls commits any small infraction (whether they know it's an infraction or not);
-- there will be no medical attention and no medical precautions taken.
I've since learned that the company is well known in the industry for its shoddy approach-- despite only launching this year. I've been told by friends of mine who attended The Camp in Scotland (which apparently is very professional, safe and not abusive) that they had heard many stories similar to mine. In fact, apparently one of the owners of New You Boot Camp previously was the PR girl for The Camp and figured she could make lots of money by duplicating the idea without investing in facilities, staff or resources. Great plan. It seems to be working.
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2 comments:
I STRONGLY DISAGREE!!! I have attended this bootcmap TWICE in last 6 months and had A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE! In fact I had a fantastic time! The girls who attended the camps I went on have been of mixed ages...18 up to 59 and different sizes....8 to 24 and all fitness abilities from girls who have NEVER exercised to girls who run half marathons for example. So it really is a mixed bag! There is a basic programme of events that everyone has to complete but you work at a level that is pushing you....my level of exertion to get same results would be different to the next person. The staff completely understand that and all they ask is that you be honest as to why you are there in the first place and to give it 100% effort! The staff are amazing - the work hard all week to motivate you, inspire you and make it fun all at same time! It is not an easy week - nothing in life is given and you have to work hard for what you want! They do not physically or mentally abuse you in any way - in fact this could not be further from the truth - the trainers want you to succees and genuinely care that you acheive what you set out to do and get the results at the end of the week! There is always one member of staff there who is trained in sports injury and massage - these guys are fully qualified and experienced and would not make you train on an injury - you can alway adapt a programme to work different areas of the body. I urge anyone reading Jana's comments to look at all the positive testimonials from happy campers on the New You Boot Camp website - they speak for themselves! Jana this experience was clearly not for you but the concept does work for others and it is a shame you are trying to ruin it for people that might get a lot out of it!
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