What'S Up At California Wow? Doors Closed...

[tropo]

Tony's is an awful gym because of the lack of adequate AC for cardio workouts. I can deal with the weights. Took me a week to recover from an interval session on the treadmills on 3rd road Tony's. Not in jest - I think I had a mild heat stroke and almost past out. Not bragging but I do my intervals at 5 min mile pace ( only 1 machine that has the power and the fan blows above it and offers no relieve) and my heart rate screams. Jomtien has 2 nice treadmills but the fans are positioned so they don't cool down these treadmills. This is really starting to piss me off and I need to just buy a treadmill before I lose it. People in the gym stair at me like I'm a freak and usually not insecure but it gets to me.

My injured foot is getting better so with luck I won't need to use the treadmills much longer. Funny how somewhat trivial things here can consume me here in Thailand. I would gladly pay 700 baht a month on top of my lifetime at CA Wow. I hope the Chiang Mai Wow stays open since I'll be there for a few months later this year. Done venting!

I hear you on the no AC, as I have stated I am going to the PRS hotel gym, I like the gym but no AC as well and it can get so hot and I am a somewhat skinny guy. I am usually soaked to my underwear after cardio, I went last night after the rain, it was cool outside, but still i was drenched in sweat after.. One of these days someone is going to drop dead at these non cool gyms unfortunately. and I am also one of those guys taht would pay 700 a month to go back to WOW, however I would not pay for several months at once, just too unstable. I would do a month by month payment though

I salute you guys for even trying to do cardio in those conditions. I would recommend you use a heart rate monitor (if you're not already) to gauge how hard you can go as it will prevent you from overdoing it. Although many people think that when you're sweating more you're burning more, in fact you'll burn far less calories in the heat because your body will not work as efficiently.

[seadoo]

California Wow Fitness clubs will open again but members who didn't pay for a lifetime membership at 40000 Thb at least will have to pay 698 Thb/month to use the gym.

Announcement in Thai at Siam Paragon Cwow.

Tony was smart to "offer" his promotion just in time to catch the greedy people who wanted to pay 14990 lifetime to a club a company that they don't like.

:-)

I can tell you from my discussions this morning that that will not be the case in Pattaya unless some serious cash is put upfront.

Your discussions?Your not on the board of the Avenue neither Cawow are you?

I have been following this thread since it started as I am/was a lifetime member from Cawow,but as a guest of Thaivisa

Reading your posts made me decide to sign up with Thaivisa as I get sick of them.

It is clear that you have an axe to grind with Cawow.

Please tell us what it is.

Is it the umpteen failures of business that you started up in Thailand and you're jealous if Cawow would survive their current problems ?

Is it you who have the so called option on the premises of Cawow, and hope so to revive your non performing business on the second floor of the Avenue?

I can't wait to see you getting egg on your face once again, since I know you and know how many times this happened already. If Cawow has a court order, which I believe otherwise they would not announce it pubicly, then the management of the Avenue will bend over since they might be powerfull and think they are above the law, but they obviously aren't.

Please give it a break with your negative comments , as you know just as much as anyone else and that is NOTHING, and leave the posters on this thread a glimmer of hope.

Whatever rocks your boat.

BTW - If you know me like you say you do then you'd know I've had several businesses and none ever gone broke.

Enjoy your day.

[londoedan]

I would gladly pay 700 baht a month on top of my lifetime at CA Wow. I hope the Chiang Mai Wow stays open since I'll be there for a few months later this year. Done venting!

Well thats 3 of us - and I guess we can count Tropo in too

Wonder how many members CaWOW need to re-open / keep going each month in Pattaya ? 50 or perhaps 100 might be enough for now and then if they keep the scheme going into the hi season then we might be back in the decent gym for a few years yet - hooray

Seadoo - good luck with your business's but don't give us too much negativity eh

[WebBangkok]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

[seadoo]

I would gladly pay 700 baht a month on top of my lifetime at CA Wow. I hope the Chiang Mai Wow stays open since I'll be there for a few months later this year. Done venting!

Seadoo - good luck with your business's but don't give us too much negativity eh

Thanks for that, but the info I have been passing on has been on the money every time, if you refer back to when they reopened and I said they would not make it past the next billing cycle etc, and they didn't.

Not trying to be negative in any way shape or form, just passing on what I am being told by other shop keepers and Management so others may be able to make a conscious and informed decision to either look elsewhere or hold on pending something happening to that space.

The current Manager has been a friend of ours for years, she was in fact one of our suppliers previously and our move to the AVE was as a result of our ongoing relationship with her.

Good luck to all, we too look forward to some positive result whether it be a re-opening with a new owner and/or a compromise between the 2 parties as it has certainly affected foot traffic in the complex, but fortunately for us, our shopfront is only that, a shopfront, where most of our business is done offsite and via telephone and our customers don't need to come to our shop.

Obviously a previous poster has a personal opinion if he indeed does know me, but that's life and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[londoedan]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

Nice outlook on life

[toenail]

This is all speculation. But if CaWow ever reopened, they would have to re-do their membership scheme. There is no way they can survive offering "life time" memberships from 11,000- (who knows) 18,000. Also, they cannot depend on keep selling inexpensive memberships to passer-bys. There has to be a saturation point where the majority has joined and the sales thin trinkle downwards. Next,this business needs to charge more, so it makes sense that they would go to a monthly fee which would pay for their monthy bills. (not an annual fee that could be "pocketed" or misused") I think the Pattaya Ca Wow could survive since there are many gym rats that come here on holiday and are willing to pay the same fee as they would back home (weekly or monthly); plus you would have the members who live here that want a decent, air conditioned gym.

[tropo]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

The point is more about having a great to train than how many years you got. You still need a place to train. Your past 3 years of training will have been a total waste of time if you quit and you blew the entire cost of your membership.

Unfortunately training is like that. If you can't keep it up you may as well not start in the first place. What you did last week or last year means absolutely nothing.

Edited August 7, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

I would gladly pay 700 baht a month on top of my lifetime at CA Wow. I hope the Chiang Mai Wow stays open since I'll be there for a few months later this year. Done venting!

Well thats 3 of us - and I guess we can count Tropo in too

I would pay it too. I see a lot of ex-members at Tony's now. Many have already forked out for a membership or lifetime. I don't know if these members would bother going back if they had to pay again.

Edited August 7, 2012 by tropo

[Thailand J]

California Wow Fitness clubs will open again but members who didn't pay for a lifetime membership at 40000 Thb at least will have to pay 698 Thb/month to use the gym.

Announcement in Thai at Siam Paragon Cwow.

Tony was smart to "offer" his promotion just in time to catch the greedy people who wanted to pay 14990 lifetime to a club a company that they don't like.

:-)

I called the branch but failed to confirm the aditional payment requirement.

I gave them my membership number, they check it on the computer and told me i can use the club for free.

i paid 14900B for a lifetime membership.

I know Tony's is not for me. Those who look at the bright side and joined I can understnad : u need a gym and there is one. Nothing wrong with that.

i may join Castro, if I get sick and tired of the little gym at the club house of my housing complex..

[PattayaPhom]

And nxt year increase it to 900 a month.....and theyear after

[tropo]

And nxt year increase it to 900 a month.....and theyear after

If they are planning a re-emergence from the ashes in Pattaya I think they've left it too late. I reckon Tony made a killing the other day, taking all that money out of circulation which could have been used to resurrect California Wow.

I would invest a modest monthly sum to train there, but how many others would? Considering the disgusting customer relations they have shown towards their members here I can't imagine many would trust them now. It seems that the Bangkok branches are at least attempting to keep their members informed.

At this stage I think the best case scenario would be for another business to buy the gym as is - in which case new membership payments would be necessary.

[Rimmer]

Argumentative post and quoted reply removed.

[nocturn]

Yeah, I know what you mean. They might just take the money and still close shop the next day anyway !!!

Yeah, we'd have to pay them one month in arrears. They stay open for a month, they get their money at the end of that month.

Can you imagine how the people who joined over the last 2 weeks must feel. This is more than just a gym closing. It's closing a lot of peoples' hope to get into better physical shape. There isn't a suitable alternative fitness club in Pattaya for most members. I can't see most of the members being interested in sweating it out at Tony's dumps. The more experienced diehards will continue elsewhere, but the drop off rate will be astounding.

I'm dreading having to train at Tony's again, but that's probably where I will end up. Right now I'm going to try working out at Castra for a month, but it's 8km from my house compared to 1km for Tony's, so that ride will get old real fast.

Its The Avenue of Broken Dreams

[yoslim]

I tried to train at Universe gym today, quite busy and I had a free sauna session with my workout. Maybe I should have got the tony's special lifetime promotion

[tropo]

I tried to train at Universe gym today, quite busy and I had a free sauna session with my workout. Maybe I should have got the tony's special lifetime promotion

It you train at Tony's Sport World (plastic tent) you won't need a sauna. Go on a sunny day.

[londoedan]

Yeah, I know what you mean. They might just take the money and still close shop the next day anyway !!!

Yeah, we'd have to pay them one month in arrears. They stay open for a month, they get their money at the end of that month.

Can you imagine how the people who joined over the last 2 weeks must feel. This is more than just a gym closing. It's closing a lot of peoples' hope to get into better physical shape. There isn't a suitable alternative fitness club in Pattaya for most members. I can't see most of the members being interested in sweating it out at Tony's dumps. The more experienced diehards will continue elsewhere, but the drop off rate will be astounding.

I'm dreading having to train at Tony's again, but that's probably where I will end up. Right now I'm going to try working out at Castra for a month, but it's 8km from my house compared to 1km for Tony's, so that ride will get old real fast.

Its The Avenue of Broken Dreams

[WebBangkok]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

The point is more about having a great to train than how many years you got. You still need a place to train. Your past 3 years of training will have been a total waste of time if you quit and you blew the entire cost of your membership.

Unfortunately training is like that. If you can't keep it up you may as well not start in the first place. What you did last week or last year means absolutely nothing.

They are not the only gym in Thailand. I am with Fitness first now.

Just because one gym closes down, it doesn't mean you stop working out lol

Edited August 8, 2012 by WebBangkok

[WebBangkok]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

Nice outlook on life

Why? I got my moneys worth.

I don't really care if they have gone under or going under. I got a membership closer to home with fitness first.

What does an outlook on life have got to do with CAWOW going belly up?

[tropo]

Well I got 3 years out of them, so I dont really care.

Nice outlook on life

Why? I got my moneys worth.

I don't really care if they have gone under or going under. I got a membership closer to home with fitness first.

What does an outlook on life have got to do with CAWOW going belly up?

I think you missed the point. We're discussing Pattaya here - you don't have the option of transferring to a Fitness First. You would care a lot more if you were here.

Edited August 8, 2012 by tropo

[Rimmer]

Off topic bickering removed

[tropo]

.... and the winner is..... TONY!

He made a cool 3 million plus baht signing up over 200 lifetime members on Saturday.

[KeyserSoze01]

There is still a glimmer of hope....

I would not put any faith in this message. They are trying to save face by blame-shifting to the landlord. The bottom line is that if they had paid their bills, they would not be going out of business. I doubt any court will require the landlords to continue absorbing the lost rent and utility costs. In most countries, bankruptcy protects you from PAST debts, not future. It appears the CW wants to continue to take advantage of their situation to milk as much baht as possible from their members, while giving the landlord the shaft prior to shutting down for good.

[JanKlaasen]

There is still a glimmer of hope....

I would not put any faith in this message. They are trying to save face by blame-shifting to the landlord. The bottom line is that if they had paid their bills, they would not be going out of business. I doubt any court will require the landlords to continue absorbing the lost rent and utility costs. In most countries, bankruptcy protects you from PAST debts, not future. It appears the CW wants to continue to take advantage of their situation to milk as much baht as possible from their members, while giving the landlord the shaft prior to shutting down for good.

And your source for this is.................................?

[yoslim]

I tried to train at Universe gym today, quite busy and I had a free sauna session with my workout. Maybe I should have got the tony's special lifetime promotion

It you train at Tony's Sport World (plastic tent) you won't need a sauna. Go on a sunny day.

You got me wrong, I meant it was so hot in universe it was like getting a free sauna session while working out. If the plastic tent is worse than universe then I have to say Tony really amazes me

[KeyserSoze01]

There is still a glimmer of hope....

I would not put any faith in this message. They are trying to save face by blame-shifting to the landlord. The bottom line is that if they had paid their bills, they would not be going out of business. I doubt any court will require the landlords to continue absorbing the lost rent and utility costs. In most countries, bankruptcy protects you from PAST debts, not future. It appears the CW wants to continue to take advantage of their situation to milk as much baht as possible from their members, while giving the landlord the shaft prior to shutting down for good.

And your source for this is.................................?

How about common sense. Do you have any?

[tropo]

Great!! Now Tonys will be full of pencil necked mirror boys who use the bench press to do light flys.

Surprisingly it does not seem too busy - at Sport World and Jomtien. I haven't tried the main gym yet.... but seriously, I've never seen anyone doing flys on the bench press benches. The bench press benches are too far from the DB rack. Now light bicep barbell curls and other assorted light exercises on the squat racks - that's another story. I had to wait for both racks the other day when I wanted to squat.

Edited August 8, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

I tried to train at Universe gym today, quite busy and I had a free sauna session with my workout. Maybe I should have got the tony's special lifetime promotion

It you train at Tony's Sport World (plastic tent) you won't need a sauna. Go on a sunny day.

You got me wrong, I meant it was so hot in universe it was like getting a free sauna session while working out. If the plastic tent is worse than universe then I have to say Tony really amazes me

Well - I did my pulldowns in the direct sunlight the other day. You can also get a suntan while doing incline bench presses.

[ray35ty]

Hi Tony's gym sold 400 combined yearly and lifetime m emberships in the last month. im not sure if that is good or bad.

[MJCM]

Hi Tony's gym sold 400 combined yearly and lifetime m emberships in the last month. im not sure if that is good or bad.

Source ?