Brianna Godfrey was miffed when the personal trainer she’d hired at Gold’s Gym was replaced with no explanation. Wilfredo Rivera was, by her account, a true professional. “He was very motivating, very encouraging, he knew what he was talking about — really a good guy,” Godfrey told a KUTV reporter.
She was even more miffed when she found out why her trainer went missing. Rivera didn’t call in sick or quit. He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and rape.
This news was upsetting, to say the least, but what upset her most was that she didn’t hear the truth from Gold’s Gym. Instead, she found out her trainer was a wanted criminal — captured thanks to a nationwide manhunt called “Operation Falcon” — from a story on the local news.
Perhaps Gold’s Gym management hoped that by keeping its mouth shut about the circumstances of Rivera’s absence, they’d avoid the fallout. Instead, the club lost a customer and its reputation.
It’s possible that management was embarrassed. Indeed, they should have been. Not only was one of its personal trainers arrested for a violent crime, but he had previously served time in a federal prison for drug and weapons charges.
Gold’s Gym had the chance to prove itself as a forthcoming, up-front business when Rivera was arrested. Management could have stepped up and been honest about the circumstances of his disappearance, and reassured members that the charges weren’t brought by another member. Instead, management kept its mouth shut, leaving Godfrey feeling confused and betrayed.
And why’s that? Apparently, Gold’s doesn’t hire its trainers. Instead, it contracts them through a separate agency called Professional Fitness . “A spokesperson for Gold’s Gym said he was assured background checks were being performed, and that every trainer had come up clean,” reported KUTV. “Now he says they are evaluating if they will continue their relationship with Professional Fitness.”
Um … evaluating? Is that a joke? How about
But then, I think we can all agree that there was nothing appropriate about how Gold’s handled any of this.
Everyone makes mistakes; but, informing your membership when an employee has been arrested on suspicion of committing a violent crime? That’s a no-brainer.
2 comments:
I agree with the full disclosure policy of your article- it is an important component of member trust. Gold's should sever all ties with their recruiter and there should be a contractual breach that occurred in tnis regard.
As devil's advocate, Gold's opens itself up to litigation if communication of the dismissal is not properly managed. What if the trainer is found innocent? As word gets out and gets filtered down a few layers, the trainer in question goes from being "arrested under suspicion" to being convicted and put in jail.
Every owner must have SOP for handling these issues, and I wouldn't believe that Gold's doesn't have one. Of course, everyone that had a business relationship with this trainer as a result of their membership at the club should have been informed personally by club ownership and their attorney should have been contacted immediately to seek the appropriate response while being able to communicate the issue properly to their membership and staff.
Anonymous - I couldn't agree more with your comments.
As for your stint as devil's advocate, I wonder if Gold's didn't also open itself up to litigation by failing to initiate any communication about the matter at all ...
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