Sculpt LLC, Burbank, CA
Complaint 69312 Details

Single ownership by Andre , who is based out of Rhode Island, recently moved to Hollywood/Burbank area to pursue acting. He appeared at an Apartment-sponsored party at our pool where I signed up for a free evaluation, after which I signed on for a 3 month/24 session package promising 3 installments of 419.00 at the start of each 8 session segment. I completed that package and was extremely happy with the service and the trainer himself.

We had become friends outside the training and business partners, in the entertainment industry, as well. He offered me a bigger discount than before if I would agree to pre-pay the next 24 session package which was 999.00 for a savings of 257.00. I agreed and paid him.

We had just completed 9 sessions during which he complained about having too many clients at early and late hours which deprived him of sleep and energy for his acting endeavors as well as our industry project. He was out of money and still had too many sessions owed by clients before he was due to collect again. He said he couldn't afford to hire an assistant.

That day, after the 9th session, we had an impromptu meeting to discuss a few snags in our project. We met in my apartment. While trying to conduct the usual peaceful, agreeable discussion, Andre suddenly became combative, making no sense, as if he were in an entirely different discussion with someone else. It caught me off guard but trying to calm him made him more hostile. I tried to stabilize him by firmly holding his hips so he would not flail about destroying property or injuring himself or me. He demanded that I take my hands off of him, at which point I immediately let go and stepped away.

I assure you I am not minimizing my part. He left and announced that he would not be available to communicate with me for at least a day, which meant 2 days because I was busy all day the next day. The next day, still refusing to respond to my attempts to communicate (and continued till the end to ignore my urgings to do so) he announced that I was in breach of my training contract stating that I provided a hostile environment and invaded his personal space.

Given the business he is in, personal space is invaded routinely, and I am dead sure he did not feel threatened by my attempts to calm him. I was calmly repeating, "calm down, caaaaalm down" and being very supportive and reasonable.

He refuses to train me and will not refund my money but offered to assign a different trainer. I knew he didn't have a trainer employed and he didn't have the money to pay for one, plus he is the guilty party. He staged this fight, hoping I would fall for his intimidation and self-doubt-inflicting antics and when I did not fall for them, he got really mad, so he decided to twist the scene around to point at me as the hostile party.

I know these kinds of scams and I knew I was never going to see a dime and I didn't have time to get a lawyer to win it back for me just to give it back to him/her, so I told him that I knew his intention was to steal my money, and he did it. Then I told him not to let me be reminded of his existence ever. Then I wished him a more intelligent future.

So, with 15 sessions owed to me or 625.00 out, I am free from his covertly fraudulent ways. He has other victims who opt not to speak of it. I don't opt not to speak of it. He is extremely kind and motivating and exceptionally knowledgeable and professional in conduct. I was completely content. That all changed in a matter of seconds when he put on his game face. Beware. He is very normal and warm and makes you feel good to know him. It's all an unbelievable scam.

Plus it turns out he charges double the going rate for training in California. Ours were 30 minute sessions, not full hour sessions.

He lost a lot by doing this, unless, of course he is a fraud, then the entire relationship was a scam and he couldn't care less. That's precisely what it was and I am sad about having been mistreated by a trusted friend, having lost a trainer and having lost an entire project because of this. He couldn't care less. He won.