In his response, Brent denies using profanity, stating that he used the phrase “illiterate” to describe the group.
He further claims that the members may have misunderstood the phrase as profanity due to their reading comprehension problems.
Brent also addressed the issue of payment, stating that his comments had nothing to do with how much or little a member is worth. He explained that he stands by his statement that the members’ fees do not justify their behavior, as they were vandalizing and damaging a space.
To support his claims, Brent attached a picture of a sign posted on the door to the space, which he claims has been up for over a year. He states that walking past the sign in shoes with weights is either illiteracy or deliberate vandalism, and that the public can decide which is more accurate.
The gym has yet to issue a response to Brent’s statement.
The response to Brent’s comments continues to pour in, with Marcella Andre, the founder and administrator of this page and a professional in customer service training, weighing in on the matter.
In a comment directed at Brent, Andre commended him for choosing to respond but noted that he had missed some basic elements in the whole concept of “customer service”.
She pointed out that several people throughout the thread as well as the initial post had mentioned the extreme heat of the establishment as a recurring and deeply felt pain point for customers, but instead of acknowledging this, Brent had skipped over the issue to defend the problematic treatment of the “paying customers”. She stressed that the customer’s comfort matters.
Andre went on to refute Brent’s emphasis on trespassing and people doing what they like, stating that the individuals were there with a trainer who was their green card, their access to enter where they were taken by said trainer.
If at all, the focus of Brent’s wrath and attention should have been the trainer. She also highlighted the importance of choosing how to respond to transgressions, stating that the way Brent had chosen to respond had revealed a lot about who he is, and that choice would have consequences.
Finally, Andre called on Brent to dismount his high horse, have a seat and ponder where things currently are, and apologize and do better. She concluded by stating that Brent had absolutely no right to make inferences about anyone, much less people who are supporting his establishment.
