Sophie Jones, a TikTok influencer with nearly 600,000 followers, documented a frustrating gym mishap where her treadmill key became lodged inside the machine. In a video captioned "what a commotion," she explained that the key fell into the gap between the running belt and plastic casing. After attempting to retrieve it, the key slipped further into the treadmill's structure.
Emergency Button Fails to Bring Help
Jones pressed an emergency button on a red wall-mounted box, which triggered a flashing red light and a loud siren, but no staff responded. A sign on a door marked 'gym team' read: "Help point. Our PT on shift is currently teaching a class and will be unable to attend the door. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this may cause. This could be up to 30 minutes." She knocked on the door with no answer.
"I actually don't know what to do because there's no PT on site. It's one of those gyms that doesn't have anyone working," Jones said in the video. She pressed the emergency button a second time, again without response.
Phone Call Eventually Connects to Staff
Jones then noticed a phone number next to the emergency button and called it. A staff member said they would send someone to help. While waiting, she ran to her estate agent to get a spare key for her property. Twenty minutes later, a man arrived and retrieved the key by lifting the treadmill. Jones thanked him, saying, "It's like something out of a movie, like lifting a car up."
A spokesperson for The Gym Group, which operates the gym, said: "Whilst that specific gym call button seemed to not operate correctly, the gym member contacted the phone number available on our help points, which connected them immediately to our team to assist. A member of gym staff was onsite in 20 minutes, and we’re pleased they were able to help the member to retrieve their key. Our call buttons are regularly checked, and we can confirm this gym’s call button is functioning."
