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Thread: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

  1. #1
    Featured Member FiendishGyrator's Avatar
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    Default Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    so I joined a specialized gym a couple of months ago after trying it out a few days,
    and haven't gone. I've found a gym with better hours and fits more with what I want
    for $40 cheaper a month. Plus, it's month to month.

    Now I'm trying to cancel with the other gym, and despite being told that the cancellation
    fee was $50, the lady I signed with is trying to charge me like $199 on top of $250 or
    some such nonsense because she said because I chose the month to month option at a price
    break I now need to cover that price break before I cancel.

    what the fuck?

    They have a direct draw on my bank account and I'm about to talk to my bank to
    block that direct draw. I'm planning on going in to talk to her in person in the next
    couple of days, and ask her to look at the contract I signed (can't find mine, but also
    want to check to make sure they have my signed contract.)

    Advice? Tips? This is a little neighborhood gym. I didn't think I'd get some massive
    hassle for cancelling when I haven't even fucking gone. They've gotten like $250 free
    from me which is my bad. But I feel like I'm getting some sort of bait and switch
    cancellation policy.
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    Moderator unbeleavable's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    Yeah first talk to the bank & cut the monthly charge, how long of a contract did you sign? I've worked for a few gyms & I alway sign a month to month with a option to drop. There is usually a financial company that drafts the payments & sometimes they play off eachother & say the other has to stop it, which is BS.

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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    fiendish- i had the same problem. i just canceled the credit card i was being charged on and though i got a bunch of emails about it, nothing ever showed up on my credit.

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    Featured Member FiendishGyrator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    Well, it was until August, so I think it was a six month one. She said I could cancel if I moved, and stupidly I didn't lie and say I was moving, though if she keeps up this bs, I'm just going to say, look-- I'm moving and not care if she believes me or not. I did ask specifically, what would happen if I had to cancel before the six months, and I think the gist of it was, "we can work it out."
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    I agree with talking to your bank to make sure they cannot do withdrawls anymore. I would also talk to the gym again and let them know you want out with a cancelled notice you can walk out with right then and there so that they cannot come back and say anything. I support local business, but they are a lot easier to break than a big chain...and I would threaten to come back each and every day, as well as post reviews and tell everyone I know about how they scam people out of their money.
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    God/dess Kisca's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    Reread the contract there is usually an amount of days when you can cancel without a fee. Usually gyms will add on extra fees for early cancels. Such as my tv/internet/cell provider does this, 20 a month that is left on the contact. She probably wasnt lying on the fees.. but make sure you look at your contract since they could flip up numbers.

    Another option is going to your 2nd gym, talk to them wanted to join, sometimes they are able to cancel the other gyms contact. I know the 2 main gyms here complete often and will cancel out the other one if you sign with them, or at least give you more helpful advice that you wouldnt know to cancel the other contract since all of their contacts are similar. Your another option is to make gym 1 match the rate of your other gym to the price... Unless you want to say you are moving then it should be cancelled, but read the contact again to be sure about the extra fees, im sure they'll ask you for proof such as phone bill or some type of the document that is outside of their area.

    Ofc call your bank and block the transactions with either move your doing

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    Featured Member FiendishGyrator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    So, because I have a PO box, I cannot get a forwarding/change of address slip from the post office, as PO box places are responsible for forwarding your mail for six months, so just an FYI for anyone else who has a PO box.

    Secondly, I went to my chiropractor and since I genuinely do have a problem with a part of my body, he wrote me a doctor's note. BUT, I just got off the phone with the contract handling business for the gym, and they will likely not accept a Chiropractor doctor's note. They're going to need an MD to sign off.

    Oh, and also, even if I got the damn MD slip, it could take up to ten days to process it for my cancellation and I would have to keep my contract current in order to still cancel.

    I'm going to the bank to change all my fucking info. What assholes.
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    Assholes indeed..they are purposely making it hard on you. I would post a bad review about them everywhere I possibly could so that others know, just because its locally owned doesnt mean they dont have the same bs practices that the big chains have. Cause thats a major reason people like going to local owned, to not deal with stuff like that.
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    Featured Member FiendishGyrator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    agreed. At least I can say that their classes are good, but getting bullshit static from both the woman that I signed with, and their contract company....

    I mean, I'm trying to do the right thing. I signed a contract. I get it. Technically, my reasons for quitting are not anything beyond "I'm not using it."

    But I ASKED the woman when I signed the contract about cancelling it and even though she hedged a bit, she SURE AS SHIT did not say, "oh well
    then I'm going to tell you that you have to pay the $199 registration that I waived in order to get you to sign, and add a big $200+ fee on top of that
    to basically trap you into fulfilling the rest of your contract."

    eff that. eff that hard.
    And to steal a line from a previous member:
    "eff that with a cactus."

    and to that I add:

    "Sideways!"
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    From a purely legal standpoint, there isn't much difference between signing a 'lease' with a gym for access to their property, equipment and services, versus signing a lease on an apartment. Technically speaking, the gym / landlord can demand ( via the courts ) that you satisfy all of the terms of the executed contract, and can report your non-payment / breach of contract to the credit reporting agencies.

    Agreed that what's been happening to you in this particular case is clearly 'over the top'. If anything, this is probably due to the fact that the total number of collectible dollars ( including the unofficially provided 'instant discount' at signup ) still falls below the amount of money that the gym / finance company would have to lay out for legal notices, court filings etc. in order to attempt to 'force' you to comply. And of course, the gym's / finance company's best 'weapon' is their authorization to automatically transfer money from one of your personal accounts. It's a virtual certainty that if you do not shut down this account ( which is the only quick method of stopping those automatic money transfers ) the gym / finance company will simply keep taking their payment every month while counting on court calendar delays etc. preventing any legal remedy for you until after the contract term expires.

    The flip side of the comparatively low dollars involved ( at least compared to six months worth of apartment rent ) is that the gym / finance company is unlikely to take further action ( i.e. 'recovery' efforts ) if you 'help yourself' by closing the account they are legally authorized to access. You may still wind up seeing a negative report from them on your credit rating, though, since that costs them essentially nothing to file.

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    Featured Member FiendishGyrator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Need advice on how to cancel a gym membership without getting completely fucked

    I changed my bank accounts yesterday. I have a new one, I'm waiting for a pending car insurance thing to go through, and it's getting closed by the bank tomorrow morning by a bank person.

    If it goes on my credit report, well, I'm still in the process of cleaning that up. I'll wait a year or so and then challenge it and say I took care of it, and keep harassing the credit company until they take it off.

    Thank God I insisted that they bring it down to six months instead of a full twelve year. Four months at $100/mo is $400. The total sales price and remaining sales price on the contract from the first day I signed it was only ever $600 (written twice and initialed twice from the woman at the gym), so I don't think they could ever try to get me for more than $400. Of course, they could tack on court costs, lawyer costs, collection costs, and late fees, but I'm so pissed about it I'd rather take a hit on my credit and then just clean up my score later with a secured card.

    How does that sound? Advice? I'm not paying the gym or the contract company. If it becomes a huge pain that I cannot challenge to get it off my credit report, then maybe I'll consider settling for a smaller sum (though I know supposedly that to get it off my score, I'd have to settle the full balance, right? Or can I have whoever they sell the debt to, put in writing, that they'll take it off my report for less than the original amount?)

    Guess this is now a dollar den question, so if Mods want to move it they can even though originally it was absolutely a lounge question.
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