Ever try to cancel a Gold's Gym membership?

Well, let the crap begin. Today I called to cancel my golds gym membership less than one month in. I just don't have the time to use the gym, and would rather be putting the extra money into my savings account. I called up my golds and was told I had to email the manager, so I got his email address. If you ever google golds gym membership cancelation and look at the hundreds of pages of bad experiences it makes me worried (and sick). I emailed the manager and now I wait. I didn't really read the whole contract the day we started out membership because the women was telling us all sorts of good stuff, how we could cancel if we ever needed to and pay a small fee (which is definitely a blatant lie). I feel like I just got conned. I'll see how this plays out, but I want to caution anyone who is considering going to golds gym to read everything, and do not believe what the person is telling you, and business who can't handle things like cancellations right at the gym, but has to be done at the HQ screams scam, they use all sorts of 3rd party companies to handle billing and that also screams scam. I'm just worried im about to be taken on a roller coaster where I'm going to be made to take it up the arse just to cancel a flippin gym membership, really, I mean really - its a freakin gym, I call, I ask to cancel, it should be that easy - and yet no - golds gym has enough legal jargon in their contract to feed an entire episode of jag, and then some.

[calming] we will have to see how this is treated, if the company does right, or tries to screw me.

 

I feel your pain. It took me months to get out of my contract AFTER it had expired and rolled into the month-to-month extension. They tried billing me for several months and threatened to send it to a collection agency even though I had already jumped through all their hoops. I would never recommend them to an enemy (unless I really hated them).

Hate to say it but you'll be paying quite a bit to get out of your contract and there's not too much you can do about it. One good reason to read every word in the contract, no matter how large and difficult it is. I knew I was on the hook for a year when I signed up but all the hoops make it difficult no matter what you do.

Good luck.

 

Secretsquirell , there is no signed paperwork, the official policy for them is for me to email their manager. How sketchy is that, I think im going to take a drive over there and see if i cant have them put something in writing, date and signature, all that. The bull$h!t hasn't even started but I am expecting it.

Golds Gym is a big entity, to think they couldn't handle account cancellations at the local gyms is ridiculous, and to use shady billing tricks to eek every penny out of a person may not be illegal but should be, and is at the very least unethical, I have a real problem with companies like this, it makes me want to do bad things against them.

 

I agree that they don't make things as easy as they should but from a business perspective they are completely legit. They present you with a contract and you accept the terms. They then make you adhere to the terms. Where's the flaw?

Don't get me wrong, they have some problems with the way they try to enforce it but they are usually within their legal rights.

 

Yeah, I learned my lesson when I was out in California. Didn't read before signing and ended up paying membership dues for an entire year but only used the gym for a couple months. I was told when joining I could cancel at any time, apparently any time means after the contract is up.

Never again will I join a gym

Gary

 

I think there was a Friends episode about this...

 

My roommate thought he cancelled his membership and ended up with a 1000 dollar bill a few months later and a threat of suing.

 

In general, always read everything that you put your signature on. They ask for the signature because they want you to commit to something that is in their favor.

 

You and I think a lot on the same lines. The episode where they would send out a hot woman to convince Jerry to keep his membership and he caved. Hahahaha

 

Jerry? Different show I think

 

That's right, I was thinking Seinfeld. It was Friends and it was Ross and Chandler. Chandler wanted to cancel, but couldn't so he took Ross with him and the hot chick signed him up too.

 

I originally thought Seinfeld too... maybe there was an episode there too...

 

LA Fitness is the same way. All major gyms screw you over in that way.

 

This is why i love being in college. got a three month student package for the summer, it expired and there was nothing else to bill! then I get back to blacksburg and use our gyms for free (somewhat, covered in tuition). Sorry to hear about your woes!

 

Yea I definitely don't make it a habit to sign things without reading, I guess I was in a hurry - they take forever to get all the paper work and crap together, so by the time you get the contract you've been there forever and if you have things to do you just wanna get out of there. I know what they are doing is "legit", but man I will never get another gym membership. The meaning of Legit in the business world is as loose as a career porn star's cavernous hole. I will definitely talk very poorly about Gold's Gym to everyone who asks.

 

Sorry about your gym troubles.... Hope you get your membership cancelled without too much aggrevation.


Now, you need a laugh.... the news did a segment last night on a lady who ordered a computer from, get this, from a Blue Hippo infomercial and after a "contract" for $99 down and $100 a month for 7 months (she paid for 10 months) before realizing she wasn't going to get a computer...

This company is ssssssssoooooooo "GOOD" that the BBB has received nearly 3000 complaints and has a rating of "F"

 

I belonged to Planet Fitness for a year and cancelled last week. I didn't have any problems at all. I went in, filled out a questionare and signed - and it was done. No hassels. I just gotta make sure they stop charging my credit card.

I joined LA Fitness last week.

Perhaps part of the problem - is the fact that you wanted to cancel after only being a member for one month.

 

hahah you all are referring to this

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the NASA gym is free... lol

 

Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

I'm going to talk to them in person tomorrow, I think when they had me email the "manager" is part of their scummy tactics to prolong the process. The back of the contract says I have to send in writing 30 days (a whole month) in advance to cancel, so they get at least one extra month of payment on top of the 175 cancellation fee. I would like to track down the manager, and kick him in the nuts. It just seems like extortion, as a person entering into a contract either party has the right to cancel - it says so in the fine print, all it says is you can cancel, but it will cost your 175 big ones, or what's left of your contract, whichever is less. But then it says if your going to cancel you have to go through ABC Financial, and they say they need 30 days notice. 30 days notice to do what, do they have to go out into the wildness, find the berries and make their own ink, then process a tree into paper, then catch a bird to take a feather, then take the paper work via horse to the boss on the other side of the country to get a signature, then ride back. I mean we live in the digital age, I should be able to email them, and it should take 2 minutes to click the buttons on the screen.

Golds Gym = extortionists bastards.