Gold's Gym

Review: I held a two year contract with [redacted] in Fredericksburg. In the fall of 2012 I was contacted by Taft Financial because the credit card that my monthly gym membership was being charged to had expired. I provided Taft Financial (the company that handles [redacted] billing)with my new credit card information on three separate occasions. On the 3rd occasion, which was November 14, I asked what I needed to do to cancel my membership (the contract ended at the end of December 2012 but would be billed monthly if I didn't cancel). I was instructed to send them an email, which I did, and I received a response from them stating they had received it. On Nov 14, I asked the individual how much I owed (at this point they said I was two months in arears as no one had updated my credit card info.) I asked how much I would owe for December as well since I was canceling. I was provided with a figure from the representative at Taft. I agreed to paid that in full at that time as I wanted the matter closed. Since then I have been contacted by Taft on several more occasions stating I still owe them money and now have been turned over to a collections agency. Several of their associates did not do their job and it is now affecting me. I am asking that they put my account at a zero balance as I have paid what I owed back in November. They continue to not "hear" what I tell them and provide me with the same answer over and over again. I spoke with a [redacted] yesterday and am bumping it up the chain further. Both my son and my daughter-in-law have had problems with [redacted] gym's billing in the past as well; trying to bully you into paying what you don't owe.Desired Settlement: I would like someone to look into their practices. I am close to just paying the amount they are stating, even though they are now trying to tack on more fees since it's gone into second level collection. This is a result of them not doing their job multiple times and as a consumer I am being penalized. I have good credit and do not want to mess that up and feel like I have no choice but to pay them, which is exactly what they want and unfair to the consumer. Would like a response on your action

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

I am in receipt of your letter dated May 22, 2013 regarding

a consumer concern with a business transaction involving our company.

While I regret the consumer’s frustration I am pleased to respond by explaining

our role in this matter and offering to facilitate the requested

settlement. First, please understand our company serves as an agent for

[redacted] Gym – Fredericksburg in connection with the billing and collection of

their membership dues. In fact, we serve in this capacity for a number of

health clubs across the United States some of which are franchised such as the

facility in Fredericksburg, Virginia and others that are independently owned

and operated. Typically each facility’s rules and regulations are

outlined in the membership contract and we strive to abide by those contracts

unless otherwise instructed from management at the various facilities.

From reviewing the contact notes associated with this

membership as well as the consumer complaint attached to your letter, I quickly

detect a miscommunication in November 2012 when the individual requested a

cancellation and subsequently made payment via telephone. The membership

contracts for this facility contain a 30-day notice requirement for

cancelling. Any payments that become due during the 30 day period are

payable. At this point in time it is neither our desire or Gold’s Gym –

Fredericksburg’s to create an issue for this former member. We have

record of the member’s email requesting cancellation dated November 14th

at 3:44 PM and record of a telephone payment made by the member on the same

date at 3:46 PM. While the telephone payment excluded the payment

scheduled for December, it is clear that her intention was in fact to cancel

the membership. Unfortunately because the December payment was not

resolved the membership went into a delinquent status and was then referred to

a third party collection agency.

In light of these events I have today withdrawn the account

from the collection agency and closed it with nothing remaining due. I

trust this will bring closure to this situation including peace of mind for the

consumer and reassurance to your organization that our business practices are

not as dishonorable as alleged.

Thank you,

Taft Financial Services, LLC

Review: I signed up for this gym in May 2013. I agreed to a contract for $29.99 a month when I signed up.Before the end of May, I stopped in to "freeze" my membership for the rest of the summer. They told me I couldn't freeze until after June. I said okay, freeze my membership, I wouldn't like to come back until September.I notice on my bank account August 3rd, I was charged $29.99, overdrafted my bank twice that night costing me $36/each overdraft. Upon calling my bank to resolve the issue they had told me I was also charged in July. Which upon second glance I noticed. I call Gold's gym to figure out what was going on. The first day I called, August 3rd, I was assured that these charges "will not hit my account" it is just a pending transaction that would "fall off" because my membership was frozen. Okay. Two days later the transaction AND FEES hit my account. I call on a Wednesday, they tell me to call the next day, I call the next day, they tell me to call back Saturday, I CALL SATURDAY "[redacted] ISNT IT HE WILL CALL YOU SUNDAY." I called Sunday, I called Monday, NO CALLS BACK. So I walk in. "We mistakenly put your credit card info on someone else's membership" no apology. Took me two weeks to get my money. I look at my bank account 2 weeks later STILL IN AUGUST $39.99 one time fee charged. I call September 3rd, "Nick will call you back" it is now the end of day Sept 4th, no call back.I call to talk to Nick. As I said when I stopped in the first time, I wanted to cancel my membership why am I being charged. "It was a one time annual thing in your contract"-- I responded, I have only been a member since May? I explained to him the inconvenices I have had ALL MONTH, taking time off work, calling my bank, waiting for the gym to call me, driving down to the gym... not even an apology. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. they didn't reverse any fees. So far for ONE MONTH I have paid $29.99 once, $39.99 start up fee a $25 freeze fee, $39.99 cancelation fee. and have been charged mistakenly twice.Desired Settlement: I believe that since I had so many issues with the company after they had messed up my bank account iformation, that when I walked in on 8/7, as I have documentation, they should have canceled my account then and there and not charged me the $39.99 annual fee (I have only been a member since May) and I think since it's their fault I shouldn't have to wait another billing cycle- charged another $29.99 after such poor customer service after all the time and energy spent calling them, stopping in..

Business

Response:

[redacted] joined the gym on April 22nd with another person. At the day of sign up, they both paid a proration for April dues and the monthly dues for May. On May 25th, [redacted] came in to freeze her account for 2 months. We could not freeze it for June because it was too close to the bill date, June 1st. Her account was on freeze from July 1-Sept. 1. When she called to tell us about the transactions on her account during the freeze, we had to investigate where those charges were coming from. On her account it was telling us she was on freeze and had nothing taken out. After a few days of finally figuring out the issue, we realized when she wanted to change the credit card on just her account, it changed the card information on the other gentleman's account she joined up with. We fixed the issue by refunding her account $59.98 on August 10th. We called to tell her the resolution of this issue.

Review: I have had an unreasonable amount of trouble trying to cancel my membership and Gold's Gym continues to charge my monthly payment. The terms of my membership are such that I can cancel my membership without fines if I move somewhere that is more than 50 miles away from the closest Gold's. I moved 2 weeks ago to Norfolk way further than 50 miles away from the closest Gold's. Before I moved, I tried to cancel my membership twice in person at the gym and called 5 times. First I was given a number to call, but it didn't work when I tried to call it. Next I was given a website to access, but I didn't have any login or password to access it. Everytime I called (and I have called 3 or 4 times a week for the past 3 to 4 weeks) I was told that I needed to speak to a manager but that no one was available. I left messages that were never returned and I called back at all sorts of different hours trying to get a hold of a manager. Today I was finally given an email and I emailed expressing all of my complaints and reiterating that I need to cancel my account. I have now wrongly been charged for the month of June and will shortly be charged for the month of July. I intend to call my bank to see if I can make it so that Gold's is unauthorized to charge my card.Desired Settlement: I would like my membership finally cancelled. I want to no longer be charged for Gold's Gym membership. I would especially appreciate if June's membership fees were refunded as well.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon[redacted],

In regards to your cancellation request, it is stated in line item 6 of the agreement that you and Gold's Gym came to terms with, in order to cancel your membership due to relocation a member's principal residence needs to be 25 miles or greater away from the location of your home gym. Sufficient documentation needs to be provided (which shall be satisfactory to Gold's Gym in it's sole discretion) of member's new address, new telephone number, the name and address of member's new employer, and that member's move is permanent. There will be a $50 processing fee for all relocation cancellations within the initial term of this agreement.

Line item 7 expresses any and all cancellation requests require a 30 day written notice to be hand delivered or sent by certified mail to the General Manager of the facility.

These items were specifically outlined in the agreement that you signed with Gold's Gym therefore stating you would agree to follow along with our organization. We have yet to receive any documentation regarding your new principal residence but will gladly assist you in cancelling your membership once it has been received. Please contact me directly moving forward to ensure your cancellation is processed.

Thank you,

?

Review: Golds Gym [redacted] has the worst customer service I have ever come across in my entire adult and professional life. I completed a signed transfer form (signed by myself, the new Golds Gym General Manager and [redacted] General Manager on October 4, 2013). I have went in person on several occasions to ensure my name was out of their billing system. Each time a Golds Gym employee has assured me I was. I have called Golds Gym at [redacted] to ensure my name was out of their billing system. Each time they 100% absolutely lied to my face. Today is January 2 and I am still getting money directly taken out of my checking account (even though we signed the transfer form Octover 4, 2013). I have spoken with and emailed several of their employees (more than 5) and cannot get their General Manager on the phone or by e-mail and this has been going on for 3 months.They are refusing to reimburse me for the subsequent months, even though I have a signed transfer contract which was signed by all parties involved, including THEM!!I just wanted to file a complaint in order to inform others out their that Golds Gym at [redacted] is not a trustworthy place and is filled with inadequate and incompetent management. They have been rude, condescending and to say the least, not helpful. Please beware of their management and employees so something like this does not happen to anyone else in the future.Desired Settlement: All I ever wanted to was to be out of the system and as far away from Golds Gym [redacted] as possible. I do not enjoy talking to them and making extra trips to the gym just to be lied to. I would like to be reimbursed immediately before I contact appropriate authorities and take another course of action.

Business

Response:

Good Evening [redacted],

This email is in response to your transfer that took place October 5th, 2013 (date [redacted] signed the transfer paperwork) per the attachment that was sent to [redacted], a fitness consultant at [redacted]. She recently passed the information over to me and the following steps will be taking place.

I am sending a refund to you for your membership [redacted] in the amount of $[redacted], which is a total for your December and January dues ($[redacted] and $[redacted]). The refund for this amount takes up to 5 days to post back to an account.

As for your wife’s whose name was under [redacted], an additional amount of $[redacted] will be refunded for membership as well, December and January dues.

I noticed your stated a refunded amount of $[redacted], however per the transfer policy agreement you provided it states a 30 day notice is required upon your originating club receiving the required paperwork. We received this paperwork per [redacted] signature on October 5th 2013, which your emails to [redacted] expressed you were in agreement with (see below). Therefore November 1st would have been your final bill date for you and your wife in the amount of $[redacted] per membership. The total refund totals to an amount of $[redacted].

“As you can see in item number 3, the originating club has the right to ONE more monthly payment if the payment was due within 31 days of the transfer (which should mean we pay [redacted] one more payment of $[redacted] a piece or $[redacted] total as October 4 is within 31 days ofNovember 1).

The transfer date is clearly October 4 which gives you the right by this contract and signatures to charge us on Nov. 1 and nothing thereafter. I know for a fact that we gave a copy to [redacted] on Oct. 4 in person and [redacted] from West End sent an email with this paperwork to [redacted] at Golds Gym at [redacted] so you should already have this info twice.”

I am not sure why the cancellation wasn’t handled correctly as I didn’t process the actual paperwork at the time so I will not make any excuse for that except offer an apology. I recently received this information from [redacted] after my transfer and wanted to ensure all information was accurate before I provided a response and issue the correct refund as there was a different amount you requested. I hope this finds you well and should you have any questions or would like to discuss this further please let me know.

Take care,

Review: During membership - was charged for training sessions when I did not have scheduled training. The trainer asked me to go to another gym ([redacted]) but wanted to charge Gold's for the time. After shady behavior and lack of accountability/responsiveness by the managment I moved my membership to Aboretum. When my initial contract ran out - I cancelled my membership. This was communicated to their GM and manager. I called to confirm cancellation and was told my account was in fact inactive. This was last fall (payments would have stopped 9/14). Last week I discovered that the original location (Midlothian) was charging my account from Sept '14 - May '15. I called the manager who explained that "someone reactivated my account by accident"; "there is a button they can push and it reactivates it". I called and confirmed (again) with Arboretum that my account was closed - which they said it was. When no follow up occurred on behalf of Midlothian, I called back only to be repeatedly told "they are in meetings". I have been fraudulently charged $35 a month for this time frame.Desired Settlement: I would like the money removed from my account without authorization to be refunded. This has also been reported to my bank as fraudulent activity and the account closed to prevent further activity by this company.

Business

Response:

I apologize for the delay, and for the frustrations that our billing process has caused in this case. I have confirmed with my accounts manager that the full refund check of $315 was mailed out today (5/26/15). [redacted] should receive it in the next few days. Again, I apologize for the issues with your training and account, and I assure you that the person in question is no longer employed by Gold's Gym. Please let me know if there are any more questions or concerns with the account. Thanks!

Review: I set up a gym membership with Gold's Gym Arboretum on September 11, 2014. I paid the enrollment fee of $60.00 and the first month in advance fee of $34.99 in cash $100 my change was $5.01. I was required to put a credit/debit card on file even though I paid in cash. So, I did. Then, the next day my debit card had a charge of $60.00 for the enrollment fee. Gold's Gym billed me twice when they had already been paid. I have contacted /tried to get in contact with managers. I went in on September 13, 2014 (Saturday) to cancel my gym membership within the 3 business day period allowed by VA. I decided to cancel b/c of the billing issue. I had the required statement and receipts showing what I paid. The assistant manager said he would handle this issue & even was going to give me free months, but I wanted to cancel. So, he said he would handle it and $154.99 would have to be refunded to me in 7-10 business days on my debit card since they cannot refund cash. Today is the tenth day. I have tried communicating with the managers, but "nobody seems to be in"and the assistant manager has not called me back.Desired Settlement: I want ALL of my money back immediately and an apology because this is plain ridiculous.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com spoke with [redacted] from the company and he stated that the consumer was refunded on the credit card for $60.00 and there was a check mailed out on October 1st for the cash payments.

Review: I had signed up for a membership with Gold's Gym on August 25th 2015. At Golds, I was surprised to see there isn't a physical contract, while signing up. There isn't even a way for me to read the policies that Mr. [redacted] was explaining. Because of this, I instead had to rely on his accuracy in explaining each policy. For the most part he did provide correct information, except now I am learning he was incorrect about the cancellation policy. He explained that because my address is over 35 miles away from the facility, I would be able to use the relocation policy to cancel at anytime for a $50 fee. Since I was not able to view a contract and see if that information was correct I asked about it again and he said it was so, that I would be able to cancel at any time with a $50 fee. With his reassurance I electronically signed. Again, I did NOT receive a printed copy of the contract from Golds Gym.I then decided this was not for me and on September 23 2015 I went to the gym and cancelled my membership. There was no mention of my location being an issue for cancellation. Shortly after my cancellation I received an email from Health Club Billing, LLC that my payment was denied and I should contact them. I spoke with [redacted] and she told me to go to the gym to discuss with them, giving me the impression that it was within Charlottesvilles power to approve the cancellation. When talking with the manager of the Golds Gym in Charlottesville, VA, [redacted], he understood and gave me approval to cancel because he agreed and it sounded like the person that signed me up was new and probably made a mistake. [redacted] said that he would contact corporate and plead my case for me. He agrees that I should be let out of this contract. The response I was received is as follows:I ([redacted]) have not been granted to authority to cancel this membership. Here was the information I was provided: Member signed up and used the club 4 times in September. She has a Charlottesville address on her PVCC ID but the address on her contract is Staunton. From the information I can see she signed up with an address in Staunton and knew she would be traveling to Cville for school and the gym. She also has a PT contract that she is past due on. Without additional info, we can't grant a cancel at this time.Desired Settlement: I am requesting for Gold's Gym Health Club Billing to release my contract, discontinue my transaction, cease any possible action toward my credit, and no longer contact me.

Business

Response:

I do not agree with the statements made by Ms Glaeser. As you can see from the attachments, she did in fact sign her 2 contracts, she supplied a local address as well as an address in Staunton VA. We always give the member the contracts so they can review them after they leave, if Ms [redacted] did not take hers with her, I cannot do anything about that. I believe Ms [redacted] is attempting to defraud this company. If she truely was living at a residence over 35 miles from the facility, and wanted to be able to cxl at any time, we have memberships that are month to month, but they are a higher amount per month as the member is not committing to a contract term. It does not make any business sence why we would give a member a dicounted rate for a term membership and they can cancel at any time. Every out of town guest would sign up for a membership this way as they would get the lowest price and not have any commitment to pay. Against my better judgement I will allow Ms [redacted] to cancel her contract but she must first be in good standing to do so. She will have to pay any amounts that are past due on her membership contract as well as the $50 cancellation fee for both her membership contract as well as her Personal Trianing contract.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The representative is incorrect in assuming that ALL customers “ALWAYS” receive a tangible contract when signing up for the service. In my situation, the person that I was working with, [redacted], was new to the company and did not give me a physical contract before I left, it was never in my hands.

Review: In October of 2013, I went to my gym to freeze my membership for November through February due to the fact that I was in college and going home for break and didnt want to pay for the gym when I was not using it. On break I decided to drop out of school and move back to Ohio. I called the gym on January 2nd of 2014 to ask how I could cancel my membership without having to drive to Pittsburgh, and also told the man my membership was currently on hold, and wanted to know if I was able to cancel my membership while on hold and not be charged. The man on the phone told me I was able to email the gym stating that I wanted my membership canceled and I would not be charged for January or February because I was on time with my 30 day notice. So I emailed the gym requesting for my membership to be canceled. After receiving a hard time from the manager saying that I would have to pay for February they offered to not charge me for February because of relocation and they would cancel my membership. 14 days later I received more emails saying they could not cancel my membership because I had a balance due of $29.99 for January and I needed to pay. I told them that my account was frozen and I shouldnt have to pay for January. They never got back to me in an email, then on February 20th I saw that they took out $29.99 and $39.99 from my bank account. I had called and talked to the manager for 20 minutes trying to explain my case. She had told me that her employee was misinformed and that she was sorry that she never responded to my email and offered to refund the $39.99 but not the $29.99. I explained that I should have never been charged for the $29.99 because my account was on hold and I never unfroze it. She told me you must unfreeze your account in order to cancel it. I told her that was not what the man told me on the phone before I cancelled my account. She then said I need to pay the $29.99 so she can cancel my account. My account was never cancelled so she should have never even unfroze my account.Desired Settlement: I wish to be refunded the full $69.98 Gold's Gym has taken from my account without my authorization for misinforming me and not returning my emails. My account should have never been unfrozen because it was never cancelled in the first place. I have read all of the company policies in the agreement that I had signed when I opened my membership at the gym, and it does not say that one must unfreeze their account in order to cancel it.

Business

Response:

On 2 January 2014, I received email notice that [redacted] wished to cancel her gym membership. Her account had been on freeze, so I immediately unfroze her account and emailed her that she would be charged one final month, as per the Gold’s Gym cancellation policy of 30-days notice. [redacted] replied that she would not pay for February since she had technically sent notice 30-days in advance of 1 February 2014, which we accepted as accurate. In order to cancel a frozen account it is necessary to first unfreeze it and charge the member for the remainder of the month. [redacted] would be responsible for paying her January dues of 29.99, as she unfroze during the first two days of the month. She refused to pay this fee, even though it is a regular policy that all members must adhere to.

I did not see the email that she sent in reply to this until she called this month to say that her account had not been cancelled. As a courtesy, I told [redacted] that I apologized for overlooking her email and that I would refund her for February dues of 29.99 and the annual fee of 39.99 that members pay on 15 February of every year. She would still be responsible for the January dues of 29.99, as I had explained the month before. [redacted] demanded her money back for February and stated that she still refused to pay for January. In a final email discussion yesterday, I proposed that since the dues of 29.99 for January that [redacted] did not pay were cancelled out by the dues of 29.99 that [redacted] did pay for February that were to be refunded, we would call that even. The annual fee of 39.99 would be refunded to her and no further action would be taken. In her first reply [redacted] said that the solution was unacceptable and that she wanted an additional 29.99 returned to her, but she then sent another email that she would accept the resolution that I suggested and the dispute would be at an end.

I have since sent the refund request to our accountants. [redacted] should receive a check for 39.99 within 4-6 weeks. Her membership has been terminated and she will not be charged again.

Review: My official contract with Gold's Gym, Willow Lawn, ended at the end of May. I only know this because I made a note to write down the end date when I first signed the contract. I'd heard of other people continuing to get charged after their contracts ended, but thought maybe they were just exaggerating.

They weren't. My credit card account is continuing to be charged for a membership contract that no longer exists. Now that I live in Charlottesville, an hour away, it's incredibly inconvenient for me to stop by in person. However, I've called three times to ask about the billing error, and each time have been put on hold for 20 minutes and then hung up on. I've also tried logging in online with no success. When I finally reached a person, I was told I'd have to come into the gym myself to work out this issue, even though they're the ones in the wrong!

The worst part is, they make no attempt to let you know your contract is ending. No emails, no calls—I've checked every folder of my email inbox and have not found a single alert letting me know my contract was ending. If I wasn't aware that it was supposed to end it May, they could continue charging me endlessly without my knowledge.

It's shady as hell and I don't like it. The same issue is happening with my friend, who started a contract at the same time.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for the $30 I was charged after my contract expired AND to ensure that I won't continue to be charged for a contract I'm longer obligated to. This has happened to SO many people I know, and they need to be called out and reprimanded for their shady business practices.

Business

Response:

I have contacted [redacted] to make her aware that I have cancelled her membership and refunded the previous months dues as requested by the member. This inquiry has been addressed and taken care of.

Review: Also there is a complaint for money that hasn't been refunded as well. I brought to the gym's attention that my boyfriend was injured from one of the machines. It drew blood and I kindly let them know something was wrong. The next thing I know we receive a phone call that night that they are letting us out of our contracts because we are so happy. These phone calls are recorded. I clearly told her over the phone we didn't want out of our contracts and she said we didn't have a choice. My boyfriend is also a former employee there. There is a lot to tell and can't type it all, but my boyfriends cousin is a trainer at the gym. They have been telling him information to give to us and harassing him also when none of these matters pertains to him. She told my boyfriend's cousin that if he didnt stop all the drama she was going to cancel his membership. (This was said after I had made the complaint that day and left.) [redacted], while I was on the phone with her contradicted her story 3 times while I was telling her I had and neither had he, done anything to jeopardize our membership. Her last response and excuse, which was a lie, was well, you threatened one of my employees!! I never said that or did such a thing. If I had I would have already lost my membership. Then, after I said that, she said, "Well, [redacted] is my boyfriend) was at the front desk and said you did." Umm,,, no now you changed your story. She quickly got off the phone after that. Next thing I know she relays a message to [redacted]'s cousin to let me know that I am not allowed on the premises anymore and isn't refunding my money! I have done nothing to lose my membership or not to receive my money. I paid late fees and everything this month. [redacted] paid a full year up front!!!! They have already over charged me 3 months in a row, and still haven't refunded the money claiming they are late fees when this isnt true except for this month. I paid in CASH this month of $87.00. I have a contract with them and they are going to continue to pull money out of my bank account and there's nothing I can do! They have caused me to lose my car insurance because the 2nd month I didn't know they overcharged me left overdraft fees and my insurance unable to pull the money out because there wasn't enough funds. I only keep a certain amount in the bank to pay bills that are drafted. I have cried and cried over this situation enough. I am a hard core workout addict. I have to work out because of my disease and stress is the number one problem causing my symptoms to flare. There's only so much one person can do when we are the little people. The managers running this gym do whatever they want and no one is doing anything about it. Employees are scared to say anything afraid to jeopardize their job. I know of one that they told couldn't take a lunch break the other day. More things than one. Please if you cant help me please lead me in the right direction of who. Time is running out and I cant afford for them to do this to me or my boyfriend or anyone else. Thank you so much for your time.Desired Settlement: They need new management there. I, other employees, and members will agree. If there's a number or email to contact I promise you I will have plenty for you to complain. And I don't even wanna know half the bad stories and why old employees quit. They cuss at their employees I know this by fact I and others have heard it including [redacted] and his cousin. And I want my money refunded. I just want to be able to work out again. I have a 9 year old daughter and not many gym's have good child care and all the equipment I like. Golds is a better gym and conveniently located where I live.

Business

Response:

We worked with Ms. [redacted] in the past. We made concessions, worked with her to get her out of collections and start back with us.This current issue did start with her acknowledging that she failed to tell us the night before when she herself was poked by a cable that was slightly frayed. It went downhill from there.She has been aggressive towards the staff at the club. She has let everyone and anyone know how she feels. I am sorry we have failed her. She has nothing good to say about us and that never makes me feel good. Our position stands, her membership has been cancelled and will remain so.I wish her the best.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The gym is making up a complete lie!!!! I specifically said my boyfriend was the one who pked his finger on the frayed equipment. The phone calls are recorded and please PLEASE listen to it. I have already heard rumors of [redacted] their regional manager has done nothing about this situation. They are really good friends and that is whats wrong with this company. I have witnesses and that were there when this happened. I didnt pk anything. I specifically wrote that I said something about the incident in regards to my boyfriend and was very nice about it. They have been coarse towards me and him since he quit his job because of how badly they treated him and how uncomfortable he felt when the general manager [redacted] asked him to personally come to her home. I think this is very comical that they are getting away with this, They have had two employees quit since this has happened and are harassing other members trying to retrieve personal information. They called and said both mine and my boyfriends memberships were going to be cancelled because we are so unhappy about our gym. That was a lie and in the phone conversation and I can give you the date and time when it was made. [redacted] was caught in three lies. If I had ever threatened an employee..... common sense says my membership would have been cancelled a long time ago. I think its dirty how they are running this gym doing whatever they want and having people like [redacted] who is the regional manager sticking up for them because they are buddy buddy with each other. I have plenty others who would love to complain about the management. Our money STILL hasnt been refunded. Working out is my life and is part of my medical reasons why I have to work out and no money to start a new membership. This is absurd and completely uncalled for because they think they control whatever they want. Again, something needs to be done and obviously I have my case now in WRITING that she LIED saying it was me that pked my finger when I specifically stated it was my boyfriend. Thank you.

Review: Mr [redacted] is 90 years old and has been hospitalized and/or in nursing home since mid-Nov. He said that he had cancelled his Gold's Gym membership several months prior to that. He received a notice from Taft Services (management company for Gold's Gym) on 1/2/14 dated 12/26/13 that he had a past due balance for monthly charges in the amount of $219.46 incurred after he said that he cancelled his membership. The notice gave him 2 weeks to settle the bill before it would go to the collector. When I called them on 1/3/14 and spoke to [redacted] she claimed they couldn't do anything because they had been trying to call him on the phone and couldn't reach him (he was in the hospital and does not have an answering machine - no one was at his home to answer the phone) and she said it had already been sent to the collectors. I pointed out that the letter said he had 2 weeks from 12/26 to take care of this and it had only been 8 days. She kept insisting they couldn't do anything because it was out of their hands. Then she proceed to tell me that the Jan monthly charge and an annual fee had already been added to what they said he owed and he now owed $279. I asked to speak to her supervisor [redacted] and of course she was not available but told [redacted] to tell me there was nothing that could be done. As his POA I have tried to deal with the company but they refuse to budge. They do not care that he is 90 years old and not capable of using their facilities any longer. They say that he did not cancel his membership. He said that he did. I sent an email on 1/3/2014 after talking with [redacted] several times and trying to talk to [redacted] who would not take my call. They did not respond in writing as I requested but [redacted] called on 1/6/2014 to again say they could not do anything. In an attempt to settle the issue, I, as POA, offered to pay 1/2 of what they say he owes since I cannot prove that he cancelled earlier and they cannot prove he did not. [redacted] took the offer to [redacted] who refused and each time I talk with [redacted] the bill goes up. It went up twice in less than a week when I talked with them in early January. They continue to add charges for additional months and other fees even after they are aware that he wants to cancel and cannot use their facilities. They refuse to cancel the membership until he pays what they say he owes so they continue add more monthly charges. I might have just paid it to get them off his back until they suggested that he just not pay it and let it go against his credit rating because at his age he doesn't need good credit! That was a very offensive comment. I find their practices to be unethical and offensive. ,Desired Settlement: I would like them to cancel his membership effective 10/31/2013 (he said he cancelled several months before that date but I cannot prove it) and I will agree pay the charges on his behalf up to that point even though I do not believe he owes them.

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted]

I have received confirmation that the account for [redacted] has been pulled from collections

Balance cleared and account closed

I am very sorry for the delay on the confirmation

Enjoy your weekend

Regional Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. On behalf of Mr. [redacted] I thank you for your assistance in a matter that clearly should have been resolved when I first contacted their business. Mr. [redacted] today is near death and we have been told that he most likely won't make it more than a few days or a week at most. I will let him know that this matter is closed and it will relieve his mind.

Regards,

[redacted] Poa

Review: My son, [redacted] is a student in Pittsburgh and we allowed him to join Golds Gym on a month to month basis. The monthly fee of $29.99 was being deducted from my checking account. He decided he was not getting enough use out of his membership so we decided to cancel it. We called in June 2013 and thet stated we needed to send a letter to cancel. I sent a letter and it was received by them on July 13, 2013. They continued to deduct the monthly fee on 7/1/13 and again on 08/1/13. My wife called and they told her we owed an annual fee and that was why they didn't cancel the membership. We cancelled our check card with the bank so they would not take anymore monthly fees out. We called again to try to find out why this annual fee was not deducted along with the monthly fees and their company Motion Soft who collects the fees for them stated that it was an employee named [redacted] who made a mistake. Evidently she did not enter our check card number for the annual fee. We made payment for the annual fee hoping to clear this entire matter up but Motion Soft is telling us they never got a cancellation notice from Gold's Gym. So we are still getting bills from Motion Soft. They told us the only way this can be cleared up is by the gym and the gym is telling us to call Motion Soft. We have called so many times and have not been able to get this matter settled. My son has not been in that gym since May 2013 and I feel they are being unreasonable. They now have a collection agency calling my son's cell phone number harassing him. My next step will be to change his phone number. I feel since this was their mistake I owe them no more money.Desired Settlement: I feel that the membership should be cancelled since we did everything they required us to do and all the back fees from September 2013 on should be waived. As I said earlier my son has not stepped foot in that gym since May 2013 and they received our cancellation letter on July 13, 2013. The membership is listed in my son's name [redacted].

Business

Response:

27 February 2014Mr. [redacted] was paying for a membership for his son [redacted]. When they mailed in a letter to cancel his membership in July, there was a balance on the account. We informed [redacted], [redacted]’s mother, that we were unable to cancel an account if a member owed money. [redacted] determined that it was the fault of Motionsoft, our billing company, that money was owed on [redacted]’s account, and she obtained documentation of such. Several weeks ago, I spoke with the credit company in charge of collecting on [redacted]’s account and reported their entire debt as sent in error. There is no need for the [redacted]s to pay anything further to Gold’s Gym and I have informed [redacted] of this over the phone. She has accepted this resolution of the dispute.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. The minute I mentioned the Revdex.com complaint to Gold's Gym they were willing to work out a solution. I appreciate the fact the the Revdex.com exist and sadly it is the only way to get such irresponsible business owners to respond. Thank you.

Thought it was odd that this gym does not have a review considering how many member it has. I have been going to gyms for years and this one at Willow Lawn for 8 years. My experiences have been positive and a trainer recently solved a big problem that I had with a sore and stiff hip. As a profit making business, they are strict about their contracts but the contract they use is basic, boiler plate. Just do what it says when you want to stop it. Management has some wiggle-room and seem reasonable to me. The administrative staff is very accessible since their offices are right there on the workout floor. Since they work out at the gym, you see them quite a bit.

Review: on 5/29 gold's gym of [redacted] took 57.94 out of my account. My payment each month is 37.95, they stated that funds were not available so they charged an additional fee of 19.99 for NSF. However when speaking with my bank, they had no record of the so called attempt to take funds out the 2 days before the date the payment was taken out. Gold's said they would do a one time return on the 19.99 but I have yet to see this refund. I have been a loyal customer of gold's for over a year, I have never had a problem with a payment. I advised that I would like to cancel my account at this time do to they trying to take advantage of me by charging such high fees with no reason. The [redacted] even hung up on me. I believe that the way this company works here in [redacted] is disgusting. they do not respect the customer at all especially the [redacted].Desired Settlement: I would like the whole amount of 57.94 to be refunded and since the [redacted] rudely hung up on me I would like my account closed with no further payments as of today!

Business

Response:

The person that is making this complaint is not the individual on the agreement. [redacted] called the facility unwilling to "discuss" her concerns. She screamed and demanded refunds and cancellation. [redacted] then called our billing company and conducted herself in the same manner. Once again [redacted] called the facility this time speaking with me, the [redacted]; after asking her several times to stop yelling and using extreme profanity, to no avail, I ended the call. As [redacted] was told several times, we are willing to waive thr $19.50 fee as a one time courtesy. Please find [redacted] notes on the account describing the phone calls that took place with [redacted].

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I was not using inappropriate language with these people, my voice was stern but in was not yelling nor was I asked to stop screaming because they had no reason to. My card is the card being charged on the account.

My account has not been refunded, I talked with my bank! They said if someone tried to take money and funds were not available, the funds would come out and a fee would be applies by the bank. The bank also states that it would have not been declined. That it has no recorded of any attempt on the account the say in question. I do not feel that this company lying as they are is okay. It is slander and a means for a law suite. I would like for the manager to call and apologize for her slender to my name along with a confirmation of the refund.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Review: No Contract Needed!?! They Trapped me into a year contract!! Now I'm stuck with paying $30 a month for [redacted]! I was told I could cancel with 30 days notice which is bogus to begin with.Desired Settlement: I'd like a refund of the all charges posted from Nov 1 2014 to current date and cancellation of whatever contract was slipped in.

Business

Response:

This is an account of events associated with complaint #[redacted] lodged by [redacted].I received a phone call from this member about cancelling his membership. He stated that he filled out our cancellation form and he just wanted to follow up to make sure that we received it. When I was processing his cancellation request originally, I noticed that he signed a one-year agreement with us and the only way to get out of the one year deal is if you move more than 25 miles from where you were when you originally signed up. I had the associate who signed him up contact him to make him aware of this. When he called, the member stated that he could not speak at the moment and would call back. When the associate didn’t hear back from the member, he tried calling him again but he did not answer and his voicemail was full. A few weeks later is when I received the call from the member inquiring about his cancellation status. When I explained the situation to him he immediately flipped out and started cursing at me. He stated that he signed no such contract and when I told him that I had the contract in front of me he hung up on me.I am not sure why he is arguing this when clearly he signed this contract with us. If he has something else that is different from what we have I am more than happy to look at it. I was not able to convey anything to him because he would not stop yelling and cursing at me.I’ve attached all documentation necessary for this case. If there is anything else needed, please feel free to contact me.

Review: 5 months ago (april) I went in to cancel my contract. I was talked into freezing the account instead for up to 6 months. I asked if there were any fees or charges during that time. I was informed verbally that there was not. I was told that if I decided to cancel, I had to give 30 days notice or else in November the monthly fee would start up again. In August I was charged the annual fee of $40 unbeknownst to me. I found it while reconciling my checking account. In September, I decided to cancel my contract. I asked about getting the annual fee back in a prorated amount. I was told that was not possible. I was also informed that to cancel the contract they would have to reactivate it which meant they would have to charge me another $29.99 monthly fee. I told them they did not tell me that when I asked specifically about any additional charges. I asked if there was anything I could do about the fee. They said no.I then called the corporate office which told me they could not help me since the gym I belonged to was a franchise and they operate under their own rules.Desired Settlement: I would like the $29.99 refunded (it will be charged to my account in the next few days once they reactivate the account to cancel it). And I would at least like the prorated amount of the annual fee refunded.

Business

Response:

This is an account of events associated with complaint #[redacted] lodged by [redacted].

This member signed up for a membership with our facility on February 7, 2014. I have attached the contract that was signed by [redacted] on this date. If you look in the section immediately following the type of membership that she signed up for, you will see a list of policies associated with the membership. The fourth policy down is the Rate Guarantee Fee and it was initialed by the member acknowledging that she was aware of it when signing up. I have also attached the freeze form she signed in April of 2014. The form states that her membership dues will freeze from June 1, 2014 through the end of November 2014. Her next dues date would be December 1, 2014. The time frame that Heather froze her account happened to fall in the same time frame that the Annual Rate Guarantee would be billed to her. The freeze is for the member’s monthly dues only. A freeze does not negate the member from paying this annual fee.

This member is also complaining about our cancellation policy which is written in the contract as well. I have attached her cancellation notice along with the other documents listed above. She signed off agreeing to make her last payment on 10/01/14. I understand that her account is frozen, however, we can only cancel active members. Just because she is choosing to cancel her membership while her account is frozen does not mean that she will not be responsible for the 30-day notice and paying for her last month’s dues just as anyone else has to.

All documentation that is associated with this complaint is attached. We are not able to refund accounts that were not wrongfully charged. She never paid monthly dues while her account was frozen, and she is responsible for the annual fee as well as the cancellation fee.

Thank you.

Review: We had a membership with Gold gym that was set to expire the beginning of Aug. We called the gym to asked what was needed to cancel, and they stated that we had to come in 30 days prior and fill out the paperwork. We went in the beginning of July filled out the paperwork to cancel with an end date 30 days later. We went back in August and confirmed it was canceled and even received a call from a company called [redacted] (my not be spelled correctly) and we explained we still wanted to cancel. We received a call from a debt collector today ( completely rude) and they stated we owe Golds Gym 159.59 otherwise they would just put it against my "deadbeat credit". I went to gold gym at 1945 hours and wanted to talk to a manager (one one was present). I had the girl behind the counter look up my account and she stated that it is in level two collections. I asked if it showed in the system us trying to cancel and she said it showed the paperwork submitted in July, but the company never processed it. Because of this business practice I may lose my job because having anything against my credit is grounds to terminate. I may have to pay the debt collect in order to keep it from going against my credit and attempt to get refunded by the gym.Desired Settlement: adjust bill to reflect the date of cancelation and to stop debt collection proceedings

Business

Response:

Member's cancellation request was received and member was informed of the 30 day notice policy. He did not pay his final month which put a hold on his cancellation. We spoke with the member and he paid his final payment. The account has been cancelled and the member will not be billed again.

Review: I signed up for a contract with Gold's in May 2013. I wanted to cancel a year later but was told I couldn't, and all of their information online and over the phone about canceling states that you must prove that you've moved 50 miles away from a Gold's in order to cancel a membership. I then decided to let my contract expire, which it did in May 2015. I then got a charge for the normal contract price ($20) on June 20, 2015. I went to the Gold's Gym and they said that if I did not "take action" they automatically renew my membership on a "month to month" basis. They then had me sign a form stating that I was giving 30 days notice to cancel, and that I must owe another month's membership before the cancellation takes place. If I was paying on a month to month basis, it would've been higher, and like most month to month contracts, I shouldn't have to pay for another month's fee. Their cancellation policies should definitely be looked at for their transparency.Desired Settlement: I have not been to this gym in over a year, so if it was possible for me to have canceled last May 2014, I would have and would like compensation. If that's not possible, I would like my 6/22/15 and my next payment on 7/23/15 to be refunded.

Business

Response:

This member has been responded to and their last monthly membership dues have been waived. Her membership is cancelled and this inquiry is complete. Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted].

Regards,

Review: Please help...Gold's Gym is ripping people off big time. How can they justify taking hard working people's money from their bank account when I told them after the year membership expired to cancel my membership and they never once told me to send a letter 30 days before you want to cancel. This is a dishonest way to do business and it must be stopped. I paid for a 1 year membership and thought I cancelled only to find out Gold's Gym has taken the liberty to withdraw a total of $1432.37 from my bank account and this month has caused an overdraft and I now owe my bank $36. I have been in contact with Gold's Gym and they tell me I will not be reimbursed and they are still withdrawing money and I don't know how to get it to stop. I haven't been to Gold's gym in over 20 months and they have record of this. I am a recent grad of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, working as a entry level chef, trying to make ends meet with little over minimum wage, paying student loans and trying to make it in the city of Pittsburgh. This business, Gold's Gym, has no conscience they are stealing and they know they are. Please, Revdex.com of Pittsburgh don't allow this business to steal from the people of Pittsburgh.Desired Settlement: I need my membership cancelled and I need to be reimbursed $1432.37. I never used their services after the 1 year and I was continually charged. This is so wrong. I believe Gold's Gym should be put out of business with a class action lawsuit.

Business

Response:

This is an account of events associated with complaint #[redacted] lodged by [redacted].

Review: I got a free pass from my roommate for a number of days. When they signed me up to use the free pass they proceeded to ask me questions and try to get me to sign up. I told them that I didn't want to sign up for anything long term because I was moving in a month. He stated that I could sign up for a "MONTH TO MONTH" non membership where I paid a larger amount monthly because I was on this month to month and NOT a membership. Once I moved I quit going to the gym my debit card number was stolen and turned off I didn't think to notify the gym because I was no longer attending and since this is the case I should no longer be expected to pay. The gym never contacted me telling me that my account was severely overdue and roughly six months later I was contacted by a collection agency stating that I owe roughly $230.00. I have contacted numerous people at the gym because I do not understand why they are charging me for these months that I never attended. They stated that it is because I never notified them at the end of the month that I was planning to stop attending. This is like no other month to month membership that I have encountered if you stop paying you stop attending but in this case they are intending to charge me for many months past due while never even informing me that my account had become delinquent. I wonder if I had come into the gym and intended to work out if they would they have allowed me even though my account was so delinquent, because they knew they would be charging me for upcoming months anyways? I have made attempts over the past couple of months to explain my situation to the collection agency and the gym handling my account they are very unreasonable and not willing to help me I feel that I have been taken advantage of and totally mislead.Desired Settlement: I want to come to a reasonable conclusion with them so it is no longer hurting my credit.

Business

Response:

This is an account of events associated with complaint #[redacted] lodged by [redacted]This member signed up for a membership with our facility on May 18, 2015. Her contract states that sheis in a month-to-month term. Month-to-month gives the member the freedom to cancel whenever theywant, they just need to give us a 30-day notice. This is outlined within the agreement that was signed by[redacted]. We do not check to see who is and who is not using the facility, nor would we cancel anyonewho just isn’t using it. It is the responsibility of the member to take care of their membershipobligations.When a payment is missed, the member will be contacted that day and pretty much every other daythereafter until the membership payment is up to date. Our records show that our billing companyreached out to [redacted] concerning the decline of her card twenty-one times over the course of 90 days.Because nothing was resolved within that time frame, her account went to a collections agency. In thecomplaint filed by [redacted], she states that she tried to explain her situation to us, however, there are nonotes or any record of anyone here speaking with her concerning this or anything else. It is unfair of herto say that she was misled when everything is outlined for her in the contract.I’ve attached the contract that she signed, therefore, agreeing to the terms.Thank you.