Health Clubs & Gyms - Gold's Gym difficult to cancel membership

Gold's Gym Corporate Office

Gold's Gym

From: Patricia Longley Email User

Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 04:31 AM

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Las Vegas has two wonderful things going for it in my opinion...it's where I resigned my commission in the United States Air Force, after a tour of duty there, to marry my husband and move overseas. Second...it's where my 84-year-old godmother lives. On the flip-side of that is the downside of having purchased a month-to-month membership in their East Flamingo Gold's Gym Franchise which has taken me almost eight months to cancel!!! After returning from overseas the summer of 1999, my husband was transferred to Fort Walton Beach Florida to work as an F-15 Flight Simulator Instructor. As I hadn't seen my godmother in almost three years, and with her health deteriorating--she'd just suffered a severe fall--I elected to go stay with her in her home in Las Vegas. After a month of helping her convalesce, I wanted and needed to find a fitness facility to help me eleviate some of the daily stresses that one incurs while providing full-time care to an elderly relative. My problem was two-fold however, I needed a facility close to my godmother's home in case of an emergency. Secondly, I needed a short-term contract, preferably a month-to-month agreement since I wouldn't be needed in Las Vegas for more than a few months. Wow...here comes Gold's Gym to the rescue. They were only two miles south of my godmother's home and they offered me a month-to-month contract that I could SUPPOSEDLY terminate, in writing, 30-days prior to my departure. All they needed was a major credit card. Well they got the credit card number alright....and just kept using and using it to the tune of $176 in monthly charges applied to my account 8 months after I resigned my membership. Seems the old, "all we need is a signed letter forwarded to our corporate office" in order to terminate my contract just didn't hold any water. It never happened the way they said orally to me and in writing that it would...the cancellation process was one long, drawn out nightmare. Although I followed the contractual instructions to a tee, just before I returned home to Florida (August 1999), I sent a resignation letter to the Gold's Gym Corporate Office in Palm Springs California. And, every month thereafter, I watched the $22 dues charge consistently hit my credit card. In October 1999, I sent a second letter to the same corporate office--still no change. Those monthly dues just kept adding up. Finally, I called the franchise in Las Vegas and asked what the problem was and could they give me the number to the corporate office so I could speak directly with their billing department. The first shocker I got was the "we are'nt allowed to give out that number per our manager." The second shocker was actually having to call back, long-distance, to speak with the manager after he finished his break. When I finally did reach him, well he started talking about needing proof that I no longer resided in Nevada. Gold's Gym does not allow you to terminate your contract unless you relocate, and can validate that relocation, to an area 40-50 miles away from their facility. That got me going. I told the manager that I signed a month-to-month contract specifically because I had no intentions of residing in Las Vegas permanently...I was only there aiding a sick relative. And, I had always maintained a Florida driver's license to prove that. Then he tells me to talk to the Corporate Office. I said, "I'd love to...that's the reason I called in the first place was to get their number." After speaking with their Billing Dept., I was assured that no further charges would post to my account if I faxed her a letter that same day. So I run to the computer, whip a termination notice out and run to get the thing faxed before they closed for the business day. Next month rolls along, and you guessed it, there's another monthly fee assessed. I called the Billing Dept back and said, "What's the deal? I faxed you a letter just as you requested outlining everything and you still charge me for another month?" And she said, "Why yes ma'am it takes 30-days for the cancellation to take effect." I was flabbergasted! I said, "Lady, it's been 8 months since I first tried to terminate this agreement. I did so in writing and you're telling me that you feels it's fair to charge me yet another months dues for services I don't even receive?" And she has the audacity to tell me that she didn't work there back in August so she has no knowlede of my claim and that she does'nt see what the big deal is all about. According to her, I won't be charged again. So, I should just go and have a nice day. The thing that really burns me is that I had also attempted to have my credit card company intervene and help resolve this issue. And, they said that unfortunately once you devulge your number and authorize someone to use it, you chances of stopping the charges from posting is virtually impossible. So, the only real option was to change my credit card number. Problem is then you have to worry about a bad credit rating being assigned against you by the company for failure to pay. The whole ordeal was a rip-off and a modern-day corporate sham! No company should be allowed to treat its clientele in such an outrageous fashion. After speaking to several other military and ex-military friends, I now realize that Gold's Gym loves your membership so much that they never, ever want to let it go. BEWARE...Don't let them sucker you in to their hype. They should have their contract rewritten to include the statement that "Termination of said contractual agreement is not recognized unless member has joined the dearly departed. And, only with a valid in-state death certificate witnessed by three people over the age of 21 and notarized!" I hope they can hear the smoke

Comment On This

Move over I am in the same boat! I moved as well. I submitted my cancelations papers and was told it would take 30 days and an additional charge would be applied to my account, but on the second month after my cancelation additional funds were withdrawn. I did not cancel the add on membership for my minor child. One contract was signed by me. An add on membership is by definition dependant on the primary membership. Now they want proof of age for my child even though he signed nothing. I would love a phone number for corporate headquarters, but was only given the 800 number for customer service. And as you already know know customer service is their title not theIr job description.

I guess I will have to close my bank account to make them stop.

Good luck to us all.

Comment On This

I am currently in the same position.

I moved to Hawaii, no Golds Gym here,

and notified the personnel when I left and now getting billed for 3 to 4 months because I did not call all over the world to cancel. It is bad enough to have to pay $50 to cancel something you cannot use let alone to be billed monthly for services not rendered, used, and location not found.

I am very upset and will contact my attorney to see how this can be revised so that noone else has to go thru this EVER again.

Trent Sewell

Comment On This

I am with you 100%. I joined a Gold's Gym in the Washington DC area. All I have gotten from them is lies. First they tell me that I can use any Gold's in the metro area with my membership. Turns out the gym I can't use is the one across the street from my office! Kinda defeats the purpose!

On top of that, there is almost no way out of the membership...no matter what.