Customers Complain They Can't Cancel Gym Contracts
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PLANO (CBS11) - Ganaparti Alluri signed up at Gold's Gym in Plano almost a year ago.
"For a guy like me who's new to the U.S., Golds Gym is everything when it comes to the gyms," said Alluri.
Alluri thought the hard part would be going to the gym not trying to leave.
Alluri said two months after signing up he had to move.
His new apartment was 25 miles from the gym, one of the reasons you can leave a contract early outlined in their early termination policy.
Alluri said they told him to cancel on-line and send in his apartment lease as proof he was moving.
"I sent them everything," said Alluri.
A few months later, Alluri got a bill for $230 from a collection agency.
"It's pretty simple right? You give these documents are your case is closed. It doesn't happen that way," said Alluri.
He filed a complaint with the Dallas BBB and so have more than 700 others over the last three years.
"I'm surprised to see such a big brand have so many complaints on a single topic," said Alluri.
The Better Business Bureau reports the majority of those complaints are over contract disputes.
The BBB said they've identified a pattern of complaints--where employees may lead you believe you can cancel at any time.
CBS 11 searched the cancellation policies for other big name gyms and found similar requirements--so make sure you read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.
If you want to cancel any gym contract and can't, try sending a letter to the corporate office or disputing the charge with your credit card company.
Gold's Gym told us in a statement:
"Member satisfaction is our number one priority at Gold's Gym and we take pride in offering the best experience in the fitness industry. In fact, Gold's Gym was ranked highest in customer satisfaction in 2015 by J.D. Power among national health and fitness centers.
In addition, we are constantly improving the ways in which we serve our members and resolve any disputes. To that end we recently rolled out a new member service website that allows members to easily manage their membership and billing information online. We also have a comprehensive member feedback program in place where members are surveyed daily and their responses reviewed by our general managers.
The overwhelming majority of our members love their experience at Gold's Gym and more importantly, the results we help them achieve. However, whenever an issue arises, we work hard to resolve it as quickly as possible in accordance with the terms of our membership agreements.
We are so confident that people will enjoy their experience at Gold's Gym that here in Dallas, we offer a 30 day money back guarantee. If a member joins and is not 100% satisfied after the first 30 days, we'll give them their money back. No questions asked."
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