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Golds Gym is crooked (1 Viewer)

St. Louis Bob

St. Louis Bob

Footballguy
I did a search and apparently I'm not alone.  Mrs. SLB and Cal had a private trainer for a few months which she canceled and has a receipt sent to her stating as much in an e-mail.  However they continued to charge us and I didn't even notice.  Stupid me.  For almost two months Mrs. SLB was told yes we owe you a credit, almost $1300, but they were waiting for something from corporate.     I finally just called my credit card company and disputed all of the charges and thought everything was cleaned up.  So what does Golds do?  They turn it over to a collection agency.  Literally want to go up there and punch the manager in the head.  I don't care so much about screwing up my credit as it's about as perfect as possible but really pissed as to what it could do to Cal  at the ripe old age of 14. 

So other than going on a rampage, what do I do here?

Signed,

Angry at AU

 
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What about simply going into the gym and asking for the 'receipts' that resulted in these charges. Take the information that you have with you that proves that you have been charged past when you cancelled and their statement that they owed you the credit. Call ahead to find when the top manager of the site will be there. Go in expecting a long wait, sitting in a visible space waiting for the manager, if you can't arrange a meeting ahead of time.

Also, is your CC company aware that you are disputing the charges? Can they help with dealing with the Collection agency? I'm sure this is not new to them.

HTH!

 
St. Louis Bob said:
what do I do here?
Click to expand...
Lot's of options.

 - Use their machines, and never wipe them off when finished.

 - Pee in their showers. 

 - Steal dumbbells, toilet paper, towels, until you have $1300 worth

 - Sleep with his wife

 - Only eat Indian food and only use their bathrooms for #2

 - If you have a visitor option with your membership, bring a homeless person with you to the gym every day. 

 
Mr. Ected said:
What about simply going into the gym and asking for the 'receipts' that resulted in these charges. Take the information that you have with you that proves that you have been charged past when you cancelled and their statement that they owed you the credit. Call ahead to find when the top manager of the site will be there. Go in expecting a long wait, sitting in a visible space waiting for the manager, if you can't arrange a meeting ahead of time.

Also, is your CC company aware that you are disputing the charges? Can they help with dealing with the Collection agency? I'm sure this is not new to them.

HTH!
Click to expand...
My wife has the e-mail with the cancellation and they won't give our money back.  She has been talking  to the top manager there and they just kept putting her off.  Apparently this is there M.O. looking at complaints in the other thread.  They went from "yes, we owe you that money" to "how about a credit against your account?".   I asked the credit card company for help and all they were willing to do was cancel our credit card so we could get a new number because they just kept charging us.  Literally stealing from us.  Someone should be arrested.

I appreciate the feedback. :thumbup:
 

 
St. Louis Bob said:
lol, actually Mrs. SLB and she likes to take the yoga classes.  

I did start working out again a couple years ago in addition to my daily walks and bike rides.  I'm tight and rewarding. :thumbup:

You know, for being almost 50.
Click to expand...
Look at me, I've got a sexy yoga wife!!

In all seriousness, when it comes to my credit, I don't #### around. I'd meet with the general manager of the gym, then find his boss (prob some regional manager that oversees a bunch of branches), and if they still won't see your correct viewpoint, I'd prob file a small claims suit. I'd record my conversations with them when going to court too (which hopefully it won't come to).

 
fantasycurse42 said:
Look at me, I've got a sexy yoga wife!!

In all seriousness, when it comes to my credit, I don't #### around. I'd meet with the general manager of the gym, then find his boss (prob some regional manager that oversees a bunch of branches), and if they still won't see your correct viewpoint, I'd prob file a small claims suit. I'd record my conversations with them when going to court too (which hopefully it won't come to).
Click to expand...
That's what I'm thinking but thought the collective wisdom of the FFA might point me in another direction.

 
File in small claims. Most companies usually contact you to negotiate right after they are served. Most times they will settle with you and you will get more than what they took. 

 
I think you should threaten to dive into their swimming pool and stick them with the medical bills!

P.S. Hi GB!

P.S. for real though, that's some bull#### money grab right there. 

 
The same thing happened to us but it was more than 15 years ago. The wife paid for personal training sessions billed monthly automatically out of her checking account. When she got pregnant, the doctor said she had to stop training as she had health issues. Around this time, we moved.

First we told the Gold's closest to us the situation and they said no problem, it was all taken care of and we would no longer be billed. Except is wasn't. They later said we had to tell the location that she signed up to cancel it. So we did that. And they said it was all taken care of. Except it wasn't.

With the money still coming out of her account, I complained again and they said we had to put our request IN WRITING, as they can't act on a verbal request. So we did that. And they denied it saying that she had a contract with them and it could not be terminated just because we asked. They said we needed a letter from her doctor stating it was medically necessary and dangerous and that her training had to be stopped.

Of course, that didn't do anything, and the reason they said was she needed to fill out their paperwork and not me, as I was not the member that had entered the agreement with them. So we did that, too. By the end of her pregnancy she was on strict bed rest and the only time she left the house was to go to the doctor's.

Still the money kept coming out of her account. When I just about had to be restrained at the desk, then they claimed they never got the letter from the doctor and they couldn't cancel her contract without the letter. When I brought another copy of the letter, then they said it was dated so long ago and she had been billed for 8 months of training they decided she was receiving training all along and they would consider whether they would honor our request.

Ultimately they got all the paperwork and doctor's records that they requested but it was AFTER our son was born. So they came back to us and said they would not terminate her agreement because the doctor's note had the phrase "during her pregnancy." She was in no shape to go back to training and we had had enough with them.

We ended up closing the bank account. But since things were set up as automatic withdrawals and not as credit card payments, there was no way to get the money back. The only other option was to take them to court, and I didn't have the time or the energy to take them to court.

Bottom line we paid for over a year of training she never got. What a bunch of crooks.

 
Anarchy99 said:
The same thing happened to us but it was more than 15 years ago. The wife paid for personal training sessions billed monthly automatically out of her checking account. When she got pregnant, the doctor said she had to stop training as she had health issues. Around this time, we moved.

First we told the Gold's closest to us the situation and they said no problem, it was all taken care of and we would no longer be billed. Except is wasn't. They later said we had to tell the location that she signed up to cancel it. So we did that. And they said it was all taken care of. Except it wasn't.

With the money still coming out of her account, I complained again and they said we had to put our request IN WRITING, as they can't act on a verbal request. So we did that. And they denied it saying that she had a contract with them and it could not be terminated just because we asked. They said we needed a letter from her doctor stating it was medically necessary and dangerous and that her training had to be stopped.

Of course, that didn't do anything, and the reason they said was she needed to fill out their paperwork and not me, as I was not the member that had entered the agreement with them. So we did that, too. By the end of her pregnancy she was on strict bed rest and the only time she left the house was to go to the doctor's.

Still the money kept coming out of her account. When I just about had to be restrained at the desk, then they claimed they never got the letter from the doctor and they couldn't cancel her contract without the letter. When I brought another copy of the letter, then they said it was dated so long ago and she had been billed for 8 months of training they decided she was receiving training all along and they would consider whether they would honor our request.

Ultimately they got all the paperwork and doctor's records that they requested but it was AFTER our son was born. So they came back to us and said they would not terminate her agreement because the doctor's note had the phrase "during her pregnancy." She was in no shape to go back to training and we had had enough with them.

We ended up closing the bank account. But since things were set up as automatic withdrawals and not as credit card payments, there was no way to get the money back. The only other option was to take them to court, and I didn't have the time or the energy to take them to court.

Bottom line we paid for over a year of training she never got. What a bunch of crooks.
Click to expand...
Ok, you win.

 
St. Louis Bob said:
My wife has the e-mail with the cancellation and they won't give our money back.  She has been talking  to the top manager there and they just kept putting her off.  Apparently this is there M.O. looking at complaints in the other thread.  They went from "yes, we owe you that money" to "how about a credit against your account?".   I asked the credit card company for help and all they were willing to do was cancel our credit card so we could get a new number because they just kept charging us.  Literally stealing from us.  Someone should be arrested.

I appreciate the feedback. :thumbup:
 
Click to expand...
If you go in to talk to them, I'm coming just to watch.  I'll take video as needed.  And shave your nipple.

 
I don't really understand how they can put you into collections for this.  Even if they do, are you 100% sure this is the type that could report to your credit agency?

What do the documents they sent you read like?  What is the company?

Was the collections for the amount your credit card charged back? 

 
Can you contact the State Attorney General or one of those Local News Do-Gooders?  Especially with a kid involved they’d probably love to run with a story like that

 
Some helpful info on how to dispute the debt here.

You need to mail the debt collector a certified letter (use the template on that page) stating that you are disputing the debt because the services had been terminated as the included copy of email demonstrates.

At that point, their only options will be:

1) Sue you, 2) Report you to the credit bureaus, 3) Sell the debt or 4) Eat it and drop the whole thing.

The most likely case is they will do #3.

Keep checking the credit reports at all the credit bureaus. If it gets reported to them, contact the bureau and dispute it and give your side. They'll almost certainly remove it from the report. 

No way they sue as they know they would lose in a heartbeat.

ETA: It's very important that you dispute the debt within 30 days. What sucks is that your beef is no longer with Gold's Gym, it is with the collection agency. But they have to abide by certain laws, so it's important that you act quickly and protect your rights.

 
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culdeus said:

I don't really understand how they can put you into collections for this. Even if they do, are you 100% sure this is the type that could report to your credit agency?
Click to expand...
You can send someone to collections for any reason. For a company like Gold's Gym, the processing fee is probably just $20.

From there, the collection agency has to prove that the debt is legit. Once you fight back and show the cancellation letter then the collection agency should back off. Just make sure that you get the collection agency to sent you a letter confirming that they are dropping the case. Otherwise, they'll just sell the debt to another collection agency.

 
gianmarco said:
If you go in to talk to them, I'm coming just to watch.  I'll take video as needed.  And shave your nipple.
Click to expand...
I'd make the trip down there to see this too

Hi GBSLB!  :bye:

ETA: Contact the local TV station that helps out with these situations, go public.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
The same thing happened to us but it was more than 15 years ago. The wife paid for personal training sessions billed monthly automatically out of her checking account. When she got pregnant, the doctor said she had to stop training as she had health issues. Around this time, we moved.

First we told the Gold's closest to us the situation and they said no problem, it was all taken care of and we would no longer be billed. Except is wasn't. They later said we had to tell the location that she signed up to cancel it. So we did that. And they said it was all taken care of. Except it wasn't.

With the money still coming out of her account, I complained again and they said we had to put our request IN WRITING, as they can't act on a verbal request. So we did that. And they denied it saying that she had a contract with them and it could not be terminated just because we asked. They said we needed a letter from her doctor stating it was medically necessary and dangerous and that her training had to be stopped.

Of course, that didn't do anything, and the reason they said was she needed to fill out their paperwork and not me, as I was not the member that had entered the agreement with them. So we did that, too. By the end of her pregnancy she was on strict bed rest and the only time she left the house was to go to the doctor's.

Still the money kept coming out of her account. When I just about had to be restrained at the desk, then they claimed they never got the letter from the doctor and they couldn't cancel her contract without the letter. When I brought another copy of the letter, then they said it was dated so long ago and she had been billed for 8 months of training they decided she was receiving training all along and they would consider whether they would honor our request.

Ultimately they got all the paperwork and doctor's records that they requested but it was AFTER our son was born. So they came back to us and said they would not terminate her agreement because the doctor's note had the phrase "during her pregnancy." She was in no shape to go back to training and we had had enough with them.

We ended up closing the bank account. But since things were set up as automatic withdrawals and not as credit card payments, there was no way to get the money back. The only other option was to take them to court, and I didn't have the time or the energy to take them to court.

Bottom line we paid for over a year of training she never got. What a bunch of crooks.
Click to expand...
JFC

 
gianmarco said:
If you go in to talk to them, I'm coming just to watch.  I'll take video as needed.  And shave your nipple.
Click to expand...
Talking to them in person would be a really bad idea.  Particularly after reading @Anarchy99 post.  Makes me want to burn #### down.

 
Joe Summer said:
culdeus said:

I don't really understand how they can put you into collections for this. Even if they do, are you 100% sure this is the type that could report to your credit agency?
Click to expand...
You can send someone to collections for any reason. For a company like Gold's Gym, the processing fee is probably just $20.

From there, the collection agency has to prove that the debt is legit. Once you fight back and show the cancellation letter then the collection agency should back off. Just make sure that you get the collection agency to sent you a letter confirming that they are dropping the case. Otherwise, they'll just sell the debt to another collection agency.
Click to expand...
Right.

 
IMAX 3D said:
Can you contact the State Attorney General or one of those Local News Do-Gooders?  Especially with a kid involved they’d probably love to run with a story like that
Click to expand...
That would be good but really don't have the time.  Guess I'll be filing something in small claims. 

Thanks for the advice and joke GB's.  :thumbup:

 
St. Louis Bob said:
Right.
Click to expand...
I didn't know you could report something that wasn't an actual debt or obligation. I mean you didn't use the service. What a mess

I got put in collections because I missed the last month of a $24 cell phone bill and moved. Took them 7 years to find me and I got it removed pretty fast on fairly shaky grounds. 

 
St. Louis Bob said:
That would be good but really don't have the time.  Guess I'll be filing something in small claims. 

Thanks for the advice and joke GB's.  :thumbup:
Click to expand...
How much did your score drop?  If you can get a credit rejection letter due to their actions you can tack on additional damages.

 
Similar story but from a crooked training company called Pure Core Personal Training (affiliated with Blue Moon Fitness among others).

So I sign up for a 12 month plan last August- they charge $360 per month for 3 30 minute sessions per week, and on signing up it was first month/last month and a $49 activation fee.

Faithfully went to training for 6 months and then tailed off - so decided I was going to terminate the contract at it's completion.

So in June (at 10 months) I get a call from the head trainer guy saying my contract is coming up and he wanted to sell me a different plan to extend my membership to which I replied no I am cancelling my membership at the end of the 12 months.

August rolls around and I see the monthly withdrawal so I call them and say I paid the first and last month up front why am I still getting charged.

They respond that I did not cancel in June like I said I did and that the guy who texted me no longer works for the company - but they will process my cancellation now.  I am pissed but whatever...they also point our that my agreement said if I did not cancel with 30 days notice then the yearly plan rolls over to a month by month plan up until I cancel...and since it is now August 6th my cancellation does not take effect until September 6.  No problem - that means that when they bill me for September it is already paid (last month paid up front), right?

So Sept 1 I see another automatic withdrawal - so I call them today and ask them why I am still being charged.  Their response was that I did not pay for the first and last month up front - they actually took that payment and shortened my term to 10 months so that I have been on a month to month since June NOT August.

Thereby meaning that I DO still owe for September but after that no more automatic withdrawals.

So shady, but they are within their legal rights - but a hell of a way to make sure they piss off future clients.  Shame on me for not understanding how they operated.

 
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St. Louis Bob said:
Talking to them in person would be a really bad idea.  Particularly after reading @Anarchy99 post.  Makes me want to burn #### down.
Click to expand...
had a similar'ish situation whereby our vet pressured my wife in to making a decision she didn't really want to make.. costing us hundreds of dollars unnecessarily.

i went there to reason with them and got accused of being a wife beater :thumbup: then got a letter from their lawyer telling me to never have contact with the company ever again :thumbup:  

 
St. Louis Bob said:
I did a search and apparently I'm not alone.  Mrs. SLB and Cal had a private trainer for a few months which she canceled and has a receipt sent to her stating as much in an e-mail.  However they continued to charge us and I didn't even notice.  Stupid me.  For almost two months Mrs. SLB was told yes we owe you a credit, almost $1300, but they were waiting for something from corporate.     I finally just called my credit card company and disputed all of the charges and thought everything was cleaned up.  So what does Golds do?  They turn it over to a collection agency.  Literally want to go up there and punch the manager in the head.  I don't care so much about screwing up my credit as it's about as perfect as possible but really pissed as to what it could do to Cal  at the ripe old age of 14. 

So other than going on a rampage, what do I do here?

Signed,

Angry at AU
Click to expand...
Update?

 
This is common practice for Gold's. When you first sign up, they make you pay your first and last month's membership plus other BS fees which totals over $100. I decided not to renew my membership last year. Why are they still calling me 10 months later saying I still owe for my last month? It's so annoying. 

I decided to go to the gym down the street from my local Gold's, it's significantly cheaper than Gold's and not super packed. It doesn't offer as many amenities as Gold's but that's fine. I can shower at home and who needs a sauna? 

 
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