Outrageous cancellation fees and impossible to cancel

ComplaintsFitness CentersLA Fitness

Complaint

0
Sonya
Country: United States
My husband and I joined LA Fitness and then we got him the Body of Change membership, which is their personal trainer thing. Well, he was given a new trainer every time and then, the last trainer of his got fired and no one ever called anc scheduled sessions for him.

Meanwhile they continued taking out $100 a month for the membership and the service they were not delivering. We even called and complained about the service, The customer service person said they will handle it and scheduled a session for us. When we showed up, nobody knew we were coming and there was no one to do the training session.

At the end they made us pay a $500 cancellation fee for over 6 months of undelivered service.

They are criminal and deliver none of what they promise. Please let everyone know - DO NOT USE THEIR SERVICES, THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF !!!!

Comments

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  • 0
    Lisa in Atlanta
    I wish I'd seen all these complaints before signing a contract!  Lesson learned!  My story is that we were pressured like many others to enter into a personal training contract and were told we would have all these free sessions tagged on as part of a special deal.  The sales person was telling us that my partner and I would each get 3 sessions/week for "a while" then two each/week. We pressed him for how long "a while" was and got some ridiculous no-sense response but were assured that it would be several months.  So we began our sessions, each with a different trainer.  We both had knee problems and informed our trainers of this.  My partner never had trouble with her trainer.  I, however, was told to do fifty squats.  I reminded my trainer about my knee trouble and he said, do the best you can.  After 5, I stopped.  He told me to take a break and start back when I can.  It took me nearly ten minutes to get through it and I was in excruciating pain.  (Now, why I endured that, I can't explain now.  I should have just told him where he could shove those squats.)  He then had me do another exercise that involved not only squats, but also twisting of the leg - which really killed my knee.  I told him I couldn't do it. He said, take your time.  I could barely walk for days.  My second session I was more firm when he said to do 75 squats and said I wouldn't due to my knee.  He then said to do lunges.  I told him that wasn't appropriate given my knees.  He then asked if I could do a step-up and demonstrated by stepping up onto a bench.  Ridiculous!  He instructed me to "kill myself" on the weight machines if I wouldn't do anything else and had me do 80 leg lifts and curls with nearly 100 pounds on the machines.  And then he had me run laps around the gym.  On bad knees.  The next session he didn't show up for.  I spoke with my partner's trainer and told her I wanted to work with her.  Now, I was told if I didn't like a trainer, no worries, they would switch.  Not an issue at all.  Well, I had to talk to my trainer first to see if we could work things out.  My trainer called me twice and management called me.  I stuck to my guns and insisted that I see someone else.  I started seeing my partner's trainer and she was great.  But underpaid and therefore, left two weeks later.  I started trying to work with another trainer at a different location and she was too busy to fit me in.  Then I started having medical problems.  With everything going on medically, financially (due to new medical problems), and quality of service, I decided I wanted to cancel my contract.  Buy out would be $2000 which is unacceptable.  My doctor gave me a letter stating that she is advising me not to exercise until further notice.  I gave it to the training manager, but he stated that they won't cancel it because the letter doesn't indicate that I am permanently disabled.  He said he would see if they could suspend the contract for a month.  He promised to call me four days ago as of today.  I have called him multiple times, he's not available.  I have left messages, he has not returned my call.  I had my bank put a stop-payment on future attempts to charge my debit card.  I'm sure I'll get a phone call soon.
  • 0
    Lisa in Atlanta
    I forgot to finish that part about the 3 sessions/week for each of us.  It turned out that we could each have three sessions one week per month but then only two each for the other three weeks of the month.  Except on long months, when we would only get 2 sessions each per week.  how did management handle that?  They made me talk to the incompetent sales person that sold us that crap!

    BTW, the trainer we liked said that she got $6 per 1/2 hr session.  We paid $25 per session.  LA Fitness is the pimp of the personal training world and it is making stupid money!
  • 0
    Alicia
    I've been a member of LA Fitness over 2 years and have a training membership since February.  I pay for 30 mins once  a week and end up getting 20-25.   I racked up so many unused sessions b/c of the time when trainers are booked or I'm too busy.  I do a fine job working out on my own and am in great shape.  It's like these trainers are robots and we're just numbers.  I have a year, so I'm deciding if I'm going to stick it out another 5 months.  I would cancel only if I can talk to corporate and they'll waive the cancellation fee.  With the money I'm spending (190/m) I'd rather take it to an upscale gym like Equinox and work out on my own or do the better classes.  Unless you guys have any horror stories about those gyms....
  • 0
    disapointed
    Hi, ive been a member of la ripoff fitness for 3 months over here in england an after reading all the many many posts of complaints about this cowboy company here an across the pond, that i want to cancel my membership too, i am totaly disgusted with these clowns an cannot be a member of such a ripoff show, they treat folk like idiots an i want out, im just trying to find a way of doing it without paying any more of my hard earned cash to these criminals.
  • 0
    Faisal Nawaz
    Worst company i have ever seen in this country.
    Horrible cancellation experience, you need days to do that and they will try to extend the period.

    i will never see this company again.

    New comers try to be carefull and ask them the cancellation policy and look what they say
  • 0
    Disapointed
    I went for a swim this morning at lafitness, an i noticed at one end of the pool that there was what i thought was sand on the bottom of the pool as i felt it around my feet, actualy i noticed it the other day as well an thinking about it i realized that it wasnt sand cos sand feels a bit more gritty an rougher against ones skin, so i swum underwater to have a closer look at what it was, an i was horrified to see that it wasnt sand but loads of dead skin sitting there on the bottom, i felt sick, i mean what if one gets a mouthful of this, yuk!! i have complained, so i will see if theyve done anything about it tomorrow, i notice in the steam room there is also a bad smell like something rotting. Its disgusting, i sooo want to leave, i aswked for my contract as i havent had it despite being a member for over 3 months, so when i asked for it i was given a slip of paper with application to join on it??? an they said that as i joined via the web on one of their booking machines that i wasnt entitled to a copy of my contract, so i told them that my son had recieved on by email an he joined in exactly the same way as myself, so they then gave me a card with membership services number an told to ring them, so i tried this when i got home an all i got was a loop message telling me about opening hours, i tried this 3 times over the day an got the same result everytime. So now i have requested to see the manager of the gym, but i will have to wait a couple days till he gets back from holiday. They just seem to fob you off everytime with some BS that you know doesnt seem to ring true. This company is a joke.
  • 0
    Bookish
    Under no cirmustances join LA Fitness. I had a cancellation nightmare. I finally filed against them with the attorney general
  • 0
    Papi
    Im trying to currently cancel my membership with la fitness. Does anybody know if the above emails still work? I realize they were posted a while ago.
  • 0
    mark
    yeah, i'm wondering if that orlandog email still works too. it's been a cancellation nightmare for me as well.
  • 0
    robin
    | 1 reply
    yes this email works I used it today and got a confirmation email just a few hours later. horray for people who do the job and do it well. Now I am going to try and get some of the personal training fees I have paid. Which I hated the few times I used it.
    • 0
      susan replies to robin
      What email address are you referring to?
  • 0
    Robin
    yup the email worked like a charm.
  • 0
    Bally to LA Fitness Ripoff
    The merger was final on 12-01-2011 and all Bally members are directed to LA Fitness sales people.  It states on their website they will uphold Bally agreements.  This is a false statement and I went to a La Fitness who tried to do a hard sell for a new contract.  The amount was for $355.00 upfront or a monthly rate of $40.00 each month.  My advice do not sign the contract because you can not contact the home office to cancel.  The company practices unfair consumer treatment.  It's another scam and find a gym that is much less and gives you good customer service.
  • 0
    LA FITNESS FRAUD SCAM
    www.gymsettlement.com
    www.fitnessservicesettlement.com
    Pending class action lawsuits, and other suits.

    Contact your state's Office of Attorney General.

    Do not sign any new contract with LA Fitness. This will void your Bally membership contract, and you will have no legal say in the matter. Your Bally's contract should be honored in full by LA Fitness.
  • 0
    Bert in Pittsburgh
    Yea, several months ago I cancelled, mailed in their stupid form to the PO Box and forgot about it.  Well, my debit card had changed and they could no longer bill me.  Now, I get a letter saying I owe 5 months of unpaid dues.  I tried to send the letter via fed ex and require a signature but LA Fitness conveniently has a PO Box so you can't get a signature.  They said "can you prove you sent it?"  I said no, "can you prove you didn't receive it?"  [***]!
  • 0
    HM - CT
    DO NOT JOIN!  They will make it impossible for you to cancel!!!  I was told that in order to cancel I had to mail in a form that they print out of us...so I did that 20 days before my billing cycle. Sure enough my credit card was still charged, when I called they told me they still have not received my letter...somehow the other bills i sent out that day was received by others???  Of course we have no way of proving that it was sent.  I just find it rediculous that they can take new members, offer you a scan membership card, and take your money at the local branches...but cannot hit a simple botton to cancel our membership?
  • 0
    Mary JAne
    LA Fitness just purchased Bally and they are abusing the customers in White Marsh, Maryland.
    I called the Attorney General's Office & filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Office to make them honor the contracts from Bally's.
  • 0
    Anonymousisjustice
    | 1 reply
    We are anonymous
    We are legion
    We do not forgive
    We do not forget
    Expect us

    -Anonymous
    • 0
      Ginny Brainerd replies to Anonymousisjustice
      Please!!!   Have at it with LA Fitness!! Totally think you all are amazing the way you work together. Shut them down  .... seriously. Scam, unfair and udesirable work ethics!
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