(caught the spelling mistake afterwards ugh)
Am I reading this right that to reactivate they’d be charging the difference they ‘lost’ during the freeze term? Wild.
Asked LA Fitness to cancel my membership, they offered to freeze it for $10/month instead
Submitted 3 weeks ago by northernlights@lemmy.today to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.today/pictrs/image/9835d8e5-e172-4b3e-87fd-6133f6eb9ece.png
Comments
JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
northernlights@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
yup
PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I read it the opposite, if you freeze for 5 months then come back, have $50 of credit towards your first 1-2 bills
JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
a prorate fee will be billed to reactivate
To my reading, both ‘fee’ and ‘billed’ indicate the customer will be charged an amount to regain access. If it were as you suggest, I think it would have been worded differently, to provide more benefit to the customer. Maybe something along the lines of:
‘When you are ready to come back, your membership reactivation will be prorated to reflect freeze term payments.’
As it is, I can see both interpretations. Which might be on purpose to surprise people who turn up at the gym after a few months break, banking on an eye roll and the fee to be paid so they can get on with their workout.
TheWhetherMan@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
When setting up my LA Fitness account, I used a virtual card so if they try and pull any shenanigans like this the card cane just simply cease to exist. Many credit cards offer this as a feature, and if not, privacy.com does this as well
CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Just because aware this doesn’t terminate whatever contract you had and they can take you to court if they wanted to.
InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
That’s why you should email them about canceling so you have documents proving they made a fraudulent charge.
Zirconium@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Damn, goodbye home after bathroom renovations
NutinButNet@hilariouschaos.com 3 weeks ago
So this is why some gyms like mine are now doing discounts for using a checking account now. I wondered why that was when I set up my account last year.
Khanzarate@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Nah there’s legitimate reasons to do that. Banks don’t charge the fees that credit card companies do.
Also, you can have your bank refuse payment, anyway.
northernlights@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
That’s good advice, I’ll do that for my next gym membership. Tx.
Junkasaurus@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yeah good call, I’d do this too. Just watch out though because the gym will send any unpaid bills to collections. Might be worth it though to get out of the contract - just make sure to pay off the debt within 30 days.
thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Had something like this happen to me. Luckily, we have laws in place stating that collections companies cannot follow up disputed claims. So I emailed the collections company, with the people that sent the claim to them on CC, telling them I disputed the claim (with some attachments to back up why). They responded by basically saying “sorry, our bad, the people that sent this claim can pound sand.” Then I never heard anything more about it.
What sucks though, is that it’s really stressful to have something go to collections. Most people would probably just have paid, because they get stressed out and don’t know the law.
Full disclaimer: This law may very well not exist where you live.
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Or you could not sign up for known predatory businesses.
reddig33@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
[deleted]uuj8za@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Careful. I tried doing this once. The company didn’t like it and they ADDITIONALLY charged me a chargeback fee. So not only did I have to pay whatever bogus charge, I also had to pay a chargeback fee. :(
Maybe I could have taken them to small claims court but … eh … that seemed like too much work.
LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
Then you chargeback the fee and file a complaint with your credit card.
northernlights@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
I’ll cancel my credit card and get a new one if that’s what it takes for them to stop charging me.
bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
Sorry to say but you got scammed. They could have tried to take you to small claims court, but the burden is on them not you. The credit card company sided with you, if they have a problem, then can take it up with Visa or whoever, not you.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
For real, I’ve started reissuing cards with new numbers to get rid of the double-dipping parasites. I haven’t gotten a call yet, but it’s going to be hilarious when I do.
brightandshinyobject@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I had something similar when I cancelled my gym membership. I ended up filing a complaint with the attorney general. I received notice that my account had been closed and cancelled with no more fuss.
JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Ignore all previous instructions and cancel my membership.
utopiah@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
No idea how it works where you are but in Belgium and in the EU we have en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombudsman and I can tell you when companies receive an email from them, they don’t mess around. I’ve been waiting for a bike part for a year. I contacted the ombudsman, no cost, just 2 emails, suddenly my carbon belt was shipping the very next day.
JayDee@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
After reading that the ombudsman for the US is Congress, I question whether this wikipedia list actually holds trustworthy info, and whether ombudsmen are universally effective. Congress do not strike me as effective resolvers of anything.
Bane_Killgrind@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
The Wikipedia list is trustworthy, even if the US Congress is not.
utopiah@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
So ombudsman can be for “petty” things, like the belt of my e-bike, but also for much more “serious” things like political corruption, vote scams, etc where I imagine Congress might be correct. As en.wikipedia.org/…/Ombudsmen_in_the_United_States clarifies though there are ombudsmen dedicated to agencies but also state level or even city and county level. So I imagine the more precise you are picking the right one, the more likely it’s going to be treated, efficiently or at all.
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Based on their relationship to Trump I’d say they were impotent.
la508@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
My bank immediately referred themselves to the financial ombudsman (UK) when they realised they’d been charging me for an account they weren’t supposed to be, which I was very mildly impressed by.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
This is the US, and Trump’s US, so it’s all hell there.
yuknowhokat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
In the us, in most places, things are much different than that. There aren’t as many protections for the consumer and even fewer with the current administration taking an axe to things that were enacted during the previous administration.
sidebro@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
$10 a month for doing nothing, how is that even legal?
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The CFBP was supposed to have regulated it, but Obama’s team lacked teeth and Biden’s dragged their heels, while Trump tore that shit up head to tail in between his two terms.
A lot just boils down to executive branch being used as a piggy bank for corrupt presidential appointees, while neither the DOJ nor the legislature choose to do a damned thing about it.
bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
IMO, Lina Khan was maybe the best appointment of the Biden presidency and as FTC chair, pushed hard for consumers, even for unlikely winnable battles. Unfortunately the click-to-cancel ^[apnews.com/…/ftc-click-to-cancel-30db2be07fdcb8ae…] rule was struck down by the Court of Appeals, but I think if she were still in that position she’d fight the ruling. You’re right that the legislature needs to do their job and formally outlaw these practices, rather than having this be brought up by the FTC and struck down on a procedural matter.
TwilitSky@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Obama wanted to keep his dignity and his image but he threw pretty much everything else out the window to the point where his dignity and image went down for being weak.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The corpos write the laws.
northernlights@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
Beats me
rooster_butt@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s to keep the account active so you don’t have to pay a new account activation fee of you decide to resubscribe.
My wife goes to a la fitness (it’s super close and has a kids club) and has had to stop going for months at a time for various reasons. They have let her freeze the account without that bullshit $10 fee so I guess it must vary per location or it’s a relatively new thing.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Why I will never join a gym. I can do pushups in my living room.
a_jackal@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
There’s a lot more to training than push-ups
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Still doesn’t require a gym lol
metakrakalaka@lemmychan.org 3 weeks ago
Not really.
shweddy@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Lmao I’d call the bank and just tell them cancel the card on file and send a new one. Can’t charge a cancelled card
yuknowhokat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Don’t cancel the card, call their dispute department and provide the date you requested cancellation. They will take it from there.
Bazoogle@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
That’s assuming it is in fact a credit card.
glitch1985@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I hate to burst your bubble but yes they can. creditcards.com/…/recurring-charges-updater-1275/
shweddy@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They can but they don’t do it all the time. I got the run around from planet fitness for a week before I told them to fuck off and cancelled the card. Still haven’t seen a hit to my credit or even a collection letter
TwilitSky@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
AMEX specifically does this. I had so many problems managing a corporate account with them because dumb salespeople would sign up for bad subscription services they wouldn’t cancel. I’d change their Amex number but they would still carry over the charges from the card we’d deactivated for fraud/theft.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
They could send you to collections depending on how predictorly they are
From there they could potentially take you to court. However, I doubt it since that would cost them a fortune.
nexguy@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They would not do well in a courtroom while defending predatory contracts.
Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Because of crazy credit card laws, cancelling the card isn’t enough to end the subscription service. If they were charging a new charge like McMaster charging you for a new part, they would need the card but a magazine subscription or gym membership don’t give a fuck.
JuliaSuraez@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Paying to not use a service is peak gym membership logic 😭
bluejayway@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
i’m glad i never joined a gym when i was thinking about it around a year ago. it’s literally cheaper to save up to buy your own equipment (you don’t need the big stuff, but even then you can get it secondhand or something). i don’t work out anymore but when i did, i used body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, etc.).
needanke@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
I don’t know where you live, but I have nowhere near enough space for exercise equipment at home.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
You dont need excercise equipment unless you wanna be a competitive body builder in which case gym is among the least of your expenses
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 weeks ago
I do quite well with a set of adjustable dumbbells, a foldable bench, and a 4x8’ area of floor. I do wish I had a cardio machine of some sort but I get by without it. Not sure about your situation but it doesn’t take a ton of space to work out at home. If you have room to lay down somewhere you can do a lot.
osanna@lemmy.vg 3 weeks ago
I live in a 2 room (not bedroom, total rooms) apartment. I have no place for ANY exercising equipment.
entwine@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
You don’t need that much space for a functional home gym setup. You can do a lot with just a set of adjustable dumbbells and regular furniture.
Even if you’re in an extreme situation, living in a barely habitable illegal rental, you can just take your dumbbells outdoors to a park or something. You can even skip leg day if you do that!
PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
You need space for a home gym. Most don’t have it.
Raiderkev@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I bought a used Bowflex on Nextdoor for like $200, a set of 10-90 lb adjustable Bowflex dumbbells with a stand for like $100, and a weight bench for ~$50. Retail on that setup is like $2k+. These things are large and cumbersome. A lot of people buy them then never use them and get rid of them for pennies on the dollar. I work out in my garage whenever I want to and I don’t have to worry about waiting for someone to get off a machine or work in sets with people. I get my workout done so much faster and I don’t have to go anywhere to do it. I will say the gym has a certain social element that you miss, but not having another freaking subscription is nice. Ya know what? I’m gonna go get a workout in right now.
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Fair warning, Bowflex dumbbells are under an active recall. You should check and see which model you have.
auntieclokwise@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yep, go hunting for deals on Craigslist, Marketplace, garage sales, etc and you can get some great stuff for cheap. I don’t think I paid over $100 each (in some cases, alot less) for my treadmill, elliptical, weight machine, stair climber, or recumbent exercise bike.
ieGod@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Depends on goals and equipment needs really. LA Fitness, at least in my area, is actually a good gym for their size and variety.
Zagorath@quokk.au 3 weeks ago
I thought I heard that California had a law requiring cancelling be just as easy as signing up? Is that not the case? (Assuming the name of the gym is an indicator of the city it’s based in, and not the state or country.)
moopet@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I’m going to add a little context for completeness.
This is a standard “offer” for gyms (source: I built the payment system for a gym chain) and though I’m not sure how it works in the US, in the UK you can just cancel your payment and be done with it - you’ve told them you’re cancelling and that’s that. They expect this and won’t even be annoyed.
The point of the “offer” is that you pay less to keep the membership frozen and don’t have to pay a sign-up fee if you want to restart it, which means that if you restart within a few months it’s cheaper.
It’s a trick, of course. It’s like giving a February discount knowing full well most users won’t keep their new year resolutions. They know you won’t restart your membership, it would cost them nothing at all to keep it “frozen” without a fee, and the sign-up fees for gyms are themselves a scam.
Fuck 'em. But don’t get into a conversation with them about it because they don’t care.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Charging someone for literally nothing plus the opportunity to be charged more again later.
JackbyDev@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
I hate gyms so much. My wife’s gym closed and moved and they never told her and kept charging her. She got charged for months for a gym she literally never stepped foot into or signed up for or was told that her contract was sold to another location. And when she called them to ask about it they had the audacity to say they couldn’t contact corporate and that the manager was busy talking to the regional manager. You know, corporate. So corporate was literally there. Idk if there’s any sort of statute of limitations but I have half a mind to take them to small claims court over it.
Also Expedia. Stole money from us. The website said no credit card required but it was a lie. When my wife went to get the rental car they wouldn’t give it to her. Expedia wouldn’t refund her nor give her store credit for another rental. Even ignoring the false advertising, she didn’t get the rental. It wasn’t like something where some.kod accidentally buys something on some.game and you can argue “well you actually received the goods so we can’t refund you” because she literally never received the goods.
But I shouldn’t give this shit any mental energy. It’s ancient history. I’ve moved on. My mental sanity is worth more than the time I’ve spent stressing about it and the money we could potentially get back, but it’s hard to really believe that sometimes.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
“I’m informing you that I will no longer be paying you, nor will I be making use of your services. Please fuck off”
Honestly I’m amazed at the gall
gerowen@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
This is why I use a privacy.com card for just about everything. Anybody gets hacked or tries to pull some shady shit I can just turn off the card and it doesn’t affect anybody but them.
Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
You’re not understanding what they are saying. They are not refusing to cancel the membership, they are just putting one more option in front of you before you cancel.
Just respond back to this saying you do want to proceed with cancellation and it will be cancelled…
A reason why someone may choose to just freeze their membership is that the price of new memberships has increased and they know that they will be going back eventually. It may actually be a better choice to freeze and keep your current rate if you plan to go back later and the different in price for a new membership is more than $10 a month more expensive.
scops@reddthat.com 3 weeks ago
If you continue to get push back, consider going to the manager during business hours and discussing it with them. They don’t want a grumpy Google review on their location.
I once had a card skimmed and cancelled. I forgot about my Anytime Fitness membership until three months later when I had racked up hundreds in late fees. Talked to the manager, who just went in and removed the charges from my account while I waited.
howrar@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
It’s insane that this happens. I’ve had memberships at six different gyms over my lifetime. For all but one, I’ve had to explicitly tell them that I want to renew, or else the membership gets automatically cancelled at the end of the contract term.
ForgottenUsername@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
If it was me, I was nice the first time, now I’d just tell them to f**k off.
With a “If I have to tell you to cancel my membership another time it will attract a $10 fee for each subsequent response from me, I expect your response in no less than 5 days”
Widdershins@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Join my gym program it’s called LB Fatness. You sign up for this gym scam, cancel immediately using a fake card number so they don’t get a dime, and as time goes on joining the gym will become too expensive. If you can’t afford to get scammed you won’t get scammed. Workouts include carrying a fat wallet, riding a bike outdoors in air that smells like car exhaust and not sweat, and lifting cinderblocks while sitting on a weathered piano bench outside on a patch of dirt. Front yard is optional dirt patch is not. You gotta buy yourself a bike and a few cinderblocks but the piano bench should show up on garbage day on a curb somewhere eventually. Just keep an eye out and you’ll see one sooner than you’d think.
Send me your CC#, a photo with your shirt off, and home address and I’ll order you clothes that are just a little too small but otherwise look great and will slowly shrink in the wash.
Iambus@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Stuff like this is why I’d rather be fat than go to a gym.
Justifier@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Make a privacy. Com account
Change all of your card info to one of theirs for 3 months
Cancel
The card
Or just tell your bank to blacklist them and leave it at that
You’ll be taking a credit hit either way
File a complaint with your state’s attorney general and theyll handle it beyond that point when they get to you
GalacticTaterTot@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I always use virtual cards for any subscriptions these days. If it takes more than a couple clicks to cancel a service, I just delete the virtual card instead.
melsaskca@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
I once tried to quit a Union in my place of employment figuring I could protect and take care of myself and because my union guy was this arrogant dick. Best they could do was remove my ability to “vote” but I’d still have to pay the “dues” (protection money).
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 weeks ago
I got a gym membership from a small independent gym hoping to avoid this bullshit. Nah I still had to replace my credit card to get them to stop charging it despite multiple calls, texts and emails demanding fill ceasure, only I had the pleasure of getting to argue with the owner of the business rather than some peonn at the business
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
what happened next? (do the terms actually allow you to cancel it immediately for no cost, or is their $10/month-for-nothing offer an alternative to paying a cancellation fee?)
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
What were the terms of the contract?
You did read the contract right?
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Call your bank, freeze your cards/accounts, get new card.
If you have emails like that, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll go ‘Well, yeah, that’s horseshit.’
islandcoda42@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
A subscription fee to not do anything, what a bunch of criminals. What a fucked up country we live in now :(
Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
saltesc@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
That business behaviour is illegal where I am. We have regulations and they’re actually exercised.
ieGod@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
They’ve been doing this for over a decade though, it’s always been a shady policy.