Short of death, it can be quite challenging to stop membership charges. If its someone who owns their own space, theyre going to have more flexibility with their contract. The cost can vary widely and is worth knowing about when you sign the contract. And sometimes you need to fabricate an elaborate story about a mystery illness, recent layoff, or relocation to Buford, Wyoming, in order to break up with your big-box chain. To be enforceable against the gym, someone on behalf of the gym has to sign it, Simeone says. Zero in on important sections, suggests Simeone. Hint: Do this before you try to terminate or file a complaint or take legal action on the health club. http://www.clubfitness.us/cancel-membership-30-day-notice.
It sounds crazy, but it happens.. So if you say youre stopping payments, theyd need to show contract language that says you need to be committed for a year or more. Find these details out now so you arent paying for two memberships at once. Make sure you know if they have a right to increase the cost, charge annual fees, and how youll pay for the membership. All memberships for more than 1 month also include access to their cutting edge fitness management software. If youre like me and you have no idea if you ever received a printed version of the contract, youll want to reach out to the gym to get a copy. If theres a form you need to fill out in order to cancel, ask for a copy then, before you become an official member. Maybe youve been a member for a while, but herniated your disc and the doctor says you cant work out anymore. Thats not an accident. The fine print (and, boy, is it fine) is probably whats going to be your undoing in the end. Youve heard of people faking a move to get out of gym contract. Since they want your business, they might be more accommodating than a larger fitness center. You might want to talk to management to see if the membership can be transferred to another family member or temporarily frozen instead, suggests David Reischer, attorney and CEO of LegalAdvice.com. Its not enough if you just sign it. (reference your membership #) that you will be terminating the contract. A monthly contract can be terminated with a written notice that is specific to your membership (reference your membership # in all correspondence). Even if youre happy with your fitness center, nows the time to re-examine their procedures in case something happens. Should you find it necessary to cancel your membership, here are a few steps: Pro Tip: A 30-day written notice is required to cancel your membership at Club Fitness. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest adventures, workouts, destinations, and more. to make sure it doesnt slip through the cracks. Gym memberships are notoriously hard to get out of. Sometimes you incur steep cancellation fees. In my experience, a client always comes to me too late with a gym contract, meaning theyve already signed it, says Thomas J. Simeone, of Simeone & Miller LLP, a Washington, D.C.-based personal injury attorney with a background in commercial law. Its something gyms want to discourage, because every day, week, or month that you remain a member, youre paying more money.. For more information please read our, How to Make the Most of An Airport Gym Membership, What 7 Personal Trainers Do to Drop Fat Fast. Look for places where you can negotiate the terms, cancellation policies, and even how they take payment. These descriptors are associated with Club Fitness. Ask to sit down with the manager or assistant manager. The general rule of thumb is get it in writing and keep it all, suggests Simeone. Ideally, the changes to the contract will be made on a computer and a new version printed for you to sign. Hopefully, then youll be in the clear of your obligations.
They refused to see their error in the cancellation process and refund me a dime. I never got a copy of the termination paperworkI should have taken a photo on my phoneand I should have received an email confirmation that the company received my request for termination. Ill say, I need to see the contract to see if theres a waiver. Mens Journal has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. If you do that, your obligation to pay stops. This is usually not the case. But its likely your gym has at least a 30-day cancellation policy to ensure they get paid if you cancel in the middle of the month. While you might be tempted to dispute the charges with your bank or credit card and prevent further charges going forward, its not necessarily the best route, suggests Carpenter. Playing nice will help them be more compliant. I filled out termination paperwork and handed it over, noted the date in my phone that I canceled, and was told I could use this facility for the next 45 days since I would be charged for the membership anyway. Many times its so easy to sign up for a gym that people assume itll be just as easy to cancel, says Carpenter. Theres a slim chance of getting money back for any days you wont be using the facility. When your account becomes delinquent, most gyms continue to charge you; and after a year or so, they may sell your account to a debt collector, he adds. Later down the line, the gym can say, Well, you signed it, but we didnt initial it, so we didnt agree to that part. It gives the gym an excellent argument.. If youre like me and have been with your gym for a few years, you probably dont have the original copy. Hypothetically, if you broke your leg tomorrow, would you be able to freeze your membership for a few months? Once youve been through the (often terrible) experience of canceling a membership with a gym, its wise to think about what you really want with your next gym and how to make that contract work for you. That said, I recognize fitness centers are a dime a dozen in urban areas, and you might be dealing with a limited selection in a rural area of the country, so flexibility and options might be nil. If this goes to a court and no one has any idea of what this agreement said, a judge is going to say, Theres no agreement here, how can I enforce the terms? says Simeone. She put in a change membership request instead since I moved. This is where I messed up, and it cost me a few hundred dollars, time, and frustration. A 30-day written notice is required to cancel your membership at Club Fitness. Check to see if your state enforces a policy like that before you sign. Youll have a better shot of getting out of your membershipor putting it on holdbecause the gym probably doesnt want a bad reputation.. This could mean that long after you thought you canceled your gym membership, youll get a knock on your door with a court summons demanding that you pay $800 in gym fees and $2,000 in attorneys fees. My membership with this large sports club company was directly withdrawn from my bank account (this had been set up a decade ago), so contesting the charge with my credit card wasnt feasible. After doing some online searches around the time I wanted to cancel my membershipso I could start shopping for a new gymI saw my gym had a 45-day cancellation policy, meaning Id still be paying for another month and a half after I walked in to cancel. Great. Be sure to send a copy by certified mail with the necessary information required. Usually, a limited term prepaid contract can easily be canceled, yet there will not be a refund. .Is it a monthly contract or a limited term prepaid contract? Read those sections very carefully. Scan the health clubs injury policies and health complications section if you need to pause or cancel. I didnt have the back-up information I needed later when it came to fighting with the company since the manager didnt do what I asked. A billing descriptor is the description of transactions that appear on your credit card statement. Then, look at the term. Some gyms allow members to get out of their contracts within three days of signing them, others within five days, and smaller gyms might be more lenient. If you have a medical emergency, talk to a manager about your situation, Simeone suggests. If possible, meet with the manager of any of their locations with a copy of your letter. But if you do, look at the termination policy in the contract. Keep all of your paperwork and emails, because the way it works is, somewhere down the road, if you need to prove the agreement or the date you terminated, and you received a notice, you can testify to it all. Youll probably have better luck with this at a smaller gym, says Simeone. They will likely be eager to please you because youre a potential commission payment, and less eager to help out when youre trying to cancel a year from now. Tell the manager youd like to take the contract home to read over before signing there, where you might feel rushed to go straight to the dotted line. Youll have a better chance of it holding up in small claims court or in front of a judge.. Ive had clients come to me who get injured at a gym and want to sue. A simple call should do the trick. If you love to take your workouts outdoors May through September and do strength training at home when its nice out, you might want to look for a gym that supports this lifestyle and wont charge you for the months you dont want to use the gym. Ive looked at one contract, for example, that required a 30-day written notice, Simeone says.
The manager I spoke to never put the cancellation through. The next time you consider signing a gym contract, take a day or so to read it through carefully, and assume youre going to be bound to it, suggests Simeone. If you dont file a lawsuit, the gym has no obligation to give it to youthey may or may not, says Simeone. Save the forms in a folder somewhere or scan them to a safe place online with your phone, Carpenter suggests. Many gyms charge a fee to cancel a membership. These are line items to address right now. You could say, I love this gym, but I want to make it a little easier to terminate somewhere down the road, he suggests. These managers and membership employees are trained to try to retain you. Would you need a note from your physician explaining that you shouldnt be exercising? When you speak to a manager (get their name and contact details) about canceling, be prepared for some back and forth. But, if you make any handwritten changes to the contract, make sure those changes are initialed by you and a manager, advises Simeone. If you only do one thing after reading this, find your contract now or ask your gym for it before you try to cancel so you have a better idea of whats ahead and the impact itll have on your wallet. Search for a health club act or similar language in your state. Why is it so godforsakenly difficult? If you can negotiate not paying a fee or being charged more than 30 days, try to do that now with a manager. Always read your contract before signing, and most importantly, the clauses regarding canceling your membership.