Advice - LA Fitness cancellation charge

Martyn944

I cancelled my direct debit, then phoned up LA Fitness and cancelled. They told me I had a months payment left (£30). I moved house and forgot to pay. Next thing I know, ARC Debt collectors finally got hold of me, demanded £80. The operator told me I owed 2 months and a £20 fine. He said I owed 2 months because it was 1 month in arrears + 1 month notice, and there was no record of me calling up LA Fitness. I paid, reluctantly, and phoned up LA Fitness (0844 7707700). They had it on record that I phoned them up and cancelled, and that I only owed 1 months fee. I was also told, if I had just called them first before paying ARC debt collectors, I could have just paid the 1 month fee and they would haved waved ARC off. I can't believe ARC can just lie like that to get money, and they get away with it.

What a mess. Never signing up with LA Fitness again. And I think I was a lucky one, only handing over £80 compared with the £300+ like many others. The ARC guy was so rude too! I think it's disgusting LA Fitness associate with such a barbaric debt collector, just to retrieve 5% of what I have already handed them.

Elvisia

I was a member of LA Fitness until I had to leave the country for a job so asked to cancel my membership, which should have been fine as I had been there for over three years, and only had to give one months' notice. However they said they had a break in my membership, which was news to me, and they only had me on their system for six months. I argued until I could bear it no more, and instead of paying the cancellation fee (which I believe was around £250) I managed to sell it to someone else, and lost £75 in the process.

A while ago I bought a Groupon voucher for 10 session in the gym for £18, and I thought at £1.80 a go this was a good deal (I had since come back to live in this country and wasn't a member of a gym and didn't want to pay £45+ per month) but every time I went to the gym it was rammed, even during the day they had rented the place out to mother and toddler groups and out of ten sessions I only managed to get physically into the gym twice as I'd walk in and have to come back out as there was no where to even get changed. They had also rented the pool out so it was only available for 1.5 hours every evening, when of course it was rammed with members. I got so many phone calls from the manager asking me when I was going to join!

I just couldn't believe how they turned what was a nice gym into a nightmare. The changing rooms were full of mothers with screaming children running around, and the machines were packed out. I am now a member of a budget gym - £15 a month which I can cancel on my own terms when I like - and love it!

Elvisia

If it helps you can also contact LA Fitness on Twitter as I have seen people posting up problems with them on there, and as it's a public forum they have been responding. Long shot, but it's good to be able to at least try something!

TD27

I signed up to LA Fitness approx. 4months ago.. when I visited their local branch to join, I was sat down to an employee of LA Fitness who filled in my details into their computer.. general information about my address and bank details, and then asked to "sign". It wasn't until much later that I realised I was never given a print out copy.. infact, and stupidly, I didn't think it was a contract when I signed as I wasn't offered to view the whole content or asked if I agreed to terms & conditions (something I also wasn't offered to view during this process).

I have since visited the branch on numerous occassions to try and retain a copy of my contract, complete with terms & conditions. Every time I visited I was fobbed off with excuses.. promised emails that never came, apparent phonecalls to head office with no response, refusal to print out documents after 5pm, and also 'apparenly' unable to print out a copy of my contract because "it's at head office.. we don't hold it here any more."

Also, when I first attended, I was told I could cancel at any time. No mention of cancelation fees at any point. Infact, I only found out about the possible charges to be made against me since finding negative reviews when having trouble trying to cancel my memebership.

I'm stuck between what I should do going on previous experiences with other members.
-should I cancel any way, without the copy of my contract, allow them to take the money from account, and then take them to the small claims court?
-or to contact Trading Standards, and continue what I'm doing to retain the contract copy, to then cancel (after knowing what my terms & conditions are)?

Also, according to LA Fitness staff, there was a tick box on the digital contract as to wish to recieve a copy. I was not told or asked at any point while the details were taken if I didnt want to tick this box.. and assumed I would recieve my paper version after a few weeks in the post.

todayigiveup

As anything been done. I am one of many people who have been chased by ARC for non-payment on a 6 month contract, which i discovered was a rolling contract. I cancelled my DD months ago and now owe over £250. which i don't understand because on my first default surely i would be in breach of contract and they would have to pursue a claim for the £55 and nothing more.

TD27

So.. After attending the gym to try and recieve the copy of my contract, it was revealed the reason why I never had it emailed to me was because the person you filled out my form missed the 'i' out of hotmail.. yet I still recieve promostional ads via this email address??

I noticed on the contract alot of errors.
1) the fact my signature was copied and pasted numerous times to things I was not shown, or read to me.. including the agreement to 'reading' the terms and conditions, which wasn't true. Included in the agreement was 'I had recieve a copy of my pre-contract piror to signing..' which was also false.
2) the fact I was told I could cancel at all time by the member filling in contract.. but my contract states that I can not cancel.

I contacted Consumer Direct, where they informed me to send them a hand-written letter under Unfair terms, whereby the contract should be 'rescinded' on the following grounds.

I sent the letter recorded.. they recieved it a few days ago, and still no response.
I then decided to ring and cancel my member in the mean time, as I could see this being dragged out for awhile longer.. I rang, and was told I couldn't cancel my membership. I told them I was told differently.. but they refused. Their phoneline is supposed to close at 5.30PM.. they closed the lines at 5.10PM ¬ ¬

I guess I'll be contacting Trading Standards/Consumer Direct again.

Azari

What is really, really, annoying about this thread is that it is just a string of people enumerating their problems.

None of them ever seem to come back and tell what happened.

Is this because LA Fitness always win and they are too pee'd off with the whole business?

Or do they all get their problems sorted out and are just too lazy to bother to update?

harshalone

Hi guys as you can see everyone here is having the same problem but nobody mentioned what would be the solution.

Here is my little approach to help you out guys if you find it helpful don't forget to give me a thumps up.

1. Don't forgot to collect all the evidence.
2 Get your phone a recording app. if you have a recording feature already then its very good.
3. When you have this kind of contract problem go to any other LA fitness meet any sales person and ask everything about contract and tell him that you are recording the conversation as you dont want to be get cheated.
4. If he try to push you to get the membership ask him what happens if you cancel membership.
demonstrate your case and if he mention anything against the contract which you already have thats your bit is.

Now call LA fitness headoffice :
0843-1701-099

and tell them when you started the membership your sales man lied to me and given me false information, and i have all the evidence of it and i already spoken to my Customer Citizen Expert.
I need a copy of my contract and i will send you the evidence i have with me recorded and then we will decide who is a cheater.

Then you put your evedences all together in front of head office and they will wave your overcharge for sure. Trust me it works if you have everything already in your hand. And from next time please be sure when you sign up for any contract and retian all documents properly.

Cheers :beer:

1886

I cancelled a gym membership maybe 6-8 years ago. I did'nt bother telling them, just stopped the direct debit. Had a few letters from them but what are they going to do!

Have you any idea how expensive it is to take somebody to court. Just ignore it

System

1886 wrote: »

I cancelled a gym membership maybe 6-8 years ago. I did'nt bother telling them, just stopped the direct debit. Had a few letters from them but what are they going to do!

Have you any idea how expensive it is to take somebody to court. Just ignore it

They could sell the debt to an agency and destroy your credit history.