Personal training problem goes deeper...

[The_Grinder]

So we all remember when my girl signed up for training. We had a lot of problems with it, and we are now trying to cancel. This company I'm trying to deal with is the sketchiest most crooked bunch I have ever had the displeasure of talking to. They are called Professional Fitness and they are based out of Raleigh, NC. We have been trying to cancel her plan for 2 months. The automatic drafts aren't taken out by the gym, they are taken out by this central training corporation.

Ok well she had one month of training, the first one. They have charged us $100 for the first month, $100 for the last month, $200 for the past two months (which she hasnt even fuckin used!) Plus $50 in fees which they just felt like fucking taking. They finally said we can get out of the contract, but they want an extra $250 to cancel! This is complete horse shit! The training was horrible. She was lied to the whole time. When she originally signed up, she was told that they would "work" with her on the pricing. We now know that such a thing wasn't possible, but unfortounately the guy that told her that left the gym. Also, the guy that was training her was fucking retarted. He would call her and say, "so what do you feel like working tomorrow?" I have a supervisor from the fitness company calling me back tomorrow. I also have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning with the manager of the gym we go to. I really don't know what options we have here. Threats to notify the Better Business Bureau didnt seem to phase them. I looked up the company and they have a shitty record, so I guess they don't care too much. I will make the 4 hour drive to Raleigh myself in order to get this taken care of.

If all else fails I am definately making an entire website devoted to warning people to stay away from any gym that uses Professional Fitness.

[THE BOUNCER]

sorry man, i could see this coming a mile away. i hope you get your money back and get this taken care off.

i feel like she should be the one taking care of this though. she is the one that got into this fucking mess. if you are always fixing things she will continue to do dumb shit IMO.

[dna9488]

oOo shit man, that blows...Definitely don't stop fighting man
That company sounds like some shady motherfuckers.

I had a similar issue with my previous gym that wouldn't stop charging me even though my contract ended.

Anyway, how does your girl feel about all this???

[Mr incredible]

can't you just not pay and write and tell them its because the service has below what you could reasonably expect, don't tell them you want to break because you changed your mind.

That way you have wrote and told them why but that you are prepared to let them keep the money you have already paid and not sue them for it. Then the ball is in their court, they would have to sue you on the basis of the contract but you wrote them and told them why.

They broke the deal by not giving you the level of service one could reasonably expect and so why should you pay them.

[The_Grinder]

Originally Posted by Mr incredible

can't you just not pay and write and tell them its because the service has below what you could reasonably expect, don't tell them you want to break because you changed your mind.

That way you have wrote and told them why but that you are prepared to let them keep the money you have already paid and not sue them for it. Then the ball is in their court, they would have to sue you on the basis of the contract but you wrote them and told them why.

They broke the deal by not giving you the level of service one could reasonably expect and so why should you pay them.

They have an automatic draft coming out of her account. They say if we don't send the cancellation fee it will keep coming out. I might just have her call the bank and start refuting it, but she did sign the contract and I don't know what action would come after that.

[The_Grinder]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

sorry man, i could see this coming a mile away. i hope you get your money back and get this taken care off.

i feel like she should be the one taking care of this though. she is the one that got into this fucking mess. if you are always fixing things she will continue to do dumb shit IMO.

Well she admits she is the one who fucked up. She should have talked to me before she signed up. But I just don't feel like it would get done if she was trying to take care of it. She knows not to sign shit like that unless I'm there from now on.

But to her credit she was straight up lied to by the fitness staff that day.

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally Posted by The_Grinder

But I just don't feel like it would get done if she was trying to take care of it.

tell her i have some prime ocean front real estate in Nevada for a hell of a deal...

[Shibby]

Originally Posted by The_Grinder

They have an automatic draft coming out of her account. They say if we don't send the cancellation fee it will keep coming out. I might just have her call the bank and start refuting it, but she did sign the contract and I don't know what action would come after that.

The bank can stop an automatic draft from a company. Once that happens that company can never set up a draft of your account again (even if you want them to, all though in this situation you wouldn't of course). I don't know if there is a fee for that, but if there is I'm sure it's minimal.

[The_Grinder]

Originally Posted by Shibby

The bank can stop an automatic draft from a company. Once that happens that company can never set up a draft of your account again (even if you want them to, all though in this situation you wouldn't of course). I don't know if there is a fee for that, but if there is I'm sure it's minimal.

I want to do this but I'm unsure of the legal actions the company would take because of the contract. Normally you wouldnt think a company would take legal action over a few hundred $$ but these pieces of shit would.

[Turbo3000]

Originally Posted by The_Grinder

I want to do this but I'm unsure of the legal actions the company would take because of the contract. Normally you wouldnt think a company would take legal action over a few hundred $$ but these pieces of shit would.

Without the gym spending a ton in legal and court fees, the only legal option they have is to turn her over to a collection agency. Then you will receive multiple calls for a few months and they will eventually die down. If her credit is fairly good, this situation won't really hurt her in the long run, as long as she keeps a good credit score. If her credit is bad or non-existent then it would hurt her score more.

I had a similar situation with my first MMA gym, I have joined a lot of gyms in my life and signed a shit load of contracts, but this place really put it to me. I learned my lesson and actually cancelled my contract with hardly any problem. I was going around in a circle with said gym, but I just told them the situation had to be resolved soon or my lawyer would become involved. Your situation is obviously not as clean cut as mine was.

Have you read over the entire contract? Verbal promises don't amount to anything when a contract is involved.

[The_Grinder]

Did a little damage control today. Went to the gym manager. He talked to the training company which contracts out the trainers that are there. We are now able to cancel her training without paying the $250 fee. We still lost about $400 from what we already paid. Just chalk it up to an expensive lesson for my girl not to sign shit without talking to me. I'm still going to have her bank block any more drafts from that company, just in case they tried to swindle any more out of us.

[dna9488]

Originally Posted by The_Grinder

Did a little damage control today. Went to the gym manager. He talked to the training company which contracts out the trainers that are there. We are now able to cancel her training without paying the $250 fee. We still lost about $400 from what we already paid. Just chalk it up to an expensive lesson for my girl not to sign shit without talking to me. I'm still going to have her bank block any more drafts from that company, just in case they tried to swindle any more out of us.

Thats good to hear, glad everything worked out before shit went bad.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by The_Grinder

They have an automatic draft coming out of her account. They say if we don't send the cancellation fee it will keep coming out. I might just have her call the bank and start refuting it, but she did sign the contract and I don't know what action would come after that.

1) Absolutely have her call the bank and dispute these charges. However, what does the contract say? If nowhere on the contract it states anything in regard to future or increased charges, then let the bank handle it. Even if you've already paid it, but it wasn't in the contract, dispute it anyway

And most importantly-

2) Send a letter to the attorney general in your state. It's absolutely why they are in that office; to make sure business is done legally. I sent a letter about Charter cable company. I got a response, and Charter even sent me like a $50 refund. Now, I couldn't have gotten that by just bitching up a storm to the high school "supervisor" I would have been routed to.

[dna9488]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

And most importantly-

2) Send a letter to the attorney general in your state. It's absolutely why they are in that office; to make sure business is done legally. I sent a letter about Charter cable company. I got a response, and Charter even sent me like a $50 refund. Now, I couldn't have gotten that by just bitching up a storm to the high school "supervisor" I would have been routed to.

Damn red didn't know that. Some some cool stuff right there. How long did it take from the time you sent that letter to the attorney general to the refund you received?

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by dna9488

Damn red didn't know that. Some some cool stuff right there. How long did it take from the time you sent that letter to the attorney general to the refund you received?

Well, I sent the letter to the Atty Gen...I could actually call them or check status online. I then got a letter from them saying the matter had been resolved. I think I got the check from Charter about a week or so later. I guess total is that it took about 4 or 5 weeks.

Just like you said- you didn't know about it. That's why when consumers threaten with calling the Better Business Bureau, the company doesn't give a shit. The BBB isn't a government entity. True, they try and protect the interests of consumers, but it's a totally different ball game when the company gets a call from the State Attorney General.

[Turbo3000]

I would just let it go, you came out good.

[NewbieChris]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

1) Absolutely have her call the bank and dispute these charges. However, what does the contract say? If nowhere on the contract it states anything in regard to future or increased charges, then let the bank handle it. Even if you've already paid it, but it wasn't in the contract, dispute it anyway

And most importantly-

2) Send a letter to the attorney general in your state. It's absolutely why they are in that office; to make sure business is done legally. I sent a letter about Charter cable company. I got a response, and Charter even sent me like a $50 refund. Now, I couldn't have gotten that by just bitching up a storm to the high school "supervisor" I would have been routed to.

What was your dispute with the cable company?

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by NewbieChris

What was your dispute with the cable company?

Well, they told me my entire bill amount would be around $135. But, every month it kept fluctuating- and it wasn't going up and down, just up. I called them several times, and they of course have now outsourced their customer service department in India or some shit like that. I could never get past the rep, and they "said" the next month it would all be corrected. And EVERY month for like 3 months I had to call and chew them out. So, I said F it, and sent the letter.

[Turbo3000]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

Well, they told me my entire bill amount would be around $135. But, every month it kept fluctuating- and it wasn't going up and down, just up. I called them several times, and they of course have now outsourced their customer service department in India or some shit like that. I could never get past the rep, and they "said" the next month it would all be corrected. And EVERY month for like 3 months I had to call and chew them out. So, I said F it, and sent the letter.

HAHA..Charter is a huge fuck up. I hate the company and their terrible customer service.

FTA is my next stop.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by Turbo3000

HAHA..Charter is a huge fuck up. I hate the company and their terrible customer service.

FTA is my next stop.

Oh, I know. But, they are the cheapest servicer for our cable package, phone and internet. It sucks to only have that option. I mean we could do it all separately, but it would cost more. Just last month I got a bill for $141. Perfect, fine. Then yesterday I get one for thos month that's $149. And NOTHING changed!!!

[Turbo3000]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

Oh, I know. But, they are the cheapest servicer for our cable package, phone and internet. It sucks to only have that option. I mean we could do it all separately, but it would cost more. Just last month I got a bill for $141. Perfect, fine. Then yesterday I get one for thos month that's $149. And NOTHING changed!!!

I have experienced the exact same situation, and my parent's have as well. They are basically my only option also.