Best Fitness

When [redacted] first came into the club on Memorial Day we gave him and his girlfriend a free 14-day pass to make sure they enjoyed the facility before worry about signing up. In our agreements we have a standard agreement that is taken out from a debit, credit, or checking account each month and...

there is a standard cancellation fee and a 30-day notice for all billing changes. If a member is moving they can cancel their agreement without paying the cancellation fee, but it still responsible for the 30-day notice. They have to provide a valid proof of move with either a lease, utility bill, mortgage, or driver's license that has been updated in the last 60 days. When [redacted] decided after the 14-day trial to sign up he spoke with a Fitness Counselor about how he had recently graduated and wasn't sure if he would be finding a job in Erie because his girlfriend was still in the area or moving back closer to home. When every member signs up, they are walked through the agreement they are signing at have to sign three separate times to acknowledge he understands the terms. At the end of June, [redacted] spoke again with a Fitness Counselor about how he planned to move back home and wanted to cancel his membership. At the time, he did not have a valid proof of move so he was given the option to freeze his account through are billing company so he would not be charged the normal membership dues, but a $5 hold fee. When he called in on July 21st to cancel his account, the manager advised him he would still be responsible to show proof of move in order to cancel his agreement and be responsible for the payment on August 1st. [redacted] said he would be moving back in with his parents, so the manager gave him the option to get a bill notarized that he is a current resident and send that certified mail to the club to cancel after the August 1st payment. He said he did not have to pay the August payment because he told someone at the club at the end of June that he was moving back home. The manager advised he that the club had not received the proper cancellation papers so his membership could not be cancelled beforehand. He said he was not properly advised of the policy, and he was then asked if he received a copy of his agreement where he then said that "our agreement is like the "Terms and Conditions" you have to accept on the computer that no one reads". At this time, we have received his contact to customer service inquiry and have called him on July 22nd at 9:34 am and July 29th at 3:22pm. If he still needs to contact us we would be happy to help with any further questions he has regarding cancelling.

If when enrolling in a gym membership, the employee does not disclose the auto renew policy verbally, I feel and I'm sure many other prospective customers would feel that this is simply put, misleading and a bad business practice. I happened to look at many other Revdex.com reviews and other online customer reviews of this company and only wish I had looked the information up prior to even walking into the gym. There is a clear reason why Best Fitness is not even accredited by the Revdex.com and also has a D- rating. I personally am  enjoying my membership at another gym and will most certainly recommend this gym to my friends, family and clients. It is  quite clear that Best Fitness is fully aware of their jargon filled contracts and have no qualms with swindling people. Customer service is low on their priority list and I am only grateful to have wiped my hands clean of this terrible company.

As stated in the agreement which was signed by Mr. [redacted], after the 24 month agreement is competed, the agreement is set to auto renew to a month to month basis with the ability to cancel free of charge at any time. We cannot, however, cancel an account with an overdue balance. Mr. [redacted] came in to...

the club to cancel in August and at that time we notified him that his account was currently overdue and the cancel would be pending until it is caught up.

First of all, I’d like to apologize that this complaint was not taken care of sooner regarding your issues with billing last year. I did see that you and Tom had gone back and forth trying to get ahold of one another regarding your concerns with being billed $24.99 in November. 
class="Apple-tab-span"> Our policies are that all billing changes and cancellations require a 30 day notice because we use an outside billing company. I believe that when you spoke with Kyle, since you were already past your 30 day notice for November, that’s why he told you to come in November 7th. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was communicated very well. I was not present, so I don’t know what was said or the intent of the conversation. I cannot speak for what happened then, just explain our policies and my interpretation of what actually happened.  Unfortunately, it looks like you cancelled your membership regardless because you were unhappy with the facility. I wish that we would have been able to assist you better when you had your complaint. Thank you, Best Fitness Management

Attached is a copy of the agreement for [redacted] with Mr. [redacted]'s signature as the buyer and the terms are outlined as Mr. [redacted] being the responsible party. The account will need to be settled either in the club or through the collections agency and then it can be taken out of collections.

The reason Best Fitness stopped billing Mr. [redacted]'s card is because it expired. We are unable to bill an expired card. He also signed a two year agreement, which is set up for an auto renew goes only month to month at that point. All of things were discussed and signed during the time the...

Mr. [redacted] joined the gym and signed his agreement. Once the agreement expires, any member can cancel their account but all balances must be current to do so. We can not cancel an account that is overdue on its payments. We can provide Mr. [redacted] with a copy of his agreement anytime.

I asked repeatedly for something I had signed indicating this was my responsibility and was denied.

Review: When I joined the fitness center, the membership employee did not correctly link my account to my daughters to get the referral discount. Therefore I am overpaying for my families membership by $10 a month. I have made numerous calls and several attempts to speak to management. The membership employees refuse to resolve my problem, and refuse to allow me to speak to management. They are extremely difficult considering they made the mistake.Desired Settlement: To simply link the accounts and lower my daughters monthly fee to $9.99/ month as it should be. Or simply downgrade my membership to the $9.99/month one which is the one I wanted in the first place.

Review: In November of 2013, I signed up for a membership with Best Fitness, with an agreed upon $19.99 monthly fee, for 24 months, and continuing monthly after that. In February of 2014, I referred my husband to join the club as well, which set permanently my monthly fee (as well as his) to $14.99 monthly, for the life of the contract, effective March 2014, going forward.

For the following 24 months, I was continued to be charged $19.99 monthly, until April 2016, in which the club failed to notify me of an invalid payment method on file, and began charging me late fees and overdue fees, and upped my monthly club membership from the already higher amount of $19.99 to $29.99 without warning or notice. Up to this point total $119.96 in overdue membership fees, and $60.00 in late fees.

In the 24 months that my membership fee was supposed to be $14.99, I was continued to be charged $19.99, which resulted in an overpayment of $120.00. Since the last payment was made in March of 2016, there would have been an additional 5 months of fees needed to be paid until my membership was officially closed (which has been set for August 14, 2016), which totals $74.95 ($14.99x5).

Because of this overcharge, the remaining fees should have been paid in full with an additional $45.05 issued in refund back to me.

Instead, they have a $179.96 amount due listed on my account, and have sent it to collections to Swiftfunds Financial, who required a payment of $334.00 in order to stop a report to the credit bureaus. Which was made to Swiftfunds Financial.

This is utterly ridiculous and unacceptable. I have copies of both the membership agreement, as well the change form addendum, copies of the current dues listed on their online account interface, and a payment receipt to the collection agency, who found it odd that I was not contacted at all prior to collections.Desired Settlement: Due to the $120.00 over payment, $74.95 should be applied to the remaining balance of the account, and late fees wiped. The remaining $45.05 should be refunded to my account.

Also, the $334.00 that I was forced to pay Swiftfunds Financial should also be refunded to me, as this entire step was unnecessary and the amount requested by them to fulfill the claim was insanely higher than the amount that was needed to be paid in the first place.

At the end of the day, I wish to be refunded, in full, $379.05.

Review: In February 2015 I established a membership plan through best fitness and I also included my significant other and daycare on my membership plan. That being said, to add my significant other to my membership plan, I had to verify and sign papers that I was allowing him to use the membership. The membership fee was $45 per month. In November 2015 I started to notice Best fitness deducting payments out of my account for the amount of $160.00 and again in December 2015 I noticed another transaction of $160.00 so I called my bank to figure out the deductions. [redacted] Bank informed me that it was Best fitness deducting $160.00. I called Best Fitness and spoke to a manager, Kyle, and he asked questions one of which was did I have a Personal Trainer and I informed Kyle that I did not. Kyle's next question was do you have anyone else on your account (membership plan) I told him yes, my significant other [redacted]. Kyle verified and confirmed that my significant other was still on a membership plan with NO PERSONAL TRAINER and he was not sure what was going on but he would "investigate and will contact me in a week , 2 weeks tops to inform me of the issue of my account and $160.00 monthly charges. Throughout the next 5 months, Best fitness continued to deduct 160.00 from my account without any explanation so I called again in April 2016 asking, again, why so much was being deducted from my account and was told to bring in a bank statement because on their end they didn't see any payments in that amount being deducted from my account and that it seemed to be all late fee charges. On April 28, 2016 I had my card number changed because of the amount of money best fitness continued to deduct from my account without reason of what the charges were for. On May 9, 2016 is when I received my new card information which was different expiration number and new 16 digit number. On May 14, 2016 I noticed 3 pending transactions from best fitness of the amounts of $160.00, $88.99, and $98.99 and I then went to the bank and got my statements to prove to Best fitness that they were indeed deducting more than 45 dollars a month from my account. I spoke with Kyle (manager at best fitness) who informed me that my significant other did not have a membership plan that he was switched over to Personal training, which costs $160 per month for the first 6 months of use . I asked Kyle for an explanation as to why I was never authorized or contacted for the approval for the Personal training and Kyle stated he was not sure and that he was going to investigate and contact me by the end of his business day on May 14, 2016 which was 5:00 pm. I never heard anything back from Kyle so I contacted my bank and filed a dispute against Best fitness going all the way back to when the personal training had took place which was October, as I did not authorize personal training to be used on my account at Best Fitness. I contacted Best fitness 5/17/16 and Spoke with a manager, Sam, and was told that the reason I was never contacted to authorize for the Personal training plan is because my significant other provided a Debit card with his name on it connected to my bank account at [redacted]. I attempted to explained to Sam that that was not possible because my significant other doesn't have debit card connected to my bank account with [redacted] and his name is not on my account at [redacted] (we do not share a joint account). I also attempted to explain that the card number Best Fitness has on file is in my name only and Sam then argued with me that my significant other showed them a card and there wasn't anything he could do for me but have my significant other cancel the Personal training. I informed Sam that it was unacceptable that they did not contact me to authorize any of those payments without my signature as the previous manager I spoke to, Kyle, had informed me that I should have been contacted regarding the personal training.Desired Settlement: I discussed this situation in detail with my significant other and my bank. Best case scenario- I would like a refund from 11/2015 to 5/2016 from Best Fitness as they did not verify with me, the primary membership holder, that personal training was ok and per their policy- they are suppose to have my signature confirming personal training or any changes to the membership. Best Fitness has placed blame on my significant other stating he had a debit card with his name on it connected to my bank account and my bank ([redacted]) can verify that he has never been issued a bank card connected to my account or that [redacted]'s name has never been on my account for joint account purposes. I feel that no one has been able to give me a straight answer after I repeatedly reached out to solve the issue at hand and Best Fitness has been less than helpful, pointing fingers and placing blame on anyone but themselves. I am hoping Revdex.com can help resolve this issue. I also have documentation from my bank to prove what I have stated about [redacted] not being, or ever, being on my account or issued a debit card. Also, Best Fitness has yet to provide me with documentation of charges and membership changes.

Business

Response:

We spoke with Ms. [redacted] personally and we have resolved the matter.

Review: Hello, I'm a new member at Best Fitness (6/3). I recently encountered discouraging, frustrating, and difficult service from the club. I joined to try it out. I started a job that is based out of Erie, but live with my parents about 40 miles away. I will be moving to Ohio in Dec for school. The worker said I could join for a month using my work address and then show my license with my home address to end the membership. He understood my concern and told me to use my license since I lived with my parents and cannot show a bill with my name. The trouble begins here. I brought in my license July 3rd and said Id like to end it b/c it was too hard to get to the gym often. Another worker told me my license would not work because it had to be issued within 6 weeks. He told me to get it updated. The worker who signed me up told me to bring in a school bill but not to worry and take my time. So on July 8th I brought in my school tuition bill. ANOTHER worker told me it wouldn't work b/c there was no Room & Board on it. I wasn't told that was needed. He also broke the news that I'd have to pay for July and August now. I was NEVER told I had to cancel 30 days in advance. He told me to get a new license issued at the DMV. I went to the DMV and with no changes on my card I cannot get a "yellow card". I cannot renew my license until Feb. I called the manager at BF who told me Id have to put my account on hold. Now it is on hold for Aug, Sept, and Oct. I'll have to pay for Nov, Dec and Jan since I will not receive a lease until late Dec. I'll also have to pay an annual $40 fee in Sept. I was never expecting this. If I had known it would be SO hard to get out of the contract, I wouldn't have applied in the first place. A fun gym membership turned upside-down. I am very frustrated and upset. I have lost time, money, and sleep because of this. I will not be promoting BF. It is as if I sold myself to BF. A gym should not be this way. I do not want to be a part of an organization that responds in this way.Desired Settlement: I do not wish to make another payment towards Best Fitness. I do not wish to pay the Annual Fee in August/September because I will be moving in December (They knew I would be moving). I do not want to be connected with Best Fitness any longer.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted] was explained the terms and conditions of our policies. She agreed that starting a membership with our club would be beneficial and cost-effective. She was explained the cancellation process and agreed with the policies. She was also given a copy of her original agreement which also outlines our cancellation policy. We will be more than happy to help her cancel her account without charge once she provides one of the proper forms outlined in our membership policy.

Review: I have been a member at the Best Fitness of Erie, PA for four years. I have a monthly membership fee of $24.99. My billing date is scheduled for the 8th of every month. I recently got hired at [redacted]. and found out that I receive a discounted rate of $14.99 with proof of employment. I had visited the location on 10/11/14. Their employee who I was told is named [redacted] told me that he would have to cancel renewal for the month of November and then re-write my contract to reflect another contract year that I would be "locked into" to avoid charging me the same annual membership twice (the fee was $20 on 10/30). I said that was fine and he told me to return on 11/7 or 11/8 to make changes. I returned on 11/8 and met with two employees who told me that the original fee of $24.99 had been processed already. They reiterated that in order to change contract stipulations I would have had to come in 30 days prior to the due date. I told them I had come in early in the month and they repeated it. I am always referred to their third party billing agency [redacted] whenever my payments are late, need changed, etc. I called their hotline but I was told they cannot issue a refund unless they receive a notice from Best Fitness as they do not determine the amount I pay every month. I filed an email complaint and didn't receive a response so I called into Best Fitness and spoke with [redacted] who talked in circles and reiterated, it was not within 30 days of the bill, so I still would have had to pay [redacted] the $24.99 for the month of November either way. I told him that [redacted] advised me that upon an authorization from Best they would be able to refund the money. He ignored this and repeated himself that he could not refund anything. After excessive arguing about wanting to file some type of corporate complaint and told they don't have any higher office to dispute this to, my information was given to their Regional Manager, [redacted]. He left me a voicemail on 11/10 when I was at one of my 3 jobs and since I have tried contact 3 times, left 2 messages, and have yet to see this resolved. I am wondering why I've paid my membership for so long to be left hanging with excessive bank overdraft fees because their employee improperly advised me and led me to believe that I would only be charged $14.99. Their customer service and availability is lacking. I'm directed to their billing department for all inquiries but their billing department tells me that all these decisions are based on Best Fitness's responses. All these people have done is talk in circles about how I'm a valued member. I'm a valued member but they don't even want to pretend to sympathize that a $10 difference is a lot to me. They won't even give me anything for the hours I've wasted and spent arguing about this between them, my bank and the billing company that they are affiliated with. I pays a $20 membership fee once a year for them to never buy new equipment. All they do is funnel this money to their personal training classes and group ammenities. I'd cancel my membership immediately but they are the only gym in the [redacted] area that has more than one Smith machine.Desired Settlement: The equivalent of a month of membership refunded by cashable check or Best Fitness credit to my account. I do not want to continue paying extra for a membership I might cancel and don't have to pay $10 extra for but I refuse to sit down and change my membership dues as now I do not trust Best or their intentions at all. If I sign another year contract am I going to be subject to their cancellation fees? Probably.

Business

Response:

First of all, I’d like to apologize that this complaint was not taken care of sooner regarding your issues with billing last year. I did see that you and Tom had gone back and forth trying to get ahold of one another regarding your concerns with being billed $24.99 in November. Our policies are that all billing changes and cancellations require a 30 day notice because we use an outside billing company. I believe that when you spoke with Kyle, since you were already past your 30 day notice for November, that’s why he told you to come in November 7th. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was communicated very well. I was not present, so I don’t know what was said or the intent of the conversation. I cannot speak for what happened then, just explain our policies and my interpretation of what actually happened. Unfortunately, it looks like you cancelled your membership regardless because you were unhappy with the facility. I wish that we would have been able to assist you better when you had your complaint. Thank you, Best Fitness Management

Review: Best Fitness is nothing but a bunch of deceivers who lie constantly to you. I have tried to cancel my membership by phone 4 different times. Each time getting the run around from Wes C[redacted] who is one of the managers of the gym. They stopped billing my credit card after my 2 year contract was up. I was under the assumption that my membership is over. Come to find out three months later, I got a collection call saying best fitness Auto Renewed me for another 2 years without a phone call or any notice. First time I called Best Fitness to figure out why I was getting this call I was told that I could fax a utility bill and they couldn't cancel my membership until I paid my balance. I told them I fulfilled my 2 year contract and I'm not paying past it, especially since I moved away from Erie. After I called back to confirm they got the fax, they told me a fax wasn't good enough and I had to certify mail a utility bill. So I did, waited another week and got no response. Called again and spoke to Wes where he said they did not receive it and there was nothing they could do. Once again another lie from Best Fitness as I know Kyle Rafferty at Best Fitness signed for this letter.

I am one who has a great credit report and never misses a bill. All I'm trying to do is clear this issue up and be done with this gym. I am not paying for a membership after my two year agreement has expired and definitely not paying for late fees. Most frustrating part about this experience is I have tried to cancel my membership numerous times and have jumped through the hoops for this place. I have done everything they asked me to do and still get the same response, we can't cancel your membership. I never signed up for a lifetime membership. Please help me.Desired Settlement: All I'm asking for is the past due balance to not affect my credit score and go to collections and for my membership to be canceled. I do not ever want to do business with this establishment again!

Business

Response:

The reason Best Fitness stopped billing Mr. [redacted]'s card is because it expired. We are unable to bill an expired card. He also signed a two year agreement, which is set up for an auto renew goes only month to month at that point. All of things were discussed and signed during the time the Mr. [redacted] joined the gym and signed his agreement. Once the agreement expires, any member can cancel their account but all balances must be current to do so. We can not cancel an account that is overdue on its payments. We can provide Mr. [redacted] with a copy of his agreement anytime.

Review: When I joined Best Fitness, they did not explain to us what we were getting ourselves into. I unknowingly signed a two year contract until after I tried to cancel the membership; they informed me that even though we have never utilized any of the equipment in their facility, I had signed a two year contract for both me and my boyfriend and the only way we would be able to cancel is if we paid $100 each. This is after they had already taken money from my bank account, I informed them that I was going through serious health issues, so I was not able to work as much and could not afford to continue with the membership; which, neither of us every made use of and had only been a member for a little over a month. They did not care what the reasoning was behind the fact that I needed to cancel, if I do not pay them $200 then my account would continue to increase by $39.98 per month for the remainder of the contract. Everything that I signed during the initial interview was electronic and a copy was sent my email; which, I was under the impression that we were signing these documents to ensure liability for damage to property or injuries to ourselves. The man was not forthcoming about what the actual contract said and the period of time that we would be locked into it. He also never said anything about having to pay a fee of $100 for each of us if we wanted to cancel. If I would have known that I was signing a contract with the for two years I would have never signed it. Even though I have heard a lot of bad things about this facility from many different people, we decided to try it because it was close to where we lived so it would be easy for us to get there. This was probably one of the biggest mistake I have ever made, because even though we have only stepped foot in the facility once, which was the day we joined, they are forcing us to give them money that we need to support our children and they will have debt collectors calling at least 6 times a day to get their payment.Desired Settlement: I would like to discontinue the contract that I unknowingly signed and for you to remove all of the moneys that are owed for these contracts. I should not have to pay for you for a membership that we have never used and cannot use because of medical issues. Even though you will allow us to pause the membership for three months, I no longer want to continue to be involved with a business that deceives their customers, so this will not work for me.

Business

Response:

I am sorry to hear that Ms. [redacted] is unhappy with our policies at Best Fitness. All of our memberships are 2-year agreements and we are sure to make certain that everyone understands that when signing up for their membership. This is why, as Ms. [redacted] stated in her complaint, we email a copy of the original agreement and stay in contact with all of our members to make sure they don't have any questions and to keep them motivated throughout their fitness journey here with us. We do have Ms. [redacted]'s signature agreeing to the 2-year commitment. We also offer a window of time where one may cancel their newly-obtained membership because of questions about the agreement; Ms. [redacted] signed her agreement in February so she is now past that window. To cancel before your 2-year agreement is expired, it costs $100, unless you are moving or if it's because of a medical condition. These policies are spelled out in our membership agreements that Ms. [redacted] signed and received a copy of. Ms. [redacted] stated that she was not able to use our facility because of a medical issue but we were never shown proof of this. If Ms. [redacted] has a recommendation in writing from her doctor stating that she cannot use our facility any longer, we will gladly cancel her membership and we wish her the best with her health- we just need to see a copy of the doctor's order to stop using the facility permanently. We must stick to our company policies when it comes to cancellations.

Operations Manager, Best Fitness

Review: I have been trying to cancel my membership since August 32014 when I moved to Florida. They refused to accept any documentation from my employer since I did not have a permanent residence at that time. I purchased a home as of October 31st, 2014. Once I received my utility bill and other information - effective 10/31/2014, they still refused to cancel me. now they say I owe 337.00 which is being sent to the collection Bureau, trying to ruin my credit which I take pride in it,. Below is a copy of my letter I sent to them. Please help me.

I have requested several times to cancel my membership because I moved in August 2014, to Florida. You refused because I didn’t have proof of my residency since I was living with a friend, yet working in Clearwater Florida. You would not work with me or do anything to assist.

I offered to give you a letter from my employer stating my start date, and verifying my employment, you refused. I offered to give you a copy of a letter from [redacted], showing that I have benefits along with a copy of my health insurance card with the mailing address, again you refused.

I explained that I did not have a utility bill, or a mortgage statement, or a Florida license due to the fact I was in the process of selling my home in ERIE PA, and trying to locate a home to purchase in Florida. Yet I had to freeze my account, pay 5.00 a month to keep a membership that I could not use since I have not lived in Erie, PA since Thursday August 14th, 2014.

I traveled to Erie, PA in October 2014 to take care of items regarding the sale of my home, I stopped by once again to Best Fitness asking you to cancel my membership, since I do not live in Erie anymore, once again you refused. I walked out telling you that you would not receive any more money from me, why should I pay for something that I can’t use. I had to cancel my debit card from the bank, and refuse to answer any calls from your billing department.

It is a shame that you have to treat customers like we are just a number, not a person. I wanted to give you proof of where I worked, my health insurance, my pension information, but still it was not good enough. The extra stress you people put on me, while I was trying to locate a home in Florida was inexcusable. I told my friends and former colleagues at [redacted], where I used to work; on how poor you treat people and that you don’t care. Not sure if that made a difference, but my next step is to send a copy of this to the [redacted], and your corporate office.

Attached is a copy of a utility bill, I closed on a house as of October 31st, along with a copy of my Homeowners Insurance, with my mortgage Company listed. As a mentioned before you will not receive any more money from me, so please have your billing company stop calling and emailing me.

Thank youDesired Settlement: Please clear the bill effective 10/31/2014, even though I was not living in PA as of 8/14/2014. Thank you

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted] came in to cancel her membership because she was moving and we notified her that we need proof of relocation. She was unable to provide proper proof, which comes in the form of a lease or mortgage agreement of the new residence, a utility bill from the property (gas, water, electric), or an updated drivers license issued within 60 days. Since she was unable to provide the proper proof at that time, we suggested that she put a freeze on her membership until she could obtain proper proof. At that time, Ms. [redacted] said she would be cancelling her billing information. We then explained to her that if she does that, she could risk being sent to collections after a period of 3 mths. Two months had passed and Ms. [redacted] sent in the proper proof of relocation however her acct was overdue, therefore we could not process any cancel request until the acct was up to date. She refused to pay the over due amount towards her membership and was eventually sent to collections. We tried several times to explain the process clearly and have the matter resolved to avoid Ms. [redacted] being sent to collections. The cancellation policy is clearly stated in the agreement as well.

Consumer

Response:

The business failed to tell you that I called them in August 2014, prior to my move to Fl. I spoke to the manager, he told me that I needed proof where I was living. I told him that it was impossible since the company was moving me and I would be in temporary housing until my house sold in Erie PA, and I was able to purchase a home in FL. I was then told that even though I was not living in Erie, and I could not provide proof, there is nothing they would or could do. The manager ( I wish I knew his name) Told me that I needed to freeze my account for 3 months, then after that if I still don't have proof regardless, I have to pay, even though I cannot receive the service. I did freeze my account and then I told the manager they weren't being fair to me since I didn't have proof and that I was being penalized for living in temporary housing. He told me specifically.. " If I do this for you, I have to do this for everyone else" Yes I waited until December to send them the information since I closed on a house as of October 31st, 2014. Although I sent in my proof in December, late. Trying to unpack and work, while taking care of a ill husband, I thought the business would accept this and cancel me back to October 31st. Yes, I did stop the Billing, after the three months were up of me freezing my account. If the business wants me to pay November & December 20.00 per month I will against my better judgment, other than that, I ask for them to take off the rest of charges because they refused to work with me, more so against me, no matter what I tried. and they were not very nice about it at all. They even had the nerve to ask me to give them my new bank information, so they can continue to charge me before they will cancel me? ( this was in December) Regards,[redacted]

Review: For the past 4 years, I have been a student at [redacted] in Erie, PA. Upon graduation on May 9, 2015 I lost access to the campus recreation and wellness center. Best Fitness on 12th street was the closest wellness facility in the area. I took advantage of the 2 week trial that Best Fitness had to offer and visit after visit I was approached by sales associates trying to sell me a membership. I explained to the associates that I would only be residing in Erie through the month of June, as my lease was up on July 1st. Time and time again I was reassured that cancellation was very simple, it was a matter of calling a number and cancelling, so I signed up for a membership. June dues were deducted from a credit card which reflected my home/billing address in Silver Spring, Maryland, proof I was not a permanent resident of Erie, PA. I used the gym membership religiously through the month of June and attempted to close it July 1st. I called the facility first who then directed me to a billing office, who then directed me back to the gym. I was given the run around. Finally, I called billing back and they explained that until I get matters figured out, I could put a "freeze" on my account for $5. I froze the account for the month of July and continued to make attempts to close the membership. Each time I called, I was given a different process. I needed a bill at my new address (i moved back in with my parents and thus have no bills in my name), I needed a doctors note (why there is nothing wrong with me, I just dont live in the area), the documentation needs to be notarized,I can pay $100 and be done and yet again call the billing office. After all of this run around, I filed an online complaint with customer service. I received a call back pretty quickly but could not get to my phone. I have called back 3 times in the matter of a week and gotten no response. We are now approaching August 1st and my dues will be deducted for a new month on a gym membership I am unable to use. The cancellation process was poorly explained, no one seems to even know what it is and the customer service I have received to reconcile the matter has been awful.Desired Settlement: All I want is the membership cancelled no hidden fees or charges and to not pay a freezing fee for something I will never again be able to utilize

Business

Response:

When [redacted] first came into the club on Memorial Day we gave him and his girlfriend a free 14-day pass to make sure they enjoyed the facility before worry about signing up. In our agreements we have a standard agreement that is taken out from a debit, credit, or checking account each month and there is a standard cancellation fee and a 30-day notice for all billing changes. If a member is moving they can cancel their agreement without paying the cancellation fee, but it still responsible for the 30-day notice. They have to provide a valid proof of move with either a lease, utility bill, mortgage, or driver's license that has been updated in the last 60 days. When [redacted] decided after the 14-day trial to sign up he spoke with a Fitness Counselor about how he had recently graduated and wasn't sure if he would be finding a job in Erie because his girlfriend was still in the area or moving back closer to home. When every member signs up, they are walked through the agreement they are signing at have to sign three separate times to acknowledge he understands the terms. At the end of June, [redacted] spoke again with a Fitness Counselor about how he planned to move back home and wanted to cancel his membership. At the time, he did not have a valid proof of move so he was given the option to freeze his account through are billing company so he would not be charged the normal membership dues, but a $5 hold fee. When he called in on July 21st to cancel his account, the manager advised him he would still be responsible to show proof of move in order to cancel his agreement and be responsible for the payment on August 1st. [redacted] said he would be moving back in with his parents, so the manager gave him the option to get a bill notarized that he is a current resident and send that certified mail to the club to cancel after the August 1st payment. He said he did not have to pay the August payment because he told someone at the club at the end of June that he was moving back home. The manager advised he that the club had not received the proper cancellation papers so his membership could not be cancelled beforehand. He said he was not properly advised of the policy, and he was then asked if he received a copy of his agreement where he then said that "our agreement is like the "Terms and Conditions" you have to accept on the computer that no one reads". At this time, we have received his contact to customer service inquiry and have called him on July 22nd at 9:34 am and July 29th at 3:22pm. If he still needs to contact us we would be happy to help with any further questions he has regarding cancelling.

Review: Not only do I find the contract for personal training sessions with this business very misleading and unethical but I am also completely unsatisfied with the way this gym operates in general. When I signed up for the personal training sessions I was told that it was a contract for 6 months. Not once while going over this contract when I was being signed up was I told by the gym employee that the contract will automatically renew after the six months unless I mail in a letter stating that I wanted to cancel my personal training membership. Not once was I told about this policy, I only discovered this by reading my contract in full, while looking for cancelation terms. When I started this personal training membership I had mornings available and could utilize the sessions. I had a few months of sessions backed up that I was never even able to use due to my work schedule changing. It is not feasible for me to get up and go to the gym at 6:00 or 7:00 am when I work ten or eleven hour shifts starting at 9:00 am. Therefore I thought it might be cheaper and more beneficial to just cancel my membership and pay a cancelation fee rather than pay for my lasts month of the training sessions since I can't even use them. This is when I discovered that I had been auto renewed for the training sessions and have had calls from best fitness claiming that I owe them around $400 and some dollars. When one training session month alone was $225.00. I am never going to be able to use these training sessions and definitely do not want to continue for another six months. I wish that someone would have verbally disclosed this to me prior to even signing up. They make it seem as if these training sessions are flexible and that it was only for six months. I have no issue with my actual personal trainer, she is an extremely wonderful woman and I like her very much. It is not her that I was unhappy with but the practices of this gym. I don't feel I should have to pay for sessions I can never use and continue a contract with them that I don't want. I feel that as a consumer it is good business practice to disclose a auto renew policy with your customer and also to go over cancelation language. I don't think it is right to have a customer pay for sessions they are never able to use. I was so displeased with what had happened with my personal training sessions that I no longer wanted to even go to this gym. I opened up a membership with another gym that has cheaper rates, better hours, no sneaky contracts, and even offers personal training free with your membership. This gym is more concerned with sales than the actual person joining the gym. I would never recommend Best Fitness to anyone.Desired Settlement: I would like Best Fitness to cancel my Personal Training Membership and my gym membership with them. I would like to cut all ties with this gym with no more hassle or any further type of cancelation fee or hidden charge.

Business

Response:

The automatic renewal policy is clearly stated in the membership agreement and personal training agreement. The new member or personal training client actually signs agreeing to it. Also, we have plenty of personal trainers on staff with very flexible schedules that are more than willing to find the best possible time for the client to be able to use their sessions.

Consumer

Response:

If when enrolling in a gym membership, the employee does not disclose the auto renew policy verbally, I feel and I'm sure many other prospective customers would feel that this is simply put, misleading and a bad business practice. I happened to look at many other Revdex.com reviews and other online customer reviews of this company and only wish I had looked the information up prior to even walking into the gym. There is a clear reason why Best Fitness is not even accredited by the Revdex.com and also has a D- rating. I personally am enjoying my membership at another gym and will most certainly recommend this gym to my friends, family and clients. It is quite clear that Best Fitness is fully aware of their jargon filled contracts and have no qualms with swindling people. Customer service is low on their priority list and I am only grateful to have wiped my hands clean of this terrible company.

Review: I received a phone call from an unknown number today. I answered and the person identified themselves as a representative (no name) of a Best Fitness ([redacted]) fitness club I had attended and subsequently cancelled because I have left the area. The caller stated I had not paid my dues and my "card" was going to be sent to collections in 2 weeks. I informed him I did not have an account with the club and had cancelled my membership within the guidelines of the contract I had signed with the club on 5/11/2011. He then mentioned my friend's name, [redacted], who signed up for a membership at the same time as I had. [redacted] did not have a credit card, so the membership manager said I could pay it for him. [redacted] subsequently submitted his debit card for the monthly payments as required by HIS CONTRACT. After explaining this to the unknown representative he responded by saying he was still going to send my card to collections. I reiterated my position that I had nothing to do with his contract and his obligation to pay under the contract he signed. I asked for the representatives' name, he said his name was [redacted]. I asked his position he said Fitness Consultant. I asked to speak to a manager and he said he was the manager. I asked to speak to the club manager and he again stated he was the club manager. I asked for the owner of the club and [redacted] told me I would need to go to the website and submit a message and they would email me back. After leaving the message on a website owned by Best Fitness I have yet to hear back. I did follow up by making a call back to Best Fitness later in the evening. I asked who the managers were. I was told Eric was the Membership manager and [redacted] was the Club Manager. There was NO mention of [redacted]. I asked who [redacted] was, and the receptionist replied, "Oh, he's just a fitness consultant."Desired Settlement: I would like Best Fitness to contact the correct person regarding their collection. I would like Best Fitness to refrain from the several levels of mis-representation i.e. [redacted] Lied about who he was, he lied about being a manager, he lied about being the manager of the entire club. Best Fitness also has violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. I would like the issue to be investigated by [redacted]'s manager as he appears to conduct illicit business practices.

Business

Response:

I'm sorry to hear that Mr. [redacted] had a bad experience with our club. Alter looking at Mr. [redacted] account his membership was cancelled and payments were stopped on September 2, 2012. There were no additional charges and he was never sent to collections or even missed a single payment. If Mr. [redacted] had been paying for a friend’s account as well as his own, his friend may not have updated his billing after Mr. [redacted] moved out of the area. When this happens, the person whose name is on the account is contacted to update the billing we have on file. Without knowing his friend’s name I am unable to confirm any details about the issue Mr. [redacted]’ friend is experiencing. As of this time, Mr. [redacted] account is cancelled. His account has not been charged any unnecessary fees and there are notes in his account saying he stopped into the club and let us know he was moving so we cancelled his account at that time. If his friend is having an issue with his account they Would need to contact us and we can be of assistance.

Consumer

Response:

The information that was provided through this correspondence from the club has no identifiable information relating to whom they are or who I should contact at that club. I was clearly threatened with being sent to collections by an individual who claimed to be the manager of the club, although he earlier identified himself as a fitness attendant. I believe the individuals' name is in my original complaint filed over 7 months ago. Their methods in trying to execute a debt collection with threats (which was not addressed in their response) is in clear violation of the Fair Debt Collections Act. The fact that they have no record of me owing them any money and the description of my good account standing exemplifies that I was correct in my argument with the "acting" manager that I did not owe anything to the club. I am not bound by any additional contracts even if I did pay for a start fee. I would appreciate the Revdex.com record to show that this business is clearly unconcerned about customer service in not only the fact that they decided to respond to the Revdex.com complaint after the passage of nearly 8 months, but that they allow the practice of debt collection in such an unprofessional manner toward someone whom after a double check of their records and through their own admission does not owe ANYTHING!

Review: switched bank account, not realizing it would exempt best fitness auto pay,wasn't using gym anyhow at this point, they never called to tell me they weren't getting payment. now they are harassing me and threatening me.Desired Settlement: Just the cost of the cancellation fees, nothing more and nothing less.

Business

Response:

I am sorry to hear that Ms. [redacted] is having an unpleasant experience with our billing and collections process. Our representatives at the club in Erie always try to make things as easy as possible for everyone and make sure everyone understand our policies and procedures.

I believe Ms. [redacted] spoke to a manager at our club shortly after filing this complaint and has plans to come into the club on July 7th to settle everything. If this is not the case, I will be happy to get her any information that she needs.

Review: I signed a 6 month contract in April of 2015. As the contract neared expiration, I told my trainer Jeff C[redacted] verbally, that I wanted to simply use the remaining training sessions I had and that was it. He informed me that "sure, no problem, we will get you taken care of" or something to that extent. A new trainer was assigned to me as Jeff was transferring for me to work out my remaining sessions. My new trainer was Richard Welton. In January I discovered that Best Fitness took it upon themselves to continue to charge me 200$ a month. I have asked repeatedly to stop. I have not been back into Best Fitness since January. Jeff C[redacted] told me that a "Chris" would be in touch with me. I have called several times since and have not gotten this resolved. Best Fitness continues to charge me over and over and we are approaching 1600 or more in charges for services that have not been rendered. They have never notified me of these charges, wont call me back, and continue to charge for services not rendered. I worked out my initial contract. I ended it with Jeffrey Conley. I did not authorize a month to month for 200$ a month.

This is a horrible business practice. I have signed no receipts, I did not know I was being charged. I have tried to break the original "signed contract" now for months and cannot get them to stop charging. This is robbery.

I have records of text exchanges between Jeff and myself asking to stop. I cannot believe a company operates this way and refuses to resolve this and credit me back. These charges are for services that were never rendered. I ended my initial 6 month with Jeffrey as I should have. Now the company thinks it is ok to just keep charging 200$ a month? How is this acceptable..it is robbery.Desired Settlement: There is no reason for me to have been charged in anyway shape or form for this 200$ month to month contract. I never agreed to it.

These charges never showed on my account, I never was emailed or mailed or shown a receipt, I never signed. How would I have ever known I was being charged? This is totally unacceptable.

Business

Response:

On February 1st 2016, Mr. [redacted] called in the club asking why he was still being billed for personal training. We explained to him that when he signed up for personal training, the first signature he signed for on the contract was for the auto renew policy after the 6 months was completed. After the 6 months was over he was able to cancel the training in person with a sales director and a 30 day notice policy whenever he wanted which he failed to do. We then tried scheduling Mr. [redacted] a meeting to come into the club as soon as possible so we could cancel it for him but he failed to do so.

Consumer

Response:

I was not to be charged. I Spoke with my trainer in person about not extending my contract and simply working out the remaining sessions I had. Jeff assured me that " we will get you taken care of". I continued using my remaining training sessions from the first contract. I did not authorize, sign a receipt nor was ever provided a copy. I followed up with my trainer,Jeff, whom assured me that he would get this taken care of. Meanwhile Best Fitness simply fel the need to just continue to charge me despite me not knowing. They can say contract this and contract that all they would like. I have copies of text exchanges with Jeff stating he would take care of this. I can provide those to you. He is a representative of your company and was a manager of a Best Fitness in Florida. He assured me it would be taken care of. I have been out of town and traveling so I have not been able to make it in. I have since cancelled the card to assure that you can no longer continue to fraud nor rob me. I was also told that the manager would contact me personally, which he has not. This is robbery plain and simple. In February Jeff assured me Chris would call me ( also have this documented). I in turn called Chris to no avail. This is a horrible business practice. A verbal agreement/conversation and text exchange with your trainer ( whom is a manager, must count for something) despite whatever horrible contract clauses you have set up. This is garbage pure and simple and robbery through deception. I have text records with Jeff to validate this. This is 100% unacceptable and I for one and disgusted that you refuse to chargeback that fraudulent charges that you have bestowed upon me. Simply pathetic and disgusting.

Business

Response:

When signing the 6 month contract, the client is told that after the 6 months is over we can cancel your contract at any time in the club with a Fitness Director, who is the manager of the personal training department. Jeff was never involved in management with any Best Fitness. The first time our Fitness Director was contacted by Benjamin was February 1st. He called the club asking why he was charged. We advised him to come in club as soon as possible to cancel his contract. We tried to schedule an appointment with him to cancel his contract which he would not do. When a client cancels a contract they receive a notification via email which they set up when we cancel them in person. When dealing with this amount of money it is not practical to make purchases and cancels over the phone which is why we do everything in person. Benjamin never felt the need to come in the club in person and complete his cancel.