Big Sky Fitness

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting...

this response because:
The time it would take to get to your location from my home to your [redacted] location is inconvenient due to extreme traffic.  Also, I do not like traveling to [redacted] as I do not feel safe in that area.
Sincerely,[redacted]

mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
researched [redacted]'s request and found that **. [redacted]
signed up for a two year membership on May 24, 2014.  We've attached a
copy of his membership.  He clearly
initialed off on the term of the membership along with the annual enhancement
fee.  If **. [redacted] became disabled since signing up for his membership, he
would have been able to cancel it with a doctor’s note.  We checked our system and all charges made to
**. [redacted]’s credit card were exactly what were listed on the agreement.  For
these reasons, we cannot refund any monies because no
errors or misrepresentations were made in regards to **. [redacted]’s membership.  However, Big Sky is willing to cancel **.
[redacted]’s membership going forward out of respect for his service to our country.

We have researched [redacted] membership and have attached a copy of it for your review.  We’re not really sure what [redacted] would...

like us to do at this moment.  She claims she mailed us a letter canceling her membership 1 day after she joined.  We never received such letter.  Then she goes on to complain that her trainer never returned her call to work out with her.  If she had canceled her membership one day after joining, why then would she expect to receive a complementary service that is available to only members ? 
Please let [redacted] know that if she can provide you with proof that she mailed or emailed us a cancelation request on June 10th, we would be more than happy to cancel her membership.
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Big Sky and its associated services are unwittingly luring people into thinking that the contracts they sign for a gym membership are easily terminated/cancellable but this isnt the case. You are locked into a term contract with auto-renewal and [redacted] their financial services will not cancel your contract.

As long as I have been credited for April and May as well as the late fees, and as long as my account has been canceled, this is satisfactory.As for whether there are problems with Big Sky's billing policies, look at the number of complaints made about them. [redacted]. A recurring charge made through a third-party company that continues to charge for a month after the date of cancellation and which can only be canceled by calling the third-party company, requesting an obscure written form, and then mailing a copy back is an obvious attempt to make cancellation difficult and should be illegal. This is 2015. An account should be able to be canceled instantly with the click of a button on a website. Spare your customers the moralism lecture and have some common decency.Most Sincerely,
[redacted]

BIG SKY GYM in Vernon CT is very poorly managed, they are supposed to open at 5 am during the week. This morning 3/12/18 they opened at 5:25 this is not acceptable because the reason many of us work out early morning is because we have to get to work on time or risk loosing our jobs. The answer we got today from your staff is "it is not my fault" I would like to know whose fault it is. A couple of weeks ago on a Thursday it happened again and this time we were told that the person responsible oversleep. Then it happened on the Thursday before that and the doors were unlocked so we all went in and the alarm went off but we worked out anyway. This is 3 times you did not open on time so there is extremely poor management who does not care one bit about anyone else. By the way about 15 cars drove out because you did not open on time this can't be good for business!

Review: I ended my account by phone and in writing as of June 28, 2013. I have a certified mail receipt from the cancellation letter stamped July 1, 2013. However, Big Sky continued to charge my account on July 8 and August 8 for 21.22. I expect my account to be refunded for those two additional charges, in the amount of 42.44.

Product_Or_Service: club membership

Account_Number: XXXXXXXXX

Desired Settlement: I expect my account to be refunded for those two additional charges, in the amount of 42.44.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/08/27) */

We looked into [redacted]'s request and found that the reason our billing company billed for July and August was because they were the last 2 months of the membership agreement. The membership agreement was for 24 months and the first billing was on 9/7/2011. Our billing company should have notified [redacted] that there were 2 more payments due. Since they did not we are going to refund the final 2 payments as requested.

Review: Hello, I was unaware I was in contract for two full year my doctor will not write me a note to get out of contract because I am still able to go to gym but not able to run or lift heavy equipment I would like out of this contract now and refunded the money for the months that I asked for my account to be closed I was unaware that I had to sign a 2 year agreement person at front desk did not make that clearDesired Settlement: Refunded for months since I emailed the clubs financial accounter to get out of the contract

Business

Response:

In response to the recent complaint from [redacted] we have attached a copy of Ms. [redacted]’s membership agreement. The agreement clearly outlines the terms and conditions of her membership which Ms. [redacted] has chosen to overlook. She joined our facility on July 10, 2012 choosing a membership term of 24 months.

Review: I have been a member of Big Sky [redacted] for approximately 1 year. Within that time, my fiance and I have moved to [redacted]. I have since tried to cancel my membership, stating my recent move as the reason why I can no longer remain a member. I was directed to their collection service, [redacted] financial, who stated that the only two reasons I would be able to cancel were to either move to a distance greater than 25 miles away from one of their facilities, or to be deemed disabled by a MD. I have moved a distance greater than 25 miles from the gym in which this contract was originated, but still live 8.8 miles from their [redacted] location. I have spoken with the collection agency to no avail, and have attempted multiple times to contact the billing manager at the [redacted] location, receiving no response of any kind. I don't believe I should be forced to work out for another 12 months in a location that I did not initially choose; or be forced to pay the monthly fee for services for which I am not and do not wish to utilize. Is there anything the Revdex.com can do to help? Thank you for your time and efforts with this matter.

-[redacted]Desired Settlement: Cancellation of membership ASAP.

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted], Our records show that you have never used our [redacted] facility. Is there a reason you are unwilling to give this location a try ? Please let us know. Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Review: I signed up for a 1-year contract with Big Sky in March 2014. I called in late 2014 to ask that automatic charges after the contract expired be discontinued as I was no longer attending the gym (and let them know I understood that the contract would not be canceled beforehand). I called again in April 2015, and again in June 2015, for the same reason. Instead, the charges automatically recurred even after the contract ended, even after I canceled the card to which they were attached. I was also charged an exorbitant late fee ($52.50, more than the actual charge!), for a total of $157.56 now "overdue." Lastly, I was told that even if I acquiesced to their archaic and draconian cancellation policy, I would still be charged for another month thereafter. Notably, I have not used any of Big Sky's services since March 2014, over a year ago.Desired Settlement: Refund of all charges and fees since March 2015.

Business

Response:

We have contacted our billing company [redacted] and

asked them to provide us with all records with regards to [redacted] membership. As

noted on the reverse side of his membership agreement that we’ve attached, all

membership changes go directly thru [redacted].

[redacted] notes showed that [redacted] did contact [redacted] on April 30, 2014

to find out what the cancellation procedures were. At that time however no action was taken by

[redacted]. The next time [redacted] contacted [redacted] was on June 8, 2015. (We’ve attached

these records.) There were no other

records of [redacted] contacting [redacted] late in 2014 or in April 2015.

[redacted] has confirmed that [redacted] membership has been

cancelled. They also confirmed that the

charges from April and May were charged back by [redacted] credit card and he now will

be receiving a credit directly from them. We have committed

no errors or misrepresentations with [redacted] membership, and we expect that he live

up to his signed-on responsibility as we always live up to ours.

Review: A charge for a Personal Training Agreement was charged to a credit card that they were not authorized to charge for this service.The membership to the club is paid on another person's credit card (not my own - my significant other), and the Training is only authorized for my credit card. My card had expired, and payment was taken from the other card on file. However, the card that was charged was not authorized for payment of this service.Desired Settlement: I would like the charge refunded to my significant other's credit card. I would also like to terminate my agreement for training. I no longer trust this business.

Business

Response:

We have researched Mr. [redacted]'s account and determined that we did charge his significant other's card in error. These monies will be returned to that card immediately. This was an honest mistake. We were unaware that it was someone elses card, because when Mr. [redacted] first joined us, his name was put into the system as the cardholder. We are sorry for the inconvenience, and hope that Mr. [redacted] understands we cannot cancel his agreement due to a clerical error such as this. Mr. [redacted] will need to provide an alternative form of payment asap so we can keep his account in good standing.

Consumer

Response:

DC

Review: [redacted]

On 1/24/14, I filed a complaint (#[redacted]) about this business because it was making unauthorized charges to my significant other's credit card for a service that I had purchased. The matter appeared to have been resolved.However, it has come to my attention that after reversing the charge for one of these instances, they have continued to charge an unauthorized account for two more charges of $131.86. The following have been charged to a credit card that is not mine, nor are they authorized to charge this credit card.1/15 - $131.861/21 - $131.861/27 + $131.86 (credit)2/19 - $131.86I find it appalling that this business has continued their fraudulent actions after a BB complaint appeared to be resolved. In addition, I have not received any notification of payment(s) due or written requests for updated account information from this company. They simply went back to charging a card they were NEVER authorized to charge in the first place. In the "resolution" of my original complaint, they acknowledged their "clerical" error but apparently did nothing to fix it.Their actions are in violation of the Fair Credit Billing Act, and I will take legal action if I need to.

Desired Settlement

1. Credit the unauthorized charges to my significant other's credit card;2. Do not make any further charges for this service to this card;3. I wish to cancel my contract with this business. Can I trust a business who has unapologetically violated credit card holders' rights despite apparent resolutions through the Revdex.com? I want nothing to do with these people or their business.

Desired Settlement: Refund

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Please have Mr. [redacted] contact the General Manager Mr. [redacted] at ###-###-#### to clear up this issue.

Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. The General Manager fixed the issue, and he was very understanding and polite while doing so. I truly appreciate his professionalism and assistance. I feel much better about this business as a direct result of his handling of the situation.

Review: I join this club while attending college and wanted to cancel, rest of membership because moving back home.

I notified the club and they wanted proof of address, and wouldn't let me out of membership and continue to withdrawal fundsDesired Settlement: I would like to get my cancellation of membership and any withdrawals of money out of checking account refunded.

Business

Response:

We have researched Mr. [redacted] membership and found that because his address in our system was his home address and not his school address the billing company did not have a change of address to act upon. Students usually use their school address then provide proof of moving back home after school ends to cancel their membership. In this case, since [redacted] address was his home address the billing company could not cancel per move. [redacted] first contacted our billing company on May 1, 2015, so we've canceled his membership and refunded the dues for both May and June. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Review: I am a disabled veteran who told Big Sky Fitness that I couldn't use their services. I was told that my contract was for 2 years and they couldn't do anything. They then referred me to [redacted] service who wouldn't do anything either. Then a few days ago I had a secondary charge (besides the monthly charge) from Big Sky for Equipment Enhancement. This extra charge which came out of nowhere caused my checking account to be overstaffed causing a $35.00 overdraft fee. Since I have autopsy I was unaware of everything until after the fact. I've only used this Fitness service 3 or 4 times in well over 13 months due to my disability. I can't believe this company can get away with this type of thievery.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of all monies that were taken since my last visit to the fitness center. Also a reimbursement for the Enhancement Fee and $35.00 for restitution of the overdraft fee due to the sneaky Enhancement Fee, whatever that is !!!! Thank You in advance. [redacted]

Business

Response:

We

researched [redacted]'s request and found that **. [redacted]

signed up for a two year membership on May 24, 2014. We've attached a

copy of his membership. He clearly

initialed off on the term of the membership along with the annual enhancement

fee. If **. [redacted] became disabled since signing up for his membership, he

would have been able to cancel it with a doctor’s note. We checked our system and all charges made to

**. [redacted]’s credit card were exactly what were listed on the agreement. For

these reasons, we cannot refund any monies because no

errors or misrepresentations were made in regards to **. [redacted]’s membership. However, Big Sky is willing to cancel **.

[redacted]’s membership going forward out of respect for his service to our country.

Review: I had been a member of Big Sky Fitness on and off for a few years. Last year I signed up for a one year contract with Big Sky Fitness which was to expire in October of 2013. I unpleasantly found out that I was being charged month by month membership fees past October. After I called their third party vendor to try and resolve the issue, they informed me that even though I had not and was not planning on using the health club services since my membership expiration, I would have to pay two extra months of member dues (31$ per month) and also another annual membership fee (40$). For a club that I have not attended since October, I will have to pay an additional 100$!! I tried contacting the club manager and was told they could not help me. What awful business practices! How difficult could it be to refund someone for services not used outside a contract? I am absolutely floored at how this club treats their customers.Desired Settlement: I am at the very least asking not to be charged annual club fees twice that should only be paid once a year. It would be fitting for the club to provide me with a refund for the charged two months of service not used and not under contract as well as a refund for the additional annual club fees.

Business

Response:

Response to Revdex.com complaint of 11/22/13:

Review: I contacted my banking institution today after noticing fraudulent activity made onsite at Big Sky Fitness, on 06/06/2014 for the amount of $41.48 ([redacted]). My membership fee, which I am charged on the 20th of each month is $26.53; thus reinforcing that amount made on 06/06/2014 is not my membership fee and also a charge that I did not authorizeDesired Settlement: For Big Sky Fitness to (1) Credit me the money that was fraudulently charged (2) Take the time to better review their billing because this amount made was not authorized. (3) Big Sky is in breach of my contractual agreement made with them and I no longer trust Big Sky to have my banking information - Therefore I want to "cancel my membership effectively immediately without penalty".

Business

Response:

We have research Mrs. [redacted]'s membership agreement and found that the recent charge to her account is for the annual enhancement fee of $39 plus tax. We've attached her agreement which shows that she initialed and agreed to that annual charge. Big Sky has committed no errors or misrepresentations with Ms. [redacted], and find that she probably just forgot about that fee.

Review: Five years ago we joined this gym and signed two year contracts for myself, my husband, and our two kids. After just a few months, we ran into extreme financial difficulties and were forced with the decision to either pay our mortgage and keep a roof over our heads and feeding our family, which now including a baby, or go to the gym. At the time, we stopped attending the gym and requested to be released from our contract due to this hard ship. I spoke with a manager named Mindy who agreed to take tanning off our children's membership, but that just wasn't enough, we still struggled to pay our bills. I went back and spoke with Mindy again and was told to put in writing about our financial problems and that they would most likely let us out of our agreement. I wrote the letter and maiiled it to the address I was given. (After 5 years, I unfortunately do not have the address any longer.) They then sent our account to ABC Financial (who has been harassing us ever since). I have made several attempts to explain how we just don't have the money to pay them and we are just barely paying our bills, but they didn't care. This issue has now ruined not only ruined my husband's and my credit, but the credit of our children, who had nothing to do with this. If there was anyway we could afford to take care of this bill we would, but where are you supposed to get money when you don't have any. We would really appreciate it, if any help could be given to resolve this problem. I'm putting this complaint in because I'm very upset that I was misled from the very beginning. That is no way to do business. Are they telling us we should have chose to pay for a membership to a gym instead of feeding our children?

Product_Or_Service: Gym Membership

Desired Settlement: To excuse us from our debt would be the ultimate resolution. For this multimllion dollar company to accept this small loss and have a heart. Also, to not allow managers to be dishonest to their customers.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2013/07/01) */

We have researched Mrs. [redacted]'s claim and found the following:

In October of 2009 both Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] signed up their family of four for a 24 month membership at Big Sky. Other terms were presented at the time, but they decided to commit to the longest membership. At this time, they also decided to add a completely optional tanning membership increasing the monthly cost by an additional 40%.

As a part of a promotion at the time, the family received their first 3 months for free. They enjoyed full use of the club and tanning and never made mention that maybe they had over committed themselves.

Then in March of 2010, Mrs. [redacted] approached our club manager and asked if there was anything we could do to reduce the monthly cost because they were in the midst of a financial hardship. Our manager went above and beyond by offering to remove the added tanning option from all 4 memberships even though they were part of the 2 year commitment. However, instead of taking advantage of our offer to remove the tanning option from all the memberships, Mrs. [redacted] decided that she wanted to keep her tanning option. One could assume that Mrs. [redacted] was not being completely honest about her financial position at the time when she decided not to have our club manager remove this option.

After a few more months the [redacted]'s ceased all payments to Big Sky. Our billing company [redacted] tried to reach out to them and let them know that if their memberships went more than 90 day past due they would be sent to a collections company. The [redacted]'s made no attempts to make any more payments. In December of 2010, their agreements were sent out to [redacted] Collections. As of that date, Big Sky no longer owned the debt represented by these agreements.

We are sorry about the [redacted]'s situation, but feel that Mrs. [redacted] is being less than truthful. We've committed no errors or misrepresentations with Mrs. [redacted], when in fact we tried to help. At this point it would be in Mrs. [redacted]'s best interest to try and work out an arrangement with [redacted].

Consumer Response /* (3000, 16, 2013/08/02) */

That complete lie by this company pertaining to this situation is absolutely disgusting. The fact that a manager of a company could lie to the Revdex.com like that makes me sick to my stomach. Clearly this is not going to get anywhere and I can only hope that word gets out as to what kind of business Big Sky really is. I know that I've heard several similar stories already. This company should be ashamed of themselves and if I were an owner (which I may try to contact), I would definitely want to know how their managers are handling their company and treating their customers. They have the nerve to call my a liar when not one word of their story was truthful.