California Family Fitness

Review: I am really regretting that I quit my old gym and signed up here. I signed up on the 5th of January 2016. I took advantage of a "special" they had. I was told no sign up fees and 1st month is free. Also since I work for the State (Dept of Justice) I could get a discount for two people, instead of $89.99 it would be $64.99. Great sign me up. I was charge $79.99 that day. When I asked why I am being charged $79.99 when there are no sign up fees and 1st month is free I was told by [redacted] the sales rep I still have to pay last month plus $15 for their scanner card. Ok that's cool, so paid. 10 days later on January 15th another $89.99 was taken out of my checking account (they were not suppose to charge me until a month out from sign up and even so they are only suppose to charge me $64.99. I sent in a copy of my dept of justice badge and received an email confirmation that they received it and my monthly dues are $64.99). This caused my account to go negative (so now I have more fees I must pay to the bank). I called the customer service number and was given an attitude by the rep and was told to go into the club to take care of it. So I did. The sales rep was nice, said yeah it seems there is a mistake we will fix it. He talked with the sales manager [redacted] (who signed me up), came back and said they will email corporate and fix their mistake. I have this all recorded on my phone. I said ok cool (mistakes happen). I then said hopefully it gets fixed fast because I have no money and other bills I must pay. He said they might just do a credit. I said oh no that's not acceptable. I cannot pay other bills or get my checking account out of the red or buy groceries with California family fitness credit. Over the next 3 days I went in and tried to follow up since nothing was being done and nobody there knows what they are doing. All I get is, I am new here I don't know. Obviously they can care less about my money. Nothing is getting done. In less than two weeks of signing up I have been charged $170!!!! That sounds like an awful lot when 1st month is free and no sign up fees. I just wanted to go to this place and get a good workout in, but now I deal with this everyday. Now I am late on 2 other bills because family fitness robbed me of my money and wont give it back. I am considering to just pay the cancelation fee as soon as I get my paycheck and file a small claims case against them to recoup all the financial penalties I have incurred because of their incompetence and lack of customer service.Desired Settlement: I want a refund of the money they stole from me and be held responsible for the financial penalties Ive incurred due to them taking my money when they were not suppose to. These penalties include bank account overdrawn ($28) and two late fees on other bills I need to pay but can't because I no longer have the $90 to pay them with (these late fees are $15 each). That's $148 so far. If I have to go to small claims I will. Or refund the $90, waive my cancellation fee, and we split ways.

Consumer

Response:

My complaint ([redacted]) of California family fitness has been resolved. My money was refunded and they gave me a free month to compensate for my losses.

Review: I want to cancel my contract and they have not contacted me back.

I was told in an auto response to my email that they would contact me within 3 business days to process my request and I have not been contacted. I sent a second email on the third business day and still have not received anything from them. They have also been automatically withdrawing funds from my checking account without my authorization. I was told that automatic withdrawal was not available when I initially signed a contract with them.Desired Settlement: I want them to cancel my contract and pro-rate any cancellation fees for the time that I have been a member.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

Contact Name and Title: [redacted] (MS Supervisor)

Contact Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Contact Email: [redacted]@calfamfit.com

We must respond to all member inquiries in the order they are received, but due to an extreme influx, response time has been delayed. We'd like to express our sincere apologies if this has caused any inconvenience. Per the membership agreement, if a membership is canceled early, a one-time Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $275 is required. If more than half the life of the contract has expired, the Early Termination Fee is reduced to $150. In this case, half the life of the term will be complete after one more monthly payment. To resolve this matter, we will waive this last monthly payment as a one-time courtesy, reducing the ETF to $150 due by September 29, 2013.

Review: I have been with California Family Fitness. Though Customer Service and the gym is all good and well. I am not currently happy with the business practice. First: my partner and I were not explained that a freeze would extend our contract when we put it on freeze and now our contract that should have ended in January, we are stuck in until July.

Second, I went into to make a payment arrangement for just this month; just to change from original date to end of month due to job changes. I was charged on the ORIGINAL bill date. This happened because the account rep. I worked with failed to tell me that because the bill was already out it wouldnt happen until next time. Yet she changed the card information and everything without giving me the information. Due to this I was overdrafted on my bank account! Luckily I caught it before hand or who knows I may have been charged TWICE. So I went and spoke to the assistant sales manager [redacted]. He was very helpful. But I had to wait 3-5 days for a refund. Which I did get.

Thirdly, He changed the date to original requested which was today. 30 minutes after I spoke to him, I get a contract change showing a new change to 89.99 which I DID NOT authorize (though my signature may be shown, I never authorized a change in bill amount!) Nor was I shown or spoke to that my contract would change for any reason. MY bill is only supposed to be 69.99 So I called and spoke to [redacted] again at the local gym here in Natomas and he assured me that is just the normal contract for all others and the system shows it would only be 69.99.

NOT! I was charged 89.99! Now I have to go through the hassle once again of getting yet another refund. Which I believe I deserve as NO CHANGE except bill date was authorized by me or my partner!Desired Settlement: I want a full refund of the 20$ from the bill that I was charged as my account should only be charged 69.99 NOT I repeat NOT! 89.99

I am also asking at this time my partner and I, have our contract cancelled. I will be more than happy to pay as stated int he cancellation guidelines (since "the life of the account is more than half over), the 150$ EFT in payments as I am on a fixed income.

Business

Response:

Hello,I have reviewed your account. Our system reverts them to our standard rate, which require the employee to manual change this. I apologize for this not happening and our employee missing a vital step in changing your bill date. We have refund the $20 difference, you should see this within 7 business days. To cancel your membership please email [redacted] and they will be able to assist you if you still wish to cancel.Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.Thank you,[redacted] Executive Communications

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: I signed up for a 1 year contract with California Family Fitness (CFF) in November 2014. I got a job in Modesto CA and moved there in April 2015. There are no CFF gyms anywhere near the city of Modesto. I looked up their policy for an early cancellation and it said that it was $275 I believe, which was going to be even more than if I had just continued paying the $49.99, even though I had a valid reason to cancel my membership. I called and spoke to a representative in July and told them my situation and they verified that the cancellation price and agreed with me that it was cheaper to continue paying until November, as they were not going to waive the cancellation fee in my case. In August or September, I went in to the CFF club on [redacted] in [redacted]l (I was visiting family so I was in town) and spoke with a membership services employee and was told that based on the specific account I have, I would pay $49.99 until my contract would expire in November and then my account would be automatically closed; the only way for it to continue is to come and sign another contract. Today on 1/18, however, I noticed that there were automatic withdrawals for $79.99 in November, $49.99 in December and $49.99 is processing in January. I called the corporate office and they told me I was misinformed - their yearly contracts convert to a month to month and the extra $30 in November are their yearly enhancement fees. I called the Fair Oaks club and was told that they switch out their employees very often and they were unsure who the young man could possibly be that I spoke to in August or September. Since moving to Modesto, I have visited the gym only once or twice since April when I was in town, but at this point I don't even have the access card anymore. The payments were all automatic withdrawals from my bank account.Desired Settlement: One team member [redacted] agreed to return $49.99 for January and would waive the requirement to pay for an extra month as a special circumstance when I provide proof that I moved to Modesto. However, I'd like to have the $79.99 for November and $49.99 for December refunded as well due to my particular situation.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:Regarding this complaint- I do not accept the terms. My phone glitched when I clicked I reject and somehow selected I agree. Like I said in my complaint- I spoke to two different people who confirmed the amount $275 to close my contract (I was told that the amount would NOT be reduced even in my case as this was part of the agreement I signed) as per my phone call in July. I also went in and spoke to someone in August or September and I was told that my account would simply be closed. Nothing was ever mentioned about a month to month, ever! Just because those employees didn't put notes into my account that I was looking into options of how to close my account, does not mean that I never ever contacted anyone about closing my account. My sister was with me when I spoke to the membership services employee that confirmed that my account would be closed in November, not October (as the operations manager wrote) and she can verify this information.Revdex.com please stand up for me! I have read through the hundreds of reviews from California Family Fitness within the last year as well as multiple Revdex.com complaints have been opened against California Family Fitness for misinforming customers about their policies about their contracts. Everyone says the same thing: the membership services employees say one thing and then people get charged based on their policies, which are very different. This is the same thing that has happened to me. I made an attempt to make myself knowledgeable of their policies regarding their contracts and now I'm told very different things by their employees that should know the contracts inside and out!!! I finished paying the full year contract as I promised on my part and I'd like CAF to return the money that they owe me that was cheated out. If I had known any of this - I would have cancelled my membership months and months ago! But I finished paying the full $49.99 every month (a grand total of $399.92 for the months of April through November) even though I was not visiting their gyms.Revdex.com please stand up for me!Larisa Babchanik

Business

Response:

[redacted] joined CFF in October 2014 under a 12 month term membership. While her claim of our ETF of $275 is correct for members who have not passed the 6 month mark on their payments, the contract also states that if a member moves 25 miles from any CFF facility, we reduce the cancellation fee to $100 in the first 6 months, and $50 if the member has completed 6 months. If [redacted] would have provided her proof of move at any point in her membership, we would have reduced her fee, and cancelled her membership. [redacted] also mentions that she was under the impression the membership would cancel on its own in October 2015. Per the contract signed, The Renewal Terms state: “I understand that at the conclusion of my term, as set forth above, my membership will automatically be converted to a month-to-month membership at the rate(s) in effect on the first day following the end of my term. When this occurs, I may cancel my membership at any time by providing a written notice and making one final payment.” This portion of her contract is initialed by [redacted] acknowledging her understanding of our terms. [redacted] contacted our Corporate Office on 1/18/2016 to inquire about her account, and our representative, after hearing the issues she had, agreed to refund the payment made on 1/16/2016 as a courtesy. The member is requesting that December also be refunded, but the member did not submit her written notice to cancel or her proof of move until 1/18/2016, and has a valid contract with us, therefore we do not see a reason to provide an additional refund. The membership is cancelled at this point with nothing further owed. Sincerely, [redacted]Member Services Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Business

Response:

Our goal at CFF is never to mislead a member. We have contracts in place with all policies regarding cancelling your membership, which we require initials from the member acknowledging that they have read them in full and understand the contract they are signing into. We also offer a 5-day cancellation window for our members to take the time and read through what they are signing, and decide at that point if they agree and would like to remain a member. Once the initial 5-days have passed, the contract obligations stand. Based on that, we processed your cancellation correctly, and provided a refund of your January dues as a courtesy. I am not sure who you spoke to at the club, I would be happy to look into it if you can provide any identifying information of the representatives you spoke to, but without any further information in writing or otherwise, our contract policies stand. At this point your membership has been cancelled and your January dues have been refunded back into the account you have on file with us, which you will see in 3-5 business days. Sincerely,[redacted] Member Services Manager

Review: I have requested a contract for membership for my self and two (2) children for $75.00. I am already a member of Calfitness. I just needed my 2 children included. I signed the Membership Agreement and thought I would be getting the membership promised. I was contacted 2-3 mos. later and was told they could not offer me the said contract. I could only purchase a "family" contract for $109-$130 for 5. My [redacted] pays them to offer us a corp. rate. I told them I am a single mom & do not have 5 members to enroll.Desired Settlement: I would like them to honor the contract and consider that not everybody has 4-5 family members. The choice is eiter a couple or family of 5.

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted] Our [redacted], will be contacting you shortly to set up yo ur membership. Club level employees do not have permission to provide this rate. However, since you have been a loyal member we are able to honor this rate of $75/month. Please let me know if there is anything else I may assist you with. Thank you, [redacted]

Review: I visited the California Family Fitness Natomas location to join the gym to get healthy with my husband and kids. They offered me an awesome deal. I pay 59.99 a month single and 109.99 for a family of four. this includes admission to the Kids Club which is daycare for kids while the parents work out. great right!! and on top of that offered my husband and kids 30days free and all I would pay is first month and last month for myself then after 30days the normal 109.99 would apply...Sign me up that's great.(now last year I had been a member of the club and I stop going and was billed for months I didn't use the service but according to the gym I had an old balance so they were willing to forgive the debt with paid membership)me and my husband have separate bank accounts so we split the payments on two separate card transactions. which caused an issue with the system but according to the manager everything went thru correctly. Hubby paid 64.99 and I paid 64.98 and we left the gym later that night with a new gym card for me and my hubby.the next night I get an email from my bank showing a charge to my debit card that was onfile with California Family Fitness for 129.99 in addition to my pending charge of 64.98. I contact CFF and they said that they only see the charge for 129.99..ok now there is a problem apparently the rep who signed us up and did not process the membership correctly. I asked why I wasn't called and they had no answers. I was also told that I needed to pay an additional 49.99 because the sales rep forgot to charge me a processing fee which can normally be waived. Frustrated with the lack of answers for the CFF club location I contacted corporate who said that they could refund me for 14.00 if the 64.98 charge processes or I will need to pay an additional 49.99 if no they will cancel account.IF YOU INCORRECTLY BILL ME, CHARGE MY ACCOUNT UNAUTHORIZED. THEN ASK FOR MONEY WHEN MY ACCOUNT IS OVERDRAWN BECAUSSE YOU ARE HOLDING MY FUNDS HOW DARE YOU. very upset for the theft.Desired Settlement: I would like a free month of service and no additional fees should be billed to me. and if push comes to shove and I have end up pay that processing fee. I would like it refunded as well. this could of caused me to have 113 in overdraft fees. they could of at least called me to come to the office and I would of used a different payment method to avoid my personal account for being held. I also wasn't have to payment my Public Storage bill and was accessed a late fee.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your Facebook, Ripoff Report and Yelp

comments regarding services provided to you at our Natomas facility. After a

review of the details, notes and conversations with staff at that location, we

certainly have a much different portrayal of what occurred and circumstances.

As recently as December, 2012 after collections efforts in

which you failed to respond, you were sent a final demand letter in the amount

of $259.80. Additionally you would have been responsible for $275.00 in Early

Termination Fees. You failed to pay the

amount due and your membership was sent to our Internal Collections department

and considered for external third party collections and credit reporting. To

state that you did not use the club and we continued to bill you is completely

incorrect as usage records indicate otherwise. Additionally, per your contract

that you were given and signed, it clearly indicates that your term contract is

based on a length of a 12 month period and that we do not bill on usage. Our

facilities were open to you to use freely.

Regarding your

request for reinstatement, in some cases we allow previous bad debt members to

reinstate with first month, last month, card fee and full processing which

would have amounted to $180.00 for a single

membership. In your case the initial amount requested was for a single membership and you were

initially charged $129.97. As a previous bad debt member, an additional $49.99

was necessary to assist in recovering some of our previous loss incurred with

you.

You requested that the $129.97 be split between you

credit/debit card and your husband’s credit/debit card. Unfortunately, in

processing your husband’s card, the approval to do so by the bank did not

occur. Thus your card was charged the full amount of $129.97.

In resolution, we are in the process of fully refunding you

the amount of $129.97. We certainly would welcome you back at California Family

Fitness but as already noted, as a previous bad debt member you will be

required to pay $180.00 for a single

membership at this facility.

Sincerely

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: California Family Fitness Corporate offices are wrong. CALIFORNIA FAMILY FITNESS had inexperienced sales representatives selling memberships.....unfamiliar with how to use the billing systems and process multiple payment types. Everybody is human we make mistakes but instead of calling to insure all payments processed you charged my card the following day for the exact amount. If thst was incorrect why didn't you bill 180.00.

My husbands card was fine. But instead of admitting to charging the payment unauthorized California Family Fitness canceled my membership abruptly to avoid the back lash. I have not gotten a refund for the orginal charge. And it took a week to get my funds released.Smart but word of mouth travels faster CCF is spending time replying to my complaints as apposed to training thier employees so this doesn't happen again. Wasting manpower hours and money. I hope the 50.00 is worth it. FYI I DIDN'T COMPLAIN ON FACEBOOK..

Review: I wanted to cancel my club membership. Went to 3880 Innovator Drive Sacramento, CA 95834 and said I wanted to stop my membership. I was told at the counter she didn't know how she could help me. Next person told me to write to corporate, I could look it up on line. I went to my bank and had the membership automatic payment stoped. I went on line could not find corporate. All the Family fitness are there but the corporate is not listed as courporte. I got my first colection call from a person mid October telling me I still owe the money. I told her I wanted to stop my membership. She said she did not have a letter telling them I wanted to stop, so I still owe the money. I got my second colection call today November 18, 2013. I told her I would file a complaint and cc her.

Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Other (requires explanation)

I would like to cancle my membership,not have this show up on my credit and not pay them for a membership I tried to cancle.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

Revdex.com CASE#: XXXXXXXX

Ms. [redacted]:

Per the notes on your account, it clearly indicates to me that you were provided with the proper information and customer service in which to cancel your account. Per your Month to Month membership agreement in which you signed and acknowledged, we require a written notice and one final payment to cancel your membership.

On September 26, 2013 you did mentioned to the representative that you cancelled payment to California Family Fitness at the bank. The representative went on to explain the cancellation policy but the conversation terminated by you. The representative called you back and tried to explain the cancellation policy again but the conversation was again terminated by you.

On November 18, 2013 you were called regarding the past due balance. You were given our corporate location and address and again explained the cancellation policy. You acknowledge the past due debt and also stated we were "harassing" you with phone calls. You again terminated the call.

As of today, your past due is $164.34 which includes late and service card fees. I would ask that you call me directly at the number located below so we can resolve this delinquency and put this matter behind us.

Respectfully,

Billing and Accounts Receivable Manager Corporate

California Family Fitness

Ph 916.987.2030 ext 2155 Fax 916.987.2040

www.californiafamilyfitness.com

Review: I was a member of California Family Fitness for over 3 years. When I joined, I signed a 1 year contract and there after paid my Bills month to month. At the time of sign up I paid first month and Last month due which was required. I also setup an Automatic payment on my debit card. Due to a job situation I had to move to Long Beach. On March 3rd, payment for the month of March was deducted from my debit account. I walked into the Fitness center on March 6th to close my account and cancel my membership. I was told that I don't have any payments due at the time of closing the account. I requested California Family Fitness to refund my last month fee which I paid at the time of sign up since they already deducted March's payment which they can consider as last month's payment since I cancelled my membership the same day. They said they cannot do it. I moved to Long Beach a day later. So I paid for the entire month of March and entire month of April till May 3rd for the services. They say I can access the facilities till May 3rd which I cannot use and I don't want to. All I care about is either refund the payment they deducted for the month of March and consider the money I paid at sign up for last month payment as March's due or refund me for the month of March. When I cancelled the membership I requested someone from Family Fitness accounting from head quarters to call me to resolve the issue but no one did. I am still waiting for that call. I am hoping some one will at least call now to and give me the money back for the services. I am tired of companies screwing you over. I am not setting any Automatic payments moving forward for any company.Desired Settlement: A desired settlement will be get a refund of the last month's payment which I paid when I signed the contract since they deducted money on March 3rd or a refund for the payment that was charged to my account for the month of March that was deducted on March 3rd and they can keep the last months payment that I paid at sign up. All I am asking for is a fair business practice.

Business

Response:

Hello Mr. [redacted],I am sorry this error occured. You are entitled to any prepaid dues refunded provided that you can show proof of your move. Proof can be in the following but not limited to forms, bill, DMV paperwork or lease. You may send a copy of this proof directly to me via email [redacted] . Again, I am sorry this was not resolved properly in the beginning. We will be refunded your last months dues in the amount of $69.00 once we have received proof of our move.Thank you,[redacted]Executive Communications[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Thank you for helping resolve this conflict. I also appreciate California Family Fitness to not make this any more painful and convoluted.

Review: Recently I moved out from my home in Sacramento, CA to Woodland, CA approximately 25 miles away from the nearest California Family Fitness center. I called their corporate headquarters to explain my move and the financial difficulties I was facing as the reason for the move and that it was not feasible for me to maintain my membership due to the fact there is not a location near my new residence and it did not make sense to keep my membership. A representative told me they are not able to cancel my membership because Woodland is still "close to Sacramento". At this point California Family Fitness put my membership on hold with a monthly fee of $15.00 which does not count towards my membership.Desired Settlement: I would like to cancel my membership as I explained to the representative because I am no longer able to effectively use this membership. I love the gym itself but it does not make any sense for me to keep this membership when I reside in a completely different city than all of its locations. I would like California Family Fitness to cancel my membership for the above reasons. I tried to deal with corporate directly but they did not want to work with me on this issue.

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted],I have spoken with out Member Serivces Supervisor, [redacted]. If you can please place another request for cancellation to [redacted] she will be able to get your account handled. Thank you,[redacted]Executive Communications[redacted]

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted],I have spoken with out Member Serivces Supervisor, [redacted]. If you can please place another request for cancellation to [redacted] she will be able to get your account handled. Thank you,[redacted]Executive Communications[redacted]

Review: I was home for 2 weeks in August and wanted to work out at a gym before leaving to study abroad in Spain and then return to college in Southern CA. I was told that I could sign a contract and then cancel it after the 2 weeks without any cancellation fee. I signed the contract and took them at their word. My mistake in believing what I was told. When I was in Spain and the next month's charge hit -I contacted CA Family Fitness and was told that it would be $250 to cancel. Given the distance and time change, I requested my parent follow up on trying to get this resolved in the manner that had been communicated to me when I signed up. The corporate office looked into it and left my parent a voicemail indicating that they had been a mistake and they that they would reverse all charges beyond the 2 week term - great! What great customer service! But then no reversal - so my parent called again. But wait - they have decided to reverse their customer oriented decision and would just cancel going forward - none of which had been communicated by the way. So I have spent over $160 for 2 weeks of gym access. There is no way I would have signed up for a year knowingly when I was only physically going to be in town for 2 weeks. I own that I signed the contract - and should have gotten what was relayed to me verbally in writing - my mistake and a lesson learned never to trust what a company will tell me. I believe CA Family Fitness should own up to having their employee mislead me - and reverse the charges already taken.Desired Settlement: Reverse charges beyond the 2 weeks use

Business

Response:

January 13, 2015 Re: Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted] Agreement [redacted] Member signed a 12 month contract on 8/14/14. We do not have any record or notes in regards to cancelling after 2 weeks as that is not a normal part of our contract. The member was advised that we have to honor manually signed contract for the 12 month term which would have given member a $275 cancellation fee. The first record of conversation we have is from 12/16/14 which the club stated we would cancel going forward and have corporate review. Since there was a signed contract on file member was told none of the months charged would be eligible for refund, (total charged was $249.95) due to the contract signed but that we would not hold member to the additional $275 termination fee. [redacted] Member Services | Corporate[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:I was mislead when I signed the contract. I clearly could not access the facility for a 12 month term - I was leaving for Spain the first of September then heading back to college in San Luis Obispo. I was only in Sacramento for 2 weeks - why would I knowingly sign up for 12 months with these cancellation fees for 2 weeks worth of access? I was told that I could cancel without penalty or cost which is why I signed the contract.[redacted] (sp?) from CA Family Fitness left the following voicemail message on December 16, 2104 - "I have reviewed the account and it was a mistake on our part and we will be refunding all of the drafts that we taken out of John's account ending in 7385. It will take 5-7 business days for that to happen."I believe they should carry through on this commitment.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:I am not able to see any update other then the message received this morning from CA Family Fitness- which I responded to. Am I missing an attachment or other update?

Business

Response:

Hello,I have attached the signed corporate proof discount reminder as well as the signed agreement for your review.Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:As I noted in my original complaint - I did sign the contract - but I was told I could cancel without charge after the 2 weeks I would be in town and have access to the facility. I should have gotten that in writing - lesson learned. I was mislead by Ca Family Fitness and in their voicemail of December 16, 2014 they confirmed there had been a mistake and they would reverse all the charges. I am requesting that they keep that commitment. I was only in the area for two weeks, then to Spain, then back to college in San Luis Obispo - I would not have signed up to a 12 month contract expecting to pay for the full 12 months.

Review: BUYER BEWARE [redacted] BUYER BEWARE[redacted]We are new members. We started a little over a week ago. When I signed up ([redacted]) I was told I would be allowed to take my 10 year old with me to work out, "AS LONG AS HE STAYS WITH ME" , and my 12 year old would be allowed to work out by himself. We were also told we had "5 days to cancel"My 10 year old has gone with me 2 times and rode the bikes... NOW AFTER OUR "5 DAY" cancel period ends There are new rules. "Janice" tells me on 5/25/2014 that my 10 year old isn't allowed in the gym. He is only allowed on days they chose to have childcare.Desired Settlement: If California Family Fitness can not live up to what its AGENT verbally promised at the time we entered our contract... I would like a refund. I will take my business somewhere else.

Business

Response:

Hello Mr. [redacted],

I apologize for the difficulty you had within our clubs regarding access for your 10-year-old son. Our protocol is not to allow children under the age of 12 onto the floor, and you were given incorrect information at the time of sign up. I have cancelled your current membership effective immediately, and have refunded the $119 initial investment you paid upon enrollment. You will see the refund back to your AMEX in 3-5 business days. We value your patronage and hope that you and your family will come back to us in the future. If you have any further questions, please contact me at ###-###-####, and I will be happy to assist you.

Member Services and Retention Supervisor - Corporate Office

l[redacted]@calfamfit.com - ###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: First let me say they have canceled my membership and refunded me the money. My problem is it is very hard to get them to talk on the phone. I have called them and emailed. I am still hoping to work this out & continue as a member. I have been told by "[redacted]" in a email, I will be allowed to get my whole family on our account at the price we were promised. SO far that has yet to happen.

Review: I thought I signed up for a 30 day trial. I never received my signed agreement. I later was told I signed my daughter for 1 year contract. Now I owe

The sales person mis-represented the terms of the agreement. He never gave me a copy of the agreement to review. During our conversation I was adamant that I didn't want to sign a long-term agreement. It stated out as a 7 day free trial request, that evolved into (what I thought) was a 30 day trial for approx. $60 (already charged to my credit card). Even when I met with the trainer, I again said that I was only doing a 30 day trial. When I called the establishment to cancel, they forwarded me to their corporate office. The corporate office then re-directed me to the original location. It wasn't until I complained that I finally received a copy of my signed agreement. In order to be released from the agreement, I have to pay $215.01. I think they totally misrepresented themselves. I take responsibility for my commitments (though unaware to me). My mistake was that I trusted their employees to be honest.Desired Settlement: I will pay the $215.01, but feel that this is unfair, and would like this amount refunded.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

Thank you for expressing your concerns regarding the enrollment process that you experienced at CFF. The CFF Senior Management has reviewed your claim in detail and in doing so we determined that there are actually two different issues being argued in your claim. One issue is regarding your daughter [redacted]'s twelve month term agreement and the second issue is regarding your own one month free guest trial.

You participated in the enrollment of [redacted] (your daughter) into a twelve month term membership agreement dated April 23, 2013. Our management software system automatically emails a copy of a new agreement to our new members upon enrollment. In addition to this electronic copy of the agreement one of our member services personnel emailed you a copy of the agreement on May 23, 2013. This same corporate personnel spoke with you regarding the membership agreement and applicable early termination fee once on May 20, 2013 and twice on May 23, 2013, The agreement that you came to as a result of these conversations was that she wave the thirty day cancellation notice and final draft in addition to the application of pre-paid last months dues toward your early termination fee of $275. The resulting balance due is the $215.01. I have attached a hard copy of the original agreement which clearly outlines the term of the agreement that [redacted] enrolled in.

In reference to your own thirty day free trial, our records show that you took full advantage of the thirty day pass and there was never a subsequent membership processed through our membership management system. In addition to your own thirty day trial your second daughter was also given the same courtesy of thirty days free use of our fitness facilities. These two passes [redacted] a combined value of $119.98. CFF sincerely hopes that your family enjoyed the use of our fitness facilities and that this communication satisfactorily answers all of the questions that you had in regards to your membership and/or guest experience.

Consumer's Final Response

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)

I do not accept their response, and here is why:

1. I was always adamant that I did not want to sign up for any long-term commitment (for myself or my daughter). I was told in the first meeting that this was only a 30 day trial membership. I do take responsibility in that I should have carefully read the document before I signed it. My mistake was that I trusted the representative to be honest.

2. I was told that the 'free' 30 day trial was for 'up to 5' family members. Therefore, I added my 2 daughters.

3. I met with a personal trainer on May 1, 2013, and again told him that I hadn't decided on any long-term commitments.

4. I did not receive an e-mail copy of the agreement I signed regardless of what your 'management software system' automatically does. I would like to know what e-mail you sent the agreement to, since it was not sent to me. Also, I did not receive a second copy on April 23, 2013 from your member services personnel. However, I did receive a copy of the agreement (after my request) from [redacted] on May 23, 2013. This was the first time I received a copy.

5. I contacted CFF on May 20, 2013 and spoke with [redacted]. She informed me that I signed up for 2-year agreement. When I wanted to cancel, she said that cancellations were done from the facility where I signed up (Rocklin). When I contacted Rocklin, they re-routed me to their corporate office.

6. I did speak to [redacted] on May 20, 2013. He asked that I e-mail in the information regarding my request to cancel the 30 day trial membership.

Again, I am disappointed with the mis-representation of CFF.

Business' Final Response

Thank you for notifying us of this oversight. One of our Member Services personnel will be responding to the e-mail communication that you sent CFF today in addition to this response on Revdex.com. Thank you,

Review: I've tried to terminate my month-to-month membership with California Family Fitness Gyms since mid-February 2013. At that time, I approached the manager at the Madison Ave. location where I initially signed up on Dec. 26, 2012. He informed me that he was not authorized to cancel memberships, only to sign people up for new memberships; that I would have to deal with their corporate office, and he gave me their phone number. So, I called corporate office, selected the "Cancel Membership" option form their phone menu, and was immediately put on hold without ever speaking to anyone. I waited and held for 25 minutes, then hung up. Over the next several days, I placed additional calls. Same result. I even tried selecting the "New Membership" option from their phone menu. Just as I suspected, I was immediately connected to a real live person. When I told her I wanted to cancel my membership, I was again put on hold where I waited another 20 minutes, before hanging up. I then visited another gym location on Fair Oaks Boulevard, where I was advised to go online to their website to cancel. Easier said than done. Their website lists no e-mail address; at least none that I could find. I was then advised to snail-mail my request, signed and dated to their Corporate Office, P.O.Box 2350, Orangevale, CA XXXXX, which I did. The only reply I've gotten is an ever-increasing monthly bill. I feel I've shown good faith in my attempt to resolve this matter, including paying them three months membership dues, even though I left their gym after 6 weeks to return to [redacted] Gyms, where I have been a member for 8 years, with absolutely no problems. As I informed the Cal-Fitness people when I joined, I only wanted to to use their gym for 2 months, just for a change of scenery, before returning to [redacted].Desired Settlement: Accept my payment of three months dues in exchange for the 6 weeks I worked out.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

Dear Mr. [redacted],

Per your membership agreement, a cancellation request must be submitted to the Corporate Office in writing at least 7 days prior to the last monthly invoice to which you would like to have your prepaid dues applied. We are in receipt of no such letter to cancel your membership and have yet to receive any notice to cancel until now. Accounts Receivable has made multiple attempts to get in contact with you to resolve this issue using the phone number on file and by mailing notices to the address on file. The first attempt was when [redacted] called on 5/13/2013 and a second attempt was made by [redacted] on 7/18/2013. All with no return response. The responsibility of submitting a cancellation request is on the member and with nothing to show for your efforts, the best that we can do is give you half-off of your current balance ($164.80) due. You can clear your balance due and effectively cancel your membership by contacting our Accounts Receivable Department (option #5) by calling our corporate office at (XXX)XXX-XXXX.

Thank you

Review: I do deep water running in the pool at the Carmichael Family Fitness Monday through Friday from 9:30 A.M. until 10:20 A.M..Because there are two water classes one starts at 8:30 A.M. until 9:30 and a second one starts at 10:30A.M.for one hour until 11:30 A.M. and during those time slots the pool had no lap separation installed as such it was a open pool.I would attempt to do deep water running in the deep end of the pool.However, pool lap swimmers would start using the pool during those hours and force me out of my deep water running routine.I have complained to the management of California Family Fitness that the lap swimmers have access to the pool from 4:00 A.M. in the morning until 8:30 A.M. and again from 11:30 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. which amounts to 17 hours of access for lap swimmers.Irrespective of the 17 hours of lap swimming configuration the corporate management asserts that I cannot use the pool for water running which requires the deep end of the pool and instead states that is should use the area of about five feet for my deep water running.This is unacceptable as it prevents me from doing the exercise properly.Desired Settlement: Be able to use the pool without lap swimmer force me out of the pool as they just swim and tell me to get out of the pool because they what to do lap swimming It would seem to me a solution to this problem which would permit some 45 minutes each day Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:30 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. would not cause loss of use of the pool be lap swimmers who have it 17 hours of use during those days.

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted]. I am a little confused??? The last conversation we had, we agreed that you could use an entire lap lane to do your exercise. I also advised the management team to make sure that no lap swimmers distract you while you are in the lane. Have you had a chance to try the exercise in the lane? I had not heard from you, so I assumed that things worked out fine. As I stated to you on August 27th, I can not shut down the entire pool for just one member. However, we can do our best to accommodate you with your routine. I think giving you an entire lap lane out of the three we have is more than fair. As I told you before, if you can not perform your routine in one lap lane, we are more than happy to cancel your membership without any fees so that you can find a pool that can match these needs. I was just waiting on a call from you on what direction you wanted to go after you gave it a try.

Please call me at [redacted] if you need anything else.

Sincerely,

Review: I went into Family Fitness on Alhambra Blvd in Sacramento. I was talked into signing up for a membership. However, when I signed the contract the manager made me sign in on a little screen the size of a ATM payment screen. The screen didn't show me the entire contract; It didn't say I was signing a one year contract. I asked for a paper contract and the manager said he will email me the contract. It all happened so fast, I didn't know he deceived me until I read my contract. I did ask the manager if this contact was month to month, he said yes. I was tricked.Desired Settlement: I want my contract canceled without any fee's and I want my deposit paid back. I was tricked into signing this contract. The screen was too small to read the full contact and the mananger wouldn't let me have a printed copy of my contract.

Consumer

Response:

I filed a claim with you against Family Fitness on 07/16/2014. Yesterday, 07/17/2014, I went to the California State Fair. Family Fitness had a booth at the fair, the gentleman I filed the claim against ([redacted]) was running the booth.

When [redacted] saw me he came up to me and asked me why I filed a Revdex.com claim against him. At first I denied it, I was with friends and I didn’t want to be embarrassed. Then [redacted] got out his cell phone and looked for the Revdex.com email that was sent to him. I said a few times that we should talk about this tomorrow in his office. He said no, I will find the email. He said to me “if I had I issue I should have just come to him why did I go to the Revdex.com.” I tried to walk away from [redacted] and he followed me, he showed me the email and said this is your name and address correct? I said yes, I told him he mislead me and didn’t tell me I was signing a year contract. [redacted] was so mad his hands were shaking. My friends (and 100’s of fair goers) stood around as [redacted] talked to me about contacting the Revdex.com. I told him I wanted a refund and my contract voided. He said now that I went to the Revdex.com he couldn’t do anything to help me.

I was harassed in front of my friends and 100’s of people by this Family Fitness employee at a STATE FAIR. I felt helpless…

I want all my money refunded and I want a apology from Family Fitness, their employee was out of line!

Business

Response:

Many of our membership enrollments use the digital screen. This screen clearly outlines what our prospective member will be committing to. As we were reviewing [redacted] account, our employee approached [redacted] at our State Fair booth to discuss these concerns. We believe this wasn't the appropriate place to discuss this matter and will cancel [redacted] account.

Our main goal is to make [redacted] very comfortable and to provide a platform for her to achieve her fitness goals. We will be offering her a 2 week trial membership in response and will be hopeful of her return.

Thank you!

Review: In April of 2013 I was sold a membership to CalFit in Natomas with the understanding that their new location near my place of work would be opening in a month and a half. I made it clear to the sales representative ([redacted]) that this was the only location that I was interested in that between being a full time law student and working full time I put in 60 plus hours a week and their new gym so close to my work would be the only convenient location. I also explained that I had been waiting to join their gym until this location was open. A month and a half into my membership, when the new location was supposed to open I found out that it was never set to open before the end of summer (4 months later)and in fact is still not open. At that time(June)I began contacting the Natomas location since they were the ones that signed me up. I have yet to hear back from a single person. I have sent emails, made phone calls and both my boyfriend (He's the one paying the dues) and I have gone into the Natomas gym both together and individually to resolve the matter, only to be ignored or the deal with staff that was only interested in up-selling us. The one time my boyfriend went in without me they told him that they couldn't talk to him because it was my membership. He explained that he's the one paying the fees and asked that they call to get my permission to discuss the matter with him. They refused to make the call. I don't have a lot of free time and I've had to spend too much of it trying to get some kind of resolution to this. We even resorted to adding him to the membership so that he could try to get this resolved for me, they still refuse to discuss the matter with him. It's been about 8 months since I entered into a membership with them under false pretenses and there is still no resolution and zero effort continues made on their part to resolve this matter. I made one last effort this week before turning to you for help and still have not heard back from anyone.Desired Settlement: I want my membership canceled and a total refund to my boyfriend of all dues paid since April 2013

Business

Response:

Please see (below) the e-mail communication which was sent to this CFF member on January 28, 2014:

Thank

you for taking the time to speak to me today about your membership and Revdex.com

post. Per our conversation, there will be a few adjustments made to your

account. Please see below for more details:

1. You will be

receiving a refund for the first five months of membership dues totaling

$299.95 back to your Visa ending in X-[redacted]. Please be advised, this

credit may take about 3-5 business days to post back to your account.

2. Your account will be

placed on a temporary freeze status through 4/12/2014 free of charge.

Access is not allowed during this period; however, the K Street location

shouldn’t be open until then anyways. Account status will revert to

Active on 4/13/2014, so you and Chad can start using all CFF locations again.

3. Your account will be

credited (zero charges) through 10/12/2014. Your regular monthly

membership payments will resume at the original agreed upon rate

($84.99/month). At this point, your account will be considered an open

ended contract or Month-to-Month (meaning there is no penalty fee for

cancelling, just one final monthly payment required).

If

you would like more information regarding the status of our new K Street

location you are more than welcome to contact me or the Norbert Godinho, the

Operations Manager of that location. He can be reached at [email protected] and is

currently overseeing operations at the J Street location until K Street opens

in April. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to resolve this matter

and we look forward to seeing you at K Street very soon!

Business

Response:

Please see (below) the e-mail communication which was sent to this CFF member on January 28, 2014:

Thank

you for taking the time to speak to me today about your membership and Revdex.com

post. Per our conversation, there will be a few adjustments made to your

account. Please see below for more details:

1. You will be

receiving a refund for the first five months of membership dues totaling

$299.95 back to your Visa ending in X-[redacted]. Please be advised, this

credit may take about 3-5 business days to post back to your account.

2. Your account will be

placed on a temporary freeze status through 4/12/2014 free of charge.

Access is not allowed during this period; however, the K Street location

shouldn’t be open until then anyways. Account status will revert to

Active on 4/13/2014, so you and Chad can start using all CFF locations again.

3. Your account will be

credited (zero charges) through 10/12/2014. Your regular monthly

membership payments will resume at the original agreed upon rate

($84.99/month). At this point, your account will be considered an open

ended contract or Month-to-Month (meaning there is no penalty fee for

cancelling, just one final monthly payment required).

If

you would like more information regarding the status of our new K Street

location you are more than welcome to contact me or the Norbert Godinho, the

Operations Manager of that location. He can be reached at [email protected] and is

currently overseeing operations at the J Street location until K Street opens

in April. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to resolve this matter

and we look forward to seeing you at K Street very soon!

Review: Received a promo card in the mail from California Family Fitness saying the whole month of Jan was free so I thought I'd try it out. Nowhere on the mailer card does it have any disclaimer saying anything about a restriction. I went to try it out and the guy at the counter said it is only free if you pay a 1 yr membership which averages over $60/month. I explained that the mailer does not say anything about having to become a member to take advantage of the 1 free month. He said that he knows the mailer makes it sound like you get a month free, but really this was Cal Fit's attempt to do anything to try to get people in to sign up and that no gym would ever offer a free month. He also said that if I tried to go to any of the other Cal fit gyms they would say the same thing. I was surprised that he actually said this. It is sad I wasted my time with them. In short I feel this mailer they are sending out is false advertising. There are other gyms out there that cost $10-$15/month. This also includes 24 hour fitness in a Costco deal. Cal fit prices are way too much.Desired Settlement: They need to offer the 1 month free to anyone for the month they are advertising.

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted], I apologize for the the misunderstanding and the way you were handled. Our District Sales Manager will be contacting you regarding this matter and to get it resolve with your approval.Thank you, [redacted] Executive Communications

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: No solution was provided.

Business

Response:

Hello Jay, Our District Sales Manager, [redacted], has left a voicemail for you regarding your issue with setting up a trial. If you are still interested in setting up a trial, I will be contacting you to obtain all the necessary information to get this started.Thank you, [redacted] Executive Communications

Consumer

Response:

After going through all of this, I am no longer interested in Cal Fit. I have since joined 24 hr Fitness as they have super friendly staff and very affordable rates at $16 a month through a sweet Costco deal. Please inform Cal Fit to not call me. Although no resolution has been made with Cal Fit, I want you to be aware of their deceptive advertisment practices to try to lure people into signing up for a year of membership at over $60 per month.

Review: I contacted california family fitness and they have failed to correct a fraud account

I got a letter stating I had a account from california family fitness I have had no such account I told them I been dealing with fraud and someone is going around being me and I told them I filed a police report with sacramento police dept and they kept sending me back to the collection company and the collection company per there words stated that a police report doesnt change the status of the account that they are going to continue to report it to the credit bureau I told them I was going to file a complaint against them as this was a fraud account and they are not following the fair credit reporting act laws.Desired Settlement: want the account removed asap as this is a fraud account

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

As previously discussed with this CFF member, we have confirmed that we have the signed CFF agreement as well as the California State ID showing a picture of [redacted]. CFF along with our third party collection agency have requested the police fraud report in which you have filed. This documentation is essential and has been requested a few times from you.

At this time we have discontinued collection activity on this account for 30 days. Once the requested information has been received, I will contact you directly with resolution. Thank you.

Consumer's Final Response

(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Business' Final Response

CFF satisfactorily received documentation of fraud from Mrs. [redacted]. The third party collection company was told to remove all credit edits effective July 22, 2013.

Review: I had a membership with CALFIT. With recent identity theft incidents with my bank processing my payment was being returned. While being out of town for work I would tell CALFIT what was going on with my bank and as soon as I get back in town I would take care of the payment. My wife was continued to be denied entry to the gym because of what was going on. I understand that but my compliant is that this company continued to bill me over and over again. I told them why would you continue to bill me for a product or service that they would not let me use. I then received a call from a gentlemen by the name of [redacted] that told me about paying a fee that would eliminate my debt and I would continue my gym privileges. Per my agreement with [redacted] I paid the fee. I tried several times to attempt to use the gym services but was denied access still. Now after I asked [redacted] to add my family back to my membership he was told by corporate that my account is not valid. Before I start legal matters I need a copy of this company's policy on billing people while they deny access to the gym. This is not right and I am ready to fight.Desired Settlement: Continue my gym membership as agreed upon with [redacted] and my debt for the [redacted] account cleared as per the agreement as well. If this cannot be met then FULL legal actions will be going forth.

Business

Response:

I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint received by me on

September 24, 2014. In review of your circumstances, I find that you actually

have gone under two different names; [redacted] and [redacted]. The

account under [redacted] was sent to our third party collection agency due

to the lack of payment. The past due was $504.00. Per our notes, you had been

contacted several times and acknowledge the past due debt, yet no payment was

received by the agency. Another bad debt incurred under the name of

[redacted]. This debt was also acknowledged by you in the amount of

$424.92.

You signed up for a new membership at our Folsom location on

August 26, 2014 with [redacted]. Your membership was preliminarily approved

under the name [redacted] and you paid $159.97. Further audit review

indicated that you had the prior bad debt under [redacted]. Based on your

past payment history, your credit risk and inability to pay any of your past

due, your membership was cancelled.

The amount of your membership initiation of $159.97 was

refunded back to you on September 22, 2014.

Thank you,

Billing and Accounts Receivable Manager

Business

Response:

Mr. [redacted] - You

misrepresented yourself to our company as well as incurred two bad debts. After

we audited your account further, information regarding your credit risk was

found. All funds were refund back to you for the misrepresented

membership. We have elected not to do business with you based on your

misrepresentation as well as prior unpaid debts.

Billing and Accounts Receivable Manager

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:

Once again to you Mr. [redacted] I did not misrepresent nothing at all. When I signed the [redacted] account you employee Jose Aranda knew that I had the [redacted] account and it was him that signed me up as [redacted]. Once again it was YOUR employee and not me that did this. When your employee [redacted] called me I WANTED to clear the [redacted] account cleared up and that was when he told me about the program that you as a company offered and per that agreement and per that program I paid the $159 and per that agreement and per that program the [redacted] account was to be cleared of debt. But it was [redacted] who signed me up as a new member which was NOT part of the agreement we had. So don't tell me that I misrepresented myself and don't tell me that I am the bad guy here when it was YOUR employees that knew who I was from the very beginning. Once again get this resolved or I will get a lawyer to resolve this.

Review: First of they put a false email , they made me sign on a iPad or electronic device without explanation , I was never showed any of themDesired Settlement: I went into this gym to find out about a trial the manager had offered me a $23 dollar one month trial and had told me that I could try this and if I was satisfied I could continue ..he had me sign electronically a swell as asking me for a debit card for security purposes .. When I asked for copies he stated that there system was down. A few days later I was charged $109 it appears that he had signed me up for a one year membership and taken advantage if my business ..

Business

Response:

Below is an account of the events and conversations which transpired between the CFF representative that enrolled this complaintant in their membership. In addition, a copy of this member's enrollment agreement has been attached to this response for her review (again).

This member came into the club looking into membership. I gave a

her a tour of the club and we went through the flip book price presentation.

When I went through the prices her initial investment was around $200 to get

started. She objected and said she would need to think about it and maybe she

would try a pass. I asked her what was keeping her from joining and she said

the start up cost was too much. I then asked if that was the only thing keeping

her from joining would she be able to get started today for $23 our March

external ad. She said that would be great and decided to join.

While I was entering in the membership she was concerned about

doing a family plan vs couple our individual. I explained to her that the start

up cost today is $23 regardless so if she is leaning towards a family plan to

get the family plan and she could always upgrade or downgrade accordingly if

there was an issue with people using the membership.

I asked her for all her information and typed it into the computer.

Including asking her what she would like to use for her monthly billing. We

then went through the digital signing process and completed the membership. She

was even met by the fitness manager and got her on track scheduled.

She then came in a couple days ago and said she and her family are

not using it as much as they thought they would and it was too expensive

and wanted to get out of the agreement. I explained our contract policy.

She then said that I told her she could join for $23 and cancel before her

first bill date. I then said lets get that cleared up we both agree that I

never told you that you could cancel your membership for a refund before the

first bill date and she replied that she AGREED. I told her we spoke about

upgrading or downgraded and she also agreed. She then asked for me to print her

out a copy of her contract and I was having issues with Datatrak at that time

not being able to pull it up. I showed her the screen and said I have seen this

issue before and it is [redacted]lly cleared up quickly would you like me to send it

to you and she said yes.

Within about 30 minutes I got a call from this member and her

banker. I sent them both a copy to review at that time. I personally never

spoke with her again after this. She did call corporate shortly after and spoke

with [redacted] verified all her information on her account. Once [redacted] said she

needed to send her cancellation info she then said I need to change my email

address after [redacted] had already verified this information.

The account is all noted from these conversations for record of

all communication.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: