Fitworks Holding

I paid my gym membership at (FitWorks in Rocky River, Ohio) in full for 15 months, plus a separate, 3 months of personal training.
When Covid -19 hit the gym was closed and members were not charged during those months, unfortunately I had already paid. I was about 2 months into my membership at this time.
I have Chronic Bronchitis and this year has been bad. On Mothers Day 5/10/20, I went to the emergency room at the ***. After x-rays and a cat scan I was diagnosed with Chronic Bronchitis and nodules on my lungs. I was also tested for the corona virus (it was negative). I was instructed by the doctor not to workout in the gym, due to covid-19. I am classed with the group who are most at risk for covid 19 due to my lungs. On July 8, 2020 I contacted Fitworks via telephone and requested a refund, that same day my personal trainer and the training manager *** text me and said he would be processing my refund for my membership and my personally training. I provided him a copy of my doctors report from the ER, as well as, my test results showing the nodules on my lungs. 2 weeks pasted and no refund. I text *** the training manager and he said he requested my refund but to resend him everything and he would submit my refund directly to their Corporate office. Later that day *** contacted me by telephone and indicated he processed my refund and send it to corporate. *** stated my refund would be $511 that included my membership and my personal training; both were pro-rated.
Today August 4, 2020, I got a text from *** stating corporate wants a note from my doctor stating I am not permitted to work out. I called the Gym and spoke to the Manager ***. I explained to him that I am not currently working due to covid 19 and I did not have health Insurance and in order to get a note from a doctor I would have to go back the ER which is expensive. I recently relocated from Texas back to Ohio. I do not have a doctor here. They refuse to issue my refund.
I have provided them a medical report that clearly states my lungs are damaged. The CDC has provided a list of high risk underlying conditions and lung disease is on it. I provided them test results showing I have several nodules on my lungs and they still refuse to refund my money. My next Lung Scan is in 3 months. If the nodules are over 3 cm them they will biopsy them and test them for Lung Cancer. Until then I am just treating the symptoms of the Bronchitis.

I have asked them to cancel my account and they continue to bill me

This business prides itself on scamming customers with unclear contract policies and sales associates provide false information. When manager was confronted he simply advised that you should always read contracts first, even though his associates are advertising false terms

This is a letter I sent to Fitworks on March 16, 2020 --

March 16, 2020

Fitworks, LLC
c/o Mr. ***
RE: Account Number ***

Dear Fitworks:

I am writing because I have been very dissatisfied with Fitworks and would ask you what you are going to do to resolve these problems.

Yesterday, March 15, 2020 I was working out at the Highland Heights, Ohio Fitworks. At about 12:30 p.m. I was using the weight machines. I sat on one machine and one man about years of age said he was going to use it and to get off. I told him he wasn’t using it and he and his buddy called me names ***. I told *** at the front desk and he didn’t appear to do anything. I called him on the cell phone and he said he would get their names and to call Monday and talk to the manager. On March 16, 2020 I called the Highland Heights Fitworks and talked to *** who said the manager was at the bank, but he would call me back. He never called me back. Due to this assault, I insist that you ban these two men from the facilities or I wont feel safe there.

My wife *** joined the Highland Heights Fitworks, but has quit since the machines are dirty, the trainers are poor and unreliable and the men continue to harass her.

As you know Fitworks on October 2017 was double billing me and would not give me credit until I produced statements. I found that incredible since Fitworks knows that you double billed me, but tried to get out of refunding my money.

Please address these concerns immediately

Sincerely

Love the facility in Mentor and great rapport with Trainer however I was taken my surprise when once my contract ended, I got charged for another month. Yes there is a sheet of paper that came with the contract saying that the agreement will automatically renew unless giving notice 30days before contract end. So I got charged an additional month, that’s a charge that I can’t afford to take. I did send an email to corporate to cancel but because I have not receive a confirmation that the email has been received, I am afraid that another charge will come out. I can’t afford the additional 156.00 that was taken out after the contract end and I can’t afford another 156.00 because the email was sent after the fact.

I fulfilled my year of training sessions. Had some leftover so kept my regular membership to use them and dropped the training ad. Asked *** what my normal monthly would be. 21.30. Ok I can do that. The there was the 21.30 charge AND another charge on 10.68 which overdrew my account. Checked all my bank statements and sure enough it has been on it for an entire year!!! Called corporate, it's for kid land?!?!!! When I signed up in July 2018, I was specifically looking for
A gym that includes kids at no charge and searched several other gyms and per ***, the monthly membership included it no extra charge, and I liked it here the best. I went with the monthly and monthly personal training. I signed a carbon copy paper for training and a computer one with a pen pad telling me it was the same thing. Turns out it was adding *** on my monthly bills for an additional 10.68 when I was clearly told it was included in the one monthly pmt of 21.30. I only received a copy of my personal training paper and nothing from the computer one. This place fraudulently took over $160 over the last 15 months I'm addition to a $35 bank fee. This is false advertising and I am extremely pissed. Don't go to this kinky hole in the wall dive. If anyone has similar issues, I e spoke with an attorney and he'd be happy to get us together and file a class action suit on these felons.

I went to store to pay up what was left on contract, I asked the lady to make sure everything was right,I was there a least 30 minutes she checked everything ,calculated the balance , I paid her in cash , she wrote PAID IN FULL on receipt ,and NONRENEWABLE and took the card you scan when you come to exercise, which now that I think about it I paid for something I never got to finish THANK YOU

I signed up for fitworks last year, which I barely used due to poor upkeep of their equipment, then I moved, and it was a 20 minute drive to the gym. I called to cancel, and they said that I can not cancel over the phone, so I make the drive over there, and because I signed up for a 1 year contract it was going to cost me more to cancel than to just keep paying monthly. Fine, whatever, I signed a contract so I understood and wasn't going to argue. I asked if when my contract was up if I would be contacted through phone or email to see if I wanted to continue services or change my membership and they said yes. fast forward to now, in may I get hit with a 40$ fee, and then charged another 20$! are you kidding me! I haven't used your services since may 2018! and I already drove over there once to try to cancel it and was falsely told I would be contacted before my membership moved to monthy or whatever. So I email costumer service just to be given the same generic answer. I call the membership service number just to be told they only deal with billing and I have to contact the gym. I decide to just drive to the gym an cancel. I try to explain to the front desk and they complete disregard everything I say and proceed to tell me that since today is the day I cancelled ill be charged in june as well! This business is a complete scam who just takes your money, and makes it impossible to get clear answers or really get a hold of anyone about your membership and canceling. I'm insulted that I held my end of my deal and stuck it out for the year even though I was no longer going, just to find out they never contact you at all when your initial contract is up, and up your monthly payments and collect other fees on top of that. I've called at least 3 different numbers today to try to talk to someone about this. One was the billing company, the other 2 just sent me straight to voicemail. after doing research online I find out that many people have had this same issue and some people are still being charged even after they have cancelled. it sounds like they just take your money and continue to do so while placing blame on their costumers. They send you in multiple dead end directions and every person tells you different things. Kinda seems like they take advantage of you trusting them with your card or bank information, they should be more direct about how difficult and rude their business will be with you when you want to leave.

I terminated my membership on April 11th 2019. I have the signed contract. FitWorks went on to continue to bill me on April 18th for a monthly fee and another yearly membership charge through April 18th 2020. Then they charged me again in May Then they have sent my info to a AFS collection agency. See below email they sent: FITWORKS

Statement

If you already paid your bill please disregard this statement ***
< tr>

Due Date Description Amount
05-16-2019 MAY 16 DUES $5.34
04-15-2019 ENHANCEMENT FEE $41.63
04-16-2019 Manual Billing Fee $5.00
05-08-2019 RETURN ITEM FEE $20.00
05-16-2019 Manual Billing Fee $5.00
Past Due $5.34
Late Fee $0.26
-----------------
Total Due $82.57

At the end of February 2019 I moved from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio. This is 1.5 to 2 hour drive from my home to Fitworks in Beavercreek and is a 75 mile one way trip. When I signed a new lease, I forwarded a copy via email to the manager of Fitworks after speaking with them on the phone. They assured me that my account would be cancelled.

I am receiving bills and collection notices from their billing company (or parent company) via email from *** in an email that the account is closed, but have continued to be billed.

I discovered that I was having $36.39 taken from my checking account from Crunch Fitness since 11-11-2016. I never signed up or attended Crunch Fitness. I found out that they said they purchased all active memberships from Fitworks. I was a member of Fitworks in 2009, but I cancelled the membership in 2011 or 2012 due to health issues. Crunch states they will reimburse me if I can confirm cancellation. I have attempted to contact Fitworks, but have not been able to. I called 1-*** and was told that the Fitworks location in Anderson, Ohio cancelled their account with them 1/17/2017. I was given the number of *** but it has been disconnected. I am attempting to reach someone who can check my records to confirm the cancellation.

They are a ripoff. They charged way too much in my account. They can't proof where money that I have paid. They do not show all the payments being made. They charged me before my due date which was the 30th and as far as Billing was concerned I was current and that the only payment I needed to make was my 10.64 at the end of this month.

I was incorrectly charged for an additional month of service at this gym. I contacted this gym via phone to resolve this issue and request refund for the services. I initially had a one year membership with this gym that was due to end in October of 2018. I spoke with a Fitworks associate XXXXX) to cancel my membership prior to the membership being rolled over month to month. I was ensured by this associate that once my membership ended that the billing would cease. However, in November of 2018 I was charged for an additional month of membership. I contacted the general manager of this location (XXXXX) only to be told that my request to cancel was not properly processed, therefore leading to an additional charge. I believe I was duped into paying for an additional month of service by dishonest practice (leading me to believe my membership would be cancelled without further action). The general manager insisted there was nothing he could do to rectify this situation.

In May 2016, I signed a 12-month contract with Fitworks which was supposed to expire in 12 months. I did not renew the contract and I assumed I would not receive any more charges after May. However, unbeknown to me at the time my credit card was charged again for June and July. On July 20th, I sent an email to the customer service email listed on the website that I wanted to cancel my membership. I never received a response which I should have followed up but as a single mom, full-time employee and student, I overlooked this. However, I was charged again on September 18th so this time I called and left a message. Still no response, so I researched filing a complaint with the Revdex.com. There was an option to contact the merchant directly before filing the claim so, I sent another email to their corporate office. Now today, October 17, they have charged my credit card again. I'm not using the service and I have kept my terms of the agreement; however, it is not fair or just for them to keep charging my credit card for a service I'm not using nor want.

Dear Complaint Department:

I am writing to file a complaint against Fitworks, which is a physical fitness facility that has a chain of buildings located all over the United States. I have been an active member of Fitworks for several years. I always pay for my membership once a year in one lump sum to avoid Fitworks charging me any additional services costs or billing me anything additional. I don’t like being billed each month because it often leads to abuse by the institution that has your banking or credit card information.

Last year I received a letter from Fitworks that my membership was going to expire and that it was time for me to renew for the year. When I checked my bank statements for the year, I discovered that Fitworks had taken out the yearly lump sum in September 2016 and was also taking out an additional charge each month so that I was paying double for my membership. When I tried to bring this to Fitworks attention, they first they ignored me. I finally received a telephone call from “***” at ***, telephone number *** who told me that I would need to prove that I was paying double. I was concerned because I am sure they knew exactly what I was paying since they had complete records. However, I sent them the bank statement pages showing what they took out and eventually they credited me with one year of membership.

Recently I received another letter form Fitworks that my membership was due to renew soon and I would have to pay to renew. I then decided to check my bank statements for the previous year and to my consternation I found out that they had been double billing me for the previous year, September 2015 to September 2016. I paid $334.37 in September 2015 and then was being billed every month plus a service charge. When I sent *** at *** a letter detailing this and the copies of the bank statements, she said they had already credited me with the one year and she ignored my demand. Therefore, I wondered how many years they have been double billing me for the membership.

Yesterday I faxed *** a letter asking for a complete accounting of my payments for the entire time I have been a Fitworks member. I have received two hang up calls from ***, but no answer to my demand to get a copy of the accounting. I believe this is a way to avoid talking to me.

Sincerely

I signed up 1 month at the membership & I received a phone call and asked was I still there . I let them know that I wasn’t coming back & now this year they’re on my credit as if I owed . I would like for them to take this off my credit .

To whom it may concern,

On my past birthday, I decided to "get fit". I joined the fitness center and paid the enrollment fee. The monthly fee was supposed to be $10 per month. Once I came in I was told that I would receive two free personal training sessions. I received one. I was given a sheet of paper with cost associated with the personal fitness. The paper read $157 for 12 months of personal training. I thought that was a lot and was told I could have twice per week. The amount was still a lot to pay at once. I asked if I could break down the payments and was told it all had to be paid at once. I came back a few weeks later once I obtained the $157. Later I received an email stating that the training would be $157 per month for 12 months. This was not the amount that I agreed to. The email stated that I would have to cancel within a certain number of days; however, the email was sent past the date to cancel. I immediately followed the directions and wrote the letter and took it to Fitworks Norwood location. I came in the following training day and was told that I was no longer in the system as I had cancelled the personal fitness training. I was also told that other people had been deceived with this practice also at this location. I feel that I should have been able to complete the month since I paid for the training. I let it go and just worked out. I recently received an email stating that I owed a substantial amount of money. I emailed ASF solutions who told me that I signed a contract. They emailed me the contract that was not signed as I signed a piece of plain paper that was hand written to take out $157 from my account. I told the individual that the personal training was cancelled back in February. They told me that they could do nothing about it and I need to contact the store that I signed up with. I contacted the store and was told that I needed to contact Corporate as they do not handle cancellations even though they handled the cancellation back in February. I called the corporate office on today and was told that I could not cancel as it is a year contract. I asked her how could I not cancel when the first email was sent stated that the personal fitness could be cancelled and the store cancelled my personal fitness visits back in February. The woman reported that I could not cancel again. I stated that I would send a letter of cancellation and hung up the phone. I would like for this situation to be looked into as I feel that many others have also dealt with these deceptive, misleading and unethical practices. Since I have had this situation occur , I do not feel comfortable working out in the facility.

I signed up for an account at Fitworks several months ago. No one has used the membership or service. I was never informed at signup of any additional fees for online payments, nor did I consent to this. I received a letter from Fitworks yesterday that says my bank rejected a payment. As a result, a $20.00 handling fee has been added to your balance owed. I never consented nor was I informed of these "late" and/or "handling" fees.

Since Fitworks has decided to tack on fees that were not disclosed, we will now be closing our Fitworks account and cancelling our membership. Fitworks can remove any charges for this month as we will not be renewing. Fitworks can also remove the $20 "handling fee" from our account.

The funny part is we stopped in yesterday to change our account from my son to girlfriend. The guy at the front desk never informed us of any problem with our account and then went on to say he "didn't know how to update our account in the system". Now you lost our account forever because of your greed for $20 extra dollars. Merry Christmas.

I cancelled this personal training contact due to my relocation out of state. I requested a refund as I had a large sum of sessions on their books, due their unprofessional trainers who would cancel sessions (sometimes at the last minute), and on an occasion failed to show up at all, and on more than occasion expected the customer to adjust their schedule to fit theirs- THIS IS YOUR JOB. There was also one month where I was in a cast for a fractured ankle, and until after the fact when I went to cancel my contract was I told I could have suspended the service for the month and not been charged- thanks for letting me know,even though I talked to the training manager ( I think it was Jameel at the time- July 2016, there's been a new manager every 6 weeks... this goes to show the quality of this service at the Forest Park facility...).
I have called the coporate office, but always get the voicemal. Even when I leave a message I NEVER get a call back- Unprofessional, so I see why the facilities are so sub par. This is my final resort. Even if they cannot refune me ALL of my money, I should at least get half of it back. It it technically a liability on their books, as they have received payment for services that they never performed- which is also a form of stealing/fraudlent behavior. I would just like my money back. This was the first and LAST time I will ever do any type of gym or training contract with anyone anywhere.