Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street)

Dear Sir/Madam, Please accept this letter as a response to the Revdex.com complaint filed by [redacted]. There is no wrongdoing on our part. [redacted] is simply complaining about a policy...

explicitly written on the membership contract. The stipulation requires that a cancelation letter be mailed as a certified letter to our gym. Membership is then cancelled thirty days after the postmarked date on the certified letter. Again, there is no wrongdoing in this procedure. As a matter of fact, it is a common practice by some other gyms. Please note that [redacted] has presently accrued an amount of $31.34. After he pays this amount, his account will be cancelled. We are understanding of [redacted]'s complaint, but we stand by our cancelation policy. Please feel free to contact [redacted] if you have any more questions or comments. Best, [redacted] Synergy Fitness Clubs

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that I need to reword my complaint. Therefore I am cancelling this complaint and will follow up with a more accurate description of the...

situation.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,
[redacted]

At this time, I have been contacted directly by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted], however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
[redacted] ultimately declined the charge - this is the worst business I have ever interacted with. 
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

The cancellation policy was not explained when I signed up.  I confirmed with the representative that I could cancel at any time, he said yes.  He did not explain the arcane policy that I would have to go to the post office, and send a certified letter.  That it was buried in the policy that I signed is not the point of the complaint.  My complaint is that the cancellation policy is unreasonable.  To require a certified letter be sent from a US post office- and reject canceling by phone, internet, fax, in person, regular mail, or any other method aside from taking a day off work and making a special trip to a post office is clearly designed to delay cancellation and maximize inconvenience to the customer.. There is simply no legitimate business reason for such an arbitrary requirement.  Note that the business itself does not even offer a legitimate reason for such a policy, they just restate the policy and say they "stand by" it.  Businesses should not be allowed to put ridiculous provisions in fine print and to exploit customers.  Any provision in a contract should meet some standard of reasonableness, and in 2015, requiring a certified letter sent only by the US post office does not meet any standard of reasonableness.   
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I spoke with Synergy on four occasions, two of which were in person.  Synergy concluded that the issue was a result of an error on their part.  They attributed the swipe-in by an active member, who happens to have the same initials as me, with my...

account.  After review, they concluded that my account has been cancelled since October 2015 (November 2015).  I received a statement saying that the status of my account remains cancelled as of October 2015 and there are zero balances outstanding.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

At this time, I have been contacted directly by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted], however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:...


They requested that I once again send them the documentation of my termination of the account but have not acted to reverse the charges they have made, which I did.  I have attached all the correspondence along with the certified and registered mail receipts which was originally sent to them again.  I have never worked with a company that responded so poorly to an issue that is clearly their fault.  Furthermore, their requirement of a certified letter with a return receipt to close the account is an absurd barrier that I complied with back in January - it is now June and my only redress has been [redacted] holding the funds until this is resolved.  Bear in mind that they have made the threat to send this to a collection agency in an attempt to damage my credit and coerce payment.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello [redacted], I hope all is well. I have received your letter that...

you sent on behalf of [redacted]. Indeed these situations occur all the time. We stand by our word and insist that such complaints are false. Members will claim to have called and cancelled over the phone. As our contract states, we only accept cancellations via certified mail. And our staff will always communicate that clearly to every member. According to [redacted]'s letter, she admits that she did not cancel properly. Please rest assured that we respect our members and will try to work out a fair comprise with her. Thank you and take care, [redacted]

Review: I went into the synergy fitness club located at [redacted] on June [redacted] 2014, to inquire about personal training services. I had a conversation with one of the clubs personal trainers, while he gave me a tour of the club. In the trainers office, we spoke further, when the club's [redacted] introduced himself. I said that I am interested with working with the trainer I had spoken to and discussed how many sessions and pricing. The club's [redacted] then said that since I was taking that many (40) personal training sessions he is giving me a six month membership to the club for free. I said that I had two conditions, first I had what I thought at the time was a minor ankle sprain on the left leg which has turned out to be something else, and the second condition is that I want to pay the full amount in cash, which would of been July [redacted] 2014. The [redacted] said that was fine, but he needed to have a small deposit to provide his office with the amount of sessions and rate. The [redacted] said that this I cancel at anytime if needed, that the paperwork is just to start the process and we will finalize everything on July [redacted] 2014. After that meeting, my leg's condition had worsen and have had several visits to various medical doctors, including one to the ER. I had called the personal trainer on July [redacted], to inform him of the situation and was informed that it was not an issue, take care of the leg heal and get back to him. Then on Saturday July [redacted] 2014, I received a telephone call from the club, and was told that if I do not make a payment, it would be sent to collections. I then spoke to the club [redacted] and told him what was happening, and he said "it does not matter, you have contract and have to pay or it goes to collection", I asked to speak to someone else in the office and the club [redacted] said there is no one else that I could speak to.Desired Settlement: I no longer am interested in pursuing my fitness goals at synergy fitness club, the club [redacted] lied to me and has called with a tone and manner of extortion. I feel that I was lied to and have a sense of fraud. I have only been in the facility once and that was on June [redacted] 2014, I have not used there club or any of its services. Since June [redacted] 2014, my issue on the left leg has escalated and required medical attention, which I did tell the club office [redacted].

Review: Gym engages in "bait and switch," offering $20 per month via a large sign outside and then saying that the offer is no longer valid (and has not been for weeks).Desired Settlement: They need to stop their illegal bait and switch techniques.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: I was a member of this gym for exactly 1 year. I paid my bill monthly, and then after my year membership was up, I called and cancelled. Now, a year and half later, they have taken me to collections for an outstanding balance as they claim I did not provide "certified mail" to cancel my membership. Had I been told when I called and cancelled my membership, that I had to do that, I would have absolutely done so. Unfortunately, now it's my word against the person who helped me cancel my membership who probably no longer works there. I feel that the gym is probably going out of business and is trying to strong arm paying/formerly loyal customers into paying ridiculous fees. Not only are their collection practices unethical, but I spoke to 2 different associates at the gym who were nothing but rude and demeaning in a matter of customer service.Desired Settlement: I want the unwarranted charges removed from my account as they've taken me to collections for almost $500.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,[redacted]

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted], I hope all is well. I have received your letter that you sent on behalf of [redacted]. Indeed these situations occur all the time. We stand by our word and insist that such complaints are false. Members will claim to have called and cancelled over the phone. As our contract states, we only accept cancellations via certified mail. And our staff will always communicate that clearly to every member. According to [redacted]'s letter, she admits that she did not cancel properly. Please rest assured that we respect our members and will try to work out a fair comprise with her. Thank you and take care, [redacted]

Review: I informed this business in person upon losing my job in April of 2013 that I would no longer be able to afford memebership. They assured me that it was ok and issue and wished me good luck. In August of 2013 they stopped charging gym fees to my debit card and I assumed that was the end of that. 14 months later, out of the blue, I received a random phone call from a synergy fitness rep stating that I owed them $445 in membership dues. I was literally in the delivery room in labor with my first child and told them so and they said they would get back to me. Four months after that, I received a call from a debt collector saying that I now owe the gym over $800. The monthly membership was $29/month.Desired Settlement: I would like the entire debt to be taken away because once I left the gym after informing them of my situation, I never utilized their facilities again. It is unethical that I should have to pay them this amount of money especially since I am still unemployed and in the process of receiving public assistance. Furthermore, they did not even have the courtesy to inform me via phone call or letter in the mail in over a year, allowing this debt to rack up and then suddenly contact me with false claims. The least they could have done was inform me that I was still expected to pay a certain amount ahead of time and I could have managed a reasonable payment instead of trying to now wreck my credit as I now have no means to pay this large sum of money.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,

Review: I sent Synergy Fitness a letter to cancel my membership at the end of August, 2012. I did not hear from the company until July, 2013 when I received a notice from a debt collection service, [redacted], informing me of a $305.94 balance. Synergy Fitness did not send any written notification that I owed them money/that they had not received my cancellation letter during the months between but continued trying to charge my debit card (which had expired, so I was not aware). When I called them to rectify the issue, I dealt with the most unprofessional custom service. They claim that they did not receive the letter of cancellation because it was not certified (if they did not receive it, it's unclear how they made this assumption). My balance went unpaid for almost a year since I was unaware, yet they didn't mail me a bill before passing my debt to a third party. I contacted [redacted] to dispute the claim; they reached out to Synergy Fitness but have not heard back. Finally, staff members are completely vague when asked about cancellation policies. Before I stopped attending the gym, I specifically asked a manager ([redacted]) if my letter had been received which he confirmed. He did not instruct me to have it certified when I asked if there was anything additional they needed from me.Desired Settlement: Waive the $305.94 amount due (however, I will happily pay an additional monthly fee if needed due to the timing of the cancellation letter mailing, but this should be <$30 for one month), and ensure that the debt collection agency does not apply this charge to my credit history.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

July **,2015

Beware ! Beware ! -Fraud & Extortion - It Gets even Worse !

This was my previous review-

"Beware ! Beware ! Scam ! Dishonest !!!!- I signed up for a monthly pass- when I cancelled my membership after several months- I followed their instructions & sent them a certified letter notifying them that i'm leaving in 30 days- I also went down in person & hand delivered the cancellation letter. They refused to give me anything in writing-that my account was closed, & instead told me," that its not necessary & i'm all good"- I closed my cc-Now 2.5 years later, I get a letter from a collection agency- for $1600."

Now for the Update

I called yesterday, July **,2015 ,the Collection agency-[redacted]- they told me that even though I sent the cancellation letter via certified mail & even though I sent it as instructed 30 days in advance. If I dont have a signed return receipt-im responsible for ever, indefinitely-as per the terms of contract- when I asked them, what stops Synergy Gyms from never accepting cancellation letters & subsequently its impossible to cancel, He had no reply. He just tried to browbeat me to pay.

If this is not FRAUD & EXTORTION, I dont know what is- Im posting this on [redacted] also

I will reach out to the Revdex.com & to the [redacted] & to the ** State Attorney General Division of Consumer Fraud-

Will keep You Posted....

'

What an Outrage- How Dishonest can a Company be

Review: My friend received free passes for a guest I went to try one and it was not honored though previous guest he brought it was.Manager was called over whom said he would honor it this 1 and only time but upon leaving my work out I was charged $20.

To make matters worse 1/2 machines were old,there was no information how to use machines and it was dirty everywhere leafing me to question if can pass hygiene laws of NYDesired Settlement: Also a letter of apology for such a disgusting experience

Review: COMPLAINT AGAINST: Address: [redacted], WEBSITE[redacted] COMPLAINT MADE BY (first name and last name) : [redacted] (individual to business complaint not a business to business complaint) CANCELLATION WITH GYM: I sent a CERTIFIED MAIL cancelling my membership on Sep**, 2011. I also personally informed the front desk. CONTRACT: My contract with the gym was month-to-month. It was a $50/month fee with no commitment. TRAINERS: I also informed my personal trainer [redacted] and my nutritional trainer [redacted] about my termination. I have email and phone records informing them about ending my membership. BILLING: I have been billed after cancelling my membership with the GYM. The following are the charges to my credit card. I am seeking REFUND for the following charges below. I am seeking a refund for a total amount of $802.09 since October 2011 through March 2013. I have changed my credit card after that. I now have a new credit card number and they can no longer bill me now. S.No Date Amount 1 10/**/2011 49.99 2 11/**/2011 49.99 3 12/**/2011 49.99 4 01/**/2012 49.99 5 02/**/2012 49.99 6 03/**/2012 49.99 7 04/**/2012 49.99 8 05/**/2012 49.99 9 06/13/2012 49.99 10 07/**/2012 49.99 11 08/**/2012 49.99 12 09[redacted]/2012 49.99 13 10/**/2012 49.99 14 11/**/2012 49.99 15 12/**/2013 49.99 16 03[redacted]/2013 52.24 PROBLEM NOTICED AFTER RELOCATION: I noticed after a couple of months that my credit card was being charged every month since October although I had cancelled my membership. After I cancelled my gym membership in Sep 2011, I relocated to LA from NY and could no longer visit the gym in person. GYM'S RESPONSE: As soon as I noticed that I was still being charged, I called the GYM, the manager in December 2011. He told me that he did not receive the certified mail that I sent him. I was shocked. I assured him that I had sent the certified mail on Sep **, 2011 cancelling the membership and one of his staff members may have misplaced it at their office. I went to the post office to obtain a copy of the receipt. I was told at the post office that unfortunately they cannot assist me with this since I misplaced my receipt. I conveyed this information to the manager that the post office cannot retrieve my receipt. The manager assured me that he will look into it and promised to help me with the issue and refund the amount. MANAGER'S ASSURANCE: The manager promised me that he would try and resolve the issue and refund the amount. FOLLOW UP CALLS MADE SINCE THEN AS NOTED BELOW: Following the above conversation with the manager, I made multiple calls to the manager. The gym front desk personnel, the billing personnel and the manager all assured me that the problem will be rectified in the next billing cycle. However, it was never rectified. I kept checking my credit card statements only to discover that they never stopped billing me. I have spoken with various people at the gym, left many messages and pleaded a lot of times to help me resolve the issue. However, they have continued to bill me. Some of the phone calls that I made with my cell phone to them on record are as follows: Date and time of the follow up calls made to SYNERGY FITNESS (###-###-####) after the manager assured me that he will try to resolve the issue: 01/**/12 (9:11 AM) 01/**/12 (12:36 PM) 01/**/12 (12:36 PM) 03/**/12 (1:23 PM) 04/**/2012 (01:44 PM) 08/**/2012 (12:31 PM) 10/**/2012 (09:54 AM) 11/**/2012 (08:27 AM) 11/**/2012 (02:29 PM) 12/**/2012 (08:48 AM) 12/**/2012 (06:01 PM) 04/**/2013 (01:11 PM) 05/**/2013 (09:46 AM, , 09:48 AM) 05/**/2013 (08:46 AM) 05/**/2013 (07:51 PM) 05/**/2013 (09:14 AM, 09:22 AM) I made many other calls from a device other than my cell phone that I don't have a record of. Every month I would see my credit card statement in despair only to find that I was billed again and the manager's assurance didn't help in resolving this issue. AMOUNTS DISPUTED: I am seeking refund for the following charges made to my credit card statement after the cancellation of the membership. The total amount is $802.09. PLEA: I respectfully request SYNERGY FITNESS to kindly refund me the above amount of $802.09 I thank you for your support and appreciate your cooperation. Please call me at ###-###-#### if you need any additional information. Best Regards, [redacted] Ph: ###-###-####Desired Settlement: AMOUNTS DISPUTED: I am seeking refund for the following charges made to my credit card statement after the cancellation of the membership. The total amount is $802.09. A detailed list of charges made to my credit card were outlined earlier in the description of the problem.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Synergy Fitness (East 31st Street) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I had cancelled my membership at this business in April 2013, in person. I was asked to send a letter by mail that I sent as well. I had sent the letter from Houston as I wasMy credit card account stopped receiving charges from this business and I was comfortably believing that the membership had been cancelled successfully. However, In June 2014 I noticed a charge of $611 on my credit card account that had been put by this company. When I contacted them to enquire about this, they kept repeating that they still have me as a member in their "System" and these my dues. I tried to explain that I had stopped getting charged last year and if I was still a member in their system, they should have either kept charging me or contacted me. Instead they appear out of nowhere a year later with a charge of $611. They said that if I show them a receipt of the letter that I had sent, they would look into it. However, I did not keep the receipt as it has been more than a year.

I tried to reason with them, but they hung up. I did some research over yelp reviews and past complaints filed at Revdex.com and it seems to be a frequent issue with this company and seems like a scan that these guys are running.Desired Settlement: After reading the outcome of other similar cases on Revdex.com, I am not very hopeful of these guys responding or resolving the issue. Ideally I would want a refund for this amount. I have decided to dispute this amount with my credit card company, however I want to protect myself against any collections agency because it seems that this business will not resolve the matter and keep increasing the dues every month.

Review: I cancelled my gym membership in October. I followed the cancellation policy from the contract and sent a letter via certified mail RRR stating my intention to cancel. I followed up with several phone calls and verified that November would be the final month I would be charged.

I checked my statements in December and January and was happy to see no additional charges. However, today, I received a voicemail stating that I had an unpaid balance for two months. When I called back, Cassandra confirmed that Synergy had indeed received and processed my cancellation, but "uncancelled" it supposedly at my request. The story changed quickly to the fact that I had used the facility since I cancelled, which is utterly untrue.

I have physical proof of receipt for the cancellation letter, received affirmative verbal acknowledgement that my cancellation was received and processed and have yet to see any proof presented that I "uncancelled" the membership or used the gym after I cancelled - I have not even stepped foot in the building since I cancelled back in October.Desired Settlement: Written confirmation that the membership is cancelled with a $0 balance

Consumer

Response:

I spoke with Synergy on four occasions, two of which were in person. Synergy concluded that the issue was a result of an error on their part. They attributed the swipe-in by an active member, who happens to have the same initials as me, with my account. After review, they concluded that my account has been cancelled since October 2015 (November 2015). I received a statement saying that the status of my account remains cancelled as of October 2015 and there are zero balances outstanding.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I attempted to cancel my Synergy Fitness gym membership on April [redacted], 2015. I had emailed George L. who responds to queries on [redacted], to ask how to properly cancel because I had seen on [redacted] that many former members were erroneously charged after attempting to cancel.

He informed me that I needed to write a cancellation letter and certify mail it to a specific address which I did do and can provide if helpful.

I mailed my letter on April [redacted], 2015 from the [redacted] on [redacted]. I kept my receipt as proof of mailing because I saw on [redacted] that many former members who had also certified mailed their cancellations were told that their letters did not arrive.

They continued to charge me during June, July, August, and September after I had been told that my last charge would be in May due to a 30 day cancellation rule which I understood to be standard.

After twice earlier in September, once in person, and once over the phone trying to get refunds for my erroneous charges, they charged me anyways on the [redacted]. I took a personal day from work in order to meet with their billing woman who I was told was the only person who could assist me. I met with her on Tuesday, 9/**/15, but did not have the correct bar-coded certified mail receipt with me at the time. She informed me that she could only cancel my membership as of that day and not refund my charges incurred since April unless I could provide the bar-coded receipt.

Two days later, yesterday, 9/**/15 I was able to email her the correct receipt proving that I did certify mail my cancellation. She did not reply. Today I followed up with her directly and also forwarded our email thread to George L. who had told me how to cancel in April. He responded that I sent the letter to the wrong address and that they would not refund me as a result. He is the original person who gave me the cancellation address. Unfortunately I cannot pull up his initial email because my work account deletes sent mail after 45 days, but his probably still has a record of our April correspondence. On Tuesday when I showed the billing woman the address that I mailed to, she confirmed that it was the correct address.

Now they are not responding. They owe me $160+ for June, July, August, and September.Desired Settlement: I simply desire my refunds for June, July, August, and September.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that I need to reword my complaint. Therefore I am cancelling this complaint and will follow up with a more accurate description of the situation.

Sincerely,

Review: I resigned from this gym as a member 3 years ago when I moved. I followed the proper procedures and mailed a certified letter to resign. Only just recently had a former roommate contacted me to let me know that they had received a debt collection letter. This is the first time any form of contact had been made. Synergy had never once contacted me even though they had my contact information in my membership application.

I have a link here to [redacted] in which there are pages of people who are consumer victims of this business.

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like this false claim to be removed and record showing that there is in fact no debt.

Business

Response:

Dear Madam/Sir, We rest assured that no certified letter from [redacted] was ever received by us. As a result, her account is in collections. We are willing to compromise and come to an amicable resolution. We are willing to cut the disputed amount of $1008 by 25%, effectively lowering the amount owed to just $756. That is out best offer. Thank you and take care,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

The business has not addressed the fact of the matter here. An offer to reduce the disputed amount by 25% does not seem reasonable in this situation. The amount should be fully absolved because I had taken the time to follow the required procedure of resignation. I resigned from the gym with a certified letter in 2012. The gym kept the account open and added charges to the account for nearly three years. During that period, the account was never used. In addition, the gym also made absolutely no attempt to contact me. I reached out to [redacted] the [redacted] of the gym, and he has as of yet not responded to my email. I found his email address on [redacted] in the review section, and made sure to copy also the primary email for the gym. In the email, I requested that he ask his accounting department to review their records and find the certified resignation letter I had sent now three years ago. I am assuming that I have not heard back because they are in the process of reviewing the situation internally.Thank you,[redacted]

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,