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Post Info TOPIC: LA Fitness is the devil incarnate! - Edited
Tara


Dooney & Bourke

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LA Fitness is the devil incarnate! - Edited
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I am SO frustrated right now!  My b/f and I found a great deal at 24 hr fitness and have decided to change our gym membership.  However, LA Fitness does not want us to go!  It takes 60 days to "process" a gym cancellation!  So, instead of just losing the "last month" payment I made when I started, I have to pay for at least one more month (possibly 2 if it takes the full 60 days to process)!!!!


When I asked for a corporate phone number, I was told that they don't have a phone?!  WTF??!!!  I cannot fax my cancellation form to the corporate office either.  I have to mail it.  What kind of corporate office doesn't have a phone/fax?!  I found out the corproate office is in Irvine (the mailing address is a PO box in Irvine).  I was so upset I asked for the address so that I could drive to Irvine and complain.  BUT, my local LA Fitness doesn't even have the ADDRESS for the corporate office.  I asked where their paychecks are mailed from.  She said they were delivered, not mailed.  I called 3 different local gyms and they all said the same:  they do not have the phone, fax, email, or address of their very own corporate office.


I hate them.  Ok, I am done complaining.



-- Edited by Tara at 14:54, 2005-02-17

-- Edited by Tara at 14:56, 2005-02-17

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esquiress


Marc Jacobs

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RE: LA Fitness is the devil incarnate!
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it's true, la fitness is one big giant corporate monster.  i used to have a trainer there and they were just horrible to the trainers--gauging them for every cent they made practically.  i'm still a member because it's convenient and cheap but yeah, canceling sucks.  try this--ask to freeze your membership for 6 mos., it costs 35 i think.  then cancel it.  don't know if that'll come out cheaper but it's worth a try.


also, if your monthly dues come out of your credit card, call your cc company and ask them for the address--they should have it.


good luck!



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Tara


Dooney & Bourke

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Ohhhh!  Those are 2 very good tips - thanks!


I am going to try both.  It isn't even about the money anymore - I just want to complain to the corporate office!  This is my new obsession of the day - anything to keep me from actually working



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bumblebee


Dooney & Bourke

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esquiress is right, they are a giant corporate monster.  i had a problem with billing one time and it was a complete nightmare, but i DID somehow talk to someone on the phone--let me see if i can find the # that i used for you and i will post it.  it was in irvine and they were completely unsympathetic and unhelpful, but at least it was a human voice. 

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Mia


Kate Spade

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Did you sign a contract with them? And if not, I don't see how they can charge you for a membership you're not using/have requested to cancel? They sound like they're giving you the run around.

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"Don't be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Don't limit yourself in this way." - Bruce Mau
crystal


Kate Spade

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wow, that's terrible tara!  u poor thing.  my only advice is to ask for their financial dept.  maybe they won't give up the corporate # but they've gotta have a number for billing questions, etc. & i was able to haggle w/ those people for 24 w/ no problem.  good luck!!

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Tara


Dooney & Bourke

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RE: LA Fitness is the devil incarnate! - Edited
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Ok, so I am updated everyone on my LA Fitness Fiasco (see my original post below).  I was charged yet again for another month of LA Fitness today.  I called the local gym only to find out that the manager who assured me I would not be charged anymore had conveniently left the company a few weeks ago!  I finally tracked down the corporate office # - thanks to my CC company.  I called the front desk and asked to be transferred to accounts.  I got a VM, so I rerouted my call back to the front desk and asked if the operator could stay on the line until I was able to actually reach a person in accounts, not a VM.  The operator informed me that they do not have a switchboard, only a transferring service, so that was impossible.....and HUNG UP on me!!!!  I was livid, so I called my local club and asked to speak to the new operations manager (J).  Well, J was insanely nice.  He looked up my account and said that the only note on my account was that I tried to quit on June 23, 2003......I told him that had to be a mistake and that I only tried to quit in Jan of 2005.  He said that he would call corporate anyway and tell them I have been trying to quit LA Fitness for over a year with no luck.  He told me that was the only way that corporate would listen and that quitting may take up to 4 months.  And he said I could probably get credit back for some of 2004.  We'll see what happens, but J basically admitted that trying to quit LA Fitness is close to impossible.  So please beware!!



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crystal


Kate Spade

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wow, that's so scary!  good thing u found J though, he seems nice & helpful.  i love when customer service people are willing & able to admit they work for evil corporations & because of it want to help u as much as possible!  good luck... use that extra money for some cute new clothes!!

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beachgirl


Kenneth Cole

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I went through this same thing when I tried to quit.  I would be careful with J, even though he sounds nice, I wouldn't trust him at all.  I talked to several different gm's at several different clubs, and as "nice" as they seemed, it was all bs!  to cancel your membership, you have to go onto their website, fill out the form and mail it into their corporate office.  You are not able to cancel through the local clubs NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY!  All I can say is good luck!  It was such a hassle, it was unbelievable.  Start keeping track of everything and make sure you fill out and mail in that form asap!


They repeatedly assured me that they had canceled my membership, but it was bs, the only way you know it's canceled is when you get a letter from corporate confirming it.


also, you could try fighting it through your credit card company.  they might be able to stop payment if you can prove you tried to cancel.



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Drew


Gucci

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You know who will help you?  Your credit card company.  Call them and tell them you want to dispute a fraudulant charge on your card.  Inform them of the dates and the history of your cancellation. You don't have to pay the sum while it's in dispute, but if for some reason they find in the company's favor (never happened to me and I end up doing this at least once a year, usually for some shady internet company) you will have to pay interest for the months you didn't pay that part of the bill. 


Hope this works out for you; I agree with beachgirl, don't trust that "nice" guy.



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