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CB Sports and Fitness Review of WOW Gym and ABC
WOW Gym and ABC

WOW Gym and ABC review: WOW and ABC financially scammed me out 42

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12:00 am EDT
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I joined WOW gym in 2003 and joined my boyfriend also on my credit card in 2004. When I joined wow, I signed a contract and agreed to make payments to ABC financial because that was the company that wow chose to collect membership dues through. ABC financial has scam after scam, and I felt violated by wow since I came to get a gym membership, not intending for wow to give a company like ABC financial the opportunity to continuously scam me by making excess charges to my account. This is what ABC was doing and according to them this was legal and was actually in my contract that I signed with a wow in front of a wow supervisor who never bothered to inform me of this. When my credit card (like all other members' credit cards) expired and I automatically got a new card in the mail and activated it, it had a new expiration date. This is a normal occurance with credit cards and no other company I have ever dealt with has penalized me for it. The numbers are the same... only the expiration date has changed. That month and every month after, ABC charged my account an extra 20 dollars... so my statement would have a 39.99 charge (19.99 dues plus 20.00 fee). Now, my boyfriend's membership fee was doing the same thing. Our billing dates were different, so ultimately my card was being charged two additional 20.00 fees per month for several months. ABC wanted to do nothing about it since they say I agreed to the terms in my contract. I still don't know if that is true. Also, randomly throughout the year this extra 20.00 fee would show up the same way. ABC told me that I had insufficient funds at those times. Surprisingly,I actually could prove that on those specific dates, there was plenty of money in my account. The way that they finally corrected my account made no sense and I got so frustrated and gave up. I have spoken to others who have had this problem. See, the purpose of the fees is because a business cannot collect money due when it is due, but ABC always collected the money just plus 20.00. And when my card expired, the reasoning behind the penalties was that they couldn't process the transaction. But they did process the transaction but added 20.00 extra on both memberships each month. When I moved, I canceled both accounts on my credit card and both WOW and ABC financial scammed me out of 2 months dues as well as last month (which was already paid) for both my membership and my boyfriends. Any person reading this should beware of both companies... they do not do fair business. Their only corporate contact number is a voice mail, and so far, nobody has returned my calls. If this has happened to anybody else, I would be willing to take action as a group.

42 comments
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Castlin
Fullerton, US
Jan 05, 2013 12:22 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was a customer of WOW for over a year. I paid my 20 bucks a month, and my yearly $50.00 fee on time. I have advance notice when I canceled. I thought it was odd when they told me that they (WOW) couldn't cancel my membership and that I needed to contact ABCFinancial directly. So, I followed their instructions and called ABCfinancial and waited on hold. After holding for 20 minutes, I finally got ahold of a woman that rudely said "You gots to mail us a formal letter. We ain't cancel no account without no formal letter. We gots to know its from you." This wasn't ideal, but I need to cancel the account because I moved, and there isn't a WOW in my new town. So, I drafted a formal request to cancel and sent it certified mail. After a month of not hearing back from them, I call the same number, wait on hold again, and after 15 minutes get ahold of another rude woman. I told her I sent a letter last month, she accused me of lying. I told her that I would send her a second letter and requested a copy be sent to her electronically. She made it sound that they preferred old fashion hand written snail mail, but reluctantly gave me an email address to send instructions and "authorization" to cancel my account. A week later, they inform me that they are not only billing me for the following month and previous month, but I'm being charged a "cancelation fee" of $49.00. A grand total of $89.00.

Screw WOW and ABCFinancial. I'm tired of big business taking advantage of the little people!

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Moonmoon
sherman, US
Aug 27, 2010 3:10 pm EDT

I Have been a victim of this scam as well. ABC financial service is a scam. I had a gift package for Natulius GYM where it said that i would get a year free subscription and they charged me $99 as for my gift pack again. When i went to cancel my subscription they told me that i had to talk with ABC financial and they would help me out to get rid of the subscription BUT They didn't. I signed up in summer and now my classes started and i cannot use the club since then. but I dont understand, If i wish to cancel the contract why do i have to pay $750 as they stated for 60% of the term lease? I told them that i just cant use the membership and want to cancel and i am ready to provide my school schedule but they told me that i am gonna have to pay this amount for the ABC Financial since i have signed the contract.

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Alex Mena
Sherwood , US
Aug 03, 2010 8:01 am EDT

Mr./Ms. Agitt,

Your post does not really detail your situation or why you feel a class action law suit against ABC Financial is necessary.

ABC Financial Services prides itself in providing exemplary customer service and like any other company are looking to solve consumer issues in a manner that is satisfactory to both parties.

If you have additional questions please feel free to contact me directly at [protected] Ext. 1804 or by email at alex.mena@abcfinancial.com

Alex Mena
Data Research Analyst

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Agitt
lakewood, US
Jul 25, 2010 6:25 pm EDT

I have also been scammed by ABC financial and would like to be part of a class action law suit. Any one knoew if there is one already.

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deeptiv
Bentonville, US
May 20, 2010 1:13 am EDT

I also had issues with world gym, rogers, AR and ABC.My credit card got expired and my address changed.So the card was not being charged and I was not going to the gym so I did not know.They might have sent me letters but they got them back as the address was changed.Then suddenyl someone from ABC called and said you have to pay something like about 378 or something dollars.I said I will not pay I don;t even know what happened and I was not aware.Then they kept calling abd behaving very rude.
Then suddenly got a call from someone saying we are sending it to the court or something, and I kinda got scared and asked if they can reduce the amount, she said yes they can and she asked me to pay something around264$, then after a couple of days I asked them if I could go back to the gym, she said no you cannot as you did not pay the full amount.At first she is reducing and behaving as if she did a favor and then they did not take money for the remaining of my contract is what I am thinking.
Can I do something now?/ I went to the gym and asked if I can join back, they said you need a letter from the ABC financials or master credits I am not sure whom.I am really frustrated with these things.Please help!

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LMC2
Duxbury, US
Apr 17, 2010 3:45 pm EDT

Question for the worker at ABC Financial...why do you still bill people for gyms that have closed?

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anthonym
Greenacres, US
Jan 16, 2010 1:49 pm EST

Same here. I already cancelled twice and paid the amount due but they dare to bill me again. Im definitely want to join in a class action suit against them. Im currently emailing the people that posted here to see if they want to join and suit those crooks.

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pvjjohnson
Lawrence, US
Jan 08, 2010 8:03 pm EST

It is hard to read your contract when the manager that is working on your contract tells you to sign an electronic pad and that your contract will be sent in the mail. I am so angry that I signed up and allowed her to do that to me. This should be against the law! Having people sign a contract that they do not even have access to until the fact.

Last year around August, I paid 100.00 for 4 months, a deal Wow had at that time, around the end of December I received a bill from ABC financial charging me 39.99 plus a late fee of 10.00. I had no idea what this was about. I called ABC financial they said they were going to look into it and to give them a call next week. I asked them if they could have the cortesy of calling me back, because this was a mistake that they made and I wanted it solved. They agreed to call me back. I never heard from them!

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attytjj
Boston, US
Dec 18, 2009 2:41 pm EST

This is outrageous stuff. I just had a gentleman contact me regarding this financing company and although I'm not suprised, these companies will continue these same practices until someone (or many people) tries to enforce their consumer rights against them. Are any of you from Massachusetts? I suppose a federal lawsuit against them would be possible so location would not be an issue. I am attorney in MA. Feel free to contact me about this company - I'd like to hear your input and story. If you click on my member name just above this comment - and you are a registered member of complaintsboard.com - you will be able to send me a message. I will respond as soon as possible.

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kingland
, US
Jul 29, 2009 2:05 pm EDT

I cancelled in writing over 8 months ago from Gold's Gym. I also cancelled the debit card that ABC Financial was taking money from. I was just contacted by a debt collector saying I owe them $200.00! When I called ABC the supervisor told me that I had signed a new contract a few days after the old one was canceled. I asked if he realized how stupid that sounds but of course he had nothing to say. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. And I will be taking ABC Financial and Gold's Gym to Claims Court

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Volcomvoodoo
Kuna, US
Jul 01, 2009 1:23 pm EDT

I have a member[censored], yes I said member[censored] to Anytime Fitness in Kuna, ID. Which also goes through ABC Financial. Every single month instead of my 42 dollar fee they charge me 62 dollars for an inconvenience fee due to (insufficiant funds) which is ### because i always make sure there is enough money for that.. If anyone is doing anything about this can you please contact me at Volcomvoodoo2@yahoo.com Thank you very much for your time.

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pissed off biotch
Lacey, US
Jun 12, 2009 5:13 pm EDT

i think anyone who scams like that will get what they deserve! dont people understand, its a freakin gym membership. its not like ur not paying ur rent or a car payment. abc finacial hires incompitent loser and liars and im not suprised why they work somewhere like that and can sleep everynight knowing how wrong they are! go get a real job and respect your soliders they are why you and your family sleep safe every night!

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oompa20
Stratford, US
Mar 24, 2009 2:44 pm EDT

I plan on filing a complaint as well. I think abc financial is completely unethical. i fulfilled my contract and continued on for 6 more months without a contract and then i was laid off. i called them asked them to cancel my membership and i would have no problem paying the last month. they told me i was still bound by a contract i already sucessfully fulfilled and that i had to send in a written notice 30 days in advance before i could cancel, that way they could milk me for an additional month. I find them completely unethical and find their business practices to be extremely shady.

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joe harris
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Nov 10, 2008 12:15 am EST

I was told that my all american fitness membership was month to month and I couldn't afford it no more so I went to the gym and the guy said call these people and they will take care of you, You shouldn't have a problem cancelling your membership since it is month to month. Well little did I know I called the place and they were a place called abc financal and they told me I sighned a two year contract I said I did not they said yes you did sir. I called them after several letters of late charges and told them I lost my Job and didn't care. I was scammed into a two year contract and anyone wants to fight them let me know please.

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Coach
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Nov 05, 2008 2:14 pm EST

"RENEWAL STATEMENT PROGRAM:
Provided member is not in default or delinquent of this agreement, member may retain use of all privileges by renewing on or before 6/15/08 for 12 months, at $45 per month (EFT) or $500(PIF)."

Where in the above statement does it mention or imply automatic renewal? I finally blocked them from drafting my account. Now they are trying to collect for October.
Part of this is the responsibility of the gym management (jamestown 24 Hour Fitness). I was told to check the box beside the Renewal Statement Program if I wanted a statement, which I did. The only statement I have seen has been a letter trying to collect a debt. Now the gym owner has told me that the Renewal Statement Program is exactly the same thing as the Automatic Renewal Program. If that is so, why is there a choice on the contract?

I have asked ABC to drop their request for an October payment, and if they don't and I have to pay it to protect my credit, I will take them to small claims court for a refund of the other 3 months they have drafted. (We didn't use the gym after June 15th because we didn't choose to renew).

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Y.S.
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Sep 23, 2008 10:09 am EDT

ABC financial tried to pull a fast on me. Here's how. They accepted a fax of my cancellation, and claimed there was a 60 days before they can process it. I've been with the local gym for about 3 years already and just want to upscale to a more expensive gym, so it wasn't a big deal, i let that scam slide. Then, ABC financial claimed that they couldn't auto-draft my VISA, and extended the membership for another month. I made 6 phone calls, gave my credit card numbers 3 times, 2 different cards just to make sure if VISA network had dropped them, that maybe Mastercard was still processing their payments. Just got off the phone with a representative (whom i had to voice record again, to put them on the record), who told me that they had a record of me calling in, giving card number update, but that the previous associates did not follow through with a draft. Why? I can only guess that a late draft gives them a late fee, and extends membership by another month.
I am sure ABC financial will continue being in business. Their CEO Jim Bottin has made quite a living with this company that fills an important role of collecting the lowest of margin bills. If you are interested in writing to them directly or passing this info to FTC/BBB, here is the details on the company:

Headquarters: 8320 Hwy. 107 North Little Rock, AR 72124
SIC: 8741
NAICS: 561110

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Mark Capobianco
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Sep 09, 2008 3:35 pm EDT

I also have had an infuriating encounter with the people at ABC Financial. I signed up for gym membership at Work Out Work in Waltham, Massachusetts. A stipulation to me signing with them was that I would have the option to cancel at any time. The manager wrote this on my agreement form and signed it. It was never mentioned that I had to move away or had to have a medical condition to actually do this. It just so happens though that I did move and upon attempting to cancel I began to get the run around. First I am told that I need to write a request including my new adress, account number, and I need proof of address (utility bill). This is a pain in the ### in itself considering I am supposed to be able cancel without any questions asked. I fax them what they are requesting and ask them to call me to confirm that is going to be done. It is my belief that they intentially drag out this process so they can get another billing cycle out of you. Instead of calling me the day of my Fax they decided to send me a letter in the mail (adding more days that my membership is not cancelled) to inform me they are unable to perform this request without a clear reason. I have to call again to find out why. Apparently if you move away you need to have moved at least 25 miles away. I moved 24.78 miles away equaling 38 minutes of drive time without traffic. Who can travel that far just to go the gym. Long story short, I am told there is nothing they can do and the policy says 25 miles not almost 25 miles. At this point I only have two months left on my bill and thank god. They have a nice scam going.The people who work in the gym have nothing to do with the billing so whatever they tell you is meaningless. ABC and the gym employees can just blame each other and your ###ed over. My advice is ask the gym who does your billing and if its ABC Financial go somewhere else. Trust me. I would be willing to join some kind of lawsuit against them

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SC
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Aug 27, 2008 1:22 pm EDT

Only if salesmen were not certified cheaters...They never come up with the true terms and conditions of the contract but also provide you with information that is entirely false and misleading. This is a business without ethics...If you are smart don't ever go to this gym. You are better off dying of obesity rather than dying of mental stress due to deceit from this gym.

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Brittany
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Jul 29, 2008 8:47 pm EDT

maybe you people should read the agreements entirely before you sign them eh? it does state at the bottom of the agreement "DO NOT SIGN BEFORE YOU READ ALL AREAS AND ARE COMPLETELY AWARE OF THE TERMS OF THIS MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT" ..hmmm doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what that means... sheesh

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Fatz Domino
Athens, US
May 27, 2008 4:13 pm EDT

To All,

I run a health club. After I get finished ducking the rotten tomatos and pies. Please understand that ABC Financial is really just a computer billing system. They only do what your particular gym tells them to do. If your gym is ALLOWING these things to happen to you and then blaming ABC, that is a cop out. ABC works for them and must do whatever your particular gym tells them to do. You are not a member of ABC, they do not care if you cancel. Who do you think is benefitting from all the excess billing they are able to get out of you? The gym or ABC? The gym is! and then they stand there acting innocent and blaming ABC. Don't fall for it!

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OKC Cowgirl
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May 12, 2008 9:42 am EDT

I sent numerous letters to cancel my membership starting in February 2008. I asked an employee of WOW gym what I needed to do to cancel my membership b/c I was moving out of state. I was told to send a letter to the gym with a check for $25.00. This was done immediately. I then received a letter from ABC Financial in March stating my membership was past due. I called ABC as soon as I received the letter. They had tried to take a payment on 3/15/08 but my card had been cancelled b/c I lost it. Anyway, I told the rep that I wanted to cancel my membership and had already sent a letter to the gym, but obviously the gym did not forward it. He said to send the letter to ABC with a check for cancellation--no mention of proof--I guess a letter post-marked from out of state is not sufficient proof. They received the letter in March. I then got a letter from them stating I needed to send more proof. They said to send a utility bill. I sent a copy of the utility bill as soon as I received my copy, which I didn't get until April. I circled the date of the utility bill--proof of when my utilities were turned on--February 29, 2008. Mailed it to them. Well, I still had to pay for March and April. My complaint is my April payment I had to pay. It should be clear to everyone involved I have been trying to contact ABC & WOW for cancellation since February, I understand you need a 30 day notice (which is why I am not disputing the March payment), but give me a break. It is clear I moved out of state in February, my utilities were turned on then. What are you supposed to do when you don't receive proof until the next month? It is obvious it is just a way to get an extra month's dues out of members. It's pretty sad & bad business on WOW gym's part. And I have to say, everyone I have talked to at ABC Financial is extremely rude and was not helpful. They agrued with me when I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told they would not be able to help you either. They are not in the business of good customer service. Ignorant and rude sums up the staff at ABC Financial. I don't know, maybe they deal with upset customers all day (I have a feeling they do). That could be why they are so disgruntal. And, if you are going to try to get that extra $40 out of people you need to be all on the same page. One day I called, I owed $75 to cancel, the next day I called I owed $95 to cancel, and the letter I received in the mail states I owe $85 to cancel. I understand this is a WOW gym contract and ABC is following their contract regulations, but the staff at ABC needs some customer service training ASAP and they all need to get on the same page. You need to be more professional when handling customer's accounts.

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Carl Lobato
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Apr 08, 2008 5:19 am EDT

I was stationed in Augusta I got on a monthly deal that I could cancel at any time. I was deployed over seas and faxed a cancellation to ABC financial. They show no record of receiving and have been billing me 35 $ a month for about 20 months now. I called and told them to stop immediately they siad they would then I get billed a back payment of two months from when they stopped. I hope to resolve this without any law actions hwever by the responses here it does not look promising.

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theone
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Mar 19, 2008 8:02 pm EDT

This is all so crazy. Before you sign your life away read the contract. i found that all of the cancel procedures were included on my contract and all the fees. Even a part that says my club can increase my monthly payment amount after my contract renews, without notice. I didnt believe it until i read it myself.

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steven
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Mar 03, 2008 11:05 pm EST

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission with abc financial. I just did, the more people that file complaints the more likely they will be shut down. I am fighting Vision Financial Corp. because of ABC mistakes. I had to end my contract because of moving outside the state. I did send a copy of my new driver License to ABC financial. via mail which is stated in the contract. I was then to recieved a bill for 20% of the balance of unpaid dues. I recieved a bill about 2 weeks later for a past due membership fee's. Now in their contract it states that it can take up to 40 days for them make any changes so I figured that they didn't process my request yet. Then that was it. I never recieved any thing else from ABC financial. 3 months later I recieved a letter from Vision Financial. So I called them up and they told me that ABC financial never recieved anything. I asked him how the hell did you get my new address and phone number. They letter you sent came right to my new address so you must have gotten it off my driver license and the letter I sent you. Well, he didn't like to be wrong so then he when into I had to read my contract. What the [censored] didn't know is I work with contracts every day. He told me there is a 60 cancellation notice. I told him there isn't, not on the permanent relocation clause.

I am still fighting this so we'll see what happens

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annmarie Graham
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Feb 01, 2008 1:10 pm EST

Please cancell my membership, I dont go to your poorly kept GYM and $31 is way too much plus it smells bad I cant work out and hold my breath.

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annmarie Graham
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Feb 01, 2008 12:43 pm EST

I would like to close my account with you. I find that you're expensive compare to the gyms in my area and your staff at the west hartford, ct location are not very friendly, also I never receive any news letter or member ship information from you. I am a hard working single mom and I refuse to give my money to someone who doesn't show good customer service. Please cancell my membership with this Gym as of 2/1/08 and I will stop payment on my account, if you have any question you can contact me at [protected]

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Squirrel
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Dec 11, 2007 2:32 pm EST

By the way, regarding the transfer thing - this is also something in your contract.

Most contracts state that you may cancel your agreement if you move X miles or more from the club, OR ANY CLUB AFFILIATE. If we find an affiliated club that is within an X amount of miles from your home, the transfer is mandatory.

Come on guys, do you honestly think we make this crap up to make your lives a living hell?

It's all in your contract, which is probably sitting in a drawer since the day you joined the gym, collecting dust. It might shock you if you actually got it out and read it.

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Squirrel
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Dec 11, 2007 2:27 pm EST

Hello, everyone.

I work for ABC Financial, and I process cancellation requests on a daily basis for most of the above mention clubs. A lot of you seem to be confused as to why your cancellation requests are denied and/or prolonged.

Unfortunately, we do not have much say in whether we are able to terminate a contract. We are contract by health clubs do their "dirty work". A lot of times when someone signs a contract, they are misled by a club employee - mostly on contract terms/length and cancel procedures. I have hear from many customer service reps that people always call in, and when they are told they can only cancel due to moving or disability, they say "well, the gym told me I was month to month" or "I was told I could cancel anytime". This is true, but there is more to it.

We are given a list of "acceptable documents" from the club to accept. Whether it be a lease agreement, utility bill, bank statement, drivers license , whatnot -- if certain criteria is not met, then we can not cancel. A lot of members send lease agreements that don't show their full address. How are we going to tell that "123 Main Street" is in a different state - or x miles away from the club, without the lease providing a city or state? A lot of utility bills only show street addresses. I think a lot members are upset because they are providing the RIGHT type of documents, but those documents don't meet the criteria to cancel.

By the way, most of the newer contracts (2004 and newer) with WOW - you pay your first and LAST months dues up front. So, whoever claims that they are still paying for 3 months of dues after providing sufficient proof of relocation is full of it.

Most contracts require a 30 days notice. This is not an ABC policy, but a policy that is outlined in the members agreements. It may not be ethical or moral, whatever you want to call it - but it is in your contract, so it is legally binding. Not even the best attorney could override this. However, like I said above, some clubs require you to pay your last months dues at enrollment, so this is normally not an issue, especially if you're a WOW member.

You can file a complaint with the BBB, but before you do, just make note that we are BBB accredited for a reason. Most complaints are dropped and/or satisfied because the member just lacks common sense... or just doesn't know how to interpret a contract.

Sorry if this comes off as a negative response, but I just wanted to help clear some things up. If you have any further questions please respond and I'll try my best to answer in an honest way. Remember, all contracts are different, so before you sign your John Hancock away, make sure you READ EVERYTHING and point out anything suspicious to the person trying to sell you the contract. They can always mark out (and initial) any clause, or write any special clauses into your contract. Normally there are 3 copies of an agreement. One copy stays at the club, one goes to the member, and we get the other copy. This way, there are no discrepancies.

Cheers!

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Tyler Brown
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Dec 07, 2007 5:08 am EST

This is the worst site ever:

https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx

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Milady Bridges
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Nov 05, 2007 9:24 am EST

It makes me feel a little better to see that I am not the only one who has been completely taken advantage of by WOW. For those who have moved and tried canceling their contract, even a copy of the lease is not acceptable.

I moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia, PA because of school. I will only be living in Philadelphia for one year until I graduate, and then I intend to move back home. Before signing up with WOW, I told them I was moving to Philly for school, and I was shown a large list of Philadelphia gym locations to which I could switch my membership. The only reason I joined WOW was because of the large list of gyms I knew I could transfer my membership to.

After moving to Philly, suprise suprise, there were only two gyms I could transfer my membership to. The list I was originally shown was for members who were traveling, and could temporarily use these gyms. The REAL list of gyms I could transfer memberships to consisted of two gyms: one too far away for me to commute to, and the other one was conveniently located right next to my apartment. I thought I was lucky, till I found out that gym was no longer affiliated with WOW. Not only did WOW mislead me to believe I could easily transfer my membership to a large selection of gyms, their actual list of gyms was not up to date.

I decided to cancel my membership, which sounded like a simple process when I originally joined up. One option was to send a cancellation request with a proof of address change, and option two was to pay three months subscription. I sent a fax with a copy of my lease and a letter of why I needed to terminate my contract to the proper number. Two months later, I was still being charged a $50 monthly membership fee. When I called the gym to inquire as to why I was still paying, they told me my cancellation request had been denied because they could not accept the copy of my lease. I was told that I need a license to prove my change of address. This is ridiculous considering I am only temporarily living in Philly, I don't own a car, and it will take time(which costs money) to get a new license in a different state. I might as well just pay the three months fees. Since I have already paid two months after requesting cancellation, I asked to pay the remaining month's fee and be done with everything. Of course things couldn't be this easy. Since I had not requested to cancel my account by paying three months worth of fees (I had requested by change of address) I now have to put in a new request for cancellation, and pay three more months of fees. I tried inquiring about a reasonable solution to this mess, but was told it's not possible. I was than told to put in a new cancellation request, and was rudely reminded that there were other phone lines waiting to be answered.

Only after sending my mother, who implied she could take legal action, did the manager of my branch call me back to try and work something out. She was much nicer this time around, and asked me to mail her copies of bills or letters that I am receiving at my new address. She than said she would try to work something out with corporate(or whoever is in charge), but was almost positive it would not work. I have yet to find out if I am going to have to pay another three months to rid myself of this gym.

In total, I have paid well over 300 dollars in fees to this gym so far, and have only been able to use it for one month. These scams need to stop. I thought my last gym screwed me over, but that seems like cake in comparison to what WOW is doing right now.

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Steve
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Oct 30, 2007 9:37 am EDT

Total scammers! Avoid! I agree 100% with all the deceptive practices above. Work Out World (aka WOW) and ABC Financial are running a total scam!

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Sara Penman
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Oct 24, 2007 5:18 pm EDT

I am in the same boat as many here. I was simply told at an LA Workout (part of ABC Financial) that I could simply cancel my
account by showing proof of relocation (no one ever said that it had to be a particular mileage) and paying a $100 cancellation
fee. Now, ABC has rejected my request to cancel because I live within 25 miles of a club (take into account that the club is in a city totally out of my way and packed with traffic). They lied about other existing locations (They are now closed! Go Figure!) when I signed my contract, and I am now stuck paying $44 a month for a club too distant to go to. DO NOT join a gym associated with ABC FINANCIAL.

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Maggie C.
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Oct 16, 2007 3:54 pm EDT

I am having similar issues with ABC Financial/Omni Fitness Club of Augusta, Ga 30909.

When I first got transferred to Augusta, Ga with the Navy in May 2003 I joined Omni because it seemed that's where most people went. I signed a 3-year contract with them figuring that I was to be stationed here for 4 years, so no big deal. My contract was up with Omni in July 2006 and after that it was to go to a month-to-month payment basis. After my contract was up in July '06, it took me a couple of months to get around to sending in the required letter of cancellation. So, I sent in my letter in November '06. I didn't get charged anything from my account. However, 3 months later, in February of 2007, I got a letter from a creditor stating that I owed Omni Health and Fitness/ABC Financial $87 or 3 months of membership. I naturally assumed that this was a mistake and contacted the number on the letter.
I explained to the woman at the collection agency that I had satisfied all terms of my contract with them and that I was not going to pay them another dime. She even tried to "settle" with me for half of the "past-due" amount, but I refused. I told her I was disputing this and that I refused to pay. She acknowledged what I said and told me that she, in turn, was going to have to contact their partner-ABC Financial-to clear things up. I asked her what the next step was that I was going to have to take and she told me "nothing". "We don't have a practice of calling people that don't owe us money, so if we don't call you, consider the issue resolved." I asked her how long I should expect things to take and she told me to wait a few weeks. So, when March 2007 comes and goes, I figure everything has been resolved.

Big mistake. October 12, 2007 comes and I get a call from the same creditors--EIGHT MONTHS LATER. I'm informed that I still owe the same $87 to Omni. I had a rude man call me and tell me that it was my credit on the line and that they were going to continue calling me until things were resolved. I told the man that I had disputed this 8 months prior and I wasn't going to pay anything-especially now. He told me that he only works for the collections and that I would have to take this up with the gym-because he's only there to get the money. (As of today I have received 2 calls a day since Friday from them).

Friday, immediately after getting off the phone, I drove the 15 miles into Omni to speak with someone that could help me. I spoke with the General Manager-Will. I explained the situation to him and he told me that I would need to speak with their accounts manager who will return on Monday. I wasn't able to make it there on Monday-so I went today (Tuesday). The "accounts manager" wasn't there-again, so I, AGAIN, dealt with Will (GM). He informed me that he can't and won't do anything for me unless I provide a certified letter/delivery confirmation receipt. I told him that this issue had been resolved in February through their client Vision Financial Services (the creditors) and that any receipts or proof I had, have been thrown out. He then treated me as though all of the burden of proof was on me and that it's out of his hands since it has already gone to collections.
Wait a minute--the creditors just told me that they couldn't do anything about it, that it was up to the gym to deal with it. And now the gym is telling me the exact opposite? I smell a SCAM!

He informed me that since I was "unwilling" to provide him what was required (the certified letter receipt) that his hands were tied. He also wondered why I "didn't bother" to follow up with the creditors in March. My first point, is that I'm more than "willing" to provide the information required, but a reasonable human being can't expect anybody to keep a receipt for a "resolved" issue. Secondly, I feel it's not my responsibility to have called back the creditors to make sure they resolved things with ABC Financial. I had checked ABC Financial's website where I had an account previously and I wasn't located in their system anymore. So, reasonably, one would expect that things were over. Even Will-the GM, told me TODAY that I should still have an "active" account with them if I had gone to collections.
In conclusion-ABC Financial/Omni Health and Fitness and any gym/health club that may be associated with ABC Financial are nothing but con artists hiding behind the guise of being a reputable gym that are trying to fleece their members a little bit at a time. They're hoping that people with just shrug their shoulders and say 'eh, it's worth $87 to have this problem go away'. I won't give them the satisfaction.

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Rich J.
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Oct 03, 2007 6:11 pm EDT

I canceled a membership with Gold's Gym in July. I called the 800 number for ABC and they said I needed to send a letter. When I sent the letter, I assumed I would get billed one more time and that would be it. I looked at my account today to notice they continued billing me. I called customer service and they said the cancellation letter needs to be sent by certified mail. This was not explained when I called in June, yet they had record of receiving my letter. In return they claimed to have sent a letter to my old address even though I explained in that letter that I moved. I also told them to call me with any questions and provided my phone number! They did nothing but keep billing me.

I signed up with a Workout World gym in July, and coincidentally ABC handles their billing as well. They can see that I moved and that I have 2 gym accounts open, but it doesn't matter at all. I tried to explain what happened and they told me they would play the recording of the conversation where I was told the letter needed to be sent certified mail. After being on hold for 10 minutes, the woman comes back on the phone and says she will call me tomorrow with the recording. Is anybody willing to take class action against ABC Financial. They can expend the resources to collect on people if you don't pay a bill, but if you try to cancel the right way and make a mistake, they don't show good faith. I'm highly upset with them.

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Ronald Magembe
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Sep 29, 2007 7:30 pm EDT

I too Iam continuing to be a victim of the WOW,ABC ###. I signed a 1year contract which ended 10 months ago I went to the waltham Branch and signed the forms with my wife and daughter to terminate the contract because we were moving. We were assured by the manager that everything is OK that was one year ago. Until now they have continued to get money from my bank account. I have called and talked to ABC .WOW and apparaently there is nothing I can do to stop them. I have since moved and live sixty miles from Waltham but that is not enough Iam being robbed in broad day light

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Marilyn Wolford
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Aug 08, 2007 7:42 pm EDT

ABC Financial scammed me in the same way. I paid in full and in advance for an 18-month membership to Irving Fitness, a neighborhood gym within walking distance. After 12 months they went out of business. Even though I had 6 months of unusable pre-paid service, I thought, "what the heck". I will just count it as a loss and forget about it. Bad decision. 6 months later I noticed my debit card was charged $25 for ABC Finance- Irving Fitness. I called, assuming that we could clear it up over the phone--Wrong! They told me that (according to my contract) I bought a lifetime membership and after the 18 month I was obligated to pay a monthly charge for a gym that no longer existed--indefinitely! Yes, I contacted the OAG and the BBB. I posted a complaint on RipOff.com.

Yes, I would be interested in a class action. Evidently, they've been pulling this scam for years. They must be stopped!

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Jennifer Cammarota
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Jun 18, 2007 11:37 am EDT

I can not believe how bad this business is. I am moving away (more than 30 miles!) to live with my parents. They require proof of my move but they won't accept my valid id because the issue date is still from 2004 - the DMV just gave me the same license I had when I left. It’s valid until 2015 so it's perfectly valid. Also, ABC is not understanding of the fact that I do not have any bills in my name - I have a cell phone and CC statements, which they won't accept. Only utility bills or a lease agreement is acceptable which I don't have because I’m living with my parents. It’s so ridiculous, I can't believe it. What a scam and sleazy way to make money on regular people. Had WOW gave me a hint as to hard it would be to cancel, I would never had joined. Of course, they said it would be no problem.

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Daniel
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Jun 17, 2007 8:05 am EDT

I totally agree, ABC peak fitness is the worst company I ever dealt with. My contract was for a year, and It was suppose to end last March... When I called them to cancel my membership they said that the needed a 90 days noticed very unfair since I signed a 1 year contract... Now they just take $25 dollars a Month and I don't even live in the same state anymore. SCAMERS!

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Joseph Fargnoli
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Jun 09, 2007 12:54 am EDT

Yes once again another person. I am in the military and I am still being billed 80 dollars a month, YES 80 F***ing dollars a month over a year after I CANCELED with proof of joining the military. This company is ridiculous and they will be sued.

Some tricks you will have to look out for with ABC-

1) After complaining they wont bill you for a few months, then pick it back up again, especially for military deployments.

2) They will start charging inconvenience charges.

3) Some how they find your account if you claim card stolen.

4) They make many empty threats

5) They are completely useless over the phone

6) WOW will not help in any way.

7) The last month's payment you paid in the beginning will not be taken in to consideration and you will be charged again.

F ABC AND F WOW.

Pray that I take all their money because I will be trying.

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Jessica
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May 02, 2007 8:23 am EDT

WOW ! Well I have a lot on my hands now. Right now I am going through something similar. I too am with ABC financial and getting withdrawn on a monthly bases for a contract with Powerhouse Gym. The only thing about my case is that I don't have a problem with Powerhouse Gym the problem is that the owner of the one here in El Paso, Tx West franchised his Gym to Planet Fitness a $10 gym from one day to the next with out warning ! So several of the members from the Powerhouse contract including my self are being told that we can not cancel the Powerhouse contract, we would have to pay the $124.00 a month no matter what ! So I called ABC financial to let them know what was going on and I did not want them to with draw from my account anymore for a different gym. They said they have not heard of anything about this and that the Owner has not notified them of any changes. So basically that we are pretty much out of luck. I refuse to be a scammed by these gyms and I will get this resolved !