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National Fitness

National Fitness review: unable to terminate membership although I have provided sufficient requirements 16

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4:06 pm EDT
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Back in February a friend and I signed up for a gym membership at Premier Ladies Fitness. Being Military spouses we know moving could always be in our near future. When going over the contract with the employee we informed her of this possibility. She then told us “not a problem, just send proof of move and you’ll be fine”. Well months passed and as we thought our husbands deployed and we decided to move. We contacting Premier Ladies Fitness and were told to contact National Fitness via a 800 number. My friend spoke with a representative from National Fitness and they told her fax them proof of move, be it rental agreement, utility bill, drivers license. We faxed a copy of the rental agreement, waited 3 days and called to see if the membership was canceled. The representative was extremely rude and unhelpful. We were then told this wasn’t sufficient enough and we needed to send a drivers license, utility bill, etc. We’re moving in with a roommate, the utilities are in her name so why go through the trouble of getting that changed over into one of our names just for the soul purpose of canceling a gym membership. We’re in the process of moving have are trying to tie up all the loose ends of our husbands being deployed and haven’t had time to go the DMV in our new county to get a new license. I contacted the manager at the Huber Heights location and she told me she’s help me cancel the membership and not to worry. All I had to do was compose a letter explaining my situation and fax it to her and National Fitness. A few phone calls later she tells me (on two separate occasions) that the membership has been canceled. National Fitness contacted me a few days later and informs me they have received my letter of complaint but it doesn’t changed that status of my membership. The membership is still active and will continue to be charged to my account. I tried to contact them manager at the gym, she told me the membership is transferable to a participating gym within 20 miles of our home. She lied about the cancellation and when I call Nation Fitness I'm treated horribly. I have sold my soul to the devil himself for this membership This experience has been one shameless lie after another. I have regretfully referred my friends to this gym. I will be coming back to the Dayton Area upon my husband‘s return. If things hadn’t been the way they were with Premier Ladies Fitness/National Fitness I would have continued with a membership at their establishment. When attending support meeting for military spouses I will make it a point to educate them with my poor experience with these companies.

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16 comments
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Raj12
Westerville, US
Oct 14, 2013 11:15 am EDT

This fitness centre guys has lessened my respect towards this country.i am from india working in dayton.I have enrolled myself and my mom in this premier fitness .The person at customer care have spoken very sweet to me and got the long list of documents signed without giving me an inkling about the fact that I am siging a 3 yr contract !.
I came to know about it only when I tried to cancel the memebrship since I am moving to a diffent city and my mom is going back to india.
They want proof of address and after providing them they are telling that the adress is insufficient.
I have called them for 2 months and I have sent number of dcouments establishing the fact without any success.
These guys are REALLYYYYYYYYYY BAD BAD BAD

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Rachel Geho
Urbana, US
Feb 28, 2013 10:00 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

also every time that i try to talk to the manager, it goes like this: okay let's pull up your account. there isn't any account information on here. (enter another member) hey hon have you renewed your membership?' ''no why is it expired?'' ''yes but if you sign up i can give you a really good deal'' ''ok'' ''hey timmy would you take care of her so i can help this fellow out'' and off she goes and my problem is never solved. i totally wish that i had researched this place before i joined but i feel that legal action is in the near future!

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Rachel Geho
Urbana, US
Feb 28, 2013 9:55 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am being charged 15 dollars a month for a return fee on a non-existent bank account. i was also never informed of a 36 month agreement which was filled in after i signed the contract, it was supposed to be 6 months, and was NEVER EVER informed of a three day cancellation option. fortunately they do not have my bank account information and i am going to threaten them with a lawsuit for fraudulent charges because how can they charge me return fees when i never gave them any type of bank account info except for a routing number. how fortunate on my part that the girl was not thorough enough to follow up with the rest of my information.

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JulieSeger
Troy, US
Jul 28, 2012 10:31 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am a military wife and i had asked the gym if i could cancel my contract if we had to move they told me not a problem...yea well we got orders to move to Italy and they told me to send in my orders and a copy of my military id so i did. They called me the following day and said that they could not accept my paper work because they were not real military orders well duh i'm not the one that is in the military my husband is. They were very rude and not helpful and wouldn't let me speak to a supervisor or anything to explain my situation...they have the highest complaints in the us and they were also on CNN news I'm just curious to why no one is taking action and they can still get away with screwing people over for money. I STRONGLY recommend that no one sign anything and do NOT give them your bank info i had to change mine because i will be damned if they get another dime from me i would not wish this upon my worst enemy I'm sorry for anyone else that is going through this.

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jnj2004
Spring Valley, US
Oct 26, 2010 5:40 pm EDT

My husband who is only 26 was diagnosed with a heart problem. We know longer can afford the membership and they told me if it was me I could get out of it but since it is not they will not work with me. I think this company is the worst I have ever delt with.

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firestormer
Troy, US
Aug 28, 2010 10:51 pm EDT

I too was scammed into a contract with Premier Ladies Fitness for 3 YEARS and was NEVER told it was 3 YEARS...only ONE year. Nor did they EVER mention that I had only 3 DAYS to cancel if I changed my mind! I told the lady at the Huber Heights branch that I wasn't sure if I'd have the gas money to drive out there regularly to workout and might have to cancel. She said it would be 'no problem' and that I could 'cancel anytime'. Nope. Two weeks after signing on with them, I tried to cancel. She said I hadn't met the '3 day time limit' for canceling and I was now obligated to 3 YEARS of payments! WTF! She KNEW she was scamming me! That old bag had NO CONSCIENCE! That was back in 2007. I paid off my 3 years...finally. But I STRONGLY WARN anyone from dealing with Premier Ladies Fitness (especially the Huber Heights, OH branch), National Fitness (their finance company...lying [censored]bags...ALL of them! Even you 'mamab' up there!) They are all one gigantic SCAM!

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Jane.Business
, US
Aug 04, 2010 1:03 am EDT

I only signed up for one year membership
I canceled it too with a letter and personal visit in the gym
I never used their service for the whole year I was paying for it because I hated their creepy stalking trainers.
I never signed up for an auto renewal.

and GUESS WHAT?!

after my one year of membership I am hoping they will be done with me and I will be done with them.
but another year passed by I found out, they were still charging my credit card. WTF?!
They said I have an auto renewal which I NEVER AGREED to sign.
I was also never told most of the things that was on the contract.

I sent another letter saying that I am canceling my membership with the gym and I would never want to do business with them again. I closed my account. then I receive another letter from them asking me to pay this last month, f.
I'm definitely going to Lawyer up after this. I think everyone should instead of losing money over their stupid lies why not spend money to get the attention of the legal court about this business.

I'm pretty sure they are still running since noone dared to bring this to attention. I cannot believe there are businesses like this. This National Fitness company claims to "help" their clients make a lifestyle change but the only thing they do is to make a financial mess out of their client's lives. I hope Better Business Beauru or the law enforcement would take a look at this company and stop them from withholding important information with their clients. Stop them from scamming their clients and potential clients to sign this awful contract. (I did feel like I signed a contract with the devil)

I also hope that the higher authorities of this company should take a look at this issue and how they look like a total [censor]...

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HotGreenTea
, US
Apr 12, 2010 9:39 pm EDT

I have the same bad experience. I tried many time to cancel the membership due to relocation.

I faxed all info. that they wanted. They still calling and sending mail trying to collect the fee. I had no choice but to close my bank account.

They ignore the document and ignore cancellation notice. They are sending threatenning letters. I just want them to stop. And yes, I called many time and they were very rude every single time. I tried to be polite but they are simply ignore me and gave me a run around. They are a dishonest organization. I hate them very much.

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drkalegrl
, US
Feb 17, 2010 2:48 pm EST

I did not make the mistake of signing any contract, but did experience the rudeness and ignorance of the staff. I wound up here looking for a corporate number which will obviously do no good. I signed up for the chance to win a free month or a $50 gift card for pizza (I hoped for the pizza). As luck would have it, I won the free month. That was in October. So I went, and since I have heard of the scandalous way these places work and didn't sign any contract. I was badgered all month. My friend who came with me was harassed. Well last night I received a phone call about winning a free month and that I should come in at 3 to set it up. I showed up and the insolent little jerk who set me up the first time informed me that I wasn't eligible. He had given a new employee slips to call people for training purposes, they weren't marked and the new guy didn't know that I wasn't eligible. So I wasted my time, gas and energy for this guy to inform me that I had ample time to utilize their facility and that I wouldn't be allowed to abuse their facility. He proceeded to accuse me of submitting more entries after I submitted the first one. Couldn't even offer an apology for the misunderstanding, had to be accusatory. I haven't been in that neighborhood since the last time I was at that gym. I wasn't impressed enough the first time to go out of my way to try again. But, when THEY called me, I figured why not take advantage. I don't use banks and won't sign without reading so there is no way for them to take my money. Guess what it boils down to is they are generally jerks from the bottom to the top, and wasting your time with them in any sense will just lead to headaches, and emptied bank accounts if you sign anything.

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Not A fan of Premier
huberheights, US
Nov 30, 2009 5:43 pm EST

i need some help..i have no idea what to do, the supervisor at the ladies premier told me if i would like to make a family membership, and i said i might have some sister in laws that would like to join, but i have to ask them first. she said ok not a problem and if they do not want to we will stop the family membership and do a single membership...so now so far 2 months have past and they are charging me $66 for a family membership instead of $33 for a single. the 1st day i actually joined she said she would get that fixed! and she keeps giving me excuses...i cant afford to be paying 66 a month! I REALLY NEED HELP! WHAT COULD I DO?

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CCJJ
Dayton, US
Jul 15, 2009 8:35 pm EDT

Wow, I just had a very bad experience at Kingsridge in Miamisburg and this is summer 2009. The contract was not filled out in agreement with what we discussed. It was given to me in a sealed envelope after he had written in a 3 year contract which there is no way in the world I would have committed to.

I got home that night, tore the envelope open (if not so shady why the need to fold it and place it in a sealed envelope before I could see it?) I read it entirely.

I went back the next day to try to get the deal we discussed. No dice. He got slightly beligerent towards me and I finally had to push repeatedly to get him to sign the cancellation.

I was prepared to meet him part way despite his questionable tactics and commit to one year, but the way he treated me changed all that and I elected to cancel during the 3 day legally provided window.

Now I am getting the idea I need to take extreme measures to ensure they follow through with the cancellation.

Wow, how can these places continue to legally operate?

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mamab
Layton, US
Jan 04, 2009 5:32 pm EST

Oh, and as far as asking to speak to a supervisor, it is not that the rep is unwilling to transfer you to one. The supervisors are not permitted to take incoming calls unless they themselves have called that person within the last 24 hours. Supervisor call-backs are the procedure we are required to follow and we can be fired if we don't. If you really want to talk to a supervisor, you can request to speak to one and they will call you within 24-48 hours of that request. That is just how it is, and no rep can change that. And you will likely not get what you want from the supervisor because they, just like the rep you were talking to, have no authority to change your contract or go outside of what the gym will allow us to do. No amount of anger or yelling will change what we are allowed to do as a billing company and collections agency.

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mamab
Layton, US
Jan 04, 2009 5:25 pm EST

I am in no way discounting the issues that you all have had with the gyms in question. However, you must understand that the representatives working at National Fitness are not out to take your money and do horrible things to you. I am a representative at National Fitness, and I spend every day working with members like you all trying to help resolve the problems you're having. I hate that, because of complaints like this, I get yelled at from the second I answer your phone calls because you all expect me to be rude and refuse to help you. I do everything in my power to help every member I work with, but there are limitations to what a billing and collections company can do for the member. We work for the gym and are contractually obligated to do what the terms of their agreements require. If the gym says we can only take a few things as proof of move and they have to be mailed certified, then that is all we can do, and yelling at the poor girl on the other end of the phone is not going to change that. And if members would spend a few minutes after they get home to read the contract they just signed, they would see that all this drama could have been easily avoided by just following the terms written on it. I know that some of the gyms we do billing and collections for have some very shady business practices, which is why I do try so hard to help people in these situations. But you have to understand that these representatives are people as well, who have bosses riding them all day to do what the gym tells us to do. And as far as being called to pay a late fee, we are required by the gyms and our bosses to attempt to collect on these fees. The contracts you sign allow for them, and if we don't call you, we get in trouble. If all you owe is a fee, work with the representative on the other end of the line. They will likely waive it for you to resolve the account. We do not make any extra money on getting you to pay for more months on your contracts. We do not take pleasure in calling you every other day to ask you to pay for these memberships. And we especially do not enjoy getting screamed at all day every day for doing our jobs. I don't know about people who get all the way to Advanced Collections before they start getting things resolved, but I put people in payment plans all the time. I waive tons of fees. I get memberships deleted for members. WHEN I AM ALLOWED. I cannot change the terms of these contracts, all I can do is work within them. I am not the God of Gym Memberships. Try to understand this when you speak to a representative at National Fitness. They will be much more eager to work with you on your issue if you are nice to them.

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Amy
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Oct 24, 2008 8:45 pm EDT

In addition to the above comment I made, I have recently found they called my Grandparents harrassing them for a "late fee." They also called my cell phone and my home phone.

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Amy
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Oct 24, 2008 4:31 pm EDT

I agree completely. This company is rude and god forbid you need cutomer support. When I called regarding my issue, I asked to speak with a supervisor. She was "unavailable" and would call me back. It wasn't in a timely fashion. I told her what I had to say and got nowhere with her and asked to be transferred to someone higher than her and she told me, "There is nobody higher than me. This is it." I'm not ashamed to say I swore at her profusely. She lied to me. I know there is somehone higher than her there, but they will NEVER transfer you to that person.
When I signed on early in the year I had a better job and the rediculous 3 day window was UNDER empasized. The guy was pushy and made me feel as though I had to sign right away. A couple months later my job changed and the payements were going to get tighter. I called to cancel. I was told unless I had almost $1k though luck, they didn't care, no payment options, nothing. I was told flat out, "that is not OUR problem." Then there is the issue of them admitting they delete their voicemail without listening to it. Had they not done so, perhapse the $100 overdraft fee I was slapped with could have been avoided?
Their staff is rude and beligerant and their customer service is horrid. I have not used my membership since they screwed me over in May, yet they still want my money. Oh, and they LOVE to wave the contract in your face, so if you have an issue with them be prepared for that.
NEVER LET THESE PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT!

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Dee
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Aug 13, 2008 9:57 am EDT

What this person is saying is absolutely the truth. I have never worked with an organization of people who lie like these people. I had bought a membership back in 2001 or 2002 I can't remember exactly. I paid cash up front and also paid for my husband and daughter a membership. When my son moved back to dayton a couple of years ago he wanted to join so I bought him a membership with the person working there telling me when my son moved I could transfer his remaining gym membership to myself. So I signed up for auto deduct from my checking account and was also told that since that payment was coming out of my account they could renew my membership at the reduced rate. Now they are telling me it's been over 30 days since I've had a membership in my own name so I have to start over. Yeah that won't happen, and I too will tell everyone who will listen what a shady company this gym is. It's disgraceful.