Complain about a product or service

Gold's Gym

Peter of Valley Park, MO March 24, 2008

I spoke to one of the managers at Fenton, MO Gold's Gym location and complained about inappropriate DVD movies and cable channels played at the kids center, namely Scooby-Doo.

He insured me that all DVD movies are cartoon movies and are G rated. He told me that all the cable channels played at the kids center are cartoon channels. I insisted that not all cartoons are suitable for the young children where my 7 years old daughter is the oldest one every time she is in there. My youngest one is 4 years old is not the youngest one there. His response was that they have to satisfy 14 years old children as well.

Not only these response where outrageously absurd but where not true. Today, 3/24/08 my wife went to the gym and found Scooby-Doo & Scooby-Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed which are PG rated movies!

I am also outraged that this manager after I complained to him did not verify my statements and did not remove any movies not rated G?. I found about this when my 7 years old daughter woke up from nightmares and complained about the monsters she saw in Scooby Doo movie.

Allwyn of Katonah, NY March 21, 2008

My wife and I joined the gym in Feb. 2007 and signed a contract for group fitness for 15 months by paying 720. In September 2007, Gold's Gym canceled the group workouts and also got rid of contracts. But since we had prepaid the whole amount, Gerard said he will pro-rate and adjust the membership based on new monthly charges and extended the contract until Feb 2009 for the money paid already. We had mentioned that we will be moving out of state soon, to which he said it was ok--that we can cancel anytime. In Jan 2008, when we went to cancel the membership, he said we still have 350 in the account, and when we submit the proof of moving, we will get the money. We sent the fax with proof in Jan 2008, and it's been more than 2 months. We never received any payment. We tried calling Golds Gym Billing and Gerard, and they say Gerard never said the prepaid money was refundable; and they refuse to pay the money back.

Gold's Gym is refusing to pay 350 which they owe for terminating the contract early because we moved out of state and cannot use their service.

Sally of Lake Oswego, OR March 14, 2008

My 75 year old mother was visiting St. George, Utah in May 2007 for a month. She went to visit a Gold's Gym with a friend on a guest pass. She was approached by a rep. of Gold's Gym to see if she would like to join. She listened and was told that a Gym would be available to her in her home town when she returned.

Being interested she filled out her application; she was told to put the address of the friend she was staying with. She used her Washington Driver's license as she lives in Washington and owns a home there. They assured her that there was a Gold's Gym in her home town. She paid the entire amount of the 2 year membership as she was offered a 10% discount to do so. Upon return to her home town in Washington she found that there was no Gold's Gym associated with the Gym she joined and there had not be Gold's Gym there for many years. So she was taken advantage of by the rep. of Gold's Gym and they are not willing to do anything except keep her money...which is actually stealing from her. They simply do not care.

We contacted Customer Service. She had to call them and give them permission to talk with me regarding this matter. When I called back, they screened my name and phone number on their call i.d., and would not take my call. Finally I called on another phone and they picked up immediately...so much for Customer Service.

Of course the manager at the Gym says he would never lie to sell a membership or take advantage of a Senior Citizen... that is exactly what he did

Mark of West Valley City, UT March 9, 2008

Three years ago I signed up for a Golds Gym membership. In the state I live in there is a three day law in-which all contracts can be terminated. Latter, the same day I signed up, I went back to add my wife to my membership. All seemed well, and they signed her up. Last month when I went to renew, I found that they had overcharged me nearly 200 originally. When they added my wife, they did not charge her the difference for a couples-contract, but the difference plus nearly two-hundred dollars. The salesman said there was nothing they could do about it. I said that mistakes happen, and I would be forgiving, thinking it was a rare occurrence.

I signed up again for another three years, and made sure the pricing was in-order. As I sat down with the salesman and reviewed the contract. I asked him about the checkbox that says "This agreement is NON-RENEWABLE if this box is checked." The salesman had not checked it. When I questioned him about it, he said, We leave it that way, that is how we do it here. When I asked if it would auto-renew if we left it blank, he would not answer, claiming he did not know. I insisted that we check the box. He acted like it was voiding the contract, but when I said I would not sign without doing so, he did put a line haphazardly through the box. I should also mention that he did indeed fill in a rate for a yearly renewal at almost three-times the cost of a normal membership. Strange he filled this in, if he was not sure if contracts did renew that way.

The entire section reads: Following the initial membership term your membership agreement will automatically continue on a month-to-month basis at a monthly rate of ___ for EFT Contracts. The monthly rate may be increased up to 10% per year after the initial membership term. PIF Members may renew at the rate of ___ per person per year. This agreement is NON-RENEWABLE if this box is checked.

What concerns me is that they do not let you know that it is a renewable contract, they even outright lie to avoid the fact.

Case Study: We got a call from our next-door neighbor this week. She found out that her credit-card that she rarely uses has been billed nearly 800 (eight-hundred) dollars for the past 8 months for Golds Gym personal trainer/training sessions. She had signed up for a one-year contract. She had never received a statement or a bill stating that this was occurring. She only was made aware, when she checked her credit-card balance. When she called to ask for a refund, they completely refused. They said they will give her 8 months of training sessions, but absolutely no money back. They also said that a phone call was not good enough to cancel, and they need written cancellation, and if she does not get it to them in the next week, she will be billed for a 9th month.

From the research I have done, it seems Certified Mail is the best approach, but you will still have to fight it. Can you say, Small claims court, here I come. I should also mention that during the year of her contract the personal trainer simply stopped showing up, and she was without a trainer for two months. She had to approach the management before they would give her an extension of the contract, for the time she was not supplied with the services.

In Summary, I like the local Golds facilities. They are not above average by any means, but they are sufficient for my usage. I hate the policies and the deception in the sales staff. 1) Check to see if the box that says This agreement is NON-RENEWABLE if this box is checked. 2) Cross out the lines that contain auto-renewal rates. 3) Pay with a credit-card you want to get rid of, and cancel it immediately afterward. or Go somewhere else.

John of 9465 S. 1100 W., UT March 6, 2008

My wife and I walked into the Gold's Gym on 25th St in Ogden, Utah. We were looking to get a family membership. The salesman sat us down and explained the services and we thought it was a good deal. He then started to dictate to us the terms of the contract. We were aware that it would be a 1 yr. contract. The salesman then told us that the contract would terminate at the end of the year period and that if we choose to continue it then we would have the same payments. We had our kids with us and they were getting restless so I didn't take the time to read through the contract, but rather took the salesman's explanation of it for face value (800 mistake).

10 months into our contract we were moving so we paid out the rest of the year so that we would be current when the contract closed. Five months later we received a letter from a collection agency stating that we owed Gold's Gym over 800. We never used the service after the 1 year period. I spoke with the General Manager of the gym explaining that the salesman told me the contract would end at the end of the year and that we never used the service after that year, and his reply was sorry you signed the contract and it's the legal agreement. You'll have to pay it. I realize that it's my responsibility to read the contract prior to signing. I knew that I was in between a rock and a hard space. I was hoping for some goodwill on Gold's Gym's part. It's sad that a company would rather trick a customer into buying and drain them as much as possible before discarding them rather than gain the loyalty of a customer ensuring repeat business.

The consequence of this action results in over 800 worth of fees. Almost 1 year's worth of membership dues for 5 months of a contract that I thought had been completed. We were going to take my son to Disneyland, however, now I have to talk to him about the cruelty of businesses and how you can never trust a man with a pen and paper.

Dd of Bountiful, UT February 28, 2008

Before my husband and I signed up with Gold's gym, we specifically inquired of Royce, Gold's Gym's representative, if there was a contract of 1-2 years because if that was the case, we would not sign up. I asked him specifically if we could cancel at anytime without any penalty. Once again, he reassured us by repeating back what I had said. Due to current circumstances, we made an attempt to cancel only to find out that we signed a contract for 2 years. I've called their corporate office only to be told that it was fully my responsibility to read the contract. The question I have now is what responsibility does the company have when false advertisement by one of their very own representative? What kind of business are they running? This is not right and I intend to fight back. They must take responsibility!

Cheryl of St. Louis, MO February 26, 2008

Two years and three months ago I signed up for a two year membership for my son. He went for quite a while until he carried a full load at college. I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of this contract, so I just let them take it monthly from my checking account. Two months ago I contacted the gym location and asked them how do I cancel my son's membership, and they told me he would have to e-mail them and tell them to cancel membership. We did this, and I am still be debited for 36.00 a month from Gold's gym. Now they tell me that I must come in to the gym and cancel membership. I would like to be able to resolve this. I am not the member, my son is, and he is not available here to personally go in to cancel. What a delimma. I am upset watching this gym take this money from me every month for who knows how long. What to do?

They just keep taking my money, and I have no recourse. I feel helpless with a limited income.

Renee of Stoneham, MA February 7, 2008

I signed up for this gym after a surgery as a way of getting some exercise, seeing that I wouldn't be able to work for a few months. I was good about going and walking for about 1 month. After that it was discovered that I would need another surgery. I tried to cancel my membership in house- but of course you can't do that because of there ridiculous policy of writing a letter. So I called the number and told them my story; they said that I would have to be wheelchair bound in order to cancel. Two major surgeries that required me to be on bed rest for 6 weeks each is apparently not enough. When I signed with them, the man said that we- my boyfriend signed up with me- could cancel at any time: no problem. Now as I have been out of work for so, long the 40 a month and the 30 maintenance fee which I was never told of, is really starting to add up. Now I don't even know how to cancel when my membership ends.

No one will help me with this, and everyone is extremely rude and can't speak English. This usually doesn't bother me- but when I am spending 40 a month, and all I want to know is how to cancel it when it is time--they don't even know what I am talking about. I feel as though their policies should be illegal and would love to start a class action or something. The money they are making for poor service is NOT okay with me!

I have a loss of 40 a month when I was told I could cancel at any time, plus random fees charges.

Brandon of Fort Myers, FL February 7, 2008

I got a membership a few months ago after my father died and thought it would help me deal with those issues. I am 16 years old and went in without a parent to find out more. After the salesman found out I had a credit card, he immediately signed me up. After my second visit, I was uncomfortable going into the spa area where there was a lot of older guys sitting around naked. I complained and was told too bad. Since I am in school, I can only work 2-3 hours a day so it is very hard to continue paying their bill and not being able to use some of the facility. I asked to be released from my contract, and they said too bad--business is business. I am only 16 years old and don't see how if I do not feel safe in this environment, they can continue to force me to pay for the full time of my contract.

They offered to freeze my membership for an additional monthly fee until I'm older (that doesn't really help me now). If I'm 16 and old enough to enter a contract with them, I wonder if my 12 year old brother signed a contract would it be legal, too, to continue forcing him to pay? Seems like unfair business practice to enter a contract with a minor. BTW: They don't do background checks to see if these old naked guys are sex offenders or pedeophiles. It just seems wrong!

They are withdrawing money from my bank account every month, about 30, and the first fee of 100.

Joanna of Twin Falls,, ID January 24, 2008

I joined Gold's Gym in December of 2007. They said that my first bill would be in January. The bill should of been 30.24 per month and it was 50.24. When I called the local Gold's Gym, I got the runaround; said people were in when they weren't, no one ever called back and when I asked to speak to the manager they said that she was the one I needed to speak to about the billing and would be out of the office for one week. I then asked if there was another manager I could speak to and he said yes, but she was at a different Gold's Gym. I replied that was fine and asked for the number there. He said that the two different gym's computer systems are seperate and that my information wouldn't be able to be pulled up there so to just wait a week. I told him that was unacceptable. I called my bank and spoke to someone on there and she gave me Gold's Gym phone number (888)827-9262 because she said that they deal with this a lot. I thought that was strange.

I called that number and spoke to a gal named Paula who said that the reason I had extra charges was because when Gold's tried to take the money out of the account it didn't go through the first time and a fee was assessed. A 20 fee! I told her that was ridiculous. She responded that I most likely did not have money in my account, when I had over 1,800. She told me to fax in copies of my bank statement proving that money was in the account on that day with all of my banking information. I did not feel comfortable faxing in all of that personal information to a fax machine that she later told me was not even close to where her office was and it was not a secure location! I called my bank and informed them of why that fee was assessed and the bank said that they would fax in verification that the money was there. I also asked Gold's Gym what other underhanded fees there were going to be added to my membership every month and she informed me that they charge a towel fee. Yes, a towel fee. I guess too many people walk off with their towels and now they have the right to charge every member a 15 - 20 whenever they feel like it. She said mostly just once a year but sometimes more if more towels are needed. Isn't this something that should be included in our MEMBERSHIPS! I am not one to steal or cheat, but if I am paying for those flipping towels, I'm taking 'em.

We will see how this turns out with the money, but I have a feeling that this slow draining of my money is just the beginning.

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