Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I joined Gold's Gym about 18 months ago under a contract rate that was set to automatically renew after 1 year. I left the area shortly after and sent several e-mail messages telling them I wanted to cancel and not have my membership renew.Each message was ignored and the membership was renewed and they continued to charge me. They're telling me I did not follow the proper procedure for cancelling. I stopped the automatic payments since they would not, and now I'm being threatened with a collection action for not paying. I have not used any of their gyms in over a year.Their procedure requires visiting a gym and arranging the cancellation with a manager. I retired and moved overseas late last year. Am I supposed to fly back to sign their form?I have a lifelong perfect credit file, am 65 and never missed a payment on any *********** a gym chain is threatening to damage my credit file over a $15 monthly dues. All I want is for them to cancel my membership as I have asked for repeatedly and to not impact my credit file as an act of ***** retribution.I am living in ******* now and can best be reached by e-mail.

  Customer response

  01/31/2025

  The Gold's Gym location is at ***********************************************************************. I provided the contact information for ***** ******* in my complaint. 

  Customer response

  02/01/2025

  I got this message to respond to a need for more information about my complaint. I inadvertently clicked the button saying I was opting out of future messages. Can that be rescinded?

  

  Business response

  02/03/2025

  The member enrolled online, with a 1-year contract.  As outlined in the signed agreement terms, the membership rolls over to month-to-month status after the 1-year contractual period has lapsed.  The member may cancel the plan by visiting the facility during administrative hours or by emailing the billing department (at any time) to close the account.  

  There is no prior correspondence from the member to the billing department, until his first point of contact with the Collections Manager on 12/31.2024 (please see attached file, bobwoodemail1).  The member initially stated they have never had a membership to which the collections manager responded with a copy of his membership agreement and outlined the cancellation process.  The Collections Manager explained to close the account, the member would be responsible for the existing past due balance and a required 30-day notice.

  Mr. **** reiterated that he would not follow the policy and would simply submit numerous 1 star ****** Reviews and file a BBB complaint, unless the Collections Manager waived the debt and cancelled the plan for free.  The Collections Manager reiterated no action was taken (prior to this point) to cancel the plan, however, if the member could provide any of the prior correspondence he claims to have (i.e. a cancellation email) then he would waive the debt and cancel the account penalty free.  Mr. **** could not/would not provide any documentation, and simply said 'then let the games begin!'. The Collections manager responded that there is no intent to play games and if the member would like to resolve the matter they could.  If the member does not wish to provide any prior correspondence they claim they have or pay the past due balance and 30-day notice, then there will be nothing further to discuss.

  Mr. **** then emailed me (see attachment bobwoodemail2) essentially stating the same thing, if we did not waive his debt he will simply continue to leave bad reviews.  I reiterated the cancellation policy and informed the member I would not engage in an argument with him, as his correspondence with the Collections Manager was already quite erratic.  The member stated he would not do anything to close the account.

  After discussing the terms of the agreement and cancellation policy with both myself and the Collections Manager, the member began emailing again this time making odd comments that they would 'have their associate visit the gym to handle this'.  The nature of the email was intended to come across threatening, then when his behavior was called out he claimed to only be joking and that his associate is 5'2".

  The member was presented with the opportunity to send the previous emails they claim they sent in order to cancel the account.  The member refused to provide documentation which would have resulted in waiving of the debt and cancellation payment.  Because there is no record of an email attempt to cancel (prior to 12/31/24), the standard cancellation policy would apply.  The member took no action to complete the cancellation with the Collections Manager or myself.

  The member is not due a refund and they have also yet to properly close the account.

   

  Customer response

  02/07/2025

   
  Complaint: 22868376
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They cannot justify refusing to let me cancel my membership. I am living in ******* and have made it very clear I want to cancel. They insist I continue to pay monthly dues unless I visit a gym in the U.S to cancel ''the right way''? They have been notified several times by e-mail that I didn't want them renewing my membership, which they ignored to trap me into staying. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ****

  

  Business response

  02/11/2025

  ******,

  You have never been denied a cancellation.  You have simply refused to follow the necessary steps to close the account.  Mislabeling your inaction as the company's wrong doing is inappropriate and a misrepresentation of the issue at hand.

  You were asked to provide the correspondence (you claim to have) regarding an electronic cancellation prior to your conversation with the Collections Manager.  You have yet to produce anything, which would have resulted in the immediate termination of your account and removal of the existing past due balance.

  The cancellation does not require you leave the comfort of your own home, even if in ********  You could have completed the necessary payment via email or phone, OR the 'associate' you wanted to send to the facility could have closed the account on your behalf.

  You made it explicitly clear in your correspondence that you are intentionally engaging in this back and forth for your own entertainment. The team has stated there are no games to be played and they do not want to engage as you have no intention of closing the account the appropriate way.

  The status of the account will remain as is, until the required action is taken on your part to settle the debt.  

• Initial Complaint

  01/16/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  December 16 / January 16 $400 both times Personal **************** Dispute: I had asked for a cancellation of the contract with 3 days of signing. The head of member services at the gym did not stop the contract. The result is me being locked into a shady parasitic 12-month contract. With billing at $400, and them telling me that to cancel it I need to pay them $895.Response: They provided no help, no phone numbers that could reach help, or alternatives. The corporate number goes straight to voicemail with a full inbox, and the local location has proven unhelpful.

  Customer response

  01/16/2025

  The Golds Gym is located at ***************************************

  Customer response

  01/29/2025

  Gold's gym has still not responded to me either. I do wish to continue this inquiry against them as they still continue to attempt to pull from my account illegally since the contract should have been null and void

  

  Business response

  01/31/2025

  I have copied the response from the personal training department below:

  Mr. *** signed up for personal training on 12/7/2024. He signed up for 8 sessions per $400 monthly payment. Per the agreement, all cancellations are subject to a fee if they are requesting cancellation after a 3-day grace ******* Cancellations are made through the Personal Training customer service email address. We have not received any cancellation notice from Mr. *** to the cancellation email address. Mr. *** communicated with his trainers that he wished to start his training after the Holidays, but this does not constitute as a cancellation notice. If Mr. *** wishes to cancel his personal training, he can reach out to ****************************************************************************************** to cancel his personal training.

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  So I signed up for a personal trainer with golds gym that I didn't really want in the first place. After working with two of the trainers (** and ******) We went over all the goals I would like. After speaking to the two of them and hearing the prices that was (220 dollars a month) I advised that I don't think I can really do that right now. After about 10min of me saying I really don't think I can do this and them pushing me to do it I signed due to them pushing me and pushing me to sign up for one. I advised to them in that 10min conversation that I really don't have the funds to this. Well a week goes by I get a text asking me to call. So I called them and I was told that my first monthly charge on October the 29 was declined due to not enough funds. I told JT "Hey man I told ya'll I really can't do the personal trainer right now my funds are really tight." He then advised to me "OK I understand let me talk to ****** and see what we can do about not doing it." Well 3 days go by and I get charged for the 220 after saying "I CAN'T AFFORD THIS AND REALLY DON'T WANNA DO IT." I then try and try to get a hold of ****** and ** and they don't get back to me until the end of November. At that point I have been charged around 660 dollars before I even get the cancelation email. Also mind you while all this is going on I have never once no trainer had reached out to me or even tried to set anything up. While this whole thing is going on. I now get a email from the cancelation team after BACK AND FOURTH EMAILS FOR OVER A MONTH saying that I was being over charged and that I have pay another ***** to cancel the account on top of being refused a refund and still being charged for the personal trainer while no one is reaching out to me. I'm now out ***** dollars being forced to pay even more money. I also read some of the other complaints here and I see that people where being told "You signed saying we don't do refunds and where told" I know I was never told this.

  Customer response

  01/01/2025

  The Gym is located in ************** zip code is *****

  

  Business response

  01/20/2025

  Please see the response from the personal training department below:

  "
  Mr. ******** signed up for personal training on 10.19.2024. Mr. ******** has not had any personal training sessions since he signed up. Mr. ******** reached out to the personal training cancellation email on 11.23.24 asking to cancel and to have his training charges refunded. Mr. ********* personal trainer stated that the last time he had spoken to Mr. ******** was on 11.1.24 when Mr. ******** was coming in for training and did not show, the trainer also stated that he had not heard about any wishes from Mr. ******** to cancel personal training until 12.18.25 when Mr. ********* wife reached out to the club for cancellation information. It took some time to gather information from trainers on Mr. ********* account, during this research period, it was discovered that Mr. ******** had mistakenly been set up with two personal training agreements and that he had been charged an extra $440. Mr. ******** was given the option to put those charges towards the cancellation of his original agreement. As stated within the contract, the early termination policy is a 30-day notice of $220, and 18% of the total agreement cost which in Mr. ********* case was $475.20. The 30-day notice was waived for Mr. ********* and the overcharge of $440 deducted from the final cancellation total making the cost $35.20. Mr. ******** was informed on 12.30.24 that unfortunately we cannot refund any purchased sessions, but that we can schedule him with our trainers to use those sessions.  As of 1.2.25, Mr. ******** has been charged the $35.20 cancellation fee, and his personal training has been cancelled. Mr. ******** is still able to use the purchased sessions for up to 4 months."
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have attempted to close my account multiple times, both in person and via certified mail. I visited the gym on Dec 13 and 26 during the stated hours (M-F 9-5), only to be told that the manager was not available. On Dec 14, I sent a certified letter to request cancellation, but I have yet to receive any response from the gym. While I understand the 30-day cancellation process, I have continued to be charged for my membership even after sending the letter. I am requesting a full refund for any charges incurred after Dec 14 and confirmation that my account has been closed.

  Customer response

  12/30/2024

  The gym location is *************************************

  

  Business response

  01/06/2025

  Good morning,

  You received electronic communication regarding your cancellation on 01/01/2025, please see the attached file.  The response was slightly delayed as I was out of office from 12.22.24--01.01.2025, which my out of office response stated.

  There was no further action required to close your account.

  Thank you,

  *** *****

  Customer response

  01/06/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** **********

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had enrolled myself and my partner at golds gym *********** on 11/08/2024. We are currently doing the month to month with zero issues. The problems began when we took a free coaching session. My trainer told me he could create a workout and meal plan for $55/month down from the original $60. I told him I only wanted to do 1 month total and he agreed that was fine. It took me reaching out to my trainer for them to provide me with that I even paid for. I tossed that up as a fluke. Skip a week and my partner wanted to do a 1 month program as well. The trainer again agreed and said we signed up for that short program and had free cancellation is we wanted to do it sooner. All we wanted was a workout and meal plan created. Again, same thing happened. Trainer never reached out and it was weeks before they finally gave us what we paid for. My partner arrived for her training session and a different trainer told them we got mislead and all programs are 1 year commitment with a cancellation fine. We reached out to their ************************************************************** email as advised and was told we need to pay $55 fine and $299 fee. Both trainers who signed us up said free cancellation AND that we only signed up for 1 month not 1 year. They willingly mislead us as customers and did not disclose any penalty or cancellation fees as well. Most likely for their own financial benefit. The new trainer that told us about the 1 year program said this is a shady gym and without that hint we never wouldve found out about these charges. I am demanding my account be canceled with zero penalty or cancellation fees. This is shady business practice and false agreement under contract.

  Customer response

  12/26/2024

  Address of location is **************************************

  

  Business response

  01/20/2025

  Please see the response from the personal training department below:

  Mr. ********* signed up for personal training on 11.12.24. This agreement was a 12-month agreement, where Mr. ********* has once session a month. Attached to this response is the signed 12-month agreement. This agreement also shows our early termination policy which is EFT Clients may seek to cancel during the Initial Term for any other reason by providing a 30-day written notice of cancellation to GGTNPT; however such cancellation will be subject to an early termination fee equal to $299 or 18% of the total contract value, whichever is greater.
  
  Mr. ********* emailed the personal training customer service email on 12.11.24, stating that the contract had been misrepresented and that he would like a refund, and the personal training agreement cancelled with no penalty. Mr. ********* has two trainers that helped with the agreement and both trainers stated that they provided all the information on the 12-month agreement on signing date, and had attempted to schedule both with Mr. ********* and his girlfriend. With this information Mr. ********* was provided with our cancellation policy on 12.19.24.  The amount for the cancellation would be 30-day notice of $55 and a $299 cancellation fee. The total to cancel would be $354.
  
  Mr. ********* on 12.19.24 reached out disagreeing that there had been attempts to schedule their sessions. Mr. ********* was asked on 12.20.24 to provide any text communications with their trainers. Mr. ********* sent texts to the personal training cancellation email on 12.21.24 that showed that Mr. ********* had been informed that they had signed up for a one session a month plan. After reviewing the information Mr. ********* was again provided with the cancellation policy and fees on 1.8.25.
  
  Mr. ********* was again provided options on his personal training agreement on 1.14.25. These options were to pay the early termination fee and cancel the personal training, continue paying for personal training at $55 a month, or if neither of those options were fulfilled, the account will go to collections if unpaid.
  
  While attempting to come to a resolution to this contract, Mr. ********* has been harassing and threatening employees over the phone. The police have been involved in this matter, and this will no longer be handled in house.

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In September of 2024, I attempted to cancel the membership at Gold's Gym. I was told that because of the type of membership I had, I couldn't cancel until November 22, 2024. I contacted Gold's Gym on November 23rd and was told I had to pay $23.50 plus an additional $73 to cancel and pay back fees.which I paid. I was told with that action my membership was cancelled. On December 11th, I received a text message stating my account was overdue so I called again. The young lady I spoke with was unable to determine why the additional charges were showing and stated my acct showed "cancellation pending". I was told to come in and sign some documents to finalize the cancellation. When I came in, I spoke with the general manager, ******* ******. He ********** other action was needed to finalize the cancellation. On December 13th, I was charged an additional $23.50 and called again. I spoke with a man this time and he also could not confirm why the additional charges had occurred and advised I call back on Monday to speak with the general manager again for more info. I then wrote ******* an email explaining the situation and asked for a response by 10:00 am Dec 16th because I would be out of town and unable to be reached. I received no response by that date. I filed a complaint with my credit card company and the charge was removed. On December 20, 2024, I was charged again for $62.00. I have tried to cancel this membership for 3 months now. I'm requesting that someone review my account, reverse these charges, and cancel this membership. I have never used this membership since I signed up for it and have no need for it. No one can explain why I am still being charged and this has caused a great inconvenience to me. My card has limited available credit and I am out of town and having transactions returned because of these charges.

  Customer response

  12/23/2024

  The location of the Gold's Gym is *****************************************.

  

  Business response

  01/07/2025

  I apologize for the delayed response, I have been out of the office due to the holidays and am now catching up on this request.

  To cancel a month-to-month account, the member may visit the facility during administrative hours or send an email to the cancellation department.  Cancellations are not permitted via phone, to ensure the appropriate documentation is on file.  The member must be in good standing (this means any past due balance is to be collected, prior to the standard 30-day notice being paid) before the termination document can be signed.  Assuming an account is in good standing, the member is required to complete payment for the 30-day notice and sign the cancellation form.  The 30-day notice includes all invoices due to the facility within the 30-days immediately following the request.  For most accounts, this is the sum of two biweekly payments.

  After reviewing the details of this account, I see that a part time front desk employee (who does not have cancellation credentials attached to their logins), accepted a payment over the phone for the cancellation payment and never processed the termination (again, this is why we do not allow cancellations without a 'paper trail').  This payment was collected on 11.25.2024 at 11:49am, in the amount of $70.50.  This is the sum of the past due balance along with the required 30-day notice.

  Because the cancellation was not processed the correct way, the system continued to bill the agreement as if it were an active plan.  I have cancelled the account effective immediately and submitted a refund ticket for the payment which has cleared post cancellation attempt.

  In terms of employee follow up, unfortunately neither the part time employee or the Assistant Manager on duty (at the time) are still employed with the company so no record of coaching can be processed.

   

   

   

  Customer response

  01/09/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  11/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been a member at the golds gym *********** since 07/2022. After two years of membership, I decided to sign up for Personal Trainer (PT) program after the manager offered me a free consultation and session. I signed up for 1 session a week for $55 per session. My issue with the PT Program is that there were several instances of the Gold Gym breaching our contract by missing sessions and they did not refund my money or hold any make up sessions. After the first two sessions with my first trainer, he quit. Two weeks later I received a phone call from the PT Manager that he has hired some new trainers. I reached out to the ** manager and asked him if I could make up the 2 -3 sessions that I missed due to my last trainer quitting, and he told me yes, I could. I never made up those sessions. I had 1 session with my new trainer. For my second session, he forgot that we scheduled to meet due to have to take care of some family things after getting off his day job. This happened 2 more times. On the third occurrence of this breach, my trainer didn't show up again, and after working out solo for about 35 minutes. I look across the gym and I see my trainer working out with another client. When I approached my trainer, he said that we can meet up on Friday instead. As of this writing my last session with my trainer was on 10/16. After two weeks of not hearing from him, I decided that the program is not worth the money. I was paying for sessions that were canceled due to no fault of my own. I don't think that it is ethical or professional to expect me to pay all this money when I'm owed 8+ sessions worth of refunds. I was told that I must pay the ~$700 in full and then I will have 3 months to utilize my make up sessions. I want my money refunded. I dont trust that they would be able to meet with me 9 weeks in a row over 3 weeks, when we couldnt even meet on a consistent basis when I was a member of the program. Thy breached the contract first.

  

  Business response

  12/04/2024

  Good evening,

  Please see the rebuttal (below) provided by the personal training department:

   

  Mr. ****** signed up for 4 sessions a month starting 6.26.2024. Mr. ******* first personal training session was 7.1.2024. Mr. ****** has had 8 training sessions since signing up for a personal training program. He had a training session on 10.16.2024. Mr. ******* trainer reached out 11.5.2024 to schedule more sessions and did not hear back from Mr. ******* For the duration of his contract Mr. ****** has had to reschedule several sessions, while the trainer has been flexible in scheduling.
   Mr. ****** reached out to cancel his personal training on 10.30.24 and was informed of our cancellation policy which is a 30-day notice of $220 and 18% of the agreement which is $475.20.  Mr. ****** requested a refund for unused sessions, or that amount to be taken off our cancellation fee. Please note that the personal training contract states that the cancellation/refund policy will mimic the gym membership terms and conditions
  The gym membership terms and conditions state that the member has a 3-day rescind period, to cancel any/all contracts and receive a full refund for any monies paid. Once the account is outside of this 3-day ***** period (3 business days), the agreement will adhere to all policies regarding cancellations/renewals/refunds/defaults. To cancel his agreement Mr. ****** must pay the cancellation fee of $695.20. Once the cancellation is paid, we can then cancel Mr. ******* personal training.

  Customer response

  12/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 22577550
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I have text message receipts of my trainer missing multiple sessions that he forgot to attend. Prior to this, The gold gym went 3 weeks before finding me a new trainer after my first one quit and never made up the sessions even though I requested to have them made up. The trainer never met me when he was being flexible. I dont trust that you all will give me any make up sessions and Im not losing the money for the ones that you all missed. On August 14, I went to my scheduled training session and the trainer did not show up. Same thing happened on 09/25. 
  

  there have been plenty of sessions that were never made up. That you all breached the contract first is the point that Im making.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  

  Business response

  01/01/2025

  I'm not sure why I received a notice saying I have not responded to the member's complaint; they filed a complaint and received a response, to which they denied to accept.

  I can reiterate the original response as nothing has changed (nor is there further information) to dispute his original claim.

  Please advise.

  Thank you,

  *** *****

  

  Business response

  01/02/2025

  Please see the follow up response provided by the personal training department below:

  Mr. ****** has been given opportunities to make up his purchased sessions but has not responded to the trainers reaching out to schedule his sessions.
  Mr. ****** requested a refund for unused sessions, or that amount to be taken off our cancellation fee. Please note that the personal training contract states that the cancellation/refund policy will mimic the gym membership terms and conditions. The contract that Mr. ****** signed states that ****** will not refund any allocated by unused sessions, even with proper cancellation.
  To cancel his agreement Mr. ****** must pay the cancellation fee of $695.20. Once the cancellation is paid, we can then cancel Mr. ******* personal training.

  Customer response

  01/06/2025

   
  Complaint: 22577550
  
  I am rejecting this response because my last training session was on 10/16 and  I submitted my first BBB compliant on 10/26. The trainer didnt reach back out until 11/05/24 asking if I wanted to workout. This company  isnt trust worthy and I dont believe that they will make up the sessions 30 days after I pay the cancellation fee. As I stated in my previous response, Ive gone to multiple sessions where my trainer did not show up and those sessions were never made up. When my first trainer quit there was a 3 week period where the trainer manager did not set me up with a new trainer until he hired my current trainer  I dont want the make up sessions and Im not going to pay for sessions that they missed and didnt make up. Ive asked on several times for making up sessions that my trainer never showed up to. If they cant meet those simple ask how can I guarantee that I will get ALL of my make up sessions. We are looking at 20 missed sessions in total.  A refund for sessions missed is what Im looking for.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  Customer response

  01/19/2025

  No one reached out to me about make up sessions. Im disappointed in BBB because you all will allow a business to do whatever they want and get away with cheating customers out of their money. How is it fair for me to pay for sessions that were missed by the personal trainers/gym? I asked them for make up sessions and they never did it. I expected more from BBB. I went against my better judgment thinking that you all would assist in making things right. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 10 2024 I went to Golds gym in ************. There two guys there they were a trainer and a manager over the trainers in the ********* area we talked about what I wanted to achieve and my long term goals. would be . They told me with a trainer I could get the results that I wanted so i ask will i have the same trainer he said yes. so we had a small work out to see where i was at. So I then decided to join. I then payed for my Membership and decided to join the cost was wow but I wanted that one on one training it was $4,540.29 and I then embarked on this what I thought would be awesome . My wife Passed in Feb so I needed to have some kind of peace. Well the first trainer work 2 days , I then asked and was told they are working on a new trainer. two weeks later i get a call from my New Trainer we set up time to work out { 3 days a week } this lasted maybe a month or two then he tells me he is going back to school . I'm not happy but understanding at this point. So then I wait 3 weeks and get a trainer , We start working out that last a week , and back to not having a trainer . So at this point I'm done with this not having a trainer again my Goals are not be met. Now at this point a week goes , I send a email to Corporate asking for a refund and then i get a email back again telling me they will not refund me . So i said I want a trainer and I don't want someone who will not be there. A day later I get a text From *** the manager at the ********* store telling me he would like to meet and train I said ok great , Monday afternoon I receive a text from him telling me he could not meet that he had a meeting at another club . I sent him a text that was done with the trainers at there Gym. At this point I have no faith in there trainers and want to be refunded my full amount because there program is not good .

  

  Business response

  10/28/2024

  I have attached the rebuttal from the training department; Mr. ******** paid in full for a year of personal training on 5.23.2024. For several months Mr. ******** has been training at the ********* location. On 10.4.2024 Mr. ******** informed us that he had several trainers since beginning training, and he did not currently have one and that he would like a refund. As per the agreement signed, we do not refund any paid in full sessions. This agreement has been included.
   Mr. ******** was assigned a new trainer shortly after we received an email. They scheduled sessions on 10.9 and *****. Mr. ******** no showed these sessions, several attempts have been made to contact Mr. ********* yet we have not been able to reach him. Mr. ******** is free to use his paid for sessions at any time.

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been a client at Golds ************** since 03 2024. When applying for the personal trainer program, I met with the manager **** and he was clear with me that my schedule would be accommodated as the only opportunity I had to train would be at 11:00 pm. I receive 10 sessions a month at about $50 per sessions but I am charged monthly $450. The sessions are 30 minutes. The first trainer I was assigned slept through our 2nd and 3rd scheduled appointment and then promptly quit. I was then assigned a temporary trainer and met with him about 2 times before receiving my second trainer. My second official trainer started with me 4/18 and quit the end of June. This is where the problems started again. I originally reached out to the ptcancels email assigned for Golds and was told I would have to pay the months payment $450 plus 18% of my contract to cancel bringing the total to $1017. There isnt a payment plan. You have to pay it all in 1 ******** 7/13 I finally received my first communication from the new trainer who stated her time frame 4pm-11pm. This timeframe doesnt work because I need an appointment from 11pm to 11:30. We schedule an appointment anyways and she says on 7/22 we wont be able to schedule any more because of the time frame. I cancel that appointment because a 30 min appointment is only enough time to meet and learn each other and a waste of a session if it long term. I email ptcancels again on 7/22. From this point on Im given a run around between this email and the manager ****. They refuse to cancel my contract despite the fact I havent got a trainer. On 8/6 Im accused of refusing a new trainer and that if I dont pay they will send me to collections. 8/9, **** group texts me and the trainer and says we arent communicating. 8/12 the same trainer schedules with me and then cancels on me 2x then tells me shes unable to train me. 9/3 and 9/11 I email ptcancels and ****. No response since. I have 30 built up sessions and 9/2, 10 expire.

  

  Business response

  10/03/2024

  Please see the response submit from the personal training department:

   

  Ms. ******* signed up for 10 personal training sessions a month starting on 3/26/2024. Her availability was only available to train after 11 PM.  She was started with a trainer who had to change availability and was no longer able to train at 11 PM. She was assigned a new trainer who also did not work out for her training. Due to the unfortunate starting circumstance accommodations were made for a more experience trainer to conduct her training until a new late-night trainer was hired.
  Ms. ******* sent an email to cancel her personal training agreement on 7.2.2024. Please note that the personal training contract states that the cancellation/refund policy will mimic the gym membership terms and conditions. The gym membership terms and conditions state that the member has a 3-day rescind period, to cancel any/all contracts and receive a full refund for any monies paid. Once the account is outside of this 3-day ***** period (3 business days), the agreement will adhere to all policies regarding cancellations/renewals/refunds/defaults. She was informed that our cancelation policy to terminate an agreement early is a 30-day notice of $450 and 18% of the agreement which is $567. The total would be $1017. 
  Ms. ******* was assigned to work with a new trainer on 7.13.2024. Many attempts were made to schedule a session, with cancellations from both the trainer and Ms. ******** Ultimately the trainer had to change availability which prevents her from training at 11 PM. Currently there are options for more experienced trainers to train Ms. ******* if she so chooses. Otherwise in order to cancel personal training the total of $1017 must be paid.

  Customer response

  10/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 22298775
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The only time i cancelled on the last trainer, ******, was because she told me it would be the only session she would be able to have. I have not canceled or rejected any other sessions since. This was explained throughly to both the manager and the email system. I was falsely accused of refusing to work with the manager despite my attempts. I even sent the screenshots to the manger to reduce confusion and never received a response.

  Golds gym has not made any other attempts to schedule a trainer for me since ****** quit despite me reaching out several times. Because I did not pay the termination fee when I originally reached out, I have been an active member and should have been scheduled on the books regardless of my inquiry of termination.
  

  I have over $1,300 worth of sessions Ive already paid for that Im unable to use because Golds gym has not scheduled me nor contacted me back in any way other than to request more money. 10 of those sessions were set to expire 9/22 at no fault to me, but definitely at fault to the company for not responding and the trainer they assigned me who made multiple appointments with me and then canceled on that same day. 

  Im asking that the sessions that are unused be removed from my account and the money Ive spent on them to take care of the termination fee. This actually puts me at a loss instead of the company and removes the company from the responsibility of finding a trainer who meets my time restrictions. 
  

  I will not pay another thousand dollars to terminate when this company is not withholding their side of the contract. 
  

  I will not accept a new trainer when the company has not responded to my multiple communication efforts in over a months time. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

  

  Business response

  10/22/2024

  Ms. ******* received her options on October 11, 2024. The options are as follows:
  Option one: we can refund the $900 back to your card and continue to collect the full $2700 remaining on your account.  If we do not collect, it will be sent to collections.
  

  Option 2: we will keep the $900 that you paid and cancel your agreement today and you will not be required to pay anything else. This saves you from paying the 18% cancellation fee (as outlined in our prior correspondence) and the 30-day notice. This would leave you with 55 sessions to use over the next 4 months.
  

  In response, Ms. ******* then asked if we would provide her with training, she was informed that with one weeks notice we will have a trainer for her should she choose. Ms. ******* responded on October 19th, 2024 that she would like to cancel. As of October 22nd, 2024. Her personal training has been cancelled.

  She can use her 55 sessions at any time over the next 4 months provided we receive a weeks notice to wanting to start her training.

  Customer response

  10/24/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  09/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for Personal Training with Golds gym in ******** on June 13th. I never received a copy of my contract. I was charged first and last month on that day. By July 15th I still heard nothing from them. I was never contacted. So I sent an email. No response. That is when I began calling. I finally left message with the front desk at one point. I received a text message back on July 25th admitting that I slipped through the cracks.I gave my availability to start. Then I didnt hear back from them for another 2 weeks. I followed up via text message. Finally I heard back and scheduled a session. The session was 26 minutes of weight machines at the gym that already has instructions on them. This is not what I signed up for. I can read. I was sold personalized training and received essentially a tour of the weight machines. Im fed up. Id like to cancel. I sent an email to cancel. I have heard nothing back. I have called the gym. Nobody answers. I called another location and received the phone number for the PR manager. He said he would look into this and send me my contract. I still have not received my contract and he has now quit. I want my money back! I want to cancel.

  

  Business response

  09/30/2024

  Please see the response below, from the personal training department: 

   

  Mrs. McKinneys Personal training agreement was signed on 6.13.2024. Due to lack of communication, Mrs. ******** had one Personal Training session on 8.16.2024. Mrs. ******** then sent an email to cancel her membership and receive a copy of her agreement on 8.27.2024. On 9.9.2024 she was sent a copy of her agreement. Please note that the personal training contract states that the cancellation/refund policy will mimic the gym membership terms and conditions.

  
  The gym membership terms and conditions state that the member has a 3-day rescind period, to cancel any/all contracts and receive a full refund for any monies paid. Once the account is outside of this 3-day ***** period (3 business days), the agreement will adhere to all policies regarding cancellations/renewals/refunds/defaults. However, due to the circumstance, we cancelled her agreement on 9.13.2024 with no early termination fee, with all remaining sessions being unusable.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩