Have you ever tried to cancel an LAFitness membership? It’s damned near impossible.
Check out the fun I’ve been having trying to cancel our memberships.
- Sat., Jan 5… We decide we don’t want the membership anymore. I called the LAF in Port St. Lucie and they said all they can do is print a form for me to mail away to LAF’s HQ in Texas. But, I can print it out myself online. So, I print one out for me and one out for Christina and mail it. On the form, it says the following:
You may stop the continued billing of monthly dues and cancel your membership by sending written notice of your request at least 30 days prior to your next billing date. If the notice is postmarked at least 30 days prior to your next billing date, no further billing will occur. If the notice is postmarked less than 30 days prior to your next billing date, one more billing may occur. In either case, the last month’s prepaid dues will extend your membership expiration by an additional 30 days or more, depending on your original sign up date.
- Since we’re charged on the 19th of the month, I figured that means we’re paid up until Mar. 18. I’d be charged again on 1/19/08 for the period of 1/19/08 to 2/18/08 and then the last month’s dues that were prepaid would extend our membership another 30 days until 3/18/08 when it would finally be deactivated.
- Tue., Mar 4 … I noticed LAF charged us for both memberships on 2/19/08. So, I called their customer service number at (888) 889-0984. This is how the conversation went:
LAF: LAFitness.
Me: Yes, I mailed in my cancellation paperwork in January but I was charged again for our membership.
LAF: That means we didn’t get it. Mail it again.
Me: Well, I’d rather fax it to make sure you get it.
LAF: No, you have to mail it.
Me: Can you note my account that I called in?
LAF: No, that’s not necessary. Just mail it in again.
Me: Okay. Thanks.
- To be on the safe side, I called the LAF in Port St. Lucie. This is how that conversation went:
LAF: Hello, LAFitness. May I help you?
Me: Yes, I mailed in my cancellation paperwork but I was charged again for our membership.
LAF: You have to call the customer service department.
Me: I did. They really didn’t help me. They said I just have to mail the forms again.
LAF: Yeah, that’s pretty much all you can do. Do you need new forms?
Me: No, I have copies of the ones I mailed before. Can you just cancel my membership if I show you the forms?
LAF: No, the computers won’t let us do that. Just mail them in again. This happens all the time.
Me: Okay.
- Wed., Mar 5 … I mailed the paperwork again as per their request. But, I disputed the charges through American Express.
- Thu., Mar 20 … LAF charged us for both memberships again on 3/19/08. I immediately disputed the charges through American Express again. I tried to call LAF’s customer service number at (888) 889-0984, but was disconnect on my first call then I was on hold for about 10 minutes on the second call until I finally gave up.
- I got copies of our cancellation forms and sent them Priority Overnight via FedEx with Direct Signature Required. I also went online and found many, many websites of people complaining about their nightmare in trying to cancel their LAFitness memberships and I found two e-mail address of people that apparently work HQ in Carrollton, Texas. They are alyinm@lafitness.com who appears to be in charge of BBB complaints (by the way, LAF has a solid F rating by the BBB) and johnga@lafitness.com who is apparently the president of the company. I e-mailed them both this message:
Hello Aylin & John,
I found your e-mail addresses on ripoffreport.com. I’m hoping you can help. After mailing LAFitness our cancellation forms twice previously by regular mail and LAFitness claiming they ‘never got them,’ I have sent them again via Priority Overnight through FedEx. LAFitness will receive them tomorrow by 10:30am. The tracking number is ############. A signature will be required. If you could please see to it that our memberships get cancelled promptly after receiving what will be the THIRD set of cancellation forms tomorrow, I sure would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Chris Xxxxxxxx @####### & Christina Xxxxxx @#######
- Fri., Mar 21 @ 11am … FedEx should soon be delivering our third set of cancellation forms to LAFitness.
- Fri., Mar 21 @ 11:25am … FedEx has delivered our third set of cancellation forms to LAFitness. They were delivered at 10:14am CT and signed for by P. Pedro. Alright, LAFitness. You wanna keep f*cking around? Let’s see you deny you received them now. If so, I’ll see you in small claims court.
- And, I sent them a follow-up e-mail.
Hi Alyin & John,
As a follow up to the previous e-mail below, FedEx has delivered my third set of cancellation forms to LAFitness. Here is the delivery information:
Tracking number: ############
Delivery date: Mar 21, 2008 10:14 AM
Sign for by: P.PEDRO
Delivered to: Receptionist/Front Desk
If you could please see to it that our memberships get cancelled promptly now that you have received the third set of cancellation forms, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Chris Xxxxxxxx @####### & Christina Xxxxxx @#######
- Tue., Mar 25 @ 3pm … I sent another e-mail since I still haven’t received an e-mail confirmation that our memberships have been cancelled.
Hi Alyin & John,
As a follow up to the previous e-mails below, I still have not yet received an e-mail confirming the cancellation of our LAFitness memberships despite the fact that FedEx delivered my third set of cancellation forms to LAFitness on 3/21. Here is the delivery information:
Tracking number: ############
Delivery date: Mar 21, 2008 10:14 AM
Sign for by: P.PEDRO
Delivered to: Receptionist/Front Desk
Please cancel our memberships promptly and stop any and all future billing.
Thanks,
Chris Xxxxxxxx @####### & Christina Xxxxxx @#######
- Tue., Mar 25 @ 4pm …I called customer service at (888) 889-0984. After being on hold for 25 minutes, I spoke to a woman. I explained this situation to her and told her that LAF has in their possession our cancellation forms and I have the FedEx tracking number if she’d like it. She said she didn’t need it and said she would cancel my membership effective immediately and no further billing would occur. She said we’d have use of the gym for 45 more days. Whatever. When I asked her for a confirmation number, she said she’d e-mail it to me and mail it to me via regular mail.
- Wed., Mar 26 @ 9am … Still no e-mail from LAF. Big surprise.
- Later on Wed., Mar 26 … I got two e-mails from LAF confirming our memberships have been canceled. At least now I have something in writing to give to American Express when LAF attempts to charge me again next month!
Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice.
And she said, ‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device.’
And in the masters chambers, they gathered for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast.
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