ComplaintsforPlanet Fitness - Impact Fitness

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Around 12 am on February 15th I was working out at my local Planet Fitness when a group of 3 young men began to harass and threaten me. Even though the employee could hear everything she did nothing to make them stop. After about 15 minutes of me dealing with this I went to the employee and asked her to please ask them to stop. She asked them, but was laughing and joking with them. When I continued to workout they just continued to threaten me and harass me, calling me obscenities and threatening to physically assault me. At this point I decided I would leave and just get away from them since the employee continued to ignore them. When I went to the locker room to get my belongings another gym member heard and witnessed the group head outside saying they were going to jump me in the parking lot and warned me of this. He was right, they were waiting outside for me and threatened me verbally and followed me to my car. When I got in my car one of them drove their car and parked it behind mine, preventing me from being able to leave. It wasn't until I was on the phone with the police that they decided to leave. I later returned to Planet Fitness to speak with a manager and file a complaint. I was told they would review the cameras and also that they would contact the individuals responsible for harassing me. They have done none of which. I was also later informed by the police of an ongoing issue with larceny on the property. They also informed me that the cameras outside the building haven't worked in over 6 months. Upon learning this I informed the manager I no longer wanted to be a member due to the fact I did not feel safe at this location. I haven't returned to use the facility since my incident and they charged me for another month for $25 on February 17th. I spoke again with the manager asking for a refund and they have denied my refund stating I didn't cancel soon enough. Isn't it their responsibility to provide a safe environment for their members?

  Business response

  03/12/2024

  Good Afternoon,

  We have throughly investigated the situation alleged by ********************.  Our investigation did not affirm the claims made by ********************. In fact, the video evidence indicated that ******************** may have been the instigator and aggressor of the situation. We were able to verify that the accused members were actually wiping down their equipment until ******************** started self-enforcing club policies. ******************** does appear to be the aggressor in the footage, continuously returning to the teenagers. ******************** also used a loud tone and somewhat aggressive voice with our team members.  On the day in question, Our team member promptly approached the accused members who stated it was ******************** who was harassing them, after ******************** reported the behavior. She was not laughing and joking about the alleged situation, she was simply being friendly and trying to keep the situation calm (de escalation techniques).  The team members were unaware the problem continued outside of the club until ******************** made the claim the next day. As to the claim of "ongoing issues on the property", nothing recent or out of the ordinary as to what a typical Planet Fitness experiences have been reported, and or police involvement.  We attempted to discuss the situation further with ********************; however, he demanded a refund which given the circumstances (each party claiming the other was harassing them and the video evidence), and our contracts clearly state that cancelations must occur by the 10th of the month to avoid billing - the manager declined the refund.  I can confirm the following day Feb 17th, that ******************** did cancel their membership, and that no further billing of his account would take place.

  Thank you,

  Customer response

  03/14/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. Please type details here:] I was definitely not the aggressor, I politely asked them one time to wipe down machines. I never approached them again. In fact I walked away from them at which point they continued to antagonize and threaten me. Furthermore I did not wait until the next day to notify of the incident in the parking lot, I immediately walked back inside and informed the employee about what happened. I never raised my voice nor was rude with any employee, I've been nothing but kind when talking with them. Also feel free to contact the police about my contact with them and the police notifying me of the on going larceny issue on property. Not only do I feel bullied by the patrons I had the incident with, but I now feel bullied by Planet Fitness as well. I should not have to go to these lengths to receive a refund after what I was put through.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Sent letter to cancel my membership due to moving out of state on Feb.2, **** received email today Feb 11, **** from planet fitness membership was canceled today. I called planet fitness to make sure it was closed.I called and spoke to ****** he stated I was going to have to pay for this month because he did not get my letter till today the 11th of Feb. I stated today was Sunday so my letter had to been there before today he stated he did not check the mail Friday or Saturday. I feel I should not have to pay for this month being my letter was there on or before the 10th.

  Business response

  02/26/2024

  Good Afternoon,

  I applogize that this did not get resolved earlier, we at Planet Fitness place a priority on our customer service.  After reviewing your request, I have authorized the club to issue you a refund in the amount of $13.05, you should see that refund returned to you in the next 10 business days.  If you have any questions please reach out to the club directly.  And should you choose to come back to the ********* Planet Fitness we will be sure to drop any enrollment fee.

  Thank you, and have a great day.

  Customer response

  02/26/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I joined PF as a student at the University of ********.PF makes it very easy to join online, you just sign up and enter your account information to pay for your membership.Unfortunately, they do no make it easy to cancel your membership. As a college student, once I graduated, I moved out of ************.I tried to cancel on line and although they are happy for you to join on line they don't allow you to cancel on line.I then called PF in May 2022 to cancel and the person I spoke with said their system was down, but she would put a note on my account cancelling it.I assumed it would be cancelled, but it wasn't.They kept deducting my membership fee from my account.I then called again in November 2022 and was told that I could not cancel via a phone call. I would question why? What harm would it cause to allow a customer to cancel via phone, there is no legal risk in doing this.But, I was forced to send in a letter, I could not email it or fax it, it had to be mailed.I mailed my cancellation in February 2023, but again no action was taken.I just mailed another cancellation letter and I'm hoping this time it is processed.I have not been into this gym since May 2022, yet they keep deducting my membership fee and make it very difficult to cancel. I guess my next step is to pay for a certified letter to be delivered.This seems like a predatory practice, especially in a college town. They make it easy to join but hard to cancel.

  Business response

  02/15/2024

  Good Afternoon,

  We have reviewed the following account of this members experience at our gym.  ************** joined on Feb 2nd, 2022, and signed up for a no commitment Black Card membership.  Their membership was in good standing, until we recieved this notice in early Feb ****, upon recieving this notice the club promptly canceled her account on Feb 6, ****.  Previous to this notice the member had reached out to the club in Oct 2022 requesting information on how to cancel their membership.  We do not offer online cancelations or cancelations over the phone per our member agreement, instead the inforamtion below was provided.  If tracking information for the previous letter supposedly sent in 2023 can be provided we will surely look into the situation further.  As of now, our only formal communication was recently recieved and the club cancelled the membership in accordance with our policies.

  Per ****************** agreement, the cancelation process is as follows:  "To cancel your monthly membership and stop the billing of the Monthly Membership Fee, the club must receive written notification from you delivered to the club by the 10th of the month either in person or preferably via mail to the club address listed above. Please note it may take up to seven (7) business days for any membership or billing changes to take effect. In order to cancel your membership prior to the billing of the Annual Membership Fee, the club requires written notice from you delivered as described above no later than the 25th of the month before such billing. The Annual Membership Fee is fully earned when received and is non-refundable." 

  We are sorry if this experience has been troubling in any way, should ************* decide they would like to return to this location, we would be happy to sign here up and waive the enrollment fees.  Thank you, and have a great day.

• Initial Complaint

  01/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Racism. I was threatened at the ********* ******* gym was told my employees to meet them outside to fight them. They had friends at the gym treid to jump me was called a slick and a wet back. If the employees stay employed Im suing the gym. They broke employee rules. Either they get terminated or Im suing.

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Cancelled my membership, then they continued to charge my account, causing overdrafts and refuse to refund my money or correct the issue.

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My children signed up for a membership online on my behalf. I never used the gym once and they are claiming i never sent in a cancellation notice. Recently went in to renew membership and found out they never canceled previous membership and are unable to cancel until balance is paid and will continue to run up a balance on a canceled membership until it reaches a collection level amount where they can sell the debt.

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  Good Afternoon,

  Thank you for reaching out to us as we are always looking to ensure our memberships are easy to come and go as possible for our members.  We have looked into Mr. ************ complaint and membership situation, and wanted to make sure of the facts and what kind of a resolution could be provided.  Mr. ********** originally joined the gym in Aug of 2021, despite the claims the gym was never visited we found there to be usage and a photo on file dating from Aug 2021 to Aug 2022. This membership was never cancelled, instead the membership dues began to lapse in Sept 2022.  After a certain number of billing attempts we will cancel the account with the remaining balance, and should a member wish to return to the club that balance must get resolved.  We do not sell our members information or debt to debt consolidators, instead we hold that balance on file should the individual consider returning as a member.  

  In February 2023, Mr. ********** had a new account opened in their name online.  But due to the previous balance on their former account we will not be able to allow them to join the club.  ********************* wish to rejoin Planet Fitness, we would be willing to waive down the balance owed to 3 months of uncollected dues to get their account in good standing and back into the gym.  This will have to be done at the club by the manager, but were more than willing to help a member rejoin us.

  Customer response

  08/30/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  All concerns have been resolved and I desire to remove my original complaint.

  Regards,

  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I want to cancel my membership. I moved and in my new location the gym is too far. I tried to cancel and it says I will be charged $60 to get out of my yearly contract. My question is why was I just charged a $40 annual fee if i still havent been with this gym for a year? The cancel anytime policy that planet fitness promotes is facetious. You cant cancel anytime. If you do you are charged. I want a refund on the $40 annual fee at the very least because I will not be renewing for another year. I will wait till September when I have been with the gym for a year and I will cancel. But I do not owe $40 because I have not even been there a year yet. I do not appreciate being charged without notice and I do not appreciate false advertising.

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  Thank you for reaching out, Planet Fitness is comprised of series of franchisee owned and operated locations.  We have looked into ******'s claims, and they are not a member of one of our locations.  There are several franchisee's within ********, and they will need to reach out to that location directly.  We don't have the ability to see their account or are able to take action to help them understand their billing situation.  I can tell you Planet Fitness, offers two ways to cancel a membership, first is to come into the club and cancel in person.  Second, is to send a certified letter to their home gym requesting a cancelation.

  I hope this helps, and you have a great day.

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have called multiple times to cancel my membership and the company refuses to cancel over the phone. I reported the monthly charge to my credit card company, and somehow the charge continues to happen. I have moved from the city, have a disability, and need to cancel over the phone. I attempted to cancel 8 months ago and have tried multiple times since.

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  Good Afternoon, and thank you for reaching out about your membership.  At Planet Fitness we strive to create a simple, positive experience whether you're joining for the first time, rejoining, or canceling.  Unfortunately we do not accept cancelations over the phone, but per your membership agreement, do offer two ways to cancel your membership.  First is come into the club and cancel in person which takes only minutes, Second we accept certified letters mailed to your home club stating you would like to cancel your membership, either way we just need a signutre on file to complete your cancelation.  I hope this information helps, and if you have further questions please feel free to reach out to your home club.

  Have a great day,

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently set up an account with Planet Fitness and was alarmed to find that furnishing bank account information, and allowing them full access to my bank account, was a condition of membership. This is in addition to my debit card information, which they also collected. They would not allow me to set up an account without giving them access to my bank account. I want them to remove my bank account information from their system. I am more than willing to pay the full year in advance, AND attach my debit card to the account. However, requiring full access to my bank account as a condition of membership seems like an egregious over-reach. It is definitely unethical, and is of questionable legality.

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  Good Afternoon,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us with regards to your billing concerns.  Planet Fitness has utilized ACH monthly billing as a the standard form of billing since 1992.  In recent years we have expanded to accepting major credit cards (not debit) in club only, as we realize some members prefer this option.  We don't have a prepaid option for your membership, and do require a month to month payment option for the completely no commitment membership. We want to earn your business every month, not lock you in to a long term contract, or prepaid situation.  If you aren't happy with your fitness experience we don't want you to be trapped.

  If you would like to change your payment method to a major credit card were more than happy to help you with this.  Please stop by the club, bring your major credit card (not debit) and we can change that over for you, and then your ACH information can be removed from your account.

   

  Thanks again,

  Customer response

  01/17/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would resolve my complaint. However, I am not willing to mark this complaint as resolved until the action has proven successful.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  I appreciate your response. Though I would prefer to pay in full I recognize that many businesses (gyms, cell phone carriers, cable companies, etc.) do not allow this. Tying the account to a credit (not debit) card, without the **** is acceptable to me.

  However, when I signed up for the membership I explicitly asked to only use my card and was told that was not an option, and that ACH was required in order to have a membership. If I recall correctly I attached both ACH AND a card (not sure if it was credit or debit) to the account.

  I will attempt the suggested resolution next time I am in the club (ensuring it is a credit card attached to the account), and will accept this response pending its success. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have not been a member of planet fitness for a year now. In July, they subscribed my phone number to some automatic alert telling me that they have been trying to charge a card I no longer have every month. Apparently, this balance has been getting bigger and bigger. I went online to stop this and there is no way to access or change the account information online. I called and they said there is nothing they can do and that I would have to come in physically and pay the balance before they will stop trying to charge the card I no longer have and adding to the balance. This screams of a scam. I have been going to another gym for a long time now. How much money has this company been stealing from people?

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  Good Afternoon,

   

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention, we strive to make sure our members can access the gym and our services 24/7.  We have reviewed ************************* accounts #**********, ******* joined in August of 2021 and maintained their account in good standing until July 2022.  Beginning in July of 2022 the payment method became uncollectable, and each month after this continued as uncollected.  Our membership is a month to month subscription service, we bill on or around the 17th of each month per the membership agreement until the membership is canceled.  We do offer online billing assistance through our MICO platform via our app.  Because of our security policies, the club team is unable to handle billing information over the phone.  Please utilize our app, or visit us in club and the team will be able to help you with any billing concerns.

   

  Thanks again,

*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. ↩