Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My family purchased a membership at the Asheville Racquet Club. Our sole reason for joining was to be able to use the pool. In early September of 2024, the heater broke on the pool. It is now December 20th, and the pool is still broken. We have not gone to the club or used our membership in 3 months. We began asking for a refund on our membership on November 4th. At that time, we were told that the Membership Director was sorting out the refunds. An entire month went by where I continued to ask for an update about the refund (and the repair timeline for the pool heater). Our credit card was charged for another month! We are looking for a full refund for the 3 months of membership in which we were unable to use the facilities. You can see from the club's sign-in system that we have not be there in 3 months - again, because our only reason for joining was to use the pool. Thanks for your time in reading this, and please feel free to get in touch if I can offer more clarity around the issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2024

  Hello *******,
  We do sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the pool heater being out of service. We understand and share your frustration and want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to resolve the issue.
  We are currently on our third new pool heater, which has required not only replacing the unit itself but also installing a high-altitude converter and making significant adjustments to the pump room and water flow system. While this process has taken time, we are working with multiple companies to ensure the repairs are done correctly and that the heater remains functional for years to come.  Unfortunately, there are limited pool service companies in our immediate area, so weve had to enlist specialists from across the state and even **************. Compounding this challenge, the aftermath of the hurricane made it difficult for service providers to reach us for about a month, This project is our top priority at ARC right now and gets our full attention every day.  
  While we understand that some members may primarily use one area of the club, our operating expenses are based on overall membership and do not decrease when a specific amenity is unavailable. Membership fees support the operation of the entire facility, including maintaining all amenities,staffing, and utilities.  While the pool is an integral part of the ARC experience, we do not advertise or sell a "pool only"membership.  Our memberships include access to a variety of amenities beyond the pool. The Gold Membership, for example, offers access to all three ARC pools, as well as the gym, steam room, hot tub, pickleball courts, and locker rooms at each facility.  
  Regarding your membership costs, we are offering a 20% discount on your membership for each month the heater has been down.  Thank you for your understanding and please know that we are doing absolutely everything we can to have a repaired pool heater for the long haul.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because:

   From emails with ARC, you can see that on November 6th we were told that the Membership Director was working on refunds and that we'd have an answer "in the next week or so."  
  
  We proceeded to be patient, until a month went by and I still didn't have any contact from ARC - and another month of dues was charged.  A month in which we were unable to use the facilities.  All because we were being patient and I had been ensured this was all being looked into!  The fact that we were charged on December 1st is criminal. 
  
  On December 4th I called the club and was told to contact *******.  Now, 3 weeks later - we've cancelled our membership.  If back in Nov. I had been told that you would be giving a refund for Sept when the heater was out - and didn't know when it would be fixed - I would have happily paused our membership and waited for it to come back online.  This was never suggested, and would have been a much better outcome.  I will give you the month of Oct as that was unforeseeable and having a warm pool to swim in was not a priority for anyone. But to have been charged for Sept, Nov, Dec - all with no use of the facility, it's just inexcusable.  Especially December - as we were awaiting news about the refunds!
  
  
  This matter remains unresolved and I'm looking to ARC to do right by their community members.  
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/24/2024

  Membership and Contract Details:
  In June 2024, ******* signed a one-year Gold Membership contract with ***. This membership includes access to a wide range of amenities:
   Fitness centers and group fitness classes at both locations, childcare services at both locations, two outdoor pools, the indoor saltwater pool at the Downtown location, Yoga, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts,and social events
  As we do not offer a "pool-only" membership, prospective members are informed that their membership encompasses all these amenities. While the pool heater has been out of service, we have offered a 20% refund to members who primarily use the indoor pool and feel the colder temperature impacts their enjoyment. Refunds have not yet been issued because we wanted to ensure the heater was fully repaired before calculating the total compensation. However,Ms. ***** was informed by our Membership Sales team that the refund, covering 20% off each month from September through December, will be applied by December 25th.                                                     Early Termination of Membership: As outlined in the signed contract, early termination of the membership typically requires a 30% buyout of the remaining dues. For December, this buyout amount would have exceeded the monthly membership fee. Despite this, and understanding the frustration expressed by Ms. ***** and her husband *****, I made the decision to waive the buyout fee entirely, allowing them to terminate the contract early without penalty. In response to the claim that charging membership dues in December is "criminal," I am happy to provide a copy of the signed contract,which outlines the terms and conditions, including the early termination policy. While the pool heater has been an issue, all other amenities included in the membership have remained fully operational and available for use.