ComplaintsforPlanet Fitness

• Initial Complaint

  08/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I am new to Planet fitness and I have a black card which entitles me to several perks. The membership says you get a ******* and can schedule classes and that they have state of the art equipment and you can synch it with the gym app to track your workouts. Also when looking up how to freeze my membership it says to go to the club and ask and I was told even though I will be in ***** for the whole next month unless I had a medical reason they would not pause or freeze my membership. I have 2 issues with this. First my gym does not have a trainer at all anymore she left about 3 weeks ago, then classes showed back up on the app I booked one and showed up and was told nope they didn't know why that was even on the app because they still had not hired a trainer, Then I was told the issue is they are there and then no one uses them however this is written as part of the membership and I shouldn't have to go to a diffrent club to use this. Second the threadmills even after I brought it to their attention are still in "Demo mode" according to the manufacture and app developer so there is no way for me to use the thread mill and it know my heart rate for targeted workouts because of this and finely I will not be able to use the membership for a whole month since I will be in *****, They do not have PF in ***** and if that's the case they should allow me to freeze my membership plus I am not getting the full benefit of my member ship due to the 2 things listed above. This is even more a reason to allow me to freeze my membership its a simple request. I shouldn't be charged for something I cant use and it gives them more time to fix the above issues.

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  10/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On October 19th 2023 I was charged double after manually paying my planet fitness bill on their app. I’ll be attaching a photo of both charges as it shows two different times for the same price in the same day. I called the establishment repeatedly, I was told that a “GM” would call me by 10 AM to issue me a refund, I gave it until 11AM to give time to clock and settle in. At 11 AM I was told the GM still had not arrived, so I waited an additional two hours. At 1 PM I called again and was told the the GM had just left the building. The obviously without calling me back. I believe that was on purpose as this particular planet fitness is NEVER busy at any time of the day.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I went to sign up myself and my two sons for a membership at Planet Fitness for the summer. I signed up my older son for the summer pass, then I continued to sign myself up. After I completed the online form and handed it to **** (Planet Fitness manager), I asked to sign up my younger son. When I told him that he was 12, he said that he was too young to join. I said, in that case, I do not want a membership and to go ahead and cancel my membership. He said okay, and he would take care of it and wrote my name down on a piece of paper. We left and that was it. Now my checking account has been debited by Planet Fitness for my membership on the following dates: July 17, 2024 $10.75 August 1, 2024 $52.68 I called the Planet Fitness location and the manager said that they would have given me a cancellation form if I canceled the membership. I recalled what happened to him and said that I was never given a cancellation form, and that it was actually him that said he would cancel our membership. He said it was impossible that we said to cancel and were not given a cancellation form. I said that I was there with two other people that can attest that I was never given a form and was told that he would take care of it. He said he wouldn't do the refund without that form, and I explained that I never got the form so I can't possibly have it. Then he hung up on me. I would like the refund that I am owed, and I think Planet Fitness should reconsider ****'s employment based on his unprofessionalism and incompetence.

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  Good afternoon,
  We apologize for any confusion and miscommunication. All of the information that he is claiming, is in *** ****’s agreement. The agreement is attached to this response. It explains the cancellation policy and age restrictions of signing up. Age restrictions for memberships are also provided on planetfitness.com. *** **** got upset after finding out his 12 year old was not allowed to have a membership. (You must be 13 years old to be a guest or have a membership) This is stated in section 3 (Membership) in the agreement. 
  Verbal cancellation is not an accepted way to cancel. As stated in the agreement “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.”
  ******* (the employee *** is blaming) has been with Planet Fitness for 2 years and fully understands the cancellation policy. *** was upset about his son not being able to have a membership and told ******* to just cancel the membership and walked out of the club. We do 2 forms of cancellations. We do paper copy (a copy is given to the member and the other copy is scanned into member file. The other is a digital cancellation that is done within our system that has the member sign the verifone and a copy is immediately emailed to member and saved to the member file. Because he did not cancel properly, the membership was charged for the monthly dues. The next charge that he clams he doesn’t know, is also in the agreement and shown during the sign up process that there is a $49 annual fee.
   “An Annual Membership Fee will be billed to your account below on or around the 1st beginning on 8/01/2023 for $49 plus applicable taxes and will continue to be billed on or around the anniversary of that date each year thereafter until you cancel in accordance with the terms of this agreement. The Annual Membership Fee is an account maintenance fee and, as such, will be billed notwith****ding a membership freeze or temporary closure or disruption of service. The PF+ membership does not include an Annual Membership Fee.”
  *** **** has continued to harass with phone calls to the location. He even called after filing his complaint with the BBB saying if we give him his refund, he will withdraw the complaint. That is a form of blackmail and will not be tolerated.
  With that being said, we did refund the monthly dues and annual on 8/21/23 (invoice history attached). Refunds take 10-14 business days to process. We ask that *** **** removes his complaint from Google also claiming we did not provide him a refund. Thank you,

  ****** ********
  Director of Operations
  Central Ohio Planet Fitness
  

  
  

  Customer response

  08/24/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint to issue the refund, but there detailed information is false. Regardless of the tenure for *******, he did not follow company policy and did not offer a paper cancellation for, nor did he direct me to complete a cancellation electronically there on site. At no time did I become upset, and I did not leave the building. As I mentioned to the Planet Fitness employees and as ******* can verify (if he were an honest employee), there were others there witness to the exchange that no documents were offered, and I did not leave the building in haste. There has been no telephone harassment in any way, there were follow-up calls attempting to contact a manager (which the information was denied by *******), and then a discussion with the manager as to the timeline of the dispute. Not even going to address any comments about blackmail because that is absurd. I will be happy to edit my review that my refund was issued and that the BBB complaint was responded to, but everything else in the review is 100% accurate. I did not include how ******* lied to a customer, lied to fellow employees about his actions, acted unprofessionally, and hung up on a customer, but I can include that if Planet Fitness would like complete transparency.

   

  
  Regards,
  
  *** ****

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I called today, July 17, 2023, to cancel my membership as directed by the Planet Fitness website. The person I spoke with said that I had to come in or send a written letter. I'm in the middle of moving out of state and they are on the other side of town. I asked to email my cancelation notice and could not get an email address. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that *****, the regional manager, does not provide their contact information to staff and does not have set hours. The person I spoke with even leveled with me about the chaotic management at that Planet Fitness that leaves employees to fend for themselves when issues arise. Given this situation, I feel that I am being stuck with my membership and that this is fraudulent activity. I am going to inform my bank that any further membership transactions from Planet Fitness will be considered fraud. This is highly unacceptable customer service for no reason other than neglectful management.

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  Good afternoon,

  We apologize for any confusion on cancelling. The cancellation process is very simple and can be done in one of 2 ways as stated in the agreement (attached). We ask for members who want to cancel their membership to either come into the club in person and will be provided a paper and digital copy of cancellation. The other way is to send a letter by mail (preferably certified for tracking and confirmation). If you have moved away from your home club and don't want to send a letter, you can transfer the membership to a closer location and then go in and proceed to cancel per the agreement. We have made the exception and have cancelled the membership now. No refunds will be issued and any chargebacks from banks and credit cards are disputed.

  Thank you,

  ****** ******** 

  Director of Operations

  Central Ohio Planet Fitness

  Customer response

  09/05/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint. However, I still believe that the business' practice of forcing members to come in to a gym or send a letter to cancel, when the sign up method is online, is a deceptive and manipulative practice to profit off of people with busy schedules, and deserves closer examination. It is 2023 and there is no other reason to have these types of practices other than the realization that if you make it difficult to cancel, the gym will continue to profit off of people who have difficulty with transportation, work during post office hours, and/or otherwise cannot take advantage of those two options. It should not be this difficult to cancel a membership, which I'm sure is only exacerbated by the clubs' lack of management as explained to me by a current employee. I hope other potential customers learn of these practices and avoid this business as long as these practices continue.

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  In May 2023 I was at Planet Fitness and had a workout. I was there for a little more than an hour. I completed my workout and left without any issues. After reviewing my bank account the following week I noticed an additional charge from Planet Fitness of $6 and some change. As a former victim of identity theft, I immediately visited the club to inquire about the charge. They reviewed the transactions and found out a new employee incorrectly applied a charge for drinks to my account. They initially offered to refund the money back to my card, but I instructed them that the bank had already shut the card down due to potential fraud as neither Planet Fitness nor I could confirm if it was theft. The Planet Fitness regional manager offered to allow me to get drinks in place of the misapplied charge, which I refused as I do not purchase anything in the club. They later agreed to refund the money in cash because they couldn't apply it to the monthly membership fee. After agreeing to refund it in cash, the regional manager later change her mind, offered the credit again, but neglected to contact me and update me on this change. After I contacted the club numerous times, and the corporate office, they refused to simply refund my $6 plus. At this junction the total is not the issue but rather I have not been treated fairly or considerately for an issue that was created by a club employee, and instead I have been refused my refund. I object to being forced to purchase something that I do not need nor want. There has been a great deal of dismissiveness and disrespect in how the management has handled this matter given their responsibility in the initial incorrect charge. At this point I do want the funds returned and an apology for how this has been handled.

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/11/2023, I entered Planet Fitness and scanned my Planet Fitness App to check into Planet Fitness per my usual routine. "****" advised me that I was being banned from Planet Fitness for not having a photograph on file. I offered my State of Ohio Driver's License as Proof of identity and or to have a photograph taken of my State of Ohio Driver's License for their records. Both were refused. I left the location after being advised of being "banned". I called back to the location from my car. **** answered the phone. He refused to provide me with his last name or let me speak to a manager. I received a notice of Cancellation. I called the location and spoke to ***** ******* He suggested that, "I run home, put on makeup and come back to the Club to take a photograph." Planet Fitness Sawmill Road - Dublin, Ohio Cancelled my contract effective immediately on 6/11/2023 when ****** "****" ******** advised me that I was being "banned" from the Club for failure to have a photograph on file. They continue to charge me for services through 7/17/2023 per the Cancellation document that I received. ***** ******, later that day, advised me to "Run home, run home, put on makeup and come back to the Club to take a photo." Upon initial review there are three key issues: 1) I was not given appropriate notice of contract cancellation and or being "banned" from Planet Fitness Sawmill Road. This goes against code / laws set forth in the state of Ohio governing gym memberships. 2) This interaction goes against Performance Doctrine as I have never had a photograph on file in the past. Even though their contract indicates that I must they have always accepted ID as a second form of identity verification. 3) It is not appropriate for a male to advise a female to "run home, put on makeup and come back to the club to take a photograph. I am open to resolution; however, there has been no contact from Planet Fitness Sawmill Road nor Planet Fitness Headquarters to discuss this issue.

  Business response

  06/21/2023

  Re: Complaint Concerning Membership Cancellation
  
  Dear Sirs:
  
  Please be advised that Complainant’s membership at Planet Fitness was terminated for failure to comply with the Membership Agreement that she signed. Complainant was offered several opportunities to comply with the rules set forth in the Membership Agreement and refused to do so.
  
  Specifically, on June 11, 2023, Complainant was advised that if she did not agree to have a photo taken for her membership file that she would not be permitted to use the facilities. Complainant correctly stated that she tried to substitute the photo from her driver’s license and her State of Ohio photo ID both of which were refused. All Members are required to have a current photo on file as is clearly stated in the Membership Agreement as follows:
  
  Section 3 Membership, provides under subsection (B) as follows:
  
  “Identification: You must provide a photo to be kept on file for identification purposes, which we may require you to update from time to time, unless prohibited by state or local law.”
  
  Complainant intentionally misstates that she has never had a photograph on file as she has had two (2) separate photographs on file which were submitted with her two (2) previous memberships. In fact, copies of these photographs were sent to Complainant by email from our counsel on June 13, 2023, refuting Complainant’s statement with respect to previous photographs. Complainant was fully aware of this at the time that she reiterated this false statement in the BBB Complaint. Further, it was Complainant, in an effort to avoid having to allow staff to take her photo, who advised the staff that she would have to “go home and put on makeup” to take a photo. Staff simply reiterated her own statement when she called a second staff member to try and bypass the Membership Agreement photograph requirement.
  
  When advised that she could not bypass the photograph requirement, Complainant began loudly screaming at employment personnel and making both social media and legal action threats. The Company was entitled to request that Complainant comply with the terms of the Membership Agreement which Complainant signed. Requesting that Complainant comply with the same rules and regulations as other members is entirely appropriate.
  
  Complainant’s Membership cancellation is a direct result of Complainant’s failure to comply with the terms of the Membership Agreement. She was given several opportunities to comply and refused to do so. Accordingly, Complainant’s Membership has been terminated and any charges against her account are in accordance with the terms of the Membership Agreement that she entered into.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********
  Planet Fitness, Director of Operations,
  Central Ohio

  Customer response

  06/21/2023

  1) For years you accepted an Ohio Drivers License in lieu of a photograph on file. Research Performance Doctrine.

  2)  By suddenly refusing entry to the gym on 6/11/23, while continuing to bill for services you have violated Ohio’s Consumer Protection Laws set forth by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office that states you cannot cancel a contract suddenly without cause (d/t Performance Doctrine) and without issuing a refund for services for the un-used term.

  3) You do not advise a female to go home, put on makeup and come back to take a photograph. This is both discriminatory and misogynistic in nature.

  Failure to resolve this issue directly with myself, the customer, by Planet Fitness - Sawmill Road (Dublin, Ohio) and Planet Fitness Headquarters has led to this complaint with the BBB and also with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Further failures to resolve this issue amicably will result in further Legal action for which you were issued a Demand for Preservation of Records. The action will be taken against the franchise location, Headquarters and the associated involved employees.

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  In response to Complainant’s most recent statement disputing the termination of her membership, she has again failed to state and/or understand the specific terms of the membership agreement (“Agreement”) that she signed.  As was previously stated, the agreement provides at Section 3. (B) as follows:
  
  Identification: You must provide a photo to be kept on file for identification purposes, which we may require you to update from time to time, unless prohibited by state or local law.  Accordingly, the fact that there were “TWO photographs on file” as stated in Complainants latest response, is irrelevant as the Respondent had every right to request that they were updated.  In fact, the photographs on file were clearly outdated as they were taken prior to and during Covid and included a photo of Respondent wearing a face mask. These photos are also from her previous memberships and not the current membership in question.  Further, as was previously provided the record of Complainant’s check in shows approximately 108 times that Complainant checked in and Refused a Photo Check ID dating back more than 8 months.  Contrary to Complainant’s assertion, she was not discriminated with respect to the request for compliance with the terms of the Agreement.  Complainant seeks to be exempted from the same Agreement requirements that all other members have complied with.  Complainant was offered a refund of $31.27 for the monthly charge charged on June 17, 2023, which was offered, as provided in the Agreement, in Respondent’s sole discretion to cancel and refund.  This is our final response, and we will not respond further with respect to this BBB Complaint.
  
  Thank you,
  
  ****** ********
  Director of Operations
  Planet Fitness
  Central Ohio

  Customer response

  07/11/2023

  You had two pictures on file. You refused accommodation of using these recent photographs. You refused accommodation of checking a State of Ohio Drivers License. You discriminated against me. Furthermore you suddenly banned me from your facilities and continued to collect membership dues beyond June 11, 2023. This matter is now also pending with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
  

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