ComplaintsforAnytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed a contract on Jan 2023, with Anytime Fitness for one year of membership and training package. I was under the impression, it would be one year and it would not roll over together. Due to personal circumstances, I had to take care of my grandpa with a recent ALS diagnosis. I was really unable to attend the gym and training, and was fine paying for the year. However, when I tried contacting the gym it would roll over to voicemail, so I started emailing their corporate *** fitness. I was told in email, that I had no further payments and my account was canceled Feb 28, 2024. Then, I get emails, saying there was a miscommunication and that I needed to pay for my training that wasnt canceled. When, I am unable to use my training without a membership. All of the attachments listed and you can see, I have paid $402 since my membership canceled. They are wanting $1005, or they will send my account to collections. I disputed one of the $67 dollars that noticed in my account and wasnt reached out too since. Am I misunderstanding this situation, or am being scammed here? I feel very confused and mislead from everything sent to me. I dont need a refund for the year, just for the after I thought I was done paying after everything was canceled. Thank you

  Business response

  07/15/2024

  We reach out to ****** and canceled everything for her.  When in doubt we like to lean on our members side.  ****** was happy about the resolution.  Thank you for brining this to our attention.

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

  [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 is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Signed a 2 year contract Oct. 16 2015. Since the contract expired I have been month to month at the rate set on the contract. My rates were raised without being given the 30 day written notice that is required. After pulling out the contract I found the contract is far from complete. Unfinished mailing address, no ss#, no email, no phone #. I have gone through with the cancellation process because of these issues. I would like the $94 amount that they are trying to collect, beyond when I cancelled nonetheless, to be removed.

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  I spoke with ***** today. We went ahead and waived his past due invoice, and he will not be responsible for the final payment that would have drafted in July. His account is set to cancel and hes happy with the outcome.

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I got a 12 month Gym Membership at Anytime Fitness Horicon Wisconsin on 309 Barstow around July 20th 2022. During the last months of the contract I notifed the Gym Owner/Club Manager of the location I would like to cancel my membership. This was done in person via speech and Via writing. He said "No Problem" fast forward to May *************************** the mail saying that my account has been taken to collections. I call **************** to see why my account has not been canceled and end up speaking to someone named ****. He says he doesn't know why it wasn't canceled and its already in collections so not much he can do and I need to talk to the club where I had my membership through. I explain to him it should of been canceled and the location is no longer open and has been closed. He starts to ask me some additional security questions and then says the name on the Account in *******, which is not my name. All the other info is correct like phone number, address, dob, email. He said only Maravis can cancel the account. I explain to him that is not a real person and they must have the wrong first name. He says he will check into it and I will receive a call back. In the meantime I can not cancel this account that should of been canceled over a year ago and my credit is being ruined and I'm stuck with a collection fee that I should not have. Talking to a few other people from the gym they said they are facing the same issues with the owner never canceling their memberships then deciding to go out of business.

  Business response

  05/30/2024

  This is not a club we own.  Please forward this complaint to the correct owner.

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In December of 2023 I signed up for an Anytime Fitness membership. This was at the *************** location. When I was signing up (with the assistance from *****) I was NEVER told that I would be locked in for two years. From everything I was told, I knew that the rate I signed up for was only valid for the time I was currently a member and when I canceled it would be a higher rate. I was under the impression that it was month by month. I was also never given a copy of what I signed, I never got a physical copy there or by mail or even an email. I am not experiencing hard *************** and have been trying to cancel for the past three months and have gotten nowhere. I cannot afford to pay to pay the monthly bill or to pay $250 to cancel. I was completely lied to and need a way out of this membership.

  Business response

  06/04/2024

  Our software for signing up members and our process is to email each person an agreement copy at the point of singing up for the gym membership.  After reviewing the account, the membership agreement was properly completed with all signatures and initials for all terms and conditions including the term and the early termination policy.  We understand that at times, people fall into difficult situations and because of that our District Manager that oversaw the *********** location personally reached out to ***** to find another option for her.  He made an exception to freeze her billing at no charge for 6 months to allow her some time to catch up financially (the regular stated policy on the agreement is that members can freeze up to 3 months per calendar year).  That freeze was instated immediately after the phone call in April and is currently frozen until October.  We will continue to work with her but we have to do our best to preserve the integrity of our agreements. Otherwise it would not be fair to hold anyone to our terms.
  

  Customer response

  06/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I was not given the same information as they say they give. I was unaware that I would be under contract, I feel as though I was tricked into signing up. They should also have another way out of contract for people who are struggling financially. Due to the fact I was never told I was locked in for two years AND never received a copy of my contract in any way until I called for it in May, I believe my contract should be canceled with no fee. The staff mis-led me to believe it was a month by month membership and I was never given any form that I could have checked to verify that.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On March 21st, I called my local gym to make sure my contract would end as stated and not auto renew. The person I spoke to informed me he was having computer issues but I should call customer care. I called customer care for ATF and was told my contract had switched over to month to month and all I had to do was send my 30 day notice in writing. I immediately sent an email to my local club giving then my 30 day notice.After these 30 days were up there were multiple attempts on my card for monthly fees and so I contacted customer care again via email. While waiting for a response, my local club called me. I explained what had happened and was given an apology and told they would get it figured out. After this I got an email from customer care letting me know that the email they received (not the one Id already sent to my club) was considered 30 day notice and I also had to send them a $73 cancellation fee-something that had never been told to me before. The customer care representative from my original phone call also never mentioned to whom I needed to email my 30 days notice to, which is also a major problem.

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Had previous account with **********************, I transferred to a new location in ******* **, and transferred my membership. (I had moved) The owner of the ******* location, was able to transfer my membership, and successfully cancel my subscription for Platteville ** location. The *********** location, reached out to a debt collector and now states that I owe them money, (I never received a bill, or information regarding this.(as my membership was removed from their system). As I switched gyms locations, I was no longer liable to pay their bills, as switching locations is something that anytime fitness offers.

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  It sounds like ********************* might have been sent to our collection agency by mistake.  She have been removed from collections and my area manager is going to call and apologize for the confusion.

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Six week session marketed that you could get your money back. When signing up, I was told I'd need to lose 20 lbs or "x" % of my body weight to get my money back. Was charged $600. I was not given the % by them, but calculated it to 17 lbs - so ***** lbs in 6 weeks which is not within the guidelines of healthy weight loss (2#/wk). My age and being female were asked but not factored in, though I was upfront from the beginning that my biggest concern was my weight gain during menopause. My body scan was clearly marked "fat loss." I was encouraged that I "could do this!" My gym mates and I continuously questioned the fact that we weren't seeing results on the scale, and the repeated reply was "you're building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat" and for us to just stick with it and we'll be fine. However, this was not factored into the challenge either. Even at the midway point when a second body scan was done I stated there was no way I could make the challenge even though I was tracking and counting points as I had with a current program I found successful, I was told I could still make the % but still not given the number. Just the "you can do this!" Promised personal trainer. Sessions were with up to six other people with me. Also in speaking with my gym mates, I found that we had paid different amounts - it seems if we were deemed to be "able" to pay more, we were charged more. I did reach out to the company to express my concerns and ask them for resolution (return of my money) but did not receive the courtesy of a reply.

  Business response

  06/30/2023

  My Area Manager recently talked with her and apologized for her poor experience.  She refunded her the challenge and offered her a free challenge to continue on with.  

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

  I did not see the communication regarding my need to let you know the complaint has been resolved; however, I do want to confirm that it has been.

   

  Thank you for your assistance!

   

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I called Anytime Fitness in ******** at least 8 times in the past two months. My phone only goes back too 11/5/22 as the earliest I called, as my only shows the past six weeks. I have been calling them to schedule an appointment to come in to cancel my membership. I was temporarily moving to **********, ** to take a teaching position for the school year. They never returned by phone calls. I am will to pay the cancellation fees but do not want to pay for my membership anymore, since I am not in ********. Please get them to contact me to set up an appointment. No one ever answers the phone there, they only take messages. I have taken an extremely busy teaching position, as a teacher quit and I have taken over two months into the school year!

  Customer response

  12/15/2022

  The complaint has been resolved. I think the gym that accidentally received the complaint was kind enough to take care of the whole issue for me! My membership has been cancelled. Thank you for all your help! Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Warmly, ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I canceled my membership back in February at my original gym. Then found out in June I was still paying for the membership. After I originally went in to cancel they didnt tell me my membership got transferred to another gym. I had to find that one and canceled again! I just realized ** still getting charged!

  Business response

  10/14/2022

  ************************* called East ******* on Monday, October 3rd, because he noticed that he was still being charged for his membership when he had tried to cancel twice already this year. He was originally a Stoughton member who transferred to East ******* in 2018. He stopped into Stoughton in January 2022 and signed a cancel form thinking that was where he needed to cancel. They told him he was a member at East Mad now but they would cancel him and send us the form. They did not send it so he was not canceled.
  
  
  He stopped in to East Mad in June 2022 requesting the cancellation again and the manager told him there was no need to sign again and we could cancel him immediately due to the fact he said he already signed the form, but the manager never put the cancellation in and we have no signed form. 
  
  
  He called East ******* in October wanting a refund for his dues since he tried to cancel with us in June. ***, the manager passed it onto me after calling ********* and hearing that they also recently changed staff and they have no record of his cancellation form.
  
  
  I called Stoughton (a club we don't own) to confirm what happened and the manager there is relatively new and he did not find any record of the cancellation form. I called ***** to apologize and went over his recent charges and told him that we could refund his payments since he came in in June (July, Aug, Sept) as that is when he stopped into our club. When I went over his charges for the year, I mentioned that he paid twice in April ***** enhancements) and he was really not happy then. He told me he should have never had that added on because he never signed that and wanted to know how long that was going on (3 payments). There was no record of his signature for that being added on. He was getting really frustrated at this point... 
  
  
  I told him that I completely believed him and apologized for all the miscommunication and I would refund him for the whole year as well as for any Club Enhancements he has paid. He was happy with that solution. 
  
  
  I refunded him and canceled him immediately and followed up with an email to him and Shi (East Mad manager). Tell us why here...

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid to have a membership but ended up losing my job and anytime fitness refuses to give my $71 and says I need to pay $250 to cancel the membership, I absolutely have no money and want my $71 back immediately.

  Business response

  05/02/2022

  That is our cancelation policy.  However, my area manager decided to wave that for this individual.  So I believe this individual will be satisfied with the outcome.

  Tell us why here...

  Customer response

  05/02/2022

  [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 is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************************
  

*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. ↩