Quitting a gym protocol

[ToxicShock]

We're moving and my wife called LA fitness to tell them she is giving up her membership. They told her that she has to come by the gym, pick up a form, fill it out and MAIL it in. It takes 20 days from receipt of the form to process it before they stop charging us for the membership. The charge for the membership is automatically debited from our account at the beginning of the month. The question I have is this: Are there any repercussions if I just drop the form in the mail and then call the bank and have payments to the gym stopped?

 

[Steve Dallas]

Nope. I'm sure it didn't take them 20 days to figure a way to bill on the front end.

I never allow any of these places to auto debit my account. Just a bad idea IMO.

 

[Ignatius]

There's nothing they can do directly, but if you've killed the direct draft with your bank and the gym attempts one (presumably within the 20 days) then they'll consider that the same as if you didn't have the money in the bank, and probably add a fee onto the total you owe in addition to the payment they were trying to debit. This only matters because ultimately they'll turn it over to a collection agency, which will immediately go on your credit, and even if you pay it off/win the dispute, it'll stay on there without an act of God. Even if it's reflects as settled/paid satisfactorily, it's still on there, and a collection account on your credit will affect your credit score.

Gyms are notoriously painful to cancel, but most likely all the ******** they're telling you to do is in the mountain of paper you signed, and they will absolutely turn any balance over to a collection agency, which will absolutely go on your credit.

Just something to consider...

 

[ToxicShock]

These gyms and the hoops you have to jump through to get out of a membership have always seemed so sleazy to me. The Y is reasonable when you want to quit your membership but these big chains have always pissed me off.

 

[Bayerithe]

I was a member at a gym, where i paid the year's membership up front cause it was at a discount. I renewed in late July, only to get offered a new job in August, which put me out of ways from that gym. They told me i had to move 20-25 miles from my existing home to be able to cancel.

I had to pretty much eat the $400 and just let my membership expire the following year.

 

[Bookman]

In reply to:

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[Napoleon]

FIRST: I don't have any advice that will necessarily save your credit from taking a hit.
SECOND: I joined 24Hr Fitness and paid for 3 years up front to use mulitiple gyms.

They have a tons of locations in LA and Dallas (my two main cities at that point) and often times in LA I used my membership for a shower in a part of town that save me a 2 hour round-trip to my apartment.

Now I just pay $49/year to keep my membership.

I live on another continent, but for US$49/year, I don't mind keeping that membership so that I can workout with my brother when I go to Dallas or all over town if I ever move back to LA.