I canceled my gym membership 2 years ago and I’m still charged – they refused to refund me because of the fine print

A FITNESS fanatic has blasted a prominent gym chain after it allegedly overcharged him for two years.

The frustrated former member claimed not only were they paying long after the subscription ended, but the company refused to refund them for the money lost.

"I was a regular member at this gym since 2021," noted the customer, Caleb, in a post to Facebook earlier in July.

Caleb explained that he'd been going to the gym, an Anytime Fitness location, consistently until a medical operation in 2022 that prevented him from working out for six months.

He decided to call and cancel the membership given his inability to engage in fitness activities but claimed he later found that Anytime Fitness was still charging him fees.

"So I called the gym and canceled my membership... 2 years ago," Caleb wrote.

"Fast forward to now. I have been charged 2 years and had no idea."

Caleb said he discovered the discrepancy after the credit card on file for Anytime Fitness that was being charged expired.

He later received a phone call from a collection agency claiming that money was owed due to the gym membership.

After calling and attempting to resolve the issue, Caleb claimed that staff told him it was his fault and refused to refund him the "$1000+" lost due to the cancellation not being processed.

FINE PRINT FIASCO

He also provided screenshots of a conversation with a staff member at the Anytime Fitness location, who noted that while the situation was unfortunate, Caleb didn't take the necessary steps required to cancel the membership per the contract he signed.

Anytime Fitness operates with franchisees who own locations independently, and the owners can adjust contract policies however they see fit, per its website.

Cancellation policies at most gyms require that members either come in person, send an email, or a physical letter by mail to cancel.

Phone calls, therefore, wouldn't suffice as an appropriate cancellation method, per the fine print on Caleb's contract.

Additionally, the staff member noted in their conversation with Caleb that memberships are automatically renewed each year unless action is otherwise taken by members, per the contract.

In the screenshots of messages that Caleb included in his post, the staff member was still working to assist him in resolving the issue.

I have been charged for 2 years and had no idea.

GYMS IN JEOPARDY?

Some Anytime Fitness locations have been struggling to maintain operations over the past year.

In August 2023, a staple location for gym-goers in western Massachusetts closed its doors for good.

Jeff Swanson, the location's owner, noted that it was too expensive to stay in the area they were previously in and had to get a lease somewhere else, per MassLive.

Competing gyms like Planet Fitness also made significant changes in May.

The brand's CEO, Craig Benson, confirmed there would be a membership price hike in 2024 — the first in 25 years.

Classic Card members at the gym chain saw a five-dollar bump from $10 to a $15 monthly fee.