Golds Gyms SUCKS!!!! Greedy Bastards!!!(Rant)

[BigNJ]

Welcome to the real world.
The Gym franchise or the owner wouldn't give 2 shits about you or y0ur wife.

They simply have your money and will never return a penny to you.

This is how it is, to them you are another jhon doe, someone else will take your place.

unfortunately that's what happen when you prepay, they have you by the balls!

 

[muscle96ss]

When you cancelled your membership did you get a cancellation confirmation or some sort of receipt proving you cancelled?

I am very meticulous in everytime I make a phone call of significance to write everything down in case I need it later. I have a spreadsheet printed out with every credit card and every payment I make listed along with passwords, balances, dates of payment due, etc... I update it every month and shred the old one. I wrote the info down on my sheet in november and then when there were no payments withdrawn from my bank over the next couple of months I no longer bothered to transfer the info to the new sheet as there was no reason. I didn't expect that 4 months later out of the blue this would come up.

 

[muscle96ss]

Just file a lawsuit.

The judge will barely hear their side before deciding in your favor.

I thought about small claims court, but when it comes down to it the hassle and time off from having to goto court would cost me more money than its worth. I am so pissed I haven't ruled that out but know that common sense tells me to just drop it and let it be.

 

[Big Pizzaoli]

I nearly joined Gold's Gym near me, but the sales guy gave me this hardsell about how I only had two days to join or the price would be double later??,
joined 24 hour fitness instead.

 

[johnjuanb1]

^ GTL baby


But seriously best gym the exist today.

World's Gym in San Diego is the modern day golds of arnolds era. Don't believe me as JJ.

We have the best leg equipment anywhere. I trained at Golds gym in vegas today. Was fun. Real nice upperbody equipment. Hot women; of course, we have the hottest at our gym.

 

[AshopRep]

We have the best leg equipment anywhere. I trained at Golds gym in vegas today. Was fun. Real nice upperbody equipment. Hot women; of course, we have the hottest at our gym.

I'd absolutely love to train there JJ. My buddy told me Bev Francis's Gym in New York has tons of great leg equipment too.

 

[Turkishexpress]

Let me try to help you out a bit... what the "Corporate Office" in Irving TX is telling you is correct. The gym you mentioned is not a corporately owned location. The Corporate Office you're contacting is the corporate office for Gold's Gym International OR the corporately owned gyms and they own none in AZ.

The cancellation website for GGI is ONLY used for Corporate clubs and hence they wouldn't have any record of you filling one out for a franchise location. The GM is talking out of his ass and the "Corporate Office" he might be talking about is their franchise Corporate office. There is many multi club franchise owners out there with Corporate offices. Hell I know a few guys that only own one gym and have a "Corporate Office".

Now as far as that specific location goes. It looks like the owner has multiple locations in AZ, CA, and NV. Sean Paxton is the CEO and I can supply you his email if you'd like via PM.

 

[Performance Based]

LET IT HIT YOUR CREDIT REPORT.

Please research how your credit report works man. I just let shit like this slide, let it hit, dispute it, and its off a month later.

Well I actually just have lexington law, they dispute everything for me

I had a creditor for golds gym call me, turned out to be a scam. Until somethings actually on your report, do NOT take it seriously. No one says pay by midnight or else. This isn't the mafia.

Also the fact if they are calling your cell phone they are in breach of the fair credit reporting act.

PLEASE educate yourself man, your gonna give yourself a heart attack!

 

[muscle96ss]

LET IT HIT YOUR CREDIT REPORT.

Please research how your credit report works man. I just let shit like this slide, let it hit, dispute it, and its off a month later.

Well I actually just have lexington law, they dispute everything for me

I had a creditor for golds gym call me, turned out to be a scam. Until somethings actually on your report, do NOT take it seriously. No one says pay by midnight or else. This isn't the mafia.

Also the fact if they are calling your cell phone they are in breach of the fair credit reporting act.

PLEASE educate yourself man, your gonna give yourself a heart attack!

Once it hits your report its too late; not worth the risk. The fact is that I have no substantial proof to say that I did cancel the membership. So if I dispute once it hits my credit then it is my word against their word. In addition, since it was 2 different accounts, 1 in my name and 1 in my wifes, then it would be a double whammy because both of our reports would be hit. For $300 why put myself through that hassle. In other words, by paying the $300 I have mitigated my damages and can still pursue it in small claims court if choose. I can actually sleep much easier knowing that.

 

[Performance Based]

Once it hits your report its too late; not worth the risk. The fact is that I have no substantial proof to say that I did cancel the membership. So if I dispute once it hits my credit then it is my word against their word. In addition, since it was 2 different accounts, 1 in my name and 1 in my wifes, then it would be a double whammy because both of our reports would be hit. For $300 why put myself through that hassle. In other words, by paying the $300 I have mitigated my damages and can still pursue it in small claims court if choose. I can actually sleep much easier knowing that.

Disputing something on your credit report has absolutely nothing to do with the fact as to whether or not you can prove you cancelled your membership.

Also as far as small claims court, its a joke at the end of the day. Most states cannot force the sum to be paid. Often you have to seek legal representation for that, and no lawyer will bother over such a small amount. I don't know about you, but spending my day let alone 10 minutes in court over 300$ isn't something I am willing to do.

 

[muscle96ss]

Once it hits your report its too late; not worth the risk. The fact is that I have no substantial proof to say that I did cancel the membership. So if I dispute once it hits my credit then it is my word against their word. In addition, since it was 2 different accounts, 1 in my name and 1 in my wifes, then it would be a double whammy because both of our reports would be hit. For $300 why put myself through that hassle. In other words, by paying the $300 I have mitigated my damages and can still pursue it in small claims court if choose. I can actually sleep much easier knowing that.

Not sure I understand. I am under the impression that if I dispute an item then the credit bureau will attempt to verify the info before accepting my dispute and deleting it. When they contact the collection agency, they will say that I never cancelled my membership and that I am required to give a 30 day notice of cancellation by contract. Why would the credit bureau delete it? Please explain as I am not following.

 

[Performance Based]

Not sure I understand. I am under the impression that if I dispute an item then the credit bureau will attempt to verify the info before accepting my dispute and deleting it. When they contact the collection agency, they will say that I never cancelled my membership and that I am required to give a 30 day notice of cancellation by contract. Why would the credit bureau delete it? Please explain as I am not following.

Ok, basically no one cares if you cancelled or not or if the amount is correct.

There are two ways to dispute an item.
1) With the credit bureau
2) With the company that posts it to your credit report.

There are numerous things that have to take place when they report something to your bureau. I mean dozens of forms signed and filed electronically ETC. If even one of these details are found to be incorrect the item is no longer considered valid. IE they transpose two numbers on a 18 digit account number...

The other thing is no one for the most part actually takes the time to pay someone to answer your demand for debt validation, they have to verify, take the time to type out a letter and mail it off to you. They are required to get back to you within 30 days or remove the item from your report. Someone has to spend the man hours to do this, that means that debt they bought for $60... They are now losing money on by spending man hours researching it.

Credit reporting companies usually simply ding your credit score then attempt to collect payment. There are HUNDREDS of debt gathering scams out there.

It is NOT permanent, like I said I use lexington law... They have taken EVERY item off of my report that has ever hit. 50+ items (ALOT of old medical from when I got back from Iraq).

The other thing you can do is a counter offer... They bought your debt for pennies on the dollar, state you will pay say 80$ if they agree to remove the debt from your credit report... They will often say yes.

 

[muscle96ss]

Ok, basically no one cares if you cancelled or not or if the amount is correct.

There are two ways to dispute an item.
1) With the credit bureau
2) With the company that posts it to your credit report.

There are numerous things that have to take place when they report something to your bureau. I mean dozens of forms signed and filed electronically ETC. If even one of these details are found to be incorrect the item is no longer considered valid. IE they transpose two numbers on a 18 digit account number...

The other thing is no one for the most part actually takes the time to pay someone to answer your demand for debt validation, they have to verify, take the time to type out a letter and mail it off to you. They are required to get back to you within 30 days or remove the item from your report. Someone has to spend the man hours to do this, that means that debt they bought for $60... They are now losing money on by spending man hours researching it.

Credit reporting companies usually simply ding your credit score then attempt to collect payment. There are HUNDREDS of debt gathering scams out there.

It is NOT permanent, like I said I use lexington law... They have taken EVERY item off of my report that has ever hit. 50+ items (ALOT of old medical from when I got back from Iraq).

The other thing you can do is a counter offer... They bought your debt for pennies on the dollar, state you will pay say 80$ if they agree to remove the debt from your credit report... They will often say yes.

I hear what you are saying but my experience with disputing items before is that it is a pain in the ass and a crapshoot. To me the big question is it worth the time and the stress to take that chance. For me, I can earn that $300 in about 2 hours worth of work. If I were to go the route you suggested it would undoubdedtly take much more than 2 hours of my time thus making it a losing proposition. So by paying the $300 I have 100% competely eliminated the risk of either my wife or myself's credit report being effected and I can pursue the matter further at my leisure or let it be with no further negative ramifications. Actually I thought about it long and hard because I am a very stubborn individual and always stand up and fight for what I believe in. However, with age I have learned that you need to pick your battles. The more I thought about it, I could see myself 6 months down the road still fighting this and wishing I had not been so stubborn and payed the damn $300 at the time. Also so you can better understand where I am coming from, both of our credit reports have not been the greatest in the past. We have worked really hard to get things in order and finally over the past year can say that we have good credit reports. I would hate to see something like this screw things up and come back to haunt us as we are possibly going to be custom building a new home in the near future; just not worth the risk as family comes first. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Performance Based]

Just make sure you get an actual bill, verify it is a real company and with golds gym man. Just because you owe golds doesn't mean its a legitimate collection.

Its not what your time is worth, just goodness is any sort of litigation miserable.

I would suggest making a twitter and facebook account and flooding their social media sites. Both the local and corporate. Great way to get some quite effective attention. Just post something twice a day till it gets resolved.

Seriously check out Lexington law, I went from a low 500 to low 800s. Any time I get something that pops up, even just a hard inquiry they dispute it and its gone!

I hear what you are saying but my experience with disputing items before is that it is a pain in the ass and a crapshoot. To me the big question is it worth the time and the stress to take that chance. For me, I can earn that $300 in about 2 hours worth of work. If I were to go the route you suggested it would undoubdedtly take much more than 2 hours of my time thus making it a losing proposition. So by paying the $300 I have 100% competely eliminated the risk of either my wife or myself's credit report being effected and I can pursue the matter further at my leisure or let it be with no further negative ramifications. Actually I thought about it long and hard because I am a very stubborn individual and always stand up and fight for what I believe in. However, with age I have learned that you need to pick your battles. The more I thought about it, I could see myself 6 months down the road still fighting this and wishing I had not been so stubborn and payed the damn $300 at the time. Also so you can better understand where I am coming from, both of our credit reports have not been the greatest in the past. We have worked really hard to get things in order and finally over the past year can say that we have good credit reports. I would hate to see something like this screw things up and come back to haunt us as we are possibly going to be custom building a new home in the near future; just not worth the risk as family comes first. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Incognito1]

I had something similar happen to me years ago...
About 7 years ago I was training at a very well known gym chain over here in Australia. It was a great gym but the staff sucked. The trainers walked around like they owned the equipment and used to try to hussle people off the equipment if you didn't use the trainers. Well one day they tried this with me and I told them they would have to wait, so they continued to try to take over the equipment. Long story short I told them where to go and they banned me from the gym. Anyway I get a call about 6 months later from their head office stating that I owed them 6 months fees. I explained to them that I had been banned and they went on to say that they knew nothing about it and that I had to give 3 months notice on leaving. So not only did I now owe them 6 months but an additional 3 to cancel. Once again I told them where to go and they bought in debt collection. I advised them that if they wanted me to pay that's fine, but I will be counter suing them for harassment and bullying in the gym. They said they would speak to their legal team and get back to me. Never heard bout it again lol.
These big gym chains think they hold all the cards, it doesn't always work like that. Just need to try to find the loop hole

 

[Incognito1]

Just make sure you get an actual bill, verify it is a real company and with golds gym man. Just because you owe golds doesn't mean its a legitimate collection.

Its not what your time is worth, just goodness is any sort of litigation miserable.

I would suggest making a twitter and facebook account and flooding their social media sites. Both the local and corporate. Great way to get some quite effective attention. Just post something twice a day till it gets resolved.

Seriously check out Lexington law, I went from a low 500 to low 800s. Any time I get something that pops up, even just a hard inquiry they dispute it and its gone!

This is very good advise. You can also contest any bad credit on your rating here in Australia too. The creditors aren't always honest and the governing credit agency are aware of this

 

[j4ever]

everyone finance situation can be different but for me personally I would have not paid it.

 

[BigJB]

Once it hits your report its too late; not worth the risk. The fact is that I have no substantial proof to say that I did cancel the membership. So if I dispute once it hits my credit then it is my word against their word. In addition, since it was 2 different accounts, 1 in my name and 1 in my wifes, then it would be a double whammy because both of our reports would be hit. For $300 why put myself through that hassle. In other words, by paying the $300 I have mitigated my damages and can still pursue it in small claims court if choose. I can actually sleep much easier knowing that.

ALWAYS cancel any membership like that via certified mail. You get a receipt for sending it, and they get a receipt for receiving it, both verifiable by the post office.

P.S., chances are golds owns and runs their own "3rd party offsite" billing company thats simply under a different name and operated under the same roof

 

[ShortStop]

This is why i dont buy any gym member ship using my debit or credit card... Cash only monthly payments take it or leave it.. I travel alot and i find one where ever i go

 

[BOOMSHAKER]

About 6 months ago a guy with an indian accent (not stereo typing just stating his voice) called my house and asked to speak to me. He said he was collecting on a debt(membership)that I had with Bally's. Mind you this was more than 24 years ago. The first thing I asked was "didn't the statute of limitations run out on this"? His answer was "uuuuuuuh yes". To which I proceeded to say "ok, thanks". And hung up the phone! Never heard from him again.