Gold's Gym

It's in the contract that you signed that if you don't intend to renew your membership at the end of the year that you are required to let them know, in writing, 30 days prior to the end of the year, or you will be responsible for another 4 months.
Please, please, stop filing complaints against companies because you can't take the time to read the legal, binding, contract that you signed.

I'm in the process of trying to staighten out the same move on my son, we even paid a cancellation fee and submitted a letter of withdrawing the membership - yet this morning got a phone call from a collection agency saying we owed 4 months?

They called me repeatedly for days on end. I had to get the Auburn Police Dept involved last night. The officer assigned to my case was extremely nice and was annoyed himself at the practices that Gold's Gym Max was operating under. He didn't believe that Sarah Longshore couldn't do anything about the situation (regardless of what she said) and questioned if she understood what exactly a ‘cease and desist’ letter meant legally. Regardless, Last night (6/26/09) there was a police report filed for my against Gold's Gym Max for harassment. The cop told me as long as I never used Gold's Gym Max and had no other relations with the company that Gold's Gym is breaking the law and really after contacting me and having me telling them not to ever call my number again was all it really should have taken. He was not impressed with the "buddy system" Sarah and that other guy tried to tell me had no paperwork saying who exactly signed me up or how they got my number. I get the police report on Monday. I also have pulled my phone records from the last 2-3 months. The cop said more than one phone call from a business I had no relations with is harassment and I have been called between 2-3 times a day for weeks on end. This all could have been avoided if the General Manager Sarah Longshore would have abided the cease and desist letter originally given to Gold's Gym Max at 183 E University Ave Auburn, Al. I wonder if Corporate will be interested enough to do something about this situation now? Sarah Longshore didn’t really care either nor did she believe that I would ever be able to have them stopped, I wonder if she still thought that after having to explain to the police officer why she was allowing her employees to break the law after receiving a ‘cease and desist’ letter. They really didn't care before because (I believe it is because) I am not a member of their business. So if you are reading this and you have been getting calls 2-3 times a day and you can prove it by your phone records then please call the Auburn Police Dept to file harassment charges against Gold's Gym Max. Mine wasn't the first one filed against this company and the police are sure it will not be the last one either.

I agree with the poor business practices of Gold's Gym. I signed up with one in San Jose, California, back in October 2008. The deal was $69 down and $10 a month for as long as I wanted to be a member, no contracts and no other fees! No other fees, that is until they charged my account an additional $49 for the month of April. I remember when I joined asking specifically if there would EVER be any additional fees, and was told "No, there would never be any more fees." When I called and asked what was going on, they told me it was an annual fee. They told me it should have been on the contract I signed. I checked. It wasn't. That's when the manager told me that was an older version of the contract I had signed, and the new one had the fee on there, and he didn't have a copy of the contract I signed! WHAT? How stupid is that? So, he didn't waived the fee, but gave me the number to the corporate headquarters. I had to leave a vocie-mail, and have not heard from them. I am planning on canceling my membership and telling the world about their ridiculous business practices!

I agree - I am a ADA, and was amazed to see some folks I sent away working as sales staff! These folks should never be around kids or the elderly - and yet, there they were. When I confronted one of them, he came as close to threatening me as he could without going to jail. I think this company does have some criminal involvement and would *HIGHLY* advise any one to demand a background check of all gym staff as they have access to personal data, travel patterns, time away from home, lockers. One trick I have seen is the copying of keys while people excercise. If you see a key machine or suspect your belongs have been rifled, please contact your local law enforcement. This is downright wrong and people should be proactive about this sort of behavior. Also, make sure the gym has adequate parking, well lit parking lots, and is not a eyesore on the local community. It is time we acted at all levels to stop con men and criminals.