Planet Fitness

I am filing a complaint today regarding collection practices and a bait and switch advertisement. I feel my rights were violated when the company opened a new location in my home area and stated on the TV advertisement, No contracts. This was advertised however when I went into the gym with my partner and reluctantly signed up as they sweetened the offer and gave a month free, even thought I wanted time to think about it they made me feel like I had to sign the contract as it was a great deal and they didn’t want me to miss out on it. So we signed up for their black card program and they issued us Member #’s. We placed our credit card info on the agreement and it billed for two months. My wallet was lost at the movies and my credit card number changed a month or so later I got a call from them asking about a balance due on the account. Today 4/24/12, 4 months later. I received a call from them asking me to pay the account current. I told the woman that called Mia or Christina that I would like to cancel the membership as I nor my partner have been to the gym. I was told that I could not cancel as there was a past due balance on the account. I advised I haven’t even been to the gym to work out, only to sign up. I asked her to work with me and she said well maybe if you come in we can knock off a month or two. I asked her to note in my account that I was attempting to cancel the account and she would not allow it with a balance due. When I asked her to note that she offered a manager to take over the call. She placed me on hold and brought on the line a Manager (not sure of his name) He said “I was told that you are having trouble understanding your contract.” That was one of the first statements out of his mouth. I was appalled. I said no, I was simply asking the person that called to note my account that she would not allow me to cancel my membership without payment of a past due balance. He said well we cannot do that according to the contract that you signed. I was under the assumption due to his tone that he was not willing to assist me with my issue. I feel the manager’s attitude on the phone was rude and unprofessional. I question if I have really spoken with a manager, after that experience I researched several complaints from the company and from a simple Google search show that others are experiencing the same issues. I have even heard talk of a class action lawsuit. I feel that this business Bait and Switch technique has violated my rights;I have never stepped foot in the location at 3391 Southern Boulevard Southeast, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. I have paid the initial fee of $60; I would like a full refund of the charges and immediate cancellation and retraction of their agreement.