I canceled my gym membership, or at least I thought I did. Now, out of nowhere, a debt collector is saying I still owe money. Can this actually affect my credit, or is it just one of those things that will go away? And why is canceling a gym membership always such a hassle?
Planet Fitness? If so, you really need to check the fine print.
Zeek said:
Planet Fitness? If so, you really need to check the fine print.
Always them! I fought with them for three years before they finally cleared my ‘debt’—and it was from when they were closed during COVID. The company they use for billing is awful.
@Weston
Same thing happened at a gym in my city. They switched from local processing to some company overseas, and canceling became a nightmare. Took us seven months and a lawyer to finally get it done. Feels like a scam at this point.
If this is Planet Fitness and you owe money, good luck getting them to cancel.
Ori said:
If this is Planet Fitness and you owe money, good luck getting them to cancel.
Even if you don’t owe anything, they still make it hard to cancel.
Most gyms require written cancellation. Send proof to the debt collector and request a breakdown of what they claim you owe. Never admit to any debt.
Same thing happened to me when COVID started. One month of YMCA membership that I never used, and they still sent it to collections. Not sure if it was real or just a scare tactic. It was only $60, so I ignored it, and nothing ever showed on my credit report.
Tell them you thought it was canceled and that you never used their services. If you didn’t use anything, you shouldn’t owe them anything.
Do you have proof that you canceled?
Edited to add: This is getting downvoted, but having proof could mean the difference between this showing up on your credit report or getting it removed. If you have proof, you can dispute it directly with the credit bureaus.
@Leith
No idea why people are downvoting. Almost every gym requires written cancellation. If you have a copy, show it to the debt collector. Upvoting you for common sense.
I’m sure this will all ‘work out’…
Leith said:
I’m sure this will all ‘work out’…
No need to sweat it.
Just keep telling them to go away and deny everything. Speaking from experience, they won’t put it on your credit report.
Hollis said:
Just keep telling them to go away and deny everything. Speaking from experience, they won’t put it on your credit report.
Not sure I believe this, but I respect the confidence.
Most gyms require written cancellation. Pretty sure that’s how Planet Fitness does it.
Sounds like you just walked in and said, ‘I’m canceling’ but never got anything in writing. Probably why they’re still billing you.
I went in, did the whole process, and even got a signed copy for my records. That was nine years ago, and now I’m paranoid they’ll still try to come after me!
One membership to rule them all…
Do you have any proof that you actually canceled?