This blog is about Planet Fitness & their predatory sales tactics. The intention of this blog is to protect unsuspecting potential Planet Fitness clients from being hoodwinked, scammed & pressurised. This story is based on an actual experience with Planet Fitness and their manipulative & devious sales & marketing tactics.
Over the last 8 months we have attempted all reasonable approaches with Planet Fitness Sales, Marketing & Customer Services people to no avail! We have made in excess of 30 - 40 phone calls to Planet Fitness people to try to resolve a high pressure predatory sales contract. This contaract was sold by a Planet Fitness Plattekloof sales predator to my unsuspecting son. Here is his / our story of the abuse, avoidance, bad, attitudes, inflexible of Planet Fitness staff over the last 8 months.
If you have also experienced problems with Planet Fitness, please contribute to this blog.
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22 comments:
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=150021
I was high pressured into a 3yr contract with Planet Fitness. I was never informed of the small print - that AFTER 3 years, I would go onto a monthly planet fitness membership fee. Without any notification to a 'loyal customer' of 3 years, informing me that PF would now be debiting R244 per month, planet fitness started taking money. I tried to contact them as I did not understand why they were helping themselves. No luck. I left messages for various planet fitness accounts people who never called back. I emailed their contact mail from the website several times. No response. Finally I went into the Fourways planet fitness branch but it was the weekend and they said the manager was the only person who could help. They promised he would call on Monday. He did not. On Tuesday I got hold of him and expressed my extreme unhappiness. He said it was my fault for signing the contract and I could not get back any money. All I could do was cancel the planet fitness contract and stop further deductions. I did this by email as agreed telephonically. Now their legal department wants to take action against me for arrears on my account. I have mailed 4 senior people regarding this. No response from planet fitness. Seems they only call you to extort money for services unrendered.
have signed up for a 3 year membership with PF with the Mega Gym on Witkoppen in fourways in Jan 2008.
I was assured by 2 consultants that PF would HELP me transfer the contract if i ever take the option of cancelling my contract.
And now that i have hit a dead end with my finances due to medical reasons (still paying off my knee operation where my knee is still not 100% due to large damage) i want to cut down on my expenses and kill the contract.
The PF now doesnt want to HELP at all in transferring my contract or even giving any suggestions etc!
i am so 200% sure that PF signs up many members on daily basis! why is it so difficult for PF to help people to transfer contracts for VALID reasons!?! and still DECLINE in helping when I asked them for HELP that they openly offered!!!!
i am not able to gym due to my knee injury anyways due to injury caused and suffered.
is there anyway i can freeze or cancel the contract?
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SUPPLIER'S RESPONSE
Time: 11:35:32
Fri 18 Apr 08
Hello lachika
As discussed we can either freeze your contract for a maximum of six months, alternatively we can request a settlement fee so that the contract can be cancelled as soon as you pay the penalty fee. - Amazing understanding!!! Greeders!
You opted for the settlement fee and the payment has been received, and the contract has been cancelled. Planet Fitness
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=149552
have actually left Planet Fitness after being a member there for four years (I never left before as I thought they were relatively cheap compared to other gyms) but i discoverd hellopeter.com and finally have a place to have my say! Planet fitness is the biggest joke of a gym, every time I went there I actually left feeling more irritated then when I arrived due to the fact that you actually have to try ten machines (bikes treadmills etc) before you find one that works! Trying to move the seats up and down you have to actually be a superhero as they are desperately in need of oil, and I would struggle and huff and puff and not one instructor would EVER come and help me! I was also promised a trial with a planet fitness personal trainer which I asked about on numerous occasions but never got, and was also promised one month free on my contract (which is clearly written on my contract)but when my contract expired and I asked about the extra free month my contract was nowhere to be found!! ah that feels good to get that off my chest, have never been happy with Planet Fitness-rather go pay a bit more at Virgin etc and get some service - you have been warned about planet fitness once again!!!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=148571
I joined Planet Fitness Claremont last year Sept. I was originally going to go for the 3 year monthly payment option, and filled the forms out to that effect, including giving the details of one of my savings accounts for the debit order.
I subsequently changed my planet fitnes contract to a year option, paid for in full. I payed the full amount, R2682 or there abouts (I have bank statements to prove it). I was assured by my consultant Kurt, that that was it. I had nothing further to pay.
A month went by and I checked my bank statement only to find that they had debited my Account for the sum of R352. I queried this and was told that it would be sorted out.
It is now April 2008 and this has happened every month since September last year. plannet fitness have assured me it has been fixed several times. It happened this month again. Effectively they are *** from me, this is theft and I will be instructing my lawyers to start preparing paperwork. planet fitness are now ducking and diving and avoiding my calls. I have left 14 messages both today and yesterday, and have yet to be contacted.
Please do not use Planet Fitness. They are crooks and ***
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=148514
Beware all planet fitness care about is money - just plain Greeders
Good Day,
I refer to you response to my previous post wherein you stated that "The new consumer protection bill is still a draft and should it get passed will not be retroactive (i.e. apply to contracts entered into prior to it being made into law)." I find your response and attitude towards this matter poor and indicative of the low level of corporate ethics in your organisation. While you may argue that the CPB is still in in draft, the fact remains that the automatic renewals of your contract agreements are in contravention of the National Credit Act as well.
According to a respected authority:"a contract of this nature cannot be automatically renewed...It is not valid to have this in the small print when the contract is initially signed. In the case...the contract was signed some time before the implementation of the Act, but because the termination date occurred after the critical date (1 June), any automatic renewal unilaterally by the service provider is contrary to the provisions of the Act. " Argue as you may about the CPB and fine print in your contracts; the fact remains that such things, as practiced by Planet Fitness are extremely unethical! A precedent will be set
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SUPPLIER'S RESPONSE
Time: 09:04:36
Fri 18 Apr 08
UPDATED RESPONSE
Time: 12:34:06
Fri 18 Apr 08 Hello bagel
As disused. Planet Fitness has had no intention to be dishonest or unethical in anyway. The contract you entered into is perfectly legal and enforceable.
Planet fitness WILL ENFORCE (Force being the operative word!) IT EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT USED THE GYM ONCE EVER!!!! - such caring and loving souls :)
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=148142
Seems like a thugs and bullies brigade - Watch out ladies when you go to planet fitness - you may not be safe - UNLESS YOU JUST SIGN A PLANET FITNESS CONTRACT!!
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I went to Planet Fitness (PF) with a 30day free card that I had got with Men's Health.I was 80% sure that my wife and I would change to PF(from Virgin).At PF I was told I have to pay for an access card (R100).I was not prepared to pay and so the guy “helping” me said there was nothing he could do.I asked if perhaps I could get the R100 back if I return the card at the end. He said no.So I left.2 days later another guy from PF phones me and says a friend referred him to me.I told him my story and he said he would make a plan for the card.So I went in again and after signing many documents he says all that’s left is to pay the R100! After I got a bit angry, he calls another guy who then tries to force me into “just joining” without trying. After I warded him off they sent in another heavyweight who tried the same thing. So now I am surrounded by 3 guys. Eventually the regional manager comes over. He introduces himself and then asks what’s wrong. I start telling him and he interrupts me mid sentence and say’s “Let me stop you right there. I heard you from across the room!” in the most condescending manner I have ever experienced. In the end I paid R50 & left the gym,forever.
It's all about the money!...bubba dumbi dum dum!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=146847
Planet fitness both deceive their customers when they sign up, and then just don’t respond to their complaints. So watch out if you are considering signing up with them!
When we signed up plant fitness represented that the charge would be “R209 per month, over three years”, or so they said.
• Then, planet fitness tried to immediately deduct the whole amount for the entire three years from my credit card in one go. I caught that in time, and rejected it!
• Then all went ok, until in December they deducted a 13th payment, which was never mentioned to us, or agreed upon when I applied. It turned out that without explaining it, they got my son to sign on a hidden clause which allows them a “13th cheque” in December…
• And now, without notice, they are they have increased the monthly deduction from R209 to R226 per month.
• And when I write to planet fitnes about these matters, in most cases they just don’t bother to respond!
So I would suggest to others, if you are considering joining Planet Fitness, to think twice before they sign up. It may be safer to go elsewhere!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=146758
I opened 2 contracts planet fitness with the new Bedfort Square Branch in November '07. The National contract that was offered to me by the planet fitness sales person Wesley (I've got a copy of the pamphlet explaining it will be a planet fitness National contract) was not the contract that was given to us. The sales person did not run me through the contracts and he signed us up for regional contracts by mistake. I was convinced that we where getting the planet fitnes National contracts we asked for and only realize a few days later that it wasn't correct. I have tried to contact the plannet fitniss Bedfort Square Branch since December last year. Even took time off work to go see them in January this year but was sent home empty handed. I was told that Louis from their planetfitness branch will contact me but it took 2 months and 2 letters of complaint and asking them to cancel both contracts, for him to leave a message on my voice mail. I returned his call but I haven't heard from him or anyone from Planet Fitness since then. I am now fed up with Planet Fitness. The customer service is repulsive. PLEASE CANCEL MY CONTRACTS!!! I don't want to give my money to a company that has proven to me (and judging by the compaints here) they don’t care for their clients.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=144409
Complaint made 2 days ago. U guys contact me without proper and valid information!!! I do not have a PLANET FITNET FITNESS ACCOUNT !!!! I need this sorted out ASAP. I cannot pay for something I DO NOT HAVE OR NEVER DID HAVE!!!!!
U CANNOT debit my account as I have never provided you with BANKING DETAILS... CONTACT ME ONLY AFTER THIS HAS BEEN RECTIFIED!!!!!
cancel all RECORDS OF MINE ON YOUR DATA BASE.
Guess what, Planet fitness do not need a copy of identification to open an account!!! WOW ... I would like to know just how this is possible in a country where fraud takes place DAILY!!!!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=154130&comp=574
URGENT ASSISTANCE REQUIRED. I have been told by planet fitness management that no-one has ever heard of an incident like mine and therefor they refuse to cancel my contract.
When the consultant sat me down to explain the contract he told me 1) I wasnt allowed to leave the gym to disucss the contract with my husband, 2) He said he knows where I live and showed me my home address on a piece of paper 3) He said he has my ID number and will display it on their system for everyone to see 4) He said that If I leave the gym he will make sure that I wont be able to buy a contract at Planet Fitness again. Has anyone else been bullied like this into signing a contract being told that you are not allowed to leave the gym before signing or you wont get another deal?
Please email me ***@gmail.com as I am gathering evidence.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=106903&comp=574
On 28 Jan 08 my wife went to Planet Fitness with a one month's free membership voucher she got in a magazine. The consultant explained that she MUST sign a contract and pay a joining fee immediately and will then get the first month free. She signed, paid and faxed the cancellation instructions the next day since she decided against signing the MINIMUM 3 YEAR contract. During subsequent inquiries she was told the joining fee of R270 was non-refundable. After further negotiation the branch confirmed that head office will make the refund. Today (17 Mar 08) I went to inquire at the branch about the delay of the pending refund and was finally told it will be paid on Friday. All the time standing at the help desk reading the unlawful notice on the wall - "Membership fees are strictly non-refundable". This policy is in blatant contravention of the Consumer Affairs Act and seem to be enforced on people who do not know their rights. I consider it a public service to report this matter to the dept of trade & industry's consumer affairs committee.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=143908
Planet fitness abuse of customers again!!
I had a 3 year contract with plane fitness that ended October 2007. From August 2007 I went into wanderes 6 times to cancel any renewal. They have billed me since last October until early this year and twice in december. Since Jan 2008 I have called twice a week and been in atleast 13 times. No one returns calls and no refund! I really dont want a response that they're investigating and will contact me shortly. I want my refund plus all bank charges and fuel and phone calls and time wasted. It is 10 March 2008. enough is enough! Above this planet fitness does not know what service is, or follow up or the value for money, nor do they have any respect for their customers. All I want is my refund and not a standard impersonal response.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=141897
Planet fitness unethical - you decide!
(This is complaint 1 of many)
1) I SPENT R180 to advertise the contract
2) I PAID your un-ethical, un-morral, bad-business practise "contract transfer fee" of R395.
3) I did ALL the paperwork for you including transferring membership
4) You tried to "sell" a NEW contract to the person I wanted to transfer my membership to.
5) On 3March Planet Fitness Rivonia *** money out of my bank account!! My other legit debits bouced and I am left with loads of transaction fees!
6) Visiting Rivonia branch - I find out membership has not been cancelled - WHAT THE *** DO YOU CHARGE ME TRANSFER FEE FOR???
7) Cassandra promises that head office will EFT my STOLEN money back to me - THIS DID NOT HAPPEN
8) The RIVONIA branch's phone number DOES NOT WORK SINCE JANUARY!!!!
Very proudly you advertise yourself as a "TOP 300 company" - *** ? FOR *** PEOPLES MONEY? FOR UN-ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTISE?
I EXPECT TO BE CALLED BY A SENIOR MANAGER / SUPERVISER!!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=140516
As a last resort, I am using Hello Peter to solicit some attention from the management of Rivonia's Planet Fitness. In short, I have been pursuing an outstanding query with Nico Romadie (1st contact) and Casandra Victor (2nd contact) since 07 January 2008. I have submitted 2 faxes and had one phone call with Rivonia's GM, Casandra (who is very friendly and a lovely lady, I’m sure) to bring the matter to a close, but I am no further than had I not pursued the route of making a query at all. In the process I've observed Planet Fitness' lack of a clear communication channels to deal with customer support (their call centre bore no fruits of information or direction on the topic of my query). I am beginning to suspect evasion of the point as I am pursuing a request for them to allow a refund of a member's fees (1 year) as he was unexpectedly transferred to Europe before his membership even ran the course of its first month. All I want to know is what procedure can we follow to enable some restitution of this exceptional matter??? So far my question has fallen on deaf (and/or evasive?) ears. Some response from Planet Fitness would be greatly appreciated!
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=138376
Planet fitness Victor, please can you help me........... as I have tried for a year now with your planet fitness staff and no joy. Can assist me in the cancellation of key4me. You have already refunded me and cancelled the contract, but you still deny me access to your club. Are you that hard up of the cash Victor. I would like not to use the planet fitness key4me system as I think it is unflexable and unsable. That's the reason for me canceling in the first place and now after a year I have to say, you still cannot / will not remove it from the planet fitness system.
SUPPLIER'S RESPONSE
Time: 16:26:35
Thu 21 Feb 08
We are unable (READ CHOOSE NOT TO -CAUSE WE WOULD LOOSE MONEY!!!) to cancel the key4me contract as it is still within the minimum duration. Yea right! Planet Fitness
PLanet fitness predators again!!
Oh Boy am I upset with planet fitness !!! I was told that the offer I would receive was only valid until they closed that evening, therefore under stress I paid on Friday 07, 2008, at + - 19h45,(through my credit card), two minutes later I asked planet fitness to cancel the transaction as I was not prepared to go to Gym alone and my daughter did not want to attend your Gym. They said that they could not credit the transaction and it could take up to 3 weeks to cancel the transaction. I warned both the staff and Management that this transaction better not go through due to PLANET FITNESS’S delay … and boy oh boy did your staff delay this process!!! My credit card transaction was only cancelled on Tuesday (12.02.08) night. Low and behold the payment had gone thoughdue to your staffs stalling of this system. A payment of R1248.64 plus R95.82 has gone through! It is my considered opinion that your tactics are sick and disgusting … play on a persons mind and offer them specials so they sign up immediately with you, and delay them not to cancel… offer them better deals until it sticks!!! I warned your planet fitness management that if any payment was to go through I would hold Planet fitness responsible!I have all the facts, witnis
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=134931
How convenient planet fitness?
I'm now at a stage where I'm fed-up.
Last year around October a sales consultant,called Nico, from PF Montana came & see me because I wanted to join.Nico was brilliant & I decided to join PF but because I was part of Vir Act before I had to first find out if my contract already expired because it was at the end of the one year contract.
I told Nico that he must please give me chance till the next day for me to contact Virgin and find out whats the situation on my contract.
The next day I did talk to Nico & told him not to submit my contract at Planet fitness because I still had 2 more months to go. He told me that he did hand in the contract but he will be able to stop.Well then about a month ago I saw that there was an amount of R209,00 deducted from my saving acc towards planet fitness.I went to PF Cent because I'm not in Montana anymore to ask whats going off.No one could give an answer.I spoke to someone from Montana & I told her that I'm willing to go on with whatever they are deducting but I need clarity & an membership card & she told me a consultant will phone me back.More bad service was given.2 weeks later and its still not resolved.Will someone please get a life and phone me.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=133847
We've had a VERY simlar experience with Planet fitness high pressule sales scam
comment on "19year old un-employed signed contract" - the same thing happened to us. My 20 year old student daughter, no job, was APPROACHED OUTSIDE Planet Fitness in Fourways. Her boyfriend goes there. She told them she had no job only and allowance from her dad. She was pushed and cajoled, and felt embarrassed. Upon arriving home burst into tears, as she had given R 400 deposit, I just gave her to buy chrismas presents with. It took 5 weeks, umpteen phone calls from me to Fourways Branch, and the Head Office, before the money was back in her bank account. Initially she was told, by the branch "okay you can cancell but no refund!!!" Yes they do prey on the younger ones. I was told upon quering how they thought she could possibly afford to pay this " the parents usually pay up" !!! The matter has been solved, but I will NEVER have anything to do with Planet Fitness and strongly advice anyone to stay away from there. I wasted a lot of time and money on phone calls, and only got somewhere when I got nasty and threatened to expose them in the News. This mail is not to get a response. I could not care less, but obviously other people has been subject to same
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=134637
PLanet fitness Rip off
joined Planet Fitness in about 2004 as part of my benefits from Discovery health. During the early stages I used the facilities a lot and then moved away for work and was sometimes not able to use the gym. I started to use the gym again in 2007 and to my surprise my contract had not been cancelled as per non use clause in contract. Carried on using gym and signed daughter up for planet kids (R150 per month). In 2008 January I requested her card and reception refused claiming that my contract was cancelled. Planet fitness said they would call me to sort out the mistake which is on their side as they should have cancelled my contract on their side and should never have allowed my daughter to sign up as well. They have not contacted me as promised nor am I allowed to cancel my child's contract with planet kids - even though this contract is fradulant. This is not Discovery's fault but Planet Fitness. I want an answer from Planet fitness how they are going to resolve this.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=131580
Pay to be abused by PLanet fitness
Where do I begin with this Gym.? When ever I have complained you guys are always right and the client seems to be craze about his complaint. Planet Fitness is market as a 24Hr gym however nobody advises that sorry sir/madam if you forget your card after 20:00 you will not be allowed in. The reason for this is that the system "Planet" is off line. I was advised by the welcome desk last night at 21:00 stating that I should grow wings and fly home. For F sake why advertise that you guys are a 24Hr gym? Why must I go through interrogation such as, is this the first time you are forgetting your card, when the consultant signed you up did they not advise you of this policy, taking into mind I have been with the Gym for 2 years with not a single payment missed and this is the sh*^ I have to go through just to use a gym that I am paying for. To be honest my contract will be expiring soon and I will not renew it, this goes or my friends and Gfriend. So Planet Fitness you go on treating clients like we mean nothing to you and we shall see by end of this year who the real market leader in Fitness would be, I will do anything for another gym like Virgin to be the leaders.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=130497
1) Since logging my complaint, still no plabnet fitness official response, WHY?
2) I've tried to return a manger, Michelle's call but very conveniently, she has left the planet fitness call center number 086 0752638 to which you can simply not get though!!!
3) I want our money refunded as since OCTOBER your company planet fitness has been struggeling to get things right (besides Gloria who gave us our bags) ?????
P A T H E T I C C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E!!!!!!
I am awaiting the number for the ombudsman relating to your induscty and will log an official complaint as soon as I get this.
http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=129930
Rude gets them MORE MONEY!!!
my experience has been absolutely horrible with planet fitness. i signed up about 6 months ago but i canceled in about October because i didn't use it anymore.so i went in and talked to one of the rudest people to cancel it but i put up with her and sent in my card with my statement like she told me. well now i'm still getting these crazy bills about how i still owe them and they can't charge me for it because i changed my credit card number because someone stole my card.
well i called the company and they said that i have to pay it so i keep trying to call a planet fitness corporate office and i couldn't find the number.
I'm a college student, a broke college student who can't pay anything right now so I don't know what they planet fitness expected me to do?
if anyone can help me, that would be great.
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