Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I tried to address this issue with the business directly, but the General Manager, ***************************, refuses to take my call. They have since billed me a second time at the higher, undisclosed rate.They failed to let me know in advance that they were raising the monthly dues. (I'm told they notified me by e-mail. As I tried to explain to the General Manager, ***************************, that's not possible. They don't have my e-mail address on file. Moreover, if e-mail is required, they never mentioned it to me.) When I called to inquire about it, the General Manager, ***************************, told me that I could either accept the dues increase after the fact or "terminate" my membership. I thought the offer to terminate my membership was a bit drastic, particularly given the fact that I had been at the club for over 20 years. (I served as an instructor at the club before becoming a member.) I could have simply frozen the membership account instead, for example, until I could afford to pay the higher dues. The suggestion that I terminate my membership had the desired affect, however. The underlying message was that I wasn't welcome anymore. My crime? I dared to ask: 1) what the undisclosed charge was on my bank statement, and 2) whether the club would consider a financial hardship claim.At this point I just want the rest of my money back. (I object to paying any dues increase given the lack of notice.) I have since cancelled my membership. I deserve better.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Good Morning,

   

  In response to ************************** complaint (********). SportFit notified members of a $3 monthly dues increase to offset rising operating costs effective June 2022. This notification was sent to members 45 days prior to the effective date via email. ********************** chose to remove her email address from the club's database prior to the email notification because she did not want any correspondence from SportFit. 

  I received a phone call from ********************** in the beginning of July regarding the monthly dues charge. I explained the increase and and she seemed to understand. However, she explained that she was **** ** ***** and the $3 increase was too much. She requested that I refund the $3 increase. While I declined this, I offered her to freeze her membership or cancel the account and with a complete refund for the month of July. She chose the latter. On July 8th she cancelled her membership with SportFit and she was refunded the total dues amount for July. Per membership contract, the member must give 30 day notice for cancellation, so, in fact, I felt that I was offering more than required. She seemed satisfied. Approximately one week later she called to ask to for a refund for ***** ********************** used the club services and facilities for the entirety of June and the 1st week of July. After refunding the total of July's dues, her request to now refund June's payment is shameless.  

   

  ***************************, General Manager

   Tell us why here...

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/06/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
  
  
   Complaint: 17703496
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  I am asking Sport Fit Bowie to make me whole by refunding the rest of my money. As discussed below, Sport Fit Bowie breached the contract not the other way around. If Sport Fit Bowie had given me notice as required, I would have been able to weigh my options, make an informed decision, and implement it before the dues increase took effect. 

  First, I never said that I didn't "want any correspondence from SportFit (sic)." See Message from Business (Aug. 25, 2022 ca.) at ¶ 1. I asked the club to remove my email address from the club's database because they were using it to send me unsolicited email messages that I didn't need or want. As I tried to explain to Mr. W*******, the club never told me that they required an email address to service the account. In fact, the last time the club increased the dues payment in 2018, they notified me by regular U.S. mail. Thus, I had no reason to believe the club couldn't contact me as needed to service the account including giving notice of an impending dues increase as here. 
  

  With regard to the June dues payment, I am asking the club to refund the $3 dues increase portion not the full payment amount as suggested by Mr. W*******. If Mr. W******* had bothered to take my call, he could have asked me about it himself instead of jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst. 
  Lastly, with regard to Mr. W*******' decision and offer to resolve the issue, while it is true Mr. W******* acknowledged that I could freeze the account, it's also true that it wasn't his first offer. In fact, it wasn't his offer at all. He only acknowledged it as an option after I brought it up. Mr. W******* told me at the outset that he wasn't "going to spend any more time on this (issue]," and that I could either accept the dues increase after the fact or, in his words, "terminate" my membership. After reflecting on the unpleasant interaction with Mr. W*******, I chose the latter. I deserve better. 
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *********