SO, Let me start off by saying that I am 18 years old advancing to SENECA College next School year. Four months ago In March I got a phone call from 'Jason' at Extreme Fitness in North York. He told me that I had won a three month membership and that I was only part of a selective few, I asked him how many and He said 3 people were selected for this. He told me to go in and see him so that we could talk more about this, so we set up an appointment. I eventually got there and he told me what every Extreme Fitness employee has told people... BS. He told me that yes I had won 3 months free with NO OBLIGATIONS. I sounded interested of course, so he gave me a tour of the Gym. I liked it and all, and he kept encouraging me to join because I would feel better about myself and all that jazz.
Great Sweet Talk this guy was doing! So he brings me back to the office and he tells me that he needs my Bank information So that he can process it through the computer. I told him, no. He said, well this is the only way you can join because we need it for security reasons. I asked him if there was any catch and that if I could cancel at any time. He said yes, of course. You get 3 months Free to try out the Gym and then You can Cancel. He started babbling on about how he could get me deals on protein powder and stuff. I eventually gave him a void Cheque and he Whipped out THE CONTRACT. He told me that I would need to sign so that all the information he told me is legit. I'm like sure, before i signed, i skimmed through it but I didn't believe that I was getting myself into much of a problem since HE TOLD ME I COULD CANCEL, AND EVERYTHING WAS WITHOUT OBLIGATION, ALONG WITH THOSE OTHER PROMISES HE MADE ME. I eventually signed.
Of course I had to take the Smart fitness session and I got an appointment with GEORGE KIRAKIOU. At the session he made me do 5 minutes on the Bicycle. Afterwards of course, I was tired since I wasn't in good shape. He took me inside and measured my body fat and all that. Following that George told me that I needed him, and that I wasn't going to get anywhere without him. LOLLL This guy had to be kidding me. I told him I didn't want any sessions because I couldnt pay for them and such. He told me there are packages I could choose and payment options. Typical Extreme Fitness, They Just want anything they can get from you, and they won't let you leave without you signing SOMETHING, They also make you feel insuperior, NOT equal to them. and Repressed, I had a feeling of being taken advantage of when I was in George's office. How he would put me down and such in order to make money off me. Very ILLEGAL. Anywho, continuing on, I signed for a Trainer. After that I signed is when he told me that the sessions weren't going to be with him, but with a Japenese Guy who's been in the OLYMPICS: S. What kind of crap is this.
Anywho, I go back the next day to cancel the training and nutrition sessions since they were $600 approx. George took me to the Personal training manager, JEFF. Jeff told me that I couldn't cancel... YES, He told me that I couldn't cancel even though I was within the 10 days of cancellation period that I am aware of now. I told Jeff that I couldn't pay! and he offered me another training package which was $50 a session. I said no and left the office feeling completely ganged up on since George and Jeff had told me that I couldn't cancel. The next day I went back yet again, firm. I went to Jeff's office and asked him AGAIN to cancel. I guess he'd had enough of me. He told George to come in and told me to go outside. They talked in the office privately and told me to come back in. Finally Jeff told me that he was going to file a cancellation receipt and print it out. He brought it to me and I signed. Probably the best thing I signed out of all.
So, After that incident, I kept going to the gym for my three FREE months that I was promised by Jason. On the end of the Three month period, I go to Jason and start up a conversation that would eventually lead me to cancelling. So I ask Jason how he's doing. He tells me he's great and that he got promoted to manager status. I'm like great!! so can you please cancel my membership. He looks at me and tells me to talk to the other managers because he still has no control over that. I'm like okay, which is the best manager to speak to. He tells me to talk to SIA. I go the next day to ask SIA to cancel my membership. She tells me that I can't. I tell her that I dont have a job and that I need to cancel. She denies me and tells the next customer to come in and basically kicks me out. I went home, feeling completely disregarded. I knew that if I didn't cancel my membership that I would be charged on JUNE 1ST. I went home and looked at the paper I had signed carefully, And I realized that It was like I had signed my life away. It says that 'ALL OTHER AGREEMENTS WILL BE OVERRIDDEN WITH THE SIGNING OF THIS AGREEMENT'. Great, now what?
So I go back to the Gym to speak to another manager and have my word heard. I end up talking to another manager who's name I forgot. I tell him my situation and he tells me that there is NO way to cancel. I tell him that I don't have a job, that i'm a student, that im trying to save up for school, I tell him EVERY reason why I CANT PAY! He tells me that I have two options, A) Freeze my membership or B) Give the membership to someone else. I ask him how I freeze my membership. He tells me that I will still be charged month per month for freezing. Then what the heck!? So I leave extreme fitness yet again feeling dismantled and tampered with like a criminal in a jewelery shop, I felt scammed and Stolen from. So I went back YET AGAIN 2 days later right before I get charged. I spoke to Jason once again and told him to please help me out, to have at least some pity on me since im 18 with no experience and a huge debt for school coming up. He told me that I had to speak to the same manager I had spoken to before. So I waited outside on the chairs for the manager to come out. I saw Jason go to the manager I had spoken to previously and I saw them talking in an arguing manner. Finally, the manager came out like he didn't recognize me and asked me who i'm waiting for. I told him that it was him I was waiting for regarding my cancellation of my membership. He immediateley pointed at his watch telling me that he had no time and he had to go. I told him to hear me out once again. To PLEASE CANCEL, I told him I felt scammed because I had been told one thing but had gotten another. Both him and Jason were in front of me when I told them this. I told them that I felt like I had been toyed around with and that I had no money to pay them with. TO TOP IT OFF, my bank account was and STILL IS in a negative amount due to the sole fact that I have nothing in the account and the NSF fees have been accumulating.
He eventually told me that that was life and that I had to 'deal with the problems' and that they couldn't do anything for me. Those inconsiderate beings. I am still stuck in this problem. I got charged on June 1st with no money in my account, I also got charged 3 times after that, with still no money in my account. I refuse to give them a single penny. I am opening a hole here for myself because i'm 18 and i'm going to ruin my credit at such a young age. My bank account as it stands is at $-120 and I have NO money to pay that with. The manager ended up leaving and not helping me out. I've gotten a voice mail from Extreme fitness telling me its the finance department and telling me they need to speak with me. The nerve they have to be charging me for something I didn't agree verbally or literally to. I went to the gym a couple of weeks ago after a few days of the initial charge and it turns out my card has been disabled due to finance issues. Hah, I can't even use the service and I'm being charged for it. Very unprofessional.
Sure, I was naive to have signed and all that, But I cannot be taken lightly like this. I need help and I have joined all the groups full of people with the same or similar issue.
EXTREME FITNESS IS A SCAM, EXTREME FITNESS ARE SWEET TALKERS AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO RUN A BUSINESS ON THE LIES THE PRODUCE, AS OF RIGHT NOW I FEEL TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AND COMPLETELY MISINFORMED, AS WELL AS VULNERABLE TO THEIR EMPLOYEES LIKE A CHILD AND ITS PARENT, THAT IS NOT HOW A BUSINESS SHOULD BE RUN AND I'M ALMOST POSITIVE THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW AN ILLEGAL ACT!
I DO NOT KNOW HOW I WILL GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION BUT I URGE FOR HELP.
I'm sorry for the long report but I just had to let everything out. If anyone who read this is interested in supporting me, then try and contact me. I urge you to.
Thank you.
MAURICIO
TORONTO, Ontario
Canada
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