box,” said Herbst.Īnd if you think you can just go around the policy by changing your credit card number to stop recurring payments, think again. You may have to give 30 days’ notice and send a fax or certified letter to a P.O. “A lot of times you can’t just go into the branch where you’ve been working out and tell the manager. A lot of gyms have freeze fees, though, so you have to look out for that,” said Herbst.Īnother sneaky way gyms lock members in to long-term contracts is by creating a confusing, multi-step process to request a cancellation - even if a member is backing out of the agreement for a permitted reason. “If you pull your hamstring, you might be able to freeze your membership. What if you get sick or injured and can’t work out for a period of time? While that might seem like a legitimate reason to cancel, medical issues aren’t always a contractually valid excuse to end your membership. These laws vary by state, but typically allow a member to end the contract early if they move farther than 25 miles away from the fitness center and the company operates no other facility near their new home. States do give gym members the right to cancel their contract for certain approved reasons. “If your membership is for 12 months, and you want to leave after 6 months, then legally you’re stuck paying for another 6 months, just like if you had a cell phone contract,” he said. If you miss that window, though, it often becomes a lot harder to get out of the agreement before the end of the term. With that said, they’re salespeople and they slant things,” said Herbst.įortunately most states have a “cooling off period” in which customers with buyer’s remorse can cancel a contract within a couple of days of signing, he said. “A salesperson is supposed to behave in a way that’s legal, not lie or misrepresent the contract. That’s easier said than done when you’re under the pressure of a pushy salesperson waiting for your signature. The only way to know exactly what you’re getting into is to carefully read through each line of the contract, which may be pages long. “Ever try to get out of a cell phone contract? Your gym membership is the same thing,” said attorney Robert Herbst, a world champion powerlifter, personal trainer, and former general counsel at a large chain of gyms. However, that deal can come with fine print that locks you into a legally-binding contract for a year or longer.
#Anytime fitness membership agreement pdf free
January is a hot time of year for gyms to boost memberships, and many try to woo potential customers with special promotions like one month free or waived sign-up fees.
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