How to Get Your Gym Membership Dues Back During the Coronavirus Outage
Many gyms have followed suit from companies in various walks of our lives that have relaxed their payment policies during closures due to the coronavirus. The gym is closed. If you can’t use it, you might not want to pay for it – or you have the means to pay.
Your gym may have already contacted you about your options: perhaps you can suspend or cancel your membership altogether. But what can you do if your gym has no options? If the customer support is closed or your requests for placement go unanswered?
“We see hundreds of applications from gym goers with the same cancellation complaints,” said Max Kornblit, co-founder and head of growth at FairShake . The online platform helps clients resolve issues with large companies that require disputes to be referred to arbitration . “This is a lot more traffic than usual and is currently one of the most common areas we receive complaints about.”
Nobody needs a headache now. If you go to a small or separate gym, you can keep paying the membership fee if you can. But big megasets? You have options.
Review your contract
The first step is to unearth this contract that you signed to find out what your rights are . “For some gyms, escalation options may include a class action lawsuit,” said Teal Lidow, co-founder and CEO of FairShake. “For others, you will have the opportunity to refer them to small claims court or arbitration … This can be a daunting process. But often just knowing your rights makes the company react. ”
If you haven’t already, check your gym website and social media accounts to see what ads you can find to support your membership adjustment efforts. You may also find other members of the same gym tackling similar issues or giving advice on how to deal with the situation.
Contact customer service
Once you know the conditions for participation, you can try your gym. Ted Rossman, industry analyst at CreditCards.com , has recommended documenting your attempts, either digitally (save the emails sent!) Or physically (if you send an email, authenticate it and keep proof of delivery).
Don’t skip this step if your gym won’t pick up the phone and you’re upset. Any additional steps may require proof that you tried to contact the gym.
Submit a dispute
If you can’t get an answer at the gym, you may want to consider filing a dispute with a credit card. “It helps provide detailed information, such as your self-resolution efforts and additional information,” Rossman said. If your state or city has a Household Order, you’ll want to mention it.
“If you can prove that you tried to fix it yourself and were charged against your will for a service that is not being provided, I think there is a good chance that the card company will give you back your money,” Rossman said. Your success rate may vary depending on the terms of your contract, but it’s worth it, ”he said.
Call for reinforcements
Online platforms can help if you were unable to receive a refund by filing a dispute. Services like Trim and Truebill can trigger some recurring charge cancellations for you, although, again, your mileage may vary. The FairShake platform allows you to enter your information to create a legal notice and file a claim against your gym if the network requires dispute resolution through arbitration.
Just make sure you are aware of the potential costs associated with using a service that will help you get your money back, or if your contract is terminated. FairShake, for example, withholds 20% of any funds returned to you.