ComplaintsforWOW! Work Out World

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My teen son has been attempting to cancel for 2 months. He has called and received conflicting information. After receiving a debt notice, we paid the bill and sent a notice with all the applicable information. I asked for a confirmation email to be sent. They did not, and claim to have called him to request location proof. He did not receive a message. We received another, new debt notice, which by the way does not itemize the charges. When I called to confirm the cancelation, Steve A. was ready for a fight and was extremely rude. Great local business! He would not send me a contract too review, or do anything to help us resolve the conflict. The cancelation process is antiquated and designed to further seperate people from their hard earned money. I can't stress enough to avoid this business.

  Business response

  11/01/2022

  Our Membership Agreement clearly state the procedure to cancel a Membership and also the fees associated with a Membership, which includes the Annual Enhancement Fee.    We can not issue a refund because the fees were return, not paid.

  Customer response

  11/01/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the contract and collection process is deceptive and represents an unfair trade practice.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We sent a certified letter cancelling our membership at WOW Glastonbury on 9/6/22. It was received and signed for by Steve A****. I called today because we were charged $20 for October since the letter cancelling did not arrive 30 days ahead of time. I said okay, I understood, and confirmed we will not be charged anything else. He told me that we would be charged the $39 maintenance fee for 3 people effective October 15th. I said that makes no sense since we cancelled 30 days prior to October 15th. He then started backtracking that it wasn't a 30 day thing. I can understand being charged the $20 October fee but will not stand for paying the $117 maintenance fee. That's not right. We have been members since 2019 and feel it's completely wrong. I asked the manager for the owner's name and he refused to give it to me. I told him this was not right and asked if I need to contact the Better Business Bureau and he basically said go ahead. We should not be charged the $117 maintenance fee and don't expect to be charged for any more monthly fees considering we sent the certified letter as required. I have copies of everything included the signed card by Steve A**** from the certified mail and can upload if needed.

  Business response

  10/14/2022

  Good Afternoon Mrs* ******

  The Maintenance Fees file was ran prior to your Cancellation Date.  Please email me at ************************** when the charges post to your account and I will refund the fees. Thanks, Sheila

   

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. However, I do not want this claim closed until we get the charge and it is fully reversed. As of today, it has not hit our credit card account yet.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *****

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  WOW *********** has been charging me monthly well over a year after I requested to cancel my account with them. I took all necessary steps as they were instructed to me which included sending a physical letter stating my intent to cancel. Upon doing so, I realized that I have still been charged monthly for months on end. When I contacted the business, they claimed to have never received any indication which cannot be possible as I confirmed the mailing address numerous times ahead of the time I sent my request of cancellation. This business cannot continue stealing money and taking advantage of those who just want to seek to exercise.

  Business response

  09/23/2022

  Mr. *****,  unfortunately we have never received your letter in the mail, so therefore we can not cancel your Membership.  Please tell us when you mailed it and what address you mailed it to so we can look through our cancellation letters.

   

  Until we have this information we can not issue a refund.  Thanks,  Sheila WOW Fitness Clubs CT

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  09/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a membership years ago. I asked how do I cancel membership. They gave me the address to send a letter to. I have sent TWO SEPERATE LETTERS clearly stating I wanted to cancel the membership and I could not afford it any longer. They still have not cancelled the membership over 6 months later. This business practices the same predatory practices of many gyms making it absolutely impossible to cancel membership. Even when I followed their cancellation policy to the T, they still refuse to cancel the policy and claim they cannot find the letter. My next step will be to contact the local news and social media about these unacceptable practices. I am tired of this company stealing my money after I've done what they asked.

  Business response

  09/02/2022

  We have still yet to receive your cancellation letters.

   

  However, we will cancel your Membership as of today, September 2, 2022.

   

  Sheila

  WOW Fitness Clubs CT

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a member at WOW for 10 years. That’s the last time I seen or signed a contract. I have not used the facilities since the pandemic. I actually even forgot I had a membership still until they notified me that my card expired. So 2 years I’ve been paying and not using the facilities. No big deal my fault. Well in June I go to cancel mind you paid my yearly fee in May and am canceling. They still want to charge me for the month of June and charging me a $5 fee unless I upload a card. For obvious reasons I don’t want to upload a card as I fear will just continue to get charged the monthly fee. At this point it’s not about the money although I feel I don’t owe them a penny more. This business runs on people forgetting to pay and then making it difficult to cancel while also charging an extra month to cancel. Will they prorate my yearly? Since I paid that in may and am canceling? Where is the fair business practice in this? Every customer should be notified yearly that their renewal is coming up and what the policies are and if any new ones are added. They don’t care about the customer I haven’t been in years and they don’t care no follow up email just keep taking my money. I have put in a complaint to corporate and waiting to hear back but it’s not looking promising.

  Business response

  07/10/2022

  Unfortunately I can not assist this person.  We are located in *********** and are not affiliated with any WOW locations outside of ***********. 

  Please go to this website for cancellation instructions: *****************************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hi, I signed up for a gym membership last year. I reached out several times to customer service to cancel membership when I found out about hidden fees they did not advertise including a $100 charge that was never disclosed when they advertised their 9.99 monthly membership fees. I reached out several times to customer service and got no response. After I saw a collections for $200 (which is far more than the 9.99 monthly payments since September that I agreed to) I emailed them again and finally got a response. They showed me a contract I never signed and terms that were never shown on their website anywhere stating the membership cannot be cancelled and they can charge basically any fees they want on top of the 9.99 monthly fees they advertise. I have spent years building back my credit and I am being bullied to paying for a service I did not use and being held to a contract I did not sign and customer service refuses to cancel my membership and being completely unhelpful. I want the collections removed from my credit report and I want my membership cancelled. I am not paying another cent for a service I never used that I was tricked into by a fraudulent ad for 9.99 monthly payments that never said i couldn't cancel and they can charge any fees or increase costs at any time at their discretion. I've attached the PDF they said I agreed to. You can see it was never signed - if these were the terms they should have been shown on their website, or I should have been required to sign upon first entering the gym in which case I would have never agreed to become a member. I have not used their services once since I cancelled my card attached to the account when I was completely ignored by customer service in attempt to cancel. Only when I threatned to come to BBB did I get the response and the PDF with the terms I never agreed to or signed.

  Business response

  06/06/2022

   

  ****** ****** joined WOW Gym in *********** online on May 31, 2021.  (please see the attached online contract/Membership Agreement).

   

  The Membership Agreement clearly states, on the second page, "I understand this agreement cannot be cancelled for a minimum period of 12 payments, except as specifically provided in this Agreement.  After that time, I understand this Agreement becomes a monthly contract cancellable upon my written request by certified mail received 30 days prior to my next billing date.  Verbal or telephone cancellations are not valid.  In no case shall monthly payments be retroactively refunded.  All cancellations should be addressed to WOW! Fitness, *** ******* ****** ************ **  *****."

  We have no hidden fees, everything that Ms.****** is complaining about was agreed upon when she joined  WOW Gym of *********** online.

  Also when an item is purchased online or a consumer joins a Gym, Netflix or anything else online, the Consumer is agreeing to the terms of the contract.  

  When ****** joined WOW Gym she had the opportunity to print her Membership Agreement at that time. 

  She also states that she cancelled her card.  However, cancelling a payment method does not cancel billing.

  As stated in the Membership Agreement and in several emails between WOW Gym and ******, it stated the procedures to cancel her Membership.  As of today, we have not received a letter from her to cancel her Gym Membership.

  Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

  Best Regards,

  Sheila

  WOW Fitness Clubs CT

  Customer response

  06/08/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  

  You make it intentionally difficult to cancel a membership. There are hundreds of ****** reviews with the same complaints and you hold customers intentionally hostage to your ridiculous contract that is deceptive and misleading. The advertisements on your website it false. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  ****** was provided all of this information in her online contract when she joined Work Out World.  It is also on our Website, under Member Services/Services.  If she had read her Membership Agreement when she joined, this could have been avoided.   

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩