Fitness studio membership cancellation problems - Germany

Hi,

I have been a member of a fitness studio called INJOYLady in Hofmannstrasse. Although I handed my resignation in April, they claim they never received it. I threatened to get a lawyer, and now they say my membership ends at the end of January next year! And they want my membership card, which I handed to them personally in April. I am planning to get a lawyer and fight for my rights, and am looking for more women who have been robbed by these people.

Also, does anyone know a good lawyer here in town?

Tasha

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Did you hand in the resignation personally? If so, did you get a receipt? If you didn't get a receipt, do you remember the name of the person who accepted the resignation/card? Did you write the resignation in a computer stored document? Any of the above will all help to support your side of the story.

Unfortunately although I handed the resignation in personally, they didnt give me a receipt, and the young girl at reception said it was OK, it was all I needed to do.

It is the first time I experience something like this in Germany, I never had problems before. So of course silly me trusted them as well.

But I intend to make them suffer even if it costs me more money than just paying off the membership. Now its a principle issue for me.

Go down there in person, find out who was on duty at the time you handed in the resignation and inform the head/owner of the studio. They have to prove that you have not resigned if they want any money off of you.
Studios are all the same: I handed in a doctor's certificate that I had a pinched disk and the studio said I could at least still use the pool. I wangled myself out anyway but it took a while. And the collecting agency was a farce, the mail arrived four days after the date of the letters with a 5 day deadline. They got more than an earfull and never wrote again.

Germany's cancellation policies are full of shit. Everyone needs to start complaining about the idea that some BS notice of 3 months to 1 year is required. Rise up and fight. This is a revolution against these revolting policies.

I thought of that as well. Will probably go there tomorrow. Might even threaten with calling the police as this is blind robbery! I just feel like these people need to get a real fright.

Am still considering getting a lawyer to go after them. But I also need to find out if there are more people who had the same problems with this same studio. I wont let them get off lightly.

Revolution is a light word for what I want to do to them

You are right, their policies are full of BS.

You should have made them give you a copy of the letter with the fitness company stamp and dated receipt...In the words of the XFiles...Trust No One...

Good Luck.

Tasha27---good luck with this. Just something to look out for---I cancelled my membership in time from another gym in Munich as well, via fax and email. Even followed up with a call (where I verbally attacked for cancelling) They got it alright, but continued for over a year to try and STEAL (yes, that is what it is) the money off my account.

Here is the thing--do they have your bank details? If they do, be very careful and check your account regularly. These jerks even knew the general times I left for home each year, and tried to take off the money 3 or 4 more times(over a year later, I repeat) thinking I might miss the 6 week cutoff, and they would get paid anyway. TOTAL BS is right.

BTW these thing all happened after calls made and letters sent by my lawyer.

I am still watching my account and it has been 2 years, because I think they will try it on again.

Eurovol is too right on this on. Even if you do it right, they will still try it on AS THEY HAVE ALL YOUR BANK DETAILS what the hell...

#1 Don't pay your fees from the month you would normally have stopped paying (if they had not *lost* your letter)
#2 Give them a hard time: phone in, harrass them, learn to enjoy this

I have actually worked for companies with guidelines such as "if they don't ask for a receipt, just throw the thing away".

I was young and needed the money

What works is: Harrassment, not paying, threatening with the press, the Verbraucherzentrale, etc.

They most likely will back down. Good luck!

Wow, Dimmer, that is frightening...but it does teach us that we have to be diligent. People are business to make money and not to be our friends...

Oh yes, the bank! Revoke any direct debit the studio might have with a certified letter/return receipt and copy to the bank. If you have a standing order, cancel it immediately. All this if you haven't done so already.

In my case, HypoVereins would not let me do it (despite several requests), ever though they had all the supporting documentation. JUST BE CAREFUL -- really is a license to steal.

Sorry, I know this not about me, but I just hate to see anyone else go through the same. A

What? Your own bank won't let you do something to your own account?!?

Believe it or not...I even asked an acquaintance that is a VP over there to help, and he made calls and told me the same thing...can you believe it (I can't still even)...but like I said, it is a license to steal