Unraveling Legal Jargon: How AI Legalese Decoder Rescues Your Finances in Cases of Canceled Gym Memberships Going to Collections
- October 8, 2023
- Posted by: legaleseblogger
- Category: Related News
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Joining Title Boxing Gym and the Membership Cancellation Issue
I recently joined a local branch of Title Boxing Gym, but due to a new job and change in schedule, I was unable to continue attending the gym. Realizing this, I made the decision to cancel my membership. I called the gym to initiate the cancellation process, and during the phone conversation, I was assured that everything was taken care of. However, I failed to record the conversation, which now seems like an oversight on my part.
Complications Arise: Lost Credit Card and Ignored Emails
Unfortunately, my situation took a turn for the worse. I misplaced the credit card I had used to pay for my gym membership, and as per the policy of my card company, they issued me a replacement card with a new card number. In my naivety, I believed that the gym no longer had access to my credit card information, and hence, I assumed my membership cancellation issues were resolved. This assumption proved to be incorrect when I started receiving emails from the gym regarding outstanding payments, which I, regrettably, chose to ignore at the time.
Collections Agency and Additional Fees
As a consequence of neglecting the gym’s emails, I found myself facing a difficult situation. A week ago, I began receiving calls and letters from a collections agency, as my gym debt had been sold to them. To make matters worse, the collections agency added additional fees to the amount owed, leaving me with a total of $800 in debts. Understandably, I want to find a solution that does not impact my credit score negatively, especially as I am currently saving up to purchase a house.
Taking Action: Filing a Complaint and Seeking Additional Recourse
To address the gym’s questionable operating practices, I lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. In response, the gym provided me with a copy of my membership contract, which clearly stated that cancellations must be made in person ÔÇô an action I unfortunately did not undertake. Given this new information, I find myself wondering what my next steps should be. While I have already familiarized myself with the general advice on dealing with collections agencies through a Wiki post, I am interested in exploring any additional options available to me in this predicament.
How AI Legalese Decoder Can Help:
In a situation like this, the AI Legalese Decoder can provide valuable assistance. This innovative tool can help decipher complex legal terms and conditions within contracts, making it easier for individuals to understand their rights and obligations. By inputting the gym’s contract into the AI Legalese Decoder, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of the cancellation policy and any possible avenues you might still have. This tool can serve as an empowering resource, helping you navigate the legal language and potentially uncover alternative solutions in your current dispute with the gym.
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****** just grabbed a
You can contest with the three large bureaus, let them know it is not a valid charge and include your complaint. If they decline to remove it from your record, youÔÇÖll have to pay to make it go away.
You can always try to negotiate to settle the amount for a lower amount, however this works best if itÔÇÖs been there for a while.
First off, friendly reminder that the Better Business Bureau is not a government agency and has no power to do anything. Its basically yelp with shadier practices.
Others have already said it, but I think the number one thing you should do is contest the debt. You’ll likely lose based off of what youve said, but it doesnt hurt to try. After that I would see if the collections agency would be willing to pay to delete, you dont need to pay the full amount and can likely negotiate it down by a ton. If they refuse, you can just not pay it and it will drop off after 6 years.
File a complaint with your state AG basically laying out that you shouldt have to cancel in person write to congress people as well saying this is bullshit and they should pass a law for it. It might not work but your AG (if you are in a blue state) will likely write a strongly worded letter on your behalf to the gym and they may work with you. It could be too late because the debt has been sold off though. Could also file with FTC. This could also be illegal in some states if you can sign up when not in person. Also petition the 3 CBs saying the debt isnÔÇÖt yours/not valid.
>I want to see if there is any realistic way to avoid paying all this without it negatively affecting my credit score
It’s already affected your credit score and there’s no way you get it removed from your report now *and* not have to pay. You literally made the wrong choice at branch of the process.
If your priority is paying the least, you can try negotiating for a lower payoff amount. If your priority is a clean credit report, you can try requesting a pay for delete. Notice the key word “try” in both those options.
So I have been in a recent situation. Everyone is saying it’s to late to delete it. This is not true. I was able to call the collection agency and I told them. I will pay right now no questions asked. But I will only do this if they delete the credit not mark it as payed ir delayed. They told me no and I said then I will fight. They called me up an hour Katerina saying they agree. So I paid and they deleted.
Remember they cannot legally lie to you. So record the conversation for your safety.
You can try that as well
This happened to me. Long story short they fucked up my credit with a bullshit collections. I tried to dispute it and the company that was holding the debt was shady as fuck, harassed me, threatened me, etc and I couldnt get it removed because I had moved and never received confirmation of my cancellation. I finally just gave up and waited until it dropped off my credit report.
Never give a gym your credit card info. They are all shady scumbags…even the biggest names do it.
You could probably prove your point to a judge by having some evidence that you actually cancelled, then making the gym show logs of the last time you visited. That seems so simple, but since this is so common, I guess they don’t make it easy to dispute.
It is difficult to say how something will affect a credit score because there are a lot of different credit scoring models that will have different weights for various inputs. At the end of the day, the only credit score that matters is the credit score that your potential lender uses. Everything I am commenting here is based on my experience, but there are a lot of exceptions.
Here’s what usually happens with a collections account on your credit report. If it is being reported, it is reported as an active collections account. For most lenders, this is a huge red flag. In my experience, most mortgage lenders will not lend you money while you have an open collections account.
Once you pay the collections account, the collections agency should update your credit report to show that the collections account has been paid in full. A lot of credit scoring models do not incorporate a paid collections account as something that decreases your credit score. The open collections account will be the thing that causes a large hit to the credit score.
People have a lot of confusion about the statute of limitations regarding debt (usually 3 or 6 years depending on the type of contract). This also varies depending on the state. The statute of limitations is related to a creditor suing you for the debt. For small dollar amounts, the statue of limitations is not relevant because it is not worth it to sue somebody. There is a 7 year limitation on credit reporting as part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Bankruptcies are an exception, and those can be reported for 10 years (I’m about 70% sure on that one).
Pay for delete is rarely a thing anymore. Credit Bureaus actively discourage collection agencies from doing this, and without credit reporting, collection agencies would have a much harder time collecting debts.
TLDR: Everything regarding credit scoring is very nebulous and there is an exception for every rule. If you are going to need a loan in the next seven years, you are probably better off paying the debt and moving on. If you do not anticipate needing a loan/new apartment/new job (or anything that uses a credit check) in the next seven years, then you can let it ride.
I hope my unhinged rambling is helpful. Take it with the grain of salt and skepticism that should accompany the ravings of random internet strangers.
People need to stop getting gym memberships. Every single major gym out there is super shady and will tell you they canceled your membership and then not do it/ make it nearly impossible to cancel without an act of congress. Either decide you want a gym membership for life and deal with that decision or don’t get a gym membership… those really are the only two options these days.
Op, there is some decent advice here already but a lot of it is putting the cart before the horse. Regardless of how you intend to resolve this, whether by trying to negotiate a settlement or contesting it, you need to respond to the collections letter IN WRITING within 30 days of your receiving it to maximize your rights under the FDCPA, the primary federal law that regulates collections companies.
I can give you advice on how to do that but first a quick question. Do you still have a copy of the contract you signed with the gym? IÔÇÖm trying to determine if in fact there is a provision in there mandating in-person cancellation. The answer to this question will help me prepare a good response for you.
Cancellation only in person? ThatÔÇÖs shady to put in a contract and probably can be fought. There shouldnÔÇÖt be any restrictions or conditions on how and the way you cancel.
I’ve heard of so many stories like this and it keeps me from getting a gym membership.
What do you need a good credit report for? Are you going to be applying for a loan within the next 6 months that requires a perfect credit report?
If I was in your shoes I would dispute the charges since someone from the gym told you that they cancelled your membership and you have not been using the gym. I would tell them to stop contacting me and to sue me if they think they are correct and that I’m wrong. A Judge will decide if the gym has presented enough evidence to rule in their favor. Personally, I do not need a loan anytime soon that would care about that on my credit report.
You can always tell them to pound sand and not pay. Your credit will take a hit but donÔÇÖt worry about it, you get it all back in a few months anyways
Try submitting a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They handle these kinds of problems for every day average people. Don’t wait, the supreme court is hearing a case this session that could dismantle the cfpb, because big business.
Fastest way out of this situation is through it – if you can afford to do so, pay it. Just make sure you call them first and settle for a lower amount. Collection agencies take pennies on the dollar more often than not. They would probably let you off the hook for under $400-$500
Also worth asking if you can pay to delete
Call the credit card company. Luckily you used a credit card, so the issuing bank will be more likely to fight to get it back since it’s their money.
Also, look into what you can do per the Fair Credit Reporting Act. It offers a lot of protection in your favor.
Gyms are notorious for having contracts that are impossible to get out of. It’s part of their business model.
Your future home lender will inquire about it, and you will need to explain how it was resolved. Stating you did not want to pay is not a good response.
Just pay it off, and be done with it.
At the bank i work your customers can dispute charges for cancelled services as long as they have some sort of email or text confirmation.
Fyi the Better Business Bureau is not actually a Bureau. Or useful/helpful in any way. It is a joke.
Every time the collections called keep telling them the account was up to date when it was canceled, and you owe no money.
Call up the gymÔÇÖs customer service, ask to speak to supervisor, plead your case and ask to remove from collections
Contact the Gym and see if you can negotiate the price.
Offer 50 off total and they remove the fees.
There are 2 collection company scenarios:
1. The Gym sold the no collectable to the agency.
2. The Gym hired a collection company to do collections on their behalf and The Gym gets paid a commission on what they collect.
Contact the collections agency and negotiate a lower price. Tell them what happened and tell them that you will only pay of they agree to remove that collections from your credit record. Before you send them any money make sure you get it in writing. I have done this a few times. When I was a teenager I bought from a few places with store credit and never payed back. When I matured a bit I realized that I needed to fix that from my record. I had a friend at the time that specialized in fixing people’s credit and he told me to do negotiate with the collections agency and ask them to remove the negative mark from my record and it worked for the couple of items I had. The collection agency will be more than happy to receive it’s payment in exchange to remove a negative mark, because of a misunderstanding. You can also.contact the gym and have them remove the negative mark and negotiate some sort of payment as well. Mistakes happen, but changing your credit card number no longer works. Card companies changed this a long time ago.
I would suggest reading your memberhsip agreement to see what you agreed to when you signed up, and go with that.
If you’re on the bad side of the deal, chalk it up to a learning experience and don’t do that shit again. lol
It’s not the end of the world, and those people are experts at fleecing people out of their money, so don’t beat yourself up if you got got.
But, if your agreement says otherwise, or there’s some loophole you can exploit, then fuck ’em.
Why does a gym have your social security to begin with