I have begun screening my phone calls since RPM got me in their hit list. They are limited by law to making three contacts per week, but they completely ignore this leaving as many as 15 messages a week on my cell phone. I stopped answering the phone whenever the caller ID does not show a familiar number when their actions became clearly hostile in nature.
They are trying to collect a "debt" which is in fact not a debt in the first place. The account they are collecting on is for initation and membership dues for "Events and Adventures" with which I had a membership for a few months that I cancelled because I could no longer continue the membership.
I explained to E&A that my circumstances would not make continuing to be a member possible (and that I never should have joined in the first place because it was impossible for me to attend their activities with my schedule) and that I wished to cancel. They tried to tell me my contract would not allow me to cancel (which I later found out is illegal with this type of contract) and said they would set up a temporary suspention of membership which I could start up again anytime in the next three years.
In a little more than a month I began to get the calls from RPM requesting payment of all the intiation fees and dues for the next year.
I did a little research and found out that without a special clause prohibiting the early cancelation of memberships (which requires a seperate signature) memberships for health clubs (which I would assume includes other private clubs such as country clubs, golf courses, etc) a consumer has the right to cancel at any time and recieve back whatever portion of initiation fees and dues already paid for the remainder of the contract.
RPM seems completley oblivious what kind of account they are collecting on.
When I tried to engage them in a discussion on what they were trying to collect and why they said they did not have details. I asked if they had a copy of the contract to referrence and they said they did not. I told them until they were ready to discuss the details of the case with me I was not interested in talking to them about the threats they were making over the phone (also illegal by Washington State RCW's).
They have been harrassing me like this for about a year now... The surprising part of it is the account they want to collect on is only about $500 dollars. They said they were willing to settle the account for a lesser amount (something another person posted here is more of a ruse) and I told them I would settle it for $380, which was the amount I already paid E&A in fees and dues which I was polite enough not to ask them to give me back even though I never attended one of their activities.
That seems like a very reasonable settlement to me.
I haven't heard much about E&A since then. I wonder if they went out of business or what. They used to advertise so heavily. I always figured they were on the up-and-up but my perception has changed ever since they sent the mean people from RPM after me over a lousy $500 dollars that I refuse to pay on principle at this point.
Peace
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