I'm a 22 year old college student who signed up to join AC Fitness in Greensboro, NC on West Market Street. I signed a 2 year contract. The Contract technically ended Jan 28th but this particular AC Fitness shut down about 8 months ago.
In the contract it states that if the gym were to shut down (which it did,) that members may be transferred to another gym within "x" amount of miles away from AC Fitness.
We were transferred to Fitness Today on Randleman Rd.in Greensboro first. I did not like the part of town this gym was located in, not to mention that it did not include the "perks" that I liked about AC Fitness.
#1 This gym was not a 24 hour fitness center as AC Fitness was.
#2 This gym did not have an indoor climbing wall like AC Fitness.
#3 There was no tanning, nor 24 hour tanning like AC Fitness.
#4 There was no indoor running track like there was at AC Fitness.
Safe to say that I wasn't happy with the idea of being forced to continue my 2 year contract just to go to a gym on the wrong side of town that contained nothing I was interested in. Also safe to say I wasn't going to pay anyone a $30 cancellation charge until I knew where my money was going.
Well, 8 months later, I still have yet to find this out. I got my money back each month from my bank as I claimed "fraud" for each fitness charge.
Fitness Today claimed to have no contact info for anyone who was involved with AC Fitness (owner name: Orlo Helmer.) Nor did they have a copy of my contract, or any billing info of mine, since they were letting us workout there for free.
Now, original members of AC Fitness have been transferred to yet another facility as of the last month and 1/2. YMCA on West Market street is the latest subject of this absolute catastrophe.
Since my membership had run out and I never received ANY notice whatsoever about the newest gym change, I was shocked to get a phone call from American Billing Offices in Columbus, GA, letting me know I hadn't paid my bill for feb (my membership ended in jan.)
Well, as I recalled ATTEMPTING to speak with these people previously, I wasn't shocked to find out that this company (AKA American Club Systems Inc.) wanted a 30 day notice, and 30 extra dollars for a cancellation fee to a gym that no longer exists.
I'm still in this horrible mess because I can't get 1 single straight answer from anyone! I had to call 6 times before I got to speak to a person with this company (who asks you to leave messages and NEVER calls back.) I tried to speak to a manager twice yesterday, left voicemails, and never got a response.
My questions for this person were the following:
#1 Is the previous owner the person who is getting my money through ACS Inc.? If so, why is he getting my money if I no longer am able to attend his gym?
#2 If he is not getting my (any many other's) $30 each month, who is?
#3 Why should I have to cancel with a gym that doesn't exist? Who are you aimlessly allowing to have my financial information? And why have I received ANY physical notice about anything regarding gym changes, or financial issues?
I spoke with someone at this YMCA who apparently doesn't even use ACS Inc. They use National Fitness (who was very helpful while I asked questions.) Funny, since when I asked someone with American Billing (ACS,) I was told that my fitness payments go to the YMCA. Impossible! They have no record of me.
My true question is: who is stealing from me and many others? ACS, the original owner of AC Fitness (who I cannot locate for the life of me,) or both?
Please help! I can't afford to throw anymore money away to whoever is doing this, I'm a full time student with a part-time job. The longer this gos on, the worse things will get.
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