I signed up for a new club in Lancaster, Ohio called Aspen Fitness, not to be confused with any other Aspen Fitness clubs in Central Ohio, the Lancaster Ohio Aspen Fitness is apparently owned by a guy named Steve who apparently stole the name and logo from the Newark/Heath location.
I signed up for the membership approximately 6 months ago and for work and travel reasons never made it into the club once. Not once. I was being billed $21 per month for the membership. About 3 months in I decided to move out of the area. There was a clause on the membership agreement that if you move a certain amount of miles away, you can cancel your membership at no cost. Apparently that clause did not apply to me.
I came into the club and luckily got to meet with Steve. For someone who owns a business and should be trying to get respect and referrals, etc. This guy was an absolute asshole. I have never been treated so rudely and condescending by someone at a business, let alone by the owner. For some reason I did not qualify for the free membership cancellation because I moved, which I did not really question. I was told I would have to pay a $50 cancellation fee. After some negotiation, we agreed I would put my membership on "hold" and only accrue a $5 per month hold fee, which was acceptable to me.
Next month in November, I looked at my bank statement to see the full monthly charge of $21. I called Steve at Aspen to find out what was going on. Steve was not in. Over the next week I called Aspen at various times to talk to Steve at least 10 times, leaving messages every single time. After that week I got busy and forgot about disputing the charge.
I just looked at my December bank statement and saw a charge from Aspen for $53.78, over double what a monthly fee is. I called to talk to Steve again, of course he was not in, and I don't expect a call back either. Kind of funny the girl who answered the phone knew who I was. When she answered the phone and I asked for Steve she said "hang on a minute" like he was there, but when I said my name she said, "he's not in yet".
Anyway, this is the most unprofessional business I have ever encountered and I am still trying to get to the bottom of what is going on. I would highly recommend avoiding Aspen Fitness and Steve in Lancaster. There are plenty of other gyms in Lancaster where you are treated with respect and like a friend. If I can dissuade at least one person from joining Aspen I will be happy.
0 comments