If you are looking to join a gym... BEWARE! I went to Gold's Gym in Simi Valley and the sales person pitched the membership and mentioned a package with FREE training sessions. The sales person was not forthright in regards to the true costs of this package. He asked me to sign a computer screen, then told me he also needed a "hard copy" signature. The hard copy was taken quickly, then burried in a folder with a thick stack of paperwork... The printed version of the "computer-signed" copy conveniently placed on top.
I thought my sign-up cost was a little over $300, and then $19.99/month (as shown on the top copy). When the credit card bill came in, I saw a payment to Gold's Gym for $781. It gets worse. On the hard copy, there is a small area (that looks like one of those "for office use only" boxes) with a hand-written scribble of $1416.
That is the ONLY PLACE the total cost is shown, and that is most-likely by design. I used only half of the training sessions by the time I realized Gold's Gym had automatically charged an additional $1000 (total now over $1800) on my credit card. Gold's Gym defends its sales practices and will not refund any of the charges. I will be taking them to court after I file complaints with with the AG's office and the Better Business Bureau.
I believe I will prevail in small claims court, but I can't imagine I'm the first to experience this deception. I hope more people will come forward and help put an end to a sales process void of consumer protection logic.
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