Complaint Review: Body Of Change - LA Fitness

I joined BOC (Body of Change) with a 6 months contract on 10/18/05. Due to work schedule changes, I decided to mail in the cancellation on 11/23/05. I cound not mail it earlier nor contact BOC since I was in the middle of the ocean with little contact to the outside world (hurricane damage to oil platform). By the way, I work on oil rigs. In the meantime, BOC continued to charge monthly payment for Nov and Dec 2005.

I called BOC this morning Jan 02, 2006 requesting them to look into my contract cancellation. They said they did not receive the cancellation notice. I said that the cancellation was sent with certified mail with receipt request and I received the receipt showing it was signed by BOC. They also said that they have frozen my BOC account. I asked if they did not receive the cancellation letter then how they would freeze the account without my consent. They said that perhaps it was my personal trainer that he did not see me showing up for the training sessions. Interestingly Phillip, my personnel trainer never called me once though I did leave a message to him telling him I would be unable to make the sessions.

I asked them to fully refund since I haven't even used one single session of the contract. Also, my work routine requires extensive oversea trips that I can't really use the service. At this point, the BOC person I talked to on the phone recommended me to freeze the LA fitness account. I asked why then he said that since I can't use the facility then freezing the account would be better. I then asked why he wanted to freeze the LA fitness account since the paperwork stated clearly that LA fitness and BOC are two independent companies not affiliated to each other. He advised me that the two companies joined about a month ago. At this point, I told him it is okay to freeze my LA fitness account but the reason I called is to request the full refund of the BOC account.

Miguel, the person I spoke to, then advised me that I need to send the followings to get my refund:

- A copy of the certified letter receipt.
- A letter of cancellation (a second one) explains in detail that I cannot go to that location due to work schedule.
- A support document from my manager(s) to verify that my work schedule was indeed being changed to more oversea assignment???

All of the above need to be sent to (via a certified or registered letter with receipt request)

LA fitness / Body of Change
P.O. Box 55088
Irvine, CA 92619

At last, he told me that it would be very difficult to get a full refund due to the circumstances and the contract requirement.

I am writing this letter to file a formal complaint based on the followings:
- BOC/LA fitness business practice is bad: It is so easy to enroll but cancellation is very difficult. They require customers to mail the cancellation via certified or registered mail with receipt request 30 days in advance.
- BOC/LA fitness should not charge customers for sessions that have not been used.
- BOC/ LA fitness freezing account without consent from customer.
- BOC/LA fitness refund policy is questionable. They have no rights in asking me to provide supported document from my manager(s) about oversea assignment. Though I would have no problems providing these.

Phi
Houston, Texas
U.S.A.