Complaint Review: VASA fitness

I signed up for a membership with VASA fitness in April, 2016, at the Ogden, UT, location in order to participate in deep-water aerobics.  I am unable to do impact exercises due to a physical disability, and I had explained this to the sales rep who assured me the aerobics instructors do offer deep water classes and that the pool was deep enough to do so.

I also signed up for a personal trainer, since I had recently lost 50 lbs and wanted assistance in toning my muscles and developing a more healthy lifestyle.  The sales rep told me a trainer would work with me by conducting a thorough assessment of my current physical condition which would include calculating my BMI, my body fat percentage, providing intense nutritional counselling and help with planning diet and menus.

THIS WAS ALL DECEPTIVELY MISREPRESENTED.  The trainer informed me that he had no knowledge of these assessments he was supposed to do;  he showed me a couple of exercises was all.  The water aerobics teachers do ONLY shallow water impact exercises, and the pool was only 5' deep.

Since the pool was useless to me, I tried to downgrade my membership to the basic one that cost less and did not include the pool.  I was told I would have to pay $25 to cancel my membership then pay a $100 re-signup fee.  Ridiculous.

I paid the $25 fee and cancelled my membership within the 1st 30 days.  I blocked charges on my credit card for "Paramount Acceptance", since that was the company name that appeared on my initial charges for signup ($33+) and first month ($20).  Charges came through anyway because they then began billing as VASA, not Paramount.  Clever.

So I am being billed $120 month for something I cancelled.  I am still contesting the $240 they charged for May and June.  

In response to my contesting those charges, VASA sent my credit card company a copy of a totally faked "contract".  They had typed my name in on the signature line, my initials in on the initial line, and typed in an addendum stating that anything not in writing (oral agreements) were not binding.

I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS CONTRACT, AND CERTAINLY DID NOT SIGN IT.  When I joined the gym, I asked the sales rep about paperwork.  He said my credit card charge would serve as my contract.  I never saw anything in writing;  no contract was every shown to me or reviewed with me.

I am now receiving emails, phone calls, bills in the mail and text messages from VASA demanding payment of the $240 + late fees + another $120 for each month that goes by. I consider this blatant harassment.

This company has perpetrated outright FRAUD and needs to be shut down.