Complaint Review: Custom Built Fitness - Boca Raton Florida

PLEASE I NEED HELP!  I am unemployed, have no money (literally..i am living at home in my teenage brother's room), and was recently hospitalized this weekend. I have cancelled my Custom Built contract in person, via email, via phone, via certified letter, and am still getting charged!!

A debt collector for custom built just called me and told me they are going to report me to an agency.  I ALREADY sent a certified letter to them with return receipt requested to cancel my membership!! My letter was dated November 10th and incidentally, on November 14, I was hospitalized with severe kidney pain. She even said they are going to charge me for Decmber. I wrote Custom Built this long letter; it has all the information.

"Dear Custom Built, I have been a member of both Planet Fitness and Custom Built in Boca Raton since June 2009. Before I signed up, I made it clear that there was a risk of losing my job in the fall, so I did not want to sign up if I was not going to be able to terminate at anytime.  I was told that as long as I told my trainer that I didnt want any more sessions, cancelling the contract midway would not be a problem. I did end up losing my job and I made this clear to my trainer. He was really understanding and we mutually decided not to schedule any more sessions. I asked the front desk if I needed to do anything else, and I was told to write a letter to the address on my Custom Built keychain to ensure cancellation. I did not receive any response. I also emailed -- and did not receive any response.  I was really shocked to find out, last month, that my debit account has been overdrawn by $600! I did not schedule any sessions and neither did my trainer! I have text messages from him confirming this fact. I am being charged for a service that I clearly cancelled. I am unemployed right now, and literally do not have a single dollar in my debit account. In fact, my account has been closed by the bank because Custom Built overdrafted the account even after I stopped scheduling sessions. The agreement says that no refunds shall be made for services purchased but these services were NOT purchased or booked by myself or the trainer. So I kindly request you to please refund these extra charges back into my account.  I am willing to pay the cancellation fee of $250, but I would like the remaining balance credited. I am in ill health, suffering from a kidney condition, and weighing 94 lbs (my former trainer, --, can confirm this) so even if the training sessions are given to me free, I cannot use them.  You may contact my emergency room physician, Dr. --, at 561- to verify the diagnosis. I am adding a note from the emergency room, discharge instructions given by an urgent care center, and even a picture of my arm with the hospital bracelet; to provide evidence of my condition.  In addition to my kidney condition, I am unemployed and desperately looking for a job. My entire hospital bill has been sent to debt collectors as well, since I did not have any money to pay for it.

I would like the contract to be terminated immediately, and to be paid back the difference between the overcharges and termination fee. Please do not auto-renew any part of the contract. If any extra information is needed, please call me at 561-398-4706, rather than calling any debt collectors or any other third-party. I have already sent emails and letters previously, without response, so this letter is being carbon copied to my bank as well. I would appreciate it if you could resolve this matter in an expeditious way.

-------------------------------- I have an excellent credit rating and am very fiscally responsible. But even if I had money, I find their business practices very unscrupulous. First, i felt that they misrepresented the terms of the contract, and secondly, their customer service is atrocious. I am TRYING to contact them, but they do not respond! I want to be fair! That's why, even though I'm broke, i'm willing to pay a termination fee by getting a loan since that's what i agreed to!  However, it's totally disgusting how they keep charging me for sessions i am not signing up for!!  I have earnestly tried to cancel my membership, and have told them through email, phone, letters, and in person that I physically cannot avail the sessions!

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME....I WANT CUSTOM BUILT TO BE REMOVED FROM MY LIFE!!

MEDIA OUTLETS: I will gladly and honestly talk about my experience. I am in South Florida.