'Her jaw actually dropped': Serviceman gets one over on gym that was refusing to cancel his membership

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Sep 13, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

Gyms aggressively seek to enlist as many members as possible, seemingly with the hope that none of them will actually use the facilities provided. Instead, keeping members paying monthly to keep the gym's barcoded tag on their key ring like some expensive subscription-based accessory. 

They just as aggressively prevent you from ever canceling your membership, ensuring that the entire engagement unravels with the same clarity and certainty as riddling with a sphinx. It's not unheard of for gyms to even attempt to keep you from canceling your membership when moving overseas, instead telling you that they have branches in that country, so you should maintain your membership, regardless of the fact that the lone branch is nowhere close to where you'll be residing. 

This serviceman shared his story of seeking to cancel his gym membership when he was relocated for employment, finding himself no longer needing to maintain membership due to changes in circumstances thanks to the readily available facilities where he was stationed. He visited the local gym of the large chain of which he was a member in an attempt to cancel his membership. Here, he was told that he was unable to cancel his membership due to the fact that this gym was not currently assigned as his "home" gym. After thinking it through, he returned the next day to ask a different associate to make changes to his membership, thus reassigning his membership to that location before informing the associate directly afterward that he would like to cancel.

Keep reading for this brilliant story of malicious compliance, as originally shared on the Reddit sub of the same name. 

 

Advertisement
  • 01
    Camouflage
    via Danielle Cerullo

    Simon Infanger / Diana Polekhina

  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/Gofur56 The Old Bait and Switch One upon a time I, like many people after the new year, joined planet fitness with my girlfriend (now wife). We did not go to the gym, and this continued now that we had a gym membership. After a year or so had gone by of not going to the gym, we decided to go in one day just for something to do. They wouldn't let us in due to the card that we used for my wife's membership had expired and "our account was due over $100". They agreed that we coul
    via u/Gofur56
  • 03
    Font - We paid the remaining amount and canceled her membership, switching mine to a premium membership so that we could both get on using mine. After probably another year of them collecting my money for little in return, I joined the Army as a way to escape the ever-rising cost of family health insurance. I thought "this is great, now I have a reason to workout, and I'll use my planet fitness premium membership that lets me use any of their gyms around the country."
    via u/Gofur56
  • 04
    Font - However, upon moving to our first duty station I found that 1: I worked out every morning with a group of people outside 2: There are several gyms on base, usually nicer than a Planet Fitness. So I went to cancel my membership, here's where they really pod me off. "Oh, you have to cancel in person at your home gym or by writing a cancellation letter via 1st class mail to your home gym." The problem being that my home gym was over 700 miles away, and I didn't want to wait long enough for t
    via u/Gofur56
  • 05
    Font - Armed with knowledge, I returned to the closest store the next day. "Good morning, sir." "Oh, good morning. Can you help me out? I don't necessarily want to pay for the black membership anymore, but my home gym is in Ohio. Can I change my home gym to this location?" "Of course, sir. I'd be happy to assist you..." Once all the exchanging of information had been completed, I dropped the bomb. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
    via u/Gofur56
  • 06
    Font - "Yes, actually. Since this is my home gym now, I'd like to go ahead and cancel my membership." Her jaw actually dropped. She called a manager to give the overrides or whatever he needed to do. He got the whole story, looked at me and said that I would have to wait 24 hours, since I just changed my home gym. I obliged his request and came back the next day. I'm happy to say that it's been almost 5 years since my last gym membership.
    via u/Gofur56
  • 07
    Font - tallcardsfan Did the same thing. Only way to get out without jumping through too many hoops. 606 Gofur56 OP Reply Share They had that "this isn't your home store" script at the ready. They really make a whole business model around shaming people to not want to come in too much, but making it inconvenient enough to cancel that people just keep paying. Reply Share 509
    via u/Gofur56
  • 08
    Font - Shadow Dragon8685 They got off real lightly with a jaw-drop, frankly. There are Federal Laws in place to prevent people from fg with service personnel who get stationed far from home like this but people at home try to continue charging them for contracted stuff they can no longer take any advantage of (like rental agreements, etc). It goes nasty for people who f with Uncle Sam's troops in the finances like that. Also, you should consider posting this on r/MilitaryStories. It would get a
    via u/Gofur56
  • 09
    Font - H Willisthe Willow Good job man! I'll warrant this came up in the very next board meeting and they immediately actioned a way to close the loophole you found. 477 Reply Share Gofur56 OP They seemed genuinely shocked. It was glorious. It was probably a Young Sheldon moment where I remember them being way more impressed than they really were. ↑ 65 Reply Share
    via u/Gofur56
  • 10
    Font - imbluedabadedabadam I joined the Army as a way to escape the ever- rising cost of family health insurance. This is the most american statment i have ever read 72 WokeBriton Reply Share I'm sorry, American friends, but I genuinely cannot understand why you keep tolerating that utterly fug stupid insurance system you have. Reply Share 22
    via u/Gofur56
  • 11
    Font - MotheroftheworldII Try cancelling a membership for a person who was injured and became a quadriplegic then died 3 months later. That was a fun discussion...not. 22 Reply Share Gofur56 OP When contract law trumps human decency. I'm sorry you had to go through that. 17 Reply Share
    via u/Gofur56
  • 12
    Font - salish_sea I work at an bank and frequently deal with folks who are attempting to cancel their memberships at Planet Fitness. When someone tells me they have been trying to cancel their membership but they are keep getting charged I have taken up a personal mission of putting stop payments on the Planet Fitness charges, which are usually set up as an ACH payment, and waiving any related fees. I am going to remember this method to advise others with in the future. Edit: grammar correction.
    via u/Gofur56

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

funny stories malicious compliance funny story military military-stories soldiers army gym gyms
Scroll Down For The Next Article