Cancel an LA Fitness Membership

LA Fitness is a gym chain that is charged on a monthly basis. Members who wish to cancel can do so in person or by mail. Choose the best way to cancel an LA Fitness membership and keep all correspondence with the company to avoid issues.

Steps

Canceling In Person

  1. Decide if your situation requires you to cancel, or if you can freeze your account. When you cancel in person, a manager will ask you if you want to freeze your membership for several months or move it to another location to avoid losing your membership completely.
    • LA Fitness recently reviewed their contracts and does not claim to charge termination fees if the cancellation letter is postmarked between 5 before the next billing date and at least 30 days before the date you intend to stop using the gym. Your membership will continue for 30 days after that billing date, because of a pre-paid last month.
    • If you are injured, you should be able to cancel or freeze your gym membership according to your preference.
    • You may be required to bring in a letter confirming your injury, if you choose to freeze your membership.
  2. Ask for a membership cancellation form at the gym’s front desk. If they don’t have this form, you can write a letter to LA Fitness stating the reasons you must cancel.
    • You can also sign into your LA Fitness online account. Go to “My Account” and look for the cancellation form.
    • Make sure your cancellation letter includes your full name, member number, gym location and a reason why you are canceling. They may also require your date of birth and an email. [1]
    • In 2012, the Office of Fair Trading (FTC) judged that LA Fitness and other gyms must allow fair cancellation policies. They now allow members to cancel for reasons like “insufficient funds.” [2]
  3. Make an appointment with an Operations Manager at the front desk. You must give this manager your letter or cancellation form. Note the date on which it was delivered on a copy of your letter and get a verbal confirmation.
  4. Ensure that you deliver the letter by hand at least 5 business days before the next month’s dues are billed. If not, your cancellation will process too late and you will be charged another monthly payment. [3]
  5. Continue using the gym for 1 month. When you enrolled, you paid for your first and last month’s dues. You can’t get a refund on this final month.
    • If you do not cancel within 5 days of the next billing date, you may have 2 additional months of membership.
  6. Speak with your personal trainer to cancel a training contract. These contracts are processed through the trainers and location administrator. You may be required to finish and pay for a certain number of remaining training sessions. [3]

Canceling By Mail

  1. Log in to your LA Fitness online account.
  2. Click “My Account” and look for the cancellation form. Print it out. You can also write a cancellation letter that includes your name and account number.
  3. Send your signed cancellation form or letter to “LA Fitness, P.O. Box 54170, Irvine, CA 92619-4170.” Use certified mail to ensure a receipt and delivery signature by a LA Fitness employee. Certified mail will protect you from LA Fitness claims that you did not send your cancellation form before the billing date.
  4. Postmark the cancellation letter approximately 40 days in advance of the date you want to end your membership. LA Fitness requires that it be processed at least 5 business days before your next billing date, and you should allow several days for mailing.
    • To be safe, it is recommended that you cancel a full 30 days before your last month as a member. LA Fitness recently paid a settlement to a member. They claimed that they will continue processing payment if the cancellation letter is not received within 30 days of the next billing date. They have since claimed to improve their cancellation policies to 5 business days before the next billing cycle.[4]
    • Members pay for the last month’s membership during the initial sign up process.
  5. Call several days after the letter is received and signed for. Find the number for customer service using the search function at http://www.lafitness.com/Pages/contactus.aspx. Call back until you receive confirmation of cancellation before the next billing cycle.

Warnings

  • LA Fitness has developed a reputation of making it hard for members to cancel. The situation seems to have improved since summer 2012; however, you should always follow up before the next billing date.
  • Beware that cancellation policies may change over time. If you feel as though your gym does not follow the Office of Fair Trade’s rules, write a second letter and report the location to the Office of Fair Trade and Better Business Bureau. A gym contract is deemed unfair if it lasts more than 12 months, it does not allow you to cancel within 30 days and it charges you severe penalties. [2]

Things You'll Need

  • Cancellation form
  • Letter
  • Postage
  • Certified Mail form with signature confirmation
  • Customer service number

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://cancelwizard.com/la-fitness.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/10/la-fitness-membership-contracts
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.cancel-help.com/cancel-la-fitness-membership/
  4. ↑ http://clubindustry.com/la-fitness/la-fitness-settlement-includes-passes-refunds
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