I've been a member of Golds gym in Fairfax Station for several years and They keep raising my monthly rate. So now new members can join and pay half of what I'm paying per month. A total scam in my eyes. So I google Golds Gym to get further information and find they have tons of scam related complaints, especially concerning cancellating contracts.

I'm of course thinking of canceling my contract so I'm prepared to continue getting screwed. Does anyone here have any additional information re: Golds or have you had a hard time canceling your contracts? Has anyone been successful in getting their monthly rate reduced?

Got any other gym recommendations?

Go in and plead your case to a manager. Keep it simple.

"I've been a member for X years and I pay Y per month. You're signing up new members for Z per month. Can I get the new member rate?"

If they say no you can't get that rate then cancel your membership on the spot and find a new gym. Perhaps you like Gold's and it'll be hard to leave but, why would you continue to give money to a business that does you like that? This is NOVA, there are many good gyms in the area...

I always thought that the older members at Gold's got much cheaper rates because they were locked in to what they started paying when they were brand new. I'd get a few quotes from local rivals and bring them just in case the manager thinks you're bluffing. I'd mention that you are more valuable since you've been a proven loyal member for several years and not some cut and run a few times a year type member. In this economy, any manager who doesn't have their head up their ass would give you the new member rate. If they give you any trouble, I wouldn't hesitate to tell them that you'll tell other members about this and they risk losing more than just you.

I'd use the analogy it's like walking into a store and seeing a big stack of the same product. Half is twice as much as the rest, what idiot would buy the more expensive version?

I used to go to that Gym but canceled my membership. Ive been a member on an off for Golds for many years and really overall I have to say I am not impressed. They stick by their rates and wont even waive the signup fee if youre a returning member unless they have a special.


Theyre new trick is that now they bill twice a month where the total is more than what you signed up for, but it looks less because its two smaller amounts. That gym really isnt that great. Always to crowded, and a lot of assholes that think they own the place.

>
>
> Theyre new trick is that now they bill twice a
> month where the total is more than what you signed
> up for, but it looks less because its two smaller
> amounts. That gym really isnt that great. Always
> to crowded, and a lot of assholes that think they
> own the place.

They do bill twice monthly now, but I've never been overbilled.

I happen to think that gym is one of the best-equipped in the area (with lots of eye candy), but it is damn crowded sometimes. It's especially bad now with all the New Years Resolution people. You get it.

On the whole, gym managers are like used car salesmen. They try to screw you for as much money as possible. Buyer beware.

Politely ask for the new member rate and if you don't get it cancel and get a membership at Olympus in Burke.

Alpha Male Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> They do bill twice monthly now, but I've never
> been overbilled.
>
> I happen to think that gym is one of the
> best-equipped in the area (with lots of eye
> candy), but it is damn crowded sometimes. It's
> especially bad now with all the New Years
> Resolution people. You get it.
>
> On the whole, gym managers are like used car
> salesmen. They try to screw you for as much money
> as possible. Buyer beware.


They dont overbill, but they raised the rates when they instituted that as they said in the letter they sent for that so now they can charge more as mentally paying a smaller amount twice seems like a better deal than the 1 time larger payment.

They are one of the better equipped gyms in the area, but for the price they charge they should be.

Also they hit you with cancellation fees. When you sign up you have to pay for the first and last month up front but they still charge you for the last month when you cancel so you pay for that month twice.

Had a membership there a couple years ago. Ended up my schedule didn't work out and they we're always closed when I wanted to go. On top of that, my wife ended up getting cancer. So the gym was out of the option for her especially after her surgery. I tried to cancel my membership due to these circumstances and had full intention of getting a new membership after all the dust settled from my wifes cancer treatment and my new schedule started. Long story short, they wouldn't cancel my membership because the contract was for a year. I tried to tell them I would pay any type of cancellation charges similar to cell phone companies when you cancel prior to the contract ending. They refused. Said, too bad, you have wait until the end of your contract and you have to give us 30 days notice at the end of the contract. They also said they would go after me in collections if I stopped paying even though I didn't use their facilities. I was forced to pay for the rest of the year until it was done. Only way I wouldn't be able to cancel is if I moved a certain milage away from their facilities. Well I'm not going to move to save a few dollars on a gym membership. I found them to be little assholes about the whole thing. After they did that, I have never and will never get another membership with them. They only care about money in their pocket and not their members.

That's crappy, Hate Golds. That's enough to make me want to cancel my membership.

I had a very hard time cancelling my contract with golds. under the contract you pay monthly but you are stuck with the contract for a year no matter what. I tried to cancel the contract 6 months in once i was layed off and needed to save money where i could. They told me that i needed to fill out some bs forms and send them to corprate, which takes months for them to even get back to you so i just put up with it until the end of the year contract. I assumed that the contract would expire at that time. BAD decision. you know what they say when you assume..... anyways long story short, they continued to bill my account monthly after the year contract was up for about 3 months after. i ended up walking in there raising some hell under there asses for fraud until they agreed to drop the account.

hate golds Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Had a membership there a couple years ago. Ended
> up my schedule didn't work out and they we're
> always closed when I wanted to go. On top of
> that, my wife ended up getting cancer. So the gym
> was out of the option for her especially after her
> surgery. I tried to cancel my membership due to
> these circumstances and had full intention of
> getting a new membership after all the dust
> settled from my wifes cancer treatment and my new
> schedule started. Long story short, they wouldn't
> cancel my membership because the contract was for
> a year. I tried to tell them I would pay any type
> of cancellation charges similar to cell phone
> companies when you cancel prior to the contract
> ending. They refused. Said, too bad, you have
> wait until the end of your contract and you have
> to give us 30 days notice at the end of the
> contract. They also said they would go after me
> in collections if I stopped paying even though I
> didn't use their facilities. I was forced to pay
> for the rest of the year until it was done. Only
> way I wouldn't be able to cancel is if I moved a
> certain milage away from their facilities. Well
> I'm not going to move to save a few dollars on a
> gym membership. I found them to be little
> assholes about the whole thing. After they did
> that, I have never and will never get another
> membership with them. They only care about money
> in their pocket and not their members.


If there was a clause in your contract which would allow you to get out of it, I would have just made a fake lease or something... fuck that.. If you people want out of your contracts, you can pay me half of what you would pay them - and I will get you out of it..

"That gym really isnt that great. Always to crowded, and a lot of assholes that think they own the place."


ah, the things i like about northern va. can't wait to get out of this shit hole.

Gold's Gym is running something wild. I wanted to to check out Gold's Gym to see if I liked it. They wanted $20.00 for a single one time visit...

...OMFG, I don't want to buy the place.

I was reassured that the rates were lower with a 3-5 memebership. Well that's swell what if I snap my shit, and can't work out for months? Now I have an idle membership sitting there doing nothing.

Anyhoo found a gym that opens at 5AM and closes at 10PM, not as good as Golds with their 24 hour promise, but the $20.00 crap was enought of a turn off I didn't even bother with the rest. Hell I'll lift rocks off the damn ground before I ever consider going to Gold's Gym again.

I currently pay $23.00 a month, and its a community gym has a decent amount of the lastest machines, Treadmills, and all kinds of free weights and racks to make all kinds of crazy gains. Good enough.

Gold's can go fuck itself.

If you like to look at yourself in the mirror and are a total asshole Golds is the place for you

Go to Fairfax Station Golds Gym...ask for Bruce. He is the big Italian looking putz. Slip him a $fitty...and he will take care of your situation.

It worked for me.

I had no problem canceling my membership years ago. Golds is cheaper than Lifetime Fitness, and far less crowded than X sport

where is the best Golds gym in the Centreville/Fairfax area? Are all the monthly fees the same?

Hey Palm Grease:

Thank you for "That Thing" you told me about.

It worked!

When I moved out of the US several years ago, I had great difficulty trying to cancel my membership. The whole episode, which should have been an ordinary business transaction and turned into a huge mess. The whole issue left me utterly disgusted with Gold's and I found another gym when I returned to the US.

How is planet fitness in Woodbridge? Online it looks great, the price is lower per month, and you get to a whole lot more out of the membership