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This very program by visa allowed LA Fitness to steal several hundred dollars from me after I thought I had unsubscribed (they are also known for being unscrupu

This very program by visa allowed LA Fitness to steal several hundred dollars from me after I thought I had unsubscribed (they are also known for being unscrupulous about customer subscriptions). I thought I had cancelled my account, and was unworried about them continuing to charge me because I had recently gotten a new card number anyway. Well, unfortunately WF/Visa had given them my updated card info without my knowledge at a time when I didn't check my statements for several months (I audit charges MUCH more regularly now). They had kept my account active because I hadn't realized how convoluted their "unsub" process was and hadn't jumped through all of their over-the-phone hoops. Long story short I was out several hundred dollars over the course of almost a year, and the CC people were unwilling to help because the charges went undisputed for many months. A very angry visit back to the LA Fitness location was the only thing that remedied the continuing subscription, but I never got my money back. Caveat Emptor.

Nextgrid 8y ago
Is there something like a small claims court you could take this to? The case seems decent - they have a convoluted unsubscription process on purpose which misled you into thinking you unsubscribed, and you didn’t use their services after that.
- Zenst 8y ago
  I'd be supprised if this is not in violation of some law or another. Consumer protection isn't that bad in the UK and if I was in this situation then I'd start with the police as this is however you dress it fraud. After all they took money they had no legal claim in taking as the agreement had been canceled.
- ledbettj 8y ago
  How much do you want to bet the LA Fitness contract includes binding arbitration?
- lordlimecat 8y ago
  Apparently gyms are increasingly using formal contracts at signup which stipulate this convoluted process to exit the contract. Good luck winning that in small claims.
  - Nextgrid 8y ago
    Would it stand in court though? Wouldn't the court see the bad faith behind the terms, given they were designed to mislead the customer as opposed to having a legitimate reason behind them?
setquk 8y ago
Gyms always run unsubscribe scams like this. It's rife here in the UK. After getting screwed similarly I said fuck it and just run around the local park.
jrobn 8y ago
I worked for a small local company that stored credit card details in plain text. Including CVV. I brought it to there attention and the owner just hand waived me off. “The working system was working”. This is why cards like The Apple Card, which allows you to generate cards on the fly, is better for consumers. Just generate a card for LA Fitness and delete it when you close your account. This would eliminate a big chunk of fraud (including the shady shit LA fitness does) when your card details are sitting in many databases (some of which are not encrypted in anyway). I’m not saying Apple card is great, just that feature of it.
- Zenst 8y ago
  That's a great feature and one I was looking for two decades ago - glad that somebody is finally using technology to empower users in this way and it should be the norm for all online card usage. I just lament that it has taken a 3rd party card offing to accommodate this and it is not being driven by the main card players (Visa, Mastercard).
  - icebraining 8y ago
    Banks have offered virtual credit cards for many years; in Portugal it's been available since at least 2006.
  - mwexler 8y ago
    Many banks (Citi, for example, has it at https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-Numbers https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-N...) have offered this for almost a decade. Visa and MC both support it at the network level globally, and are in fact the reasons that virtual account numbers work. Consumers have routinely ignored this feature. Like so many security things, it's just not sexy enough for them to care and take on the hassle of older clunky solutions. The rise of digital payments and the movement away from a plastic card is making this much easier on people, by embedding the virtualization in the flow automatically instead of making users take steps to generate and manage. But those who cared could always do this. It's just that so few cared.

Nextgrid 8y ago

Is there something like a small claims court you could take this to? The case seems decent - they have a convoluted unsubscription process on purpose which misled you into thinking you unsubscribed, and you didn’t use their services after that.

Zenst 8y ago
I'd be supprised if this is not in violation of some law or another. Consumer protection isn't that bad in the UK and if I was in this situation then I'd start with the police as this is however you dress it fraud. After all they took money they had no legal claim in taking as the agreement had been canceled.
ledbettj 8y ago
How much do you want to bet the LA Fitness contract includes binding arbitration?
lordlimecat 8y ago
Apparently gyms are increasingly using formal contracts at signup which stipulate this convoluted process to exit the contract. Good luck winning that in small claims.
- Nextgrid 8y ago
  Would it stand in court though? Wouldn't the court see the bad faith behind the terms, given they were designed to mislead the customer as opposed to having a legitimate reason behind them?

setquk 8y ago

Gyms always run unsubscribe scams like this. It's rife here in the UK. After getting screwed similarly I said fuck it and just run around the local park.

jrobn 8y ago

I worked for a small local company that stored credit card details in plain text. Including CVV. I brought it to there attention and the owner just hand waived me off. “The working system was working”. This is why cards like The Apple Card, which allows you to generate cards on the fly, is better for consumers. Just generate a card for LA Fitness and delete it when you close your account. This would eliminate a big chunk of fraud (including the shady shit LA fitness does) when your card details are sitting in many databases (some of which are not encrypted in anyway). I’m not saying Apple card is great, just that feature of it.

Zenst 8y ago
That's a great feature and one I was looking for two decades ago - glad that somebody is finally using technology to empower users in this way and it should be the norm for all online card usage. I just lament that it has taken a 3rd party card offing to accommodate this and it is not being driven by the main card players (Visa, Mastercard).
- icebraining 8y ago
  Banks have offered virtual credit cards for many years; in Portugal it's been available since at least 2006.
- mwexler 8y ago
  Many banks (Citi, for example, has it at https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-Numbers https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-N...) have offered this for almost a decade. Visa and MC both support it at the network level globally, and are in fact the reasons that virtual account numbers work. Consumers have routinely ignored this feature. Like so many security things, it's just not sexy enough for them to care and take on the hassle of older clunky solutions. The rise of digital payments and the movement away from a plastic card is making this much easier on people, by embedding the virtualization in the flow automatically instead of making users take steps to generate and manage. But those who cared could always do this. It's just that so few cared.