Consumer complaint received 2020-05-18
Company: Aldous & Associates, PLLC
State: CO
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
Early in XXXX, XXXX, I received a letter from Aldous & Associates dated XX/XX/XXXX informing me that my XXXX XXXX gym membership was not canceled and that I still owe the company money. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Aldous & Associates to enquire about the alleged unpaid debt. I spoke to Mr. XXXX XXXX, and he informed me that I owed {$110.00} for the months that were considered active membership of XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX of XXXX. I then offered to pay the debt as long as the derogatory marks were removed from my credit report. Mr. XXXX XXXX refused to entertain this offer. 

I signed up for XXXX XXXX because the facility was very conveniently located near my house and because the gym opened earlier than my neighborhood fitness center. This meant that I could work out super early before my daughter woke up, so I could still be free to spend the morning with her. At the time of signing up, I was told that I can cancel the membership at any time with no punitive fees. 

My experience was great! The facility was perfect and met my needs. My personal training was awesome! After a few months, my work situation changed, which disrupted my workout routine. I cancelled my personal training sessions with my personal trainer and gave her a 30-day notice. I asked whether I needed to do anything else ( speak to the front desk staff, talk to the manager,  etc. ), but she said she would take care of it and that I didnt need to do a thing more. 

A month later, I tried to cancel my membership. The staff at the front desk told me I needed to contact the XXXX corporate office. That was rather frustrating, but I didnt want to give the girl a hard time : she was only doing her job. I promptly contacted XXXX corporate office. After being on hold for 45 minutes, I was able to talk to an associate. I explained that I wanted to cancel my membership, and he said that it was not a problem but that I needed to give them a 30-day notice before I could cancel my personal training. I told him that I already did, that my personal trainer was informed, and that I didnt need to do anything else. It is at this point when the associate told me that the notice of cancellation needed to be given in writing. I explained that it was not communicated to me and that the personal trainer and the staff at the gym have not asked me for any written cancelation notice. The associate told me that there is nothing he can do about that and that if I read the contract I would have known that. I told him that I went over the contract with the manager before I signed it and there was no mention of a written notice required to cancel. If that requirement was communicated to me, I would have had no problem complying. After putting me on hold for another 30 minutes, he said that there is nothing he can do but that he will cancel my membership. 

A few months later, early in XXXX of XXXX, I received a letter from Aldous & Associates informing me that I am liable to pay some fees to XXXX and that if I dont settle my account, they will report me to the credit bureau. I immediately called Aldous & Associates ( on XX/XX/XXXX ) and once again explained all the steps I have already taken to cancel the membership and that as far as I know the account has been settled. The associate was disrespectful and interruptive on the call, and told me I still owed XXXX money, at which point I told him that I have done all that was humanly possible to resolve the matter and that I absolutely refuse to be penalized for trying to do the right thing. The associate then proceeded to threaten me, so I told him I will take this matter up with XXXX XXXX and hung up. 

After that unpleasant conversation, I went back to the XXXX facility to talk to the manager and complain about the situation. He promptly apologized and said that he was not aware of this and that he will take care of the situation. 

Yesterday, on XX/XX/XXXX, having received no further communication either from XXXX XXXX or Aldous & Associates, I got a message from XXXX XXXX  letting me know that there are derogatory marks on my credit. I nearly forgot about the problem, since I have not received any more communication. I was under the impression the manager at XXXX has taken care of it, as he said he would. Having searched for Aldous & Associates on XXXX, I realized that it was the same agency that I talked to about my alleged unpaid account at XXXX. Since I have not received any further communication as to my need to dispute the validity of the debt and, and therefore, had no chance to rectify the matter, I feel I was treated unfairly. 

Needless to say, I am extremely unhappy. I pride myself on paying all of my debts, and I work hard to keep my credit score high. It is clear to me that both XXXX XXXX and Aldous & Associates are violating business practices and have been acting maliciously to defraud the consumer. It seems illogical to me that XXXX XXXX would act with hostility towards its valued customers, who might eventually renew the membership. Instead of making a loyal customer feel appreciated and welcome to come back, they have legally robbed me of peace of mind and unfairly marred my credit score. 

I refuse to be victimized by unethical business practices of a company with an army of lawyers. Thankfully, the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection was created in order to stop unfair,  deceptive, and fraudulent business practices. Please, include my name in any class action lawsuits against Aldous & Associates and XXXX XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation