Consumer complaint received 2025-05-28 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Aldous & Associates, PLLC
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/XXXX To Whom It May Concern, On this day XX/XX/XXXX I am writing to file a formal complaint against XXXX XXXX and their affiliated debt collection agency, Aldous & Associates , PLLC ( Phone : XXXX ), for what I believe to be deceptive, misleading, and potentially unlawful business practices, especially involving a minor in a financial agreement without proper consent or disclosure. 

Summary of Events : In XX/XX/XXXX, I signed up for a membership at XXXX XXXX as a XXXX   under the age of XXXX. At the time of enrollment, the gym manager informed me that a parent or guardian was required to sign a form in order for me to use the facility stating that the paperwork was merely a liability waiver in case of injury, not a contract for services. Based on this explanation, my mother came to the gym and signed the paper presented to her under the impression it was strictly for injury liability purposes. 

However, I was never informed or made aware of entering a long-term contract, nor was my mother adequately informed of the contractual nature or financial obligations of the paperwork she signed. We believed the membership to be month-to-month and quoted at $ XXXX. At no point were we notified of any one-year contract, increasing fees, or cancellation terms. 

In the start of XXXX, I attempted to do a cancellation of my account with XXXX XXXX ( email : XXXX XXXX XXXX ) partnered with XXXX XXXX, I was given options on what I could do to cancel/get rid of debt. One of the options was Enrollment letter for college/university , Student ID and also paying 50 % of the remaining balance of the contract. Out of the two to three options I chose none because the situation with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX violation consumer protection it nullifies me paying a buyout fee and I feel I shouldnt be paying a cent to something I wasnt showing up to for many months. 

Despite discontinuing use of the gym around XX/XX/XXXX, I was contacted several months later by Aldous & Associates, demanding payment of over {$800.00} for a contract we were never informed existed. After sending a formal response to dispute the debt, Aldous & Associates provided what they claimed were original contract documents. However, these documents appeared digitally altered, with signatures that look copied, pasted, or potentially forged, especially considering that XXXX XXXX no longer has the physical copy of the document that my mother signed in person. 

It appears that my personal billing information was used to initiate the membership, despite my legal status as a XXXX  at the time. This further supports the possibility of unauthorized use of personal information, as my mother never agreed to make payments nor signed up for the membership herself she only signed what she was told was a non-financial liability waiver. As of the next week on the day XX/XX/XXXX, the due to the procrastination of the association of XXXX general manger, they still have not sent the documents to me or the debt collection agency for review. 

All in all, this situation violates possIbly many of the following : Deceptive Business Practices : Misrepresentation of the nature of the documents being signed. 
Consumer Fraud : Signing up a XXXX  for a binding financial contract without informed parental consent. 
Potential Forgery : The documents provided by the debt collector show signs of possibly being altered or signed electronically without authorization. 
Violation of Consumer Protection Laws : Failure to disclose length of contract and escalating charges. 
Improper Debt Collection : Pursuing a XXXX for debt that was never clearly disclosed, initiated without lawful consent, and disputed without resolution.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation