TIL about been trying for 6 months

I have been trying to cancel my gym membership since August 2025. That's six months of charges at $89/month — over $530 I shouldn't owe. Here's what I've done so far:

• Went to the gym in person in August and asked to cancel. They said I had to fill out a form. I filled it out and they said I'd get confirmation. Never got it.
• Called in September. Was told the cancellation "didn't go through" and I needed to come back in person. Went back, filled out ANOTHER form.
• Emailed their corporate office in October. Got an auto-reply. Never heard back.
• Sent a certified letter in November requesting cancellation. Have the signed receipt proving delivery.
• Called again in January. They said they have "no record" of any cancellation request.

They're still charging my credit card every month. I feel like I'm going in circles. Is there anything legally I can do to make this stop?

This is unfortunately a very common pattern with certain gym chains. You have several legal tools at your disposal.

State Health Club Laws: Most states have specific statutes governing health club contracts. For example, California's Health Studio Services Contract Law (Civil Code 1812.80-1812.98) gives members the right to cancel within specific timeframes and sets strict requirements for contract terms. Many states cap contract length and require gyms to honor written cancellation requests. Which state are you in?

There's a gym-specific demand letter template at /Demand-Letters/Consumer/california-gym-membership-cancellation-demand.html that you can adapt for your state.

I'm in California, so it sounds like I have some strong protections. I had no idea about the click-to-cancel rule — I actually signed up through their app, so that's interesting.

I'm going to call my credit card company today. Quick question: if I do a chargeback, can the gym send me to collections for those months?

They can try to send you to collections, but they'd have a very weak position. You have a certified letter proving you cancelled, and if they're violating California's health club laws, they don't have a valid debt to collect. If they do send it to collections, you'd dispute it under the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) and request debt validation. It's unlikely a collector would pursue it once they see your documentation.

Since you're in California, you have particularly strong protections. Under Civil Code 1812.85, a health studio contract must include a clear cancellation clause, and if the gym fails to comply with a proper cancellation request, the member is entitled to a refund of all charges collected after the cancellation date. The certified letter with delivery receipt should establish your cancellation date clearly.

Just flagging for anyone reading this thread — the FTC's click-to-cancel rule has been a game changer. If you signed up online, by phone, or through an app, the business is required to let you cancel the same way. If they force you to come in person or jump through hoops, they're likely in violation of federal law. You can file a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

This applies to all subscription services, not just gyms. We've seen similar threads about subscription boxes, software services, and meal delivery companies.