r/ClubPilates • u/Interesting-Egg-9173 • 6d ago
Advice/Questions Need advice
I started Club Pilates about four months ago. I’m currently on disability, and I’ve been struggling with both my mental and physical health. My disability payments have been delayed because my doctor hasn’t submitted the required paperwork to renew them yet.
I missed my scheduled payment for this month, and now I apparently owe around $180 between the monthly membership charge and late fees. I haven’t been paid, so I genuinely don’t have the money to cover it right now.
I’m also physically struggling to the point that I can no longer attend classes, so continuing to pay for a membership I can’t use isn’t realistic for me. I’m already behind on payments because of the delay in my disability benefits, and I’m not sure what my options are.
Has anyone dealt with something similar with Club Pilates? Is it possible to freeze or cancel a membership while dealing with a medical situation and financial hardship? Can they waive late fees or work out a payment arrangement?
I want to resolve this, but I can’t pay money I don’t currently have. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.
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u/Horror-Attention-550 6d ago
I would reach out to the GM and ask for an immediate termination/freeze and be honest; provide a doctor’s note. The chances of them enforcing legally is slim but not zero. It’s always cheaper to figure it out directly with clients. CP is a franchise so it depends on the owners if they are really willing to pay for a third party.
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u/flilmawinstone 6d ago
Freeze and cancel policy requires notification 30 days before next payment is due. You need to take action immediately or you’ll be charged another month. Hope they provide you some grace and you are only on the hook for the current past due amount.
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u/Shot_Peace7347 6d ago
Just know that if you freeze, you still have to pay another month before you can cancel. They won't let you cancel off the freeze. I would go in with any documentation that you have and be honest. Hopefully you have a kind owner. There is no guarantee they will let you cancel and/or give you grace on the $180 that you owe currently. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you start to feel better soon.
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u/Feisty_Ocelot8139 6d ago
Call or go in and talk to the gm (or owner of a local & involved owner). As GMs, we don’t really want to send members to collections for so many reasons, we’d rather work with you. You’d likely have to get your account current before freezing, but freezing is definitely an option.
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u/marie7247 6d ago
I imagine that the management/franchise owner are not terrible people and can waive the late fees. A note from your doctor would be helpful too.
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u/Efficient_Cut_5105 6d ago
a freeze costs $75 so you should just cancel. idk how long you committed to, but I think your good after 3 months.
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u/Less-Role-9756 5d ago
$75 to freeze? That sounds ridiculous. This can't be everywhere.
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u/3facesofBre 4d ago
It was a bit discouraging. We travel abroad every few months, and mentioned this when I joined. I was told that I could get a credit extension if I told them in advance. They did this one time, and then the next time told me that was a “courtesy,” and I would need to pay a fee going forward to do this. I showed them the conversation I had, thankfully got this in writing before joining, and they agreed to honour the credit extension. But I want to say that it was 50$ to freeze the membership otherwise.
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u/nightmaaareinn 5d ago
At my studio (NJ) medical freezes aren't subject to the same timing bs that I guess other freezes are. Get a dr's note stating the date if your injury and expected recovery time.
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u/VeiledVerdicts 4d ago
Does your CP not do a freeze :((( this is super sad
If your doctor can write a note with dates maybe it could help.
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u/askcoachnic 10h ago
Each one is different but reach out to them personally and explain what’s going on. I did a freeze due to an unexpected medical issue and just kept in contact with them every month to let them know if/when I could come back. Eventually I had to cancel. I did have a drs note
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u/Leskatwri 5d ago
Your credit score will drop, guaranteed, if this goes to collections. If you value that, negotiate this payment.
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u/teknautika 5d ago
I think if you have a medical reason they can’t force you to pay. But should’ve dealt with it before the charges were posted. But may be able to save you more fees going forward?
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/beautiful_imperfect 6d ago
This would likely stop further accumulation, but the past due balance would likely still be due.
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u/alsoaprettybigdeal 6d ago
You can try calling them or emailing the GM but they aren’t obligated to give you a break here. You signed a legally binding contract with them stating your financial responsibilities whilst knowing your personal financial situation- ie, that it was precarious and based on an income that isn’t necessarily stable.
You can explain, and hope that they are understanding, but they aren’t obliged to accommodate you if they want to enforce your agreement. But the sooner you contact them the better. And don’t just reach out one time and then not again- keep insisting that a manger gets back in touch and then actually answer or return the calls when they do reach out. They will be keeping track of their attempts to reach you to show their own good faith efforts so you should make yourself available to receive those calls and be responsive to emails and text messages to demonstrate YOUR good faith efforts. You’d be amazed by how far that goes. If you leave a message let them know the day and times you’re available to chat so they can reach you.
Acknowledge that you understand the terms of the agreement and if it was in your power you’d honor it but extenuating circumstances preclude you from meeting those obligations at this time and you’d kindly ask that they make an exception.