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BHello everyone,
I want to share a deeply frustrating and mentally exhausting experience my wife and I recently had with Fitness One Gym in Vadodara. I’m sharing this here not only to warn others but also to understand what my options are in terms of consumer rights, complaints, or at least getting the word out.Background:
My wife and I visited Fitness One Gym just to inquire about their packages — not with the intention of immediately joining. We were pitched various packages, and eventually, they offered us an annual membership priced at Rs. 7,500 each. I clearly told them during this inquiry that I was a salaried individual with a tight monthly budget and would need 2–3 months to complete the full payment.
To my surprise, they agreed. In fact, the gym trainer said they’d be flexible and would “do something” to support me because we seemed serious about pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Based on this promise, we agreed to enroll and paid 50% of the fee within the first week of joining.
The Harassment Begins:
Soon after the initial payment, the pressure started. We began receiving multiple calls — to me and my wife — from the trainer, receptionist, and later even the owner, constantly asking us to pay the remaining amount. Sometimes it was worded politely, but other times it was almost like a threat — that if we don’t pay soon, our annual membership would be downgraded to monthly, and we would lose the benefit.
Despite these calls, I paid nearly 80% of the total amount within the first two months, which was still within the initial timeframe I had discussed. But they kept pressuring me to pay earlier and in parts — like pay on the 10th, then again on the 15th, and so on — which honestly made no sense and was mentally exhausting. Every single visit to the gym involved the receptionist or trainer reminding or asking me about payments, even though I had already discussed and explained everything clearly over calls.
Communication Chaos:
The real problem is — there’s no chain of command. Every time someone called, I had to repeat the whole situation. First the trainer would call, then the receptionist, then another staffer, and finally the owner. All of them had different versions or didn’t seem aware of the past discussions.
At one point, even the owner acknowledged that I could pay later and agreed to the terms discussed. But before that, the damage was done. I was already demotivated to continue because of the constant pressure, confusion, and harassment.
Final Conversation:
In my last call with the manager/owner, I politely explained again that due to all the unnecessary pressure, I was no longer interested in continuing and requested a refund of the remaining amount (after deducting charges for months I used).
His response?
“We don’t have a refund policy. You must continue the gym. You agreed to annual membership.”
I reminded him of the flexible agreement at the time of joining, and how the pressure had taken a toll on my mental peace. But he completely refused to accept any responsibility for what his staff communicated, and instead insisted that I had no option but to continue using the gym or lose my money.Evidence I Have:
Multiple WhatsApp messages from their staff about payment and threats to convert my membership.
Call logs (though no recordings) of repeated calls to me and my wife.
Receipts and payment proof.
A pattern of miscommunication and verbal harassment from different staff members.
Why I’m Posting:
Because of their conduct, I’m planning to file a formal complaint in the Consumer Forum. But before that, I wanted to hear from people here:
Has anyone faced something similar with gyms?
Do I have a strong case for a consumer complaint?
Would social media awareness help in such cases?
It’s not just about the money now — it’s about the mental stress, broken trust, and lack of ethics in how they handled a simple membership. If they had just been honest or handled it professionally, things would’ve been different.
If you’ve read this far — thank you. I truly appreciate your time and support. Any advice, thoughts, or similar experiences are welcome.
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LI’m sorry you and your wife had to go through this. No one deserves to be mentally harassed over something that was supposed to support their well-being. It’s heartbreaking how a place meant to promote health can end up doing the opposite. You have the right to speak up. Stay strong.
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BThank you so much for your kind words. It really means a lot, especially after going through such a frustrating and mentally exhausting experience.
We truly believed joining the gym would be a step toward a healthier life, but sadly, it turned into something stressful and draining instead.
I’m speaking up not just for myself and my wife, but for anyone who might fall into the same trap. Hopefully, this helps others stay alert and avoid similar issues. Thanks again for the support — really appreciate it!
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SUnless you have a written agreement with the gym that clearly mentions the timeline for payment, I’d say you don’t have a strong case.
The harrasment that they have caused to you can technically be made a ground for a consumer complaint, but unless you are going to fight it out personally, hiring a lawyer will incur expenses much higher than your gym membership itself.
I’d recommend that you sort it out without a formal consumer complaint.
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BThanks for your response and advice. I completely understand the challenge of not having a written agreement. However, I did have a detailed verbal discussion before joining, where I made it clear I’d need 2-3 months to complete the full payment, and the gym staff had agreed verbally to accommodate that.
Just yesterday, I spoke with the gym owner again. I told him that I’m not even asking for a full refund — I suggested converting my membership into a bi-monthly or three-month plan and refunding the remaining amount accordingly. Despite that being reasonable and them initially saying they’d convert it to monthly if I didn’t pay in time (which I have in WhatsApp messages), they’re now refusing to refund anything at all and aren’t agreeing to adjust the package either.
I understand that pursuing a legal case could cost more than the actual refund, but I’m planning to file a consumer complaint through the forum myself, without hiring a lawyer. If nothing else, just the notice might pressure them into processing a partial refund, which would be enough for me. At this point, I don’t want others to face this kind of treatment.
Would appreciate any tips if you’ve seen similar cases succeed through the consumer forum route — especially when done without legal representation.
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SJust a few weeks back I drafted a consumer complaint which to my knowledge has been filed for in-person contest, around 10 days back.
So far it is pending for ‘scrutiny’.
You are correct in your assessment that the owner might budge, but for that try the National Consumer Helpline and see if it works.
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