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https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p41 | So, Keller, are you saying that because “all companies make mistakes” that justifies their actions? Yes, I’ve heard of horror stories from places like McDonalds where dead animals turn up in food, etc. And do you know what happened next? McDonalds apologised, compensated, launched a full investigation and promised it would never happen again. Regardless of whether it did or not, they made the effort to at least look like they gave a fuck. What do Fitness First do when they fuck you over? They deny it. Then they threaten you with court action. How many McDonalds customers were sued after finding mice in their burgers? Your example actually helps to highlight how poorly Fitness First handle PR. So let me ask you a question Keller – if you followed Fitness First’s terms and conditions, cancelled your contract exactly how they asked you to then found out 2 months later they’ve re-set up the Direct Debit, are denying you ever cancelled and are threatening you with court action for non-payment – how do you think you’d react? jules Apr 1st, 2009 at 12:59 pm Here Here Mo 🙂 ur so spot on with what u say, oh yeah great thread u set up…. just wish I@d come across it before joining FF!! As for u “KELLER” are u the son of Fitness First or are u just from LA LA LAND? |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p42 | It’s very obvious you’ve not read all the above thoroughly, actually it’s all probably beyond your comprehension!!! If u read properly, you will see that a lot of people did follow through the correct procedures and even then FF could’nt get things right. So ms or mr KELLER untill you have been misled, lied to, ignored, given false information by FF Muppets……… DONT EVEN GO THERE as you haven’t got a clue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! keller Apr 1st, 2009 at 5:06 pm I have read, I do not live in any lala land or any such thing. I am also not stupid so plese do not try to insinuate that I am, I was in no way rude to any of you guys If you did follow the terms of cancellation properly then you qould have a signed copy of the form you’re meant to fill in to cancel as PROOF. If payments do continue, you have proof. I stumbled across this site by accident and thought it was OTT to talk so harshly about a company that has helped millions of people world wide Whcih gyms do you even go to? Dylan Apr 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pm Keller. Since you ask, I’ve have joined the gym at my local university in London. It’s spacious and well equipped, cheaper than FF, it smells nice, the changing rooms are lovely, and it never seems to get busy and certainly doesn’t get rammed at lunchtimes and after work. Perfect! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p43 | mou Apr 5th, 2009 at 5:53 am Keller, I am well within my rights to cancel a Direct Debit whenever I wish – Fitness Firsts terms and conditions do not say that I have to continue using the same bank account for the rest of my life! And since I wasn’t trying to cancel my membership – something you’ve failed to grasp thus far – there was no need to fill in a “departure request form”. I spoke to the head office and I spoke to the club, and both did not have a problem with me cancelling and paying over the counter. Regardless of my actions, my bank informs me that Fitness First are NOT within their rights to re-set up the Direct Debit without first informing me , which they didn’t do. And I would assume that the call I got from the head of their customer services team shortly after I posted this article means they may well agree with me. Moh Apr 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pm I have been caught by the traps set up by FF on direct debit. My membership was cancelled in September and I have received official confirmation from the head office. I have then cancelled my direct debit online as well. I was very happy until in April I found on my bank statement that money has been taken from my account and a direct debit set up again. WTF!!!Head office told me that it was an admin mistake…Under the data protection Act I am asking personal Information held on me including all my account details. I am unsure of how long they can keep these information on their system but as far as I know they can’t set up a direct debit on your account without your consent. There is a breach of the act and they are using your personal details inappropriately and without your knowledge. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p44 | I will seek advice from The information commissioners office ICO and see if there has been any breach of the law and will take matters even to court if there is the need.I believe they are governed by the FSA and I will report it to all governing bodies. All of us should report it to ICO, crimestoppers and any appropriate bodies.THEY ARE COMMITING A FRAUD AND THEY SHALL BE PUNISHED BY LAW.WE SHOULD CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR THEIR UNLAWFUL ACTS. Keller Apr 15th, 2009 at 7:37 pm Fair enough. I don’t howver agree that these are acts of fraud tbh. If your membership, for whatever reason doesn’t get paid and you fall into a cancelled status then in order for you to be reverted back to an ok status a DD mandate mut be reestashed, if you don’t want the money to come out of the DD account then you need to credit your membership account so the monthly cost comes off of that rather than out of your bank account. But you are required to fill in a form for this, no form no proof. Thisworks ied the details, but n your favour if you chang mou Apr 16th, 2009 at 3:31 am Fair point Keller. I’m now going to quote a couple of things I’ve already said: I spoke to the club, and both did not have a problem with me cancelling and paying over the counter |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p45 | (Do you think if, as you say “for you to be reverted back to an ok status a DD mandate mut be reestashed”, they should have told me this, instead of lying and saying it’d be ok?) my bank informs me that Fitness First are NOT within their rights to re-set up the Direct Debit without first informing me , which they didn’t do (By resubmitting the direct debit, they are stating that I have given permission for the payment to be set up. I gave no such permission – in fact, I told them that account was no longer being used – so they lied in order to get their fingers into my bank account, which constitutes fraud.) Keller: Do you work for Fitness First? Stating: for you to be reverted back to an ok status a DD mandate mut be reestashed (sic) … shows an inside knowledge of the Fitness First billing processes, so I assume you work/have worked for them? It doesn’t matter either way to me, I have no issue with the desk staff/personal trainers. Keller Apr 15th, 2009 at 7:40 pm but they do fuck everyone over Keller Apr 17th, 2009 at 10:14 pm Having read all of re comments people have left. Mou, what your saying is true and yes what ff do sometimes is wrong. But there are some things that people are moaning about that tbh they agreed to when they joined. I’d imagine that the staff are so unhelpful and more of a hinderence because that’s how they’ve been trained. They probably think that members will give up trying and just keep paying |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p46 | The best thing to do if your thinking about joining a gym and have the money to invest in your fitness is to buy some free weights. Buy mens health/fitness magazine and do it yourself. That way fuckyou first can’t rinse tour money unlawfully mou Apr 21st, 2009 at 7:35 pm Sadly, you’re right – most of the gripes people have with Fitness First (not included the points I listed above) are noted in the terms and conditions. Although I still can’t help thinking that when the Direct Debit guarantee says you can cancel at any time by informing the company, Fitness First have a damn cheek insisting you jump through hoops filling out forms and having them signed by the manager, just so they can insist that you have to pay another months fees because its too late to cancel that month – some people have been told this 5 days after their billing date, implying Fitness First administration takes over 25 days to cancel a membership. I call bullshit on that one. One day I firmly believe they’ll piss off the wrong person, who knows the law well and can challenge it in court. And when it does, Fitness First are going to open themselves up to a number of legal challenges for back-dated refunds. And they’ll have no-one to blame but themselves… |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p47 | seema Apr 26th, 2009 at 3:16 pm A friend and I joined the Luton branch for 3 months last Novemeber. No one told us that at the end of 3 months you have to inform FF to cancel the contract! After 3 months I cancelled my DD on line. My friend did the same. Then we got text messages from FF asking us to go and see them. When we went to the Luton branch, they told us that they had got my membership fee from my bank but not my friend’s, and asked her to pay up. I went to my bank asking them how FF managed to get money while I had cancelled my DD. They said that since FF had my card details they could get the money, although I had not signed for that transaction. This is fraud, they were not supposed to do that. If you want to join the Fitness First pay over the counter, don’t give them your bank account details. I had to give another month membership fee, they said if i did not they would ask a debt collector to do that for them. If it is a 3 month contract why did I have to notify them? Why the law does not protect us while so many people are pissed off with fitness first. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p48 | How about starting a petition against them?! Mike Apr 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm I went to cottons near london bridge last week and some rude as fuck polish girl serving on the counter there was about to be punched through the plate glass window – by me ! Their staff are pretty rude. They seem to bite their lips and seeth when serving you. Pay them more or get rid of the dead weight i say. Citizen Wayne May 5th, 2009 at 9:13 am Must-see Fitness First protest video on Youtube – we’re all in the same boat it seems…. Josh May 6th, 2009 at 8:24 pm Like many others I signed up for what I was led to believe would be a 3 month contract. I made it explicitly clear to the guy signing me up at the London Charing Cross branch that I only wanted 3 months, not any longer as I was due to deploy to Afghanistan shortly after! He said this was fine and assured me 100% that the contract I was signing was only for three months, all I would need to do is cancel the DD. He took my debit card number to ‘take pay admin fees today’ but said don’t worry about that we won’t use it for anything else mate’. Come three months I cancel the DD and think nothing more of it. However following that, much to my horror they begin taking money off my debit card. Thinking there had been a genuine mistake I calmly and politely called customer services, the operator informed me almost gleefully that I had actually signed a 12 month contract. I reminded her that I had been sold a 3 month contract and asked her to bring the paperwork up on her screen and check it for me. ‘no, why should I?’ she replied. I was quite taken aback by this response and asked her to repeat it, which she did adding ‘you should have read the small print’. I politely remarked that this was unfair at which point the phone was put down on me!! It dawned upon me at this point that I was unlikely to ever see the money again and that I had fallen victim to a carefully orchestrated scam. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p49 | The usual run of endless telephone calls to branch, head office back to branch again ensued without result. When visiting the charing cross road branch for the final time to complete the membership termination forms I had what remains the single most shocking if not down right disturbing customer service experience of my life. I explained, in a calm and polite manner again to the woman that I felt I was being treated very unfairly and warned that I would be reporting this to trading standards. She started talking over and down to me whilst I was mid sentence and I interjected with a simple ‘but’ then before I could say anything else she squared up to me aggressively to within half an inch of my face and shouted ‘IF YOU TALK OVER ME AGAIN ILL HAVE YOU REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?’ within earshot of other customers. Pretty disturbing stuff. She appeared pleased that they had managed to con me and kept repeating ‘well let that be a lesson to you, read the small print next time’ as if they had a right to deliberately mislead me and mis-sell me a product. In fact they appeared to be suggesting that they had done me a favour by exposing my apparent naivety. As a finishing touch, as I was leaving, clearly in an agitated state by this stage she grinningly called out some sort of contrived company slogan along the lines of ‘remember to keep a little fitness in your life, bye!’ a pathetic attempt to provoke me and dig the knife in a little deeper. Psycho bitch. I see from Wikipedia that there are instances of staff (allegedly) actually assaulting members. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p50 | That day I filed my report to trading standards and the office of fair trading. This happened almost 2 years ago, but it is a testament that to this day I am sufficiently revolted at this company enough to seek this forum out to post this as a warning to others. I’m aghast to see that the same things is still happening. If I had filmed the downright misleading assurances given to me during sign up I’m confident that this would constitute sufficient evidence to arrest those involved for offences under the 2006 fraud act (I am a former police fraud investigator btw). Steer well clear of this company and spread the message religiously to all family and friends. This company need to be put out of business to protect the public, they are down-right evil and are totally void of humanity. Through forums like this, particularly in the current economic climate, we can help achieve that. Sam Danielles May 24th, 2009 at 2:53 pm Dear friend, I may not be linguistically sound in English as much as you are in expressing the actual emotioanl catastrophy youve experienced, since I am quite new to UK. I work for a high street bank and personally help hundreds of customers to cancel direct debits from FF. I am pretty sure that the numbers can be attributed to 80% of all DD cancellations. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p51 | While being thankful for you, for not using filth in this public forum (although needed) I must share some understanding with you. Fitness First, Virgin media and few other companies come first in stripping customers to the bone, once they tie em up for a contract. As a bank we are well trained to handle complaints and we are well trained to speak to people. We learn and study a lot about how to keep the full transparency of any contract, and if we found that a customer is sold a product “accidently” (which is ridiculous anyway) we refund all the charges paid by the customer, and every front office employee is fully authorized to do such an arrangement. I came from a Sri Lanka, to work in the UK, since the country itself is a genuinely welcoming place and it is a real pleasure to work with british people. But, as one of the most pathetic and dusgusting example of real British Quality of customer-care & and social ethics, this organization amazingly survives to be a real cancer in the society. There are enough customers to feed its market for these fraudsters and I am fedup of makin hundreds of indemnity claims for DDs taken out by FF. I am pretty confident that your dissatisfaction has never been compensated by any organisation (OFT or any regulatory body) and it has simply gone to your history as a dirty memory. Am I correct? |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p52 | As for most customers, you also might have absorbed the loss and the disgrace, with the hope that you will never ever deal with such shit again. Am I true? Well, as a person dealing with some regulatory bodies, I am not that tollerant towards such tumours. Fingers crossed for results of what we have already done.. Regards.. Sam.. Yorkshire.. expertracker@gmail.com jules May 7th, 2009 at 6:07 pm josh wow!! ur treatment was real shit and im shocked although i shouldn’t be seeing as i’ve read all the above threads & also my own treatment. I pray and hope somebody eventually knocked off the Psycho’s block for the atitude she gave you and probably everyone else!! Update on me was………………. no response to numerous solicitor letters and i’ve let it drop saddly. only reason is, I have because since dear “GUY” revealed the e-mail addresses on the thread (further above)I amazingly had our contract cancelled and arrears wiped off. I never received the money FF owed me but I feel thankfull they are off our backs now thanks to me contacting John Gamble directly!! Like you Josh I still read these threads to see if the low lifes are still treating people the same………………and they are!!! Keller May 7th, 2009 at 10:04 pm Fitness first only care about themselves and don’t give a flying fuck about any one else. Even working there is a nightmare. They may be one of the worlds leading health clubs/bull shitters but we are in a recession. And with the amount of law suits that they have stacked up against them they will go down. Their response to the recession was to raise the membership prices not once but twice in the past few months. Raisethe prices of all there merchandise. Shut earlier on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays. Oh and cut all the staffs hours and increase the targets. Shitness first 100% no doubt |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p53 | Kassie May 8th, 2009 at 3:16 am The bastards are trying to screw me!! I cancelled my membership afer a year back in May last year, didn’t realise until December that they were still taking the DD from my A/C. I immediately cancelled my DD and then started to receive the threatening letters. I had a huge discussion with the manager (London City Branch – Devonshire Square EC2)and she said ‘lets leave the account as it is and I’ll put it on hold for 2 months and we’ll discus then’….. she also offered me private trainers for free etc etc…. anyway, the 2 months freezing have just expired and I checked me on-line bank statements and lo behold… Fitness F*cking F*cksters have taken 39 quid from my account, through a flammin direct debit, one that I have given no authrorisation or acceptance to and after reading all these messages, I defo agree that it is fraudulent. My bank hve been great and are fully refunding the money to me but we’ll see what happens with FF with regard to my complaint!! Will revert…. Karen. Sam Danielles May 24th, 2009 at 2:07 pm I am tired of replying to the responses, but i need say this to you. I work for a bank where 90% of DD cancellations we do are FFFF (you know what it menas) |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p54 | As a bank we are fed up of indemnity claims, but FF is a real virtue of a national level headache to all of us. Keep all dealings (may be ff may be with a bank.. anything..) on PAPER BASED RECORDS and make a complaint to the office of fair trading (http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/legal/competition-act-1998/complaints) when there is a sufficient number of such shouts come to OFT, they raise it as a major case and you will be compensated for every loss u confronted. Its simple and makes a big sense to the future foolish customers who go to FF to get their fat burnt.. do it today itself. satisfied May 9th, 2009 at 4:43 pm In all of the responses iv read i totally disagree i enjoy fitness first and the service it gives u shunt of cancelled ur direct debit u should of informed the club first!! idiot Keller May 10th, 2009 at 6:07 pm Fitness first are nothing but money grabbing shits. Get your bank to do an indemnity Jules May 14th, 2009 at 8:37 am SATISFIED! Wait and see what happens when YOU CANCEL ur membership!! I fear you could be caught out the same…..Dont run before you can walk!!” KB May 16th, 2009 at 2:16 pm I am SO mad at fitness first! My little sister joined on 5th May on a 3 month contract. On the day she joined, they said she had to write a cheque for £37 to cover her first month because of the date she had joined and the time it would take to set up the DD. They also promised her an induction before she was able to start using the gym equipment. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p55 | The next day she went for her induction, as promised, and as the staff were “busy” they told her that she didn’t need an induction because my mum was a member too, she could “show her the ropes”!!!!! Then on Saturday 9th May, just four days later, she decided that she no longer wanted to go. Bearing in mind you get 10 days in which to cancel. So we phoned the branch and they said we’d have to go in and sign the cancellation documents in order to cancel. So we went straight there, only to be told that the “membership manager” was unavailable and that she would call us back on monday! My sister left a signed note with them, outlining her joining date, and her cancellation request date with her telephone number. By monday, we had stil not heard anything, so, conscious of the fact that we were running out of time due to the 10 day period, she visited again. The membership manager pulled out a copy of her contract and said that she couldn’t cancel as she had joined on April 18th (over 10 days ago) and that she was tied in to a 12 month contract. Luckily my sister asked for a copy of that contract because it most definately wasn’t the same one she had. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p56 | When she got home, she realised that Fitness First had changed the date on their version of the contract, and backdated it, as well as changing the contract term from 3 months to 12 months! So, if what they are saying is right, and she really did sign up to a 12 month contract, why is the amount that she is paying higher!? They offer a discounted prive when you opt for 12 months over 3 months – so why is that the case?! As you can imagine, I was livid! Thats forgery! I have written a very angry letter to them, requesting cancellation immediately, and giving them a copy of both my contract and the fitness first version, and threatening them with legal action. I have also contacted Watchdog – after reading all the negative comments that seem to be plastered all over the internet about this company. To make things worse, they have gone and banked her cheque – leaving her £37 worse off! Any suggestions on what we can do next!? Although her DD has been cancelled, I now fear that they will try and take money from her account by re-setting the DD. Help! Sam Danielles May 24th, 2009 at 1:56 pm Hi, First, I feel sorry for the bitter experience you had, and also I am thankful for you for writing this Blood-boiling story. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p57 | In such a case, since you have all the documentation for the contract and the contact details of the people involved, you are on the track of being in a strong stance of making this a real National case. Rather than getting into solicitor-messes, make a full and formal complaint to the Office of fair trading (http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/legal/competition-act-1998/complaints) Send the paper based documents of all the complaints you made to FF. At the same time keep records of all of them with you. Inform FF that you are “disappointed for not resolving the issue in an aggreeable manner” I have assisted hundreds of my clients to compose such complaints and this approach is legal and formal. Fraudsters deserve expulsion from the UK. Feel free to drop an e-mal to me. expertracker@gmail.com Keller May 16th, 2009 at 8:05 pm KB!!! I used to deal with this kind of thing all the time. fitness first, unsuprisingly operate on a target/budget basis. for things like cancellations, including cancelling insude 10 days, even though by law you are intitled to a comfort guarantee whenever you sign yourself up for something. the member manager has a budget for the amount of leavers they are allowed to have that month in order for their club to go through budget so the general manager and the member manager get their bonuses and make their club look good. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p58 | they will break the law without thinking about it to hit their targets so that they get their bonuses. legally you are entitled to see whatever is written on your membership profile whether it is a bout you or it is just general notes. it will say on there what time and date your sisters membership was uploaded onto their system, now there is the off chance that (iv seen this done befor purelybecause they need to hit their daily sales targets) that fitness first will upload a false membership into the system. what they will then do within the next few days after entering that membership is find a new joiner and apply the new members details onto the existing profile, however, that profile will say whether that profile has been altered like that, it will record all changes that have taken place for that member from complete membership transfer to changing a phone number, and you are intitled to see that information if they say you arnt tell them that you iknow the law and you have spoken to other branches regarading this matter. if you need further help write back and i’ll be more than happy Sam Danielles May 24th, 2009 at 1:41 pm Thanks a lot for the clarification. I am Sam D and work for a major bank.. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p59 | In the same way, these faults of FF can be simplified as follows.. 1) Breaking the rules of “The Law of Contracts” by imposing unlawful tricky arrangements on the customer, assuming that the customer will ignore it. 2) Not having a unified, widely accepted, reputed and a fully transparent contract policy. 3) Having a higher level of tempted and “beyond the red line” employees to deal with such issues. 4) Lack of an experienced, and responsible person to regulate the FF operations. (almost most of the customer-sensitive operations are in the hands of young junk and irresponsible emplyee population. 5) Name is posh. Facilities are posh. but the back office is red-handed.. Jules May 20th, 2009 at 12:27 pm HI GUYS WHY NOT START A LIST OF FITNESS FIRST SHIT LIST OF BAD TREATMENT?? WREXHAM! Keller May 23rd, 2009 at 2:36 pm agreed, although i do think that all southern fitness firsts are the worst places to exercise in the country especially having worked there Sam Danielles May 24th, 2009 at 1:18 pm I am Sam Danielles and work for a big high street bank in the UK. Everyday I help hundreds of customers to cancel direct debits. No doubt, No exaggerations, 75% are FF: fitness first (FF means a lot to them as I know.)I will now tell the bank’s legally accepted policy for DDs. (rest of the major cancellations are virgin media, scotish power and mobile contracts) |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p60 | Having a skinny body, I also dreamt about going to FF and growing some flesh for my body, but.. after the above statistics and the heartbreaking stories I felt its worthwhile to lift a heavy stone and build muscles than using hi-fi fitness centres.. Read carefully: 1)If a DD payment leaves your account heavily overdrawn, (by an amount closer or more than the DD)it will bounce back and the bank charges fall within few weeks. Charges depend on the bank, and might range from £20 to £40. 2) If the DD is comfortably paid out but leaves the account overdrawn beyond limits, then OD charges fall on. ***Bank charges are fukin disgusting for all of us but that is how the systems work legally.. **** 3) If we pay a DD, it usually taken out exactly on the agreed day, but sometimes, FF seems taking it before hand, leaving the customers financially uncomfortable. 4) It is upto the FF to decide the date and the amount, of the DD (but within reasonable limits. It is unacceptable to charge as high as £175 without informing, a customer who expects a regular DD of £29) But the DD has to be authorized by the customer by a signed DD mandate, or a telephone call. (they should keep the record for proof) 5) If a DD is taken without informing the customer, and beyond the agreed limits, (while pretending to the bank as if the customer has given concent) that is considered “fukin disgusting fraud” (FDF) |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p61 | 6) All of you are free to make proper complaints to the Office of fair trading (http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/legal/competition-act-1998/complaints) Ring 08457 22 44 99 before complaining, to get advice. 7)If anybody wants to know more about such payments and the technical or legal side of such arrangements, please feel free to write to expertracker@gmail.com, and I am more than happy to help. Keller May 26th, 2009 at 10:41 am ^Sam^ amen Oz Jun 10th, 2009 at 12:53 pm Lucky i did my research. Me and a friend were looking to join a gym but it definently won’t be FF because they are scammers! But hey, they offer free boxing lessons: http://www.smh.com.au/national/gymgoer-allegedly-hit-by-trainer-20090405-9tbp.html Believe in emotional blackmail: http://www.moltn.com/blog/2009/03/18/fitness-first-is-the-worst-gym-in-the-world/ Will steal from the sick: http://www.theage.com.au/national/fitness-first-wins-sick-legal-battle-20080807-3rhs.html A Jordan Jun 14th, 2009 at 2:32 am Thank the Lord for this webpage. I was so close to joining these rip off merchants! In fact, I googled for their very site and found this page. I rang a friend about 15 minutes ago who I knew visits FF and hey presto in his own words “parted company with the to**sers 2 months ago” and yes another case of money grabbing. Dear Watchdog, PLEASE investigate! I intend to take my family’s business elsewhere even if a little further. Charlene Jul 6th, 2009 at 6:52 pm FF are disgusting. I to am having the same problems. I gave a months notice to cancel my DD, FF tried to take the payment which was denied as i had cancelled it with the bank. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p62 | FF then took the money out of my account using my card details. I am so angry and the bank say there is nothing they can do. FF are a awful chain of gyms with rubbish service, and even worse health and safety. They don’t give a damn about their members, and quite frankly its digusting to realise is goes on all the time S. Jul 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am We joined FF in Germany and we are equally unsatisfied. I created a blog in order to bring together all our problems, because it it just not possible that FF treats us like shi*! Tips for quitting FF Jul 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pm I managed to quit FF successfully, but only because I’d heard they were amoral and would screw you for as much money as they could (I googled “quitting Fitness First” and read countless horror stories, such as the ones above). I didn’t realise that there was a one-month notice period until reading these stories, unsurprisingly this hadn’t been mentioned when I signed up. I wrote my month’s notice, and on it said “I am sending copies of this letter to my bank manager* and my solicitor**. The last payment will be taken from my account on 1 April 2008, and my direct debit will be cancelled on 2 April 2008”. In my letter to the bank manager, I explained why I was doing this (i.e. I’d heard it was hard to quit FF), and if FF tried to take money from me after 2 April 2008, the bank was to inform me asap. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p63 | Cancelled the DD, never heard from FF again. *I did do this. **I didn’t do this, I don’t have one. But it’s still a good idea to let them think you have legal representation. Basically, you’ve got to let them know that other people will be receiving proof that you cancelled. They then (hopefully) won’t dare try to do anything illegal and then claim “they didn’t receive the cancellation letter and there’s no proof it was sent”. PS. I must say, however, that the FF on the Walworth Road in London was, when I was a member, run by a bunch of nice, friendly people. No complaints about them! Hampshire Bob Jul 25th, 2009 at 7:00 pm I just wanted to write a quick note to say I was plesantly surprised by the way Fitness First deal t with my issue. I went into my club and cancelled my memebership but found my self being chased for further payments. I tried calling the number given on the letters I was being sent and was told someone would call me back but they didn’t. When I got another letter, I emailed the MD and explained that I had been told to cancel the direct debit by the club when I completed the depature form but since then was being chased for payment. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p64 | The MD imediately wrote back apologising, promnising to review procedures and assuring me that I owed no money. I wasn’t expecting this response after reading the posts on this site, so I thought I would say that sometimes they do work to resolve issues quickly. Perhaps it helps if you go to the top. mou Jul 29th, 2009 at 6:56 pm I’m sure Fitness First are pleasant to the majority of their customers. It just seem the be the place that when they screw you, they tie your wrists to your ankles and go get a broom handle. There doesn’t seem to be a middle-ground with them. Gareth Evans Aug 21st, 2009 at 2:04 pm They delibartly make there systems complex and their staff do outright lie. Fitness First are trying to rip my fiance off at the minute. She cancelled her contract (after her commital term) months ago. Now they are saying her letter was never received and she and she still owes them for the last several months. i might get a good there with a hidden camera and become a whistle blower. Sajid Aug 27th, 2009 at 4:55 pm Fitness First is a big scam!, they give 10 days free trial. When i signed up i asked them can i cancel my membership within these 10 days and they said YES. When i came to cancel my membership they said that the manger is not it come back tomorrow. So i came back and still the same answer “Manager Not in In” They told me she will be back on Friday.. so here i come Again on friday… they kept me waiting for like half an hour and then guess what they told me? …”SORRY MANAGERS NOT IN TODAY..SORRY WE WILL CALL U ON MONDAY” On Monday i was waiting for there call but the didnt call! F**** LIARS BIGGEST SCAMMERS I EVER KNOW is FITNESS FIRST!!! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p65 | and now they sent me a letter from debt collecters ..they asking for £400 !!!!!! SUCH BASTA*s Teresuvector Sydney Australia Aug 28th, 2009 at 12:50 am Hi. Just tried to cancel AFTER my 12 month period expired, and the bimbette at the counter REFUSED to sign acknowledgement of my 30 day notice-in-writing (I guess so that she could conveniently ‘lose’ it). She said it was their policy and I should read my contract. I went to another FF outlet, and the person on the counter was more obliging – she signed and gave me the copy. In any case I joined another gym in Sydney CBD – Anytime Fitness, and they seemed much more ‘laid-back’ in their approaches and lacked the FF high-pressure sales culture. FF is an example of a greedy, narcissistic organisation – the type that actively contributed to the GFC. jacqui Sep 5th, 2009 at 10:23 am OH MY GOD!I only signed with these guys the other day but imnot due to start my membership until the 10th Sept! really don’twant togoaheadafter reading these comments.I will be looking into cancelling before i even join and changing my bamk details so they cannot even think of pinching money of me!!! i thought it as weird how i have had two phone calls trying to get me start earlier….lots of sales tactics!!!! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p66 | alex lewis Sep 16th, 2009 at 3:11 pm http://fitnessfirstnazis.blogspot.com/ Rupert Sep 18th, 2009 at 6:12 pm Fukin bum. il give u £30. amount of time u been on here typing away like a pussy u could have made a lot more elsewhere. thatl teach u. bum mou Sep 19th, 2009 at 7:48 pm Memberships are now £42, mine is frozen at £29. 12 months of £13 savings = £156 saved. Time spent typing posts = 40 minutes. Can’t believe its taken this long for someone to try and troll me. Well done, now crawl back under your bridge. W B Oct 6th, 2009 at 2:46 pm Charlatans the lot of them. I went in to simply ask how much their memberships cost. Nope, you cant enter the building until you’ve given a name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, the works. Next thing this slimy little kid crawls along and tries to sell me everything the gym offers. After convincing the guy that I won’t be joining on the spot simply because I have another gym contract which I need to give a month’s notice to, he says ‘OK, I can only do this on your first visit, but if you sign up today, we’ll refund the amount next month, but ONLY if you sign up today’ He rattled on about first visit incentive etc etc. Fine, done. A month passes, no money in my account. Why? ‘Because you have to visit the gym 10 times in your first month’. If the little swine told me that, it would have been helpful. I have no leg to stand on since it was pointed out to me in fine print. And not only that, take a look on the website, that offer is open to everyone. Thieving greedy bunch they are, their sales people will outright lie to you in order to get your money and their commission. And to add insult to injury, the gym is a complete joke! Hardly any of the lockers work, toilets are constantly blocked and making a stink. Gah what a bad choice, should have stayed at SOHO gyms! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p67 | ihateff Nov 27th, 2009 at 2:07 pm I had similar problems with the Colchester Branch. I found it so stressful that I eventually quit trying to get my money back. I was so angry at them and I’m a pacifist, but they nearly convereted me. Unbelievable. Dips Dec 5th, 2009 at 10:29 pm All FF branches operate the same way. I think there is only one way out. Close your bank account and reopen a new one. That way they would never come to know what your new bank details are. Hope this solves! though it may affect your credit checks! can’t help though. Atleast this would not make me feel cheated or thieved anymore!! Chris Dec 9th, 2009 at 2:06 pm Same thing happens to me in FF France. They keep taking direct debit even if I am not using the club and I have sent resignation letter Fahad Dec 9th, 2009 at 2:49 pm Same happened to me. Me and my wife we signed up for 3 months at Fitness First in Leyton, London and then cancelled our memberships during 2nd month (I gave them 1 month advance notice, honsetly). But, only to be noticed that they charged us 4th month fees!!!. I contact the club manager, Richard, and he said that he will sort out this issue, because cancelled my membership through him. Then we ask me to contact head office’s ‘refund dept’, but they seems to lack any respect for customers and refused to do any thing about this issue and asked me to go back to club manager. Club manager is unable to solve this issue so far with his “Area Manager”, not sure if he even contact his area manager. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p68 | This whole saga was started back in May 2009 and its Dec 2009 now and we still £96 to fitness first and they are refusing to refund it back to us.. what a shame!!! Chris Dec 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pm How are they able to get away with this? there customer service is non existent…..complete crooks! lime kiln close-fitness first peterborough victim Jan 8th, 2010 at 1:26 pm i am another victim and do not want to repeat what you have already said. Inshort, my DD was charged again and again and cant get my money back. i have written to bbc watchdog,maybe we all should and they will investigate. sds Jan 8th, 2010 at 3:31 pm fitness first are proper basterds thats what they did to me direct debit fraud. the fucking mother fucking basterds. if i dont get my money back im gona fuck them off in to court.the basterds, there mum must be proper whores the son of a donkeys, pigs and dogs and bitches. Mohammed Jan 12th, 2010 at 4:30 am The same happened to me exactly. I was “googling” and find this website. Although I have cancelled the direct debit, I was charged ! I am very angry How the bank ignored my instruction and cancellation and how the idiot scammers first fitness use my detailes without informing me ! this obviously stealing with bank support ! I advise you to look for GYMs that are trustworthy with customers not an organized stealing business ! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p69 | J-dog Jan 29th, 2010 at 2:39 am I like fitnessfirst, had no probs cancelling my membership just went in filled out a form and when I wanted to re-join I didn’t ave to e-pay a joining fee they let me re-join for free as an ex member , god gym staff to all level 3 PT.s Michael Feb 3rd, 2010 at 7:03 am I hadn’t been to my gym for a while and when I went back it was suggested to me by a member of staff that I try a Personal Trainer – in fact I could have a free session first to try it out. I needed the motivation to get back into training so I took up the offer of a free session and then decided to have a course of 5 sessions at £140 followed by another 5. The PT was okay though not brilliant. I opted for another 5 sessions and had already decided that these would be my last 5, mainly due to the cost. On the third session of the last course, the PT didn’t turn up. I was quite pissed off with this as he had done this before (though he texted me to apologize later). There was no contact from the PT and to be honest, I couldn’t be bothered to contact him. On my next visit to the club, I enquired about the PT and was told that he didn’t work there anymore. I asked what was going to happen about my remaining 3 sessions and was told that I would have to contact the PT directly as it had nothing to do with them!!! I haven’t contacted the PT but have emailed head office to ask for a refund for the 3 outstanding sessions and have had no reply. I’m going to the club today to cancel my membership. I’m disappointed in FF as prior this, I had no problem with them. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p70 | LH Feb 16th, 2010 at 1:42 pm Fitness First do not answer emails or letters! I have mailed them on several occasions and they never reply unless you keep on at them. In December 2008 they changed my DD from £26 per month to £32 without my permission. Having failed to get their Customer Services Manager to do anything about it (all he kept saying was that it was “Very strange” and that he’d “never heard of such a thing happening” (even though I told him that they did exactly the same thing to a friend of mine – twice!). Anyway, this (supposed) Customer Services Manager never sorted it out, even though I asked him on several occasions and each time he said he was going to check it out. He then disappeared never to be seen again, as do so many staff. Finally, this month I raised it by letter and email. A week went by and still no reply. I resent my correspondence to the MD and got an automated response saying that either he or a “member of his executive team would be in touch shortly.” Another week went by and I found out today, by chance, that they have refunded excess to my account. However, still no correspondence let alone an apology, and I have no idea how much they will take from me next month. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p71 | So… not only watch out if you cancel your DD with them, but also that they don’t put it up without your permission whilst you are a member. There are at least two of us who have experienced this, but I’m sure there are many more out there. James Feb 10th, 2010 at 8:55 pm More fun. Left FF in December and cancelled direct debit – all OK. I asked (on 2 occasions) for the final months bill to be sent in the post so I could pay. 48hrs after they agreed the second time to send the bill they instead passed the case to credit recovery. Still no invoice from FF. After calling to discuss they agree it’s ‘unfortunate’….and promise to send another. I’d like to think it’s a simple mistake but you have to wonder after so many people have problems. Keith Mar 17th, 2010 at 2:05 pm I am in the process of contacting Watchdog, Consumer Direct and the Office of Fair Trading – I will pass this URL to them. Also checked with the bank: the direct debit “reactivation” means that FF have committed a breach of the DD regulations – an illegal act. The bank should sort this out and ensure that funds are returned. If FF do this too often they will find themselves unable to use DD facilities. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p72 | Simon Silva Dec 8th, 2010 at 6:35 pm How did you get on with contacting Watchdog, Consumer Direct & the Office Of Fair Trading? I used to work for the company, and unfortunately the truth is they are a nasty little company. There are so many things wrong with the way the company deals with their members/customers, and their staff for that matter! The list of injustices is very long. ron Mar 26th, 2010 at 4:02 am Hi I’m in Perth, Australia. My 16 year old brother has a friend who joined FF using his bank account for direct debit, because he knows his account number from paying him before. My brother never authorized the direct debit, and never signed anything. He only found out when the bank charged him dishonour fee for the direct debit. How could this even happen? He called FF and they weren’t really helpful. The bank agreed to refund all the money and block FF from direct debiting in the future though. Dan Mar 31st, 2010 at 6:02 am The are known as shitness first for a reason. I have cancelled my dd after the manager of the branch I joined at said that was ok. Since then I have had a series of agressive calls from the head office saying that I couldn’t cancel my membership. Nasty little company…. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p73 | Gazzala Apr 13th, 2010 at 11:19 am I am interested though not altogether suprised by your experience with Fitness First. I had to quit the gym because of health issues. I emailed Fitness First and the only time they ever responded was when they were chasing the monthly payments. It was after the third attempt that I was told to contact head office. I did this in writing to avoid any confusion, attaching the previous emails and letters. No response was received. Though Fitness First did pass on my account to a debt collection agency. I then responded directly to them and it was only then that Fitness First wrote to me asking me to phone head office. This I did and I was asked to provide a medical certificate/note. I obtained a note and once again wrote to the attaching the note. I heard nothing from them. So I wrote to them again and once again no response. So I wrote to the debt collection agency attaching all the paper work and notifying them that if their client does not make contact with me I will presume the membership to have been cancelled and no further payment due. It’s now April 2010 and yes you’ve guessed, I haven’t heard anything further from either Fitness First or the debt collection agency. Needless to say I will not be joining Fitness First once I have fully recovered – it really comes across as highly unprofessional. NO I am not impressed with Fitness First! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p74 | When I initially joined Fitness First I was told that if I attended a certain number of times I could have my first month free and also have 3 one-to-one training sessions. hOn the day of my first PT session I was phoned by a member of staff informing me that he would not be able to do the PT session because he was leaving the club very soon (serving his notice) so he would pass my name onto his colleague. I arrived at the club and waited and waited and still no trainer. So I approached the desk and the trainer had not even arrived a the club. So reception staff phoned her and to my suprise she had another member booked in and was not even aware that she had to do my one-to-one session. Two weeks later guess who I saw at the club? The very same PT who said he was leaving the club very soon and was unable to do the PT session. The lazy liar I though. He strutted about posing and flirting, not doing any real work. I was really cross about having been passed around from trainer to trainer all because this poser was too bone idle to do any work. What does that say about the staff that Fitness First employ? So what happened next? Well a trainer happened to be standing near the reception desk and he only took on the task out of politeness. It was awful situation to be in as it was so obvious that he was no in the least bit interested in the PT sessions that he was lumbered with. The first session was rubbish, all he did was BMI and chatted to me about diet WOW!!!! The second was a workout and the third a really short workout. He then tried to get me to buy more PT sessions at extra cost – you have probably guessed what my response was to that. It was just a publicity ploy to attract unsuspected members of the public to join Fitness First. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p75 | This was no the only blunder by Fitness First. I was supposed to have been reimbursed the first months fee if I attended a certain number of times, this I did and I was still charged for the first month. When I asked at the desk I was told it was the fault of the person who signed me up. I thought if they share the success then surely they should share the failure too instead of passing the buck – very unprofessional. I eventually received a manual payment, though very late. My experienc with Fitness First has not been a positive one and it really has put me off completely. It would be useful to know if someone else has had the same experience or has any advice. lucie Jun 14th, 2010 at 4:06 pm wow so its not only us! my partner and i have had so much trouble with this horrid place im so angry with them!!! i cant believe that they are doing this to so many people and yet no one seams to be getting anywhere, i think we ALL need to report them to watchdog and see if they can help, maybe togther we can get them. they took out 3 payment for 3 months then we recieved letters and were told over the phone that these payments were not paid!!! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p76 | Clay Jul 9th, 2010 at 11:41 am I had a similarly bad experience, after being a member for about 2 years and introducing 3 new members I gave notice I was leaving the UK. I told them about 3 months before I was leaving, but they said just cancel one month before you leave. I did this just after a payment and then they said you have to give 1 month from the date of your next payment (even though I really gave them 3 months notice). What a rip off, I paid them so I wouldnt have any credit issues (effectively another 2 months). Then I get a letter after leaving the country and the debt collectors are chasing me for more money. In reality they owe me money, but what can you do? I have a friend who had a similar issue. You cant trust Fitness First. jj Jul 27th, 2010 at 6:39 am BEWARE and don’t let Fitness First DELHI sell you any long term memberships! Realize that FF Delhi Club has limited long term members who have remained with them because of convenience owing to proximity; else, the club would definitely have ‘very’ limited long term members. They only seem Customer friendly to the new ‘hunts’, later, there overall manager Vikram Aditya Bhatia expects the Customers to follow his [disguised as FF’s] rules and regulations some of which are somewhat one sided. Many of FF Delhi members have repeated complaints about |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p77 | – Dirty towels – Damaged and often partially working beverage machines – Damaged exercise mats – Badly stinking exercise mats – Periodic breakdown in steam/sauna – Rude support staff – Smelling toilets and exercise rooms and Vikram Aditya Bhatia defends these complaints sighting the newness of the club. He cleverly also sights the number of customer’s he caters to and the limited resources he has. Vikram Aditya Bhatia FF Manager has portrayed the FF brand to come across as ‘2nd grade’ service provider in INDIA! Checkout reputed competing clubs first! Please beware and don’t buy into any of FF Delhi attractive long term plans! J Jamshed Member FF DELHI jjamvant@yahoo.com Sophie wilkinson Sep 27th, 2010 at 7:47 pm Oh my god, I’ve had pretty much the same experience & am paying 35 quid for nothing. I was a member for 8 years & will NEVER go back Nick Warner Nov 16th, 2010 at 7:30 pm I suppose I am just another unsatisfied customer but my problem was that I believed a short (3 month or was it 4 ?) well anyway – I would get a free one month refunded IF I attended a certain number of times in a month AND registered online with a key “Fob”. Well Try as I might I never managed to get my membership “registered” – I mean it felt like a scam – you know – the computer was always busy – never actually allowed me to log myself in AND it had to be done within 10 days! Well try as I might at all times of day and night and bearing in mind I couldn’t actually Prove I was not able to log in – I started getting ratty and annoyed – no one could help me. So I withheld payment- cancelled my membership – oh but no I couldn’t – It was explained – I would have to keep paying until my arrears were paid – for ever – and only then would my bonus month ( for being such a good member ) be refunded! I am exasperated! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p78 | josh Nov 26th, 2010 at 2:29 pm I was tricked to sign 1 year contract instead of 4 months… I tried so hard to sort this out but they never let it happen… Fitness First Is a terrorist company, I’m so upset !!! Simon Silva Dec 8th, 2010 at 6:26 pm I love the ‘Shitness First’ idea, because it’s so true. Fitness First are thieving barstards and I actually used to work for the company a few years ago and you wouldn’t want to know half the stuff I know about how they deal with their customers! I am now a member and keep getting letters every December saying my membership is going up by £1 or £2 each year with a different reason for this each year. I’ve just received another one this week saying my membership is going up by £5.50 due to the new VAT law in January 2011. I’m definitely going to try and phone the to argue this and will cancel my membership if they don’t keep it at what it currently is, as I’m not sure how they are allowed to take more money at the start of each year, shouldn’t your membership rate stay on monthly amount you signed up on? Has this happened to anyone else? Bron S Dec 10th, 2010 at 11:01 am |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p79 | Fitness First (Membership Fee Increase) Their Head Office has given me just 2 and half weeks notice that they are increasing my black label membership (because of the VAT increase) by £7.80. This is an increase of 15%, I don’t know how they can justify this when the VAT increase is just 2.5%. In the contract terms and conditions it states that they must give 1 months notice of any fee increase (which they have breached). Unfortunately it doesn’t state by how much they can put up the membership fees (typical). I’ve been advised by Consumer Direct, to write a letter to Head Office (recorded delivery) and not to cancel the Direct Debit (DD) but allow the increased DD to go ahead in January as otherwise this will cause alot of other problems. The sad thing is, I enjoy the Gym and the staff there are nice, but the administration side of FF has really messed me about before and now this. I suspect that I will be forced to accept the increase until I can cancel my 12 month membership. If I get a reply, I will post it here. Marta Dec 20th, 2010 at 12:25 pm Hi all! I have also been affected, I’ve just sent a complaint to FF, awaiting reply. In the meantime I have opened a facebook group where we can all join forces. Please join: Fitness First: Fight the unfair price increase! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p80 | http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/home.php?sk=group_162784420433451&ap=1 julia pascal Apr 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm I have been trying to get a VAT receipt from Fitness First since the end of December. They refuse to issue one. I tell them this is against the law and they still refuse. Any suggestions? gw Dec 26th, 2010 at 8:55 pm oh no just signed a 2yr contract not sure i wanna stay after reading these letters is there any way i can get out of the 2yr contract any advice appreciated barua Dec 31st, 2010 at 12:01 pm debit card fraud, rubbish service, I moved from birmingham to nottingham, my address is 11 miles from the nearest gym in macklesfield, but according to their calculation it is 9.9 radius miles, I called them, delivered a letter, no answer, at last I got red letter from credit collector agency, I have to pay all extra 5months, but not getting any service, please anyone do not join in this gym. Loop Feb 10th, 2011 at 8:55 am Buying their service the worst decision I ever made.. They have worst staff and managers that even the manager shouted me “GO AWAY YOU’RE NOT WELCOME TO MY CLUB”. What the hell after paying them they gonna shout like that.. J Mar 3rd, 2011 at 12:47 pm I went for a one day trial in Manchester and the guy kept calling again and again and finally took my bank details saying that all you need to do is come to branch and we will fill up the formalities with you. Next thing I know £38 has already been deducted from my account. When I went to the Manchester branch to ask how the girl at reception said yes you are a member now and £38 is joining fee. But I never signed any membership contract, whole thing was on phone. This has got to be illegal in UK. anyway I then cancelled (though I hadnt signed anything in first place so they must have FORGED my signature) using my 10 days introduction but am scared they will reinstate the DD. This company should be BANNED!!! Should I report to police? |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p81 | Damo Mar 19th, 2011 at 2:20 pm Don’t trust them. Although I can see above that no-one does. They sold me a ‘month’s free membership; up front – this is in Australia, but the corporate culture is global, I’m sure. When I went back and looked through it, what they had done was chosen their words very carefully… and lied at the same time. When they advertised ‘free first month’, that was a lie… the sales pitch when they took me through it in detail was that “a payment wouldn’t be taken until 28 days after I started using the Gym”. HOWEVER – they charge in arrears, so although I joined on the 1st, and my first payment is taken on the 28th – that payment covers the previous 4 weeks of 1st-28th, so it’s not free – it’s membership that I’m paying for, I’m just paying at the end of the month instead of the beginning. They offer 3 free Personal Trainer sessions if you take out ‘Fitness+’ membership. Fantastic – my plan was to book one whenever I wanted to review my programme. Except that the first session is no more than a discussion of your goals, sat in the lobby; second is to start the program, and third is increasing it – all within the first week. So it’s not so much free sessions, as just starting out, to reel you in. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p82 | If you’ve seen “Dodgeball”, then this is “Globogym”. Pure and simple. And actually, my PT looks a lot like Me’Shell from the film! Yolande Dubow Mar 20th, 2011 at 9:41 am I’m now onto my 11th Court matter with them. the lost on appeal tyo the NSW Supreme Court and were ordered to pay my costs… They took me to Bankruptcy twice… and still won’t pay ?> This is a private conversation cause I settled the Federal court Bankruptcy matters on a deed of release not to talk publish or allow others to do so! julia pascal Apr 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm Anyone tried to get a VAT receipt out of Fitness First? Kezza Apr 26th, 2011 at 11:18 am Hiya sorry to hear about this. I think maybe you should get in touch with dominic little from the bbc he rips these companys and get ppls money back! My younger bro recently terminated his employment from fitness First as they were using youngle people like my bro to get clients like yourselfs and charging the young ppl £350 a month to be a instructor with them. My bro is really good at recruting and thought he had built up a large client base untill he discovered all the clients that rung in to make appointments with him were refered to other instructors who had been with them longer!!! Discusting but theres even more my bro did what any sane person would have done and quit this sh+tty job and they had the cheak to charge him for one more month so another £350 was taken. I think i might have to find out if it was a dd after reading this and try get his money back so thanks loads to the person who took the time to write this blog x |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p83 | Mr C May 3rd, 2011 at 9:08 pm I have been a member of Fitness First for a little over 2 years. In November 2010 I wrote to them to cancel my membership. Feb 2011 Direct Debit was still being taken by Fitness First. I canceled the DD, now they are threatening me with county court action unless I pay for March 2011, they have also reinstated my DD against my wishes . They are a horrible, horrible company. Charles Paterson May 9th, 2011 at 7:18 pm Same as most people on here. Issue after issue. 1) Transfered my membership to a different club in order to finish the 12 months membership, fair enough, they can have that. 2) Price went up twice, once without any warning. When I moved from a platinum gym to a blue the price stayed the same, even though it’s a downgrade. That defiantly showed in the equipment! 3) Cancelled my membership in club in February because the person behind the counter said that would be the easiest way. She said the last payment will be in March. 4) Still got charged in April and May. When I called to see what was happening there was ‘no record’ of my cancelation. I would be quite intrigued to see their recycling. April was still within the 12 months, so that’s fair enough, could they give me back May? NO, although I was allowed to cancel with the last payment in June. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p84 | 5) Rather than have more issues I asked just to cancel on the spot without any more payments. Therefore they keep my already stolen money and don’t steel more. 6) Instead of ‘customer care’ it is more ‘customer carnage’. Now… 1) They have lost a customer that was going to return in the future. 2) Personally I will like to tell as many people as possible about this so that they don’t make the same mistake (money potentially lost in other peoples membership. 3) Other, already members, are going elsewhere where this kind of behaviour doesn’t happen. Advice…. 1) don’t join in the first place 2) If you cancel by post make sure it’s recorded delivery, otherwise they will throw it away. ‘lost in the post’ 3) If you cancel in the gym keep the scrap faded bit of paper they keep you as a receipt, because they will throw their part away. 4) The phone is the best bet. 5) If you have cancelled by any of these methods it’s worth checking both in the gym and on the phone to save being taking for a ride. Hope you’ve enjoyed this rant, Don’t make mistakes! Charles jose May 19th, 2011 at 10:56 am My partner sign up with fitness first in March 2011 and was told when signed in that she had 30 days to cancel and that she would be entitled to 2 or 3 sessions with personal trainer. After 1 and a half week of going to gym, she had no call from trainers and decided to contact the gym to cancel the policy, they said it was fine and she cancel the direct debit. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p85 | We have now received letters from fitness forst claimming she was on a 12 month contract and only had 10 days to cancel the policy, therefore we now have t pay for 12 months although we believe we were miss-sold the package. As well when she sign up, she was told the 12 mnths was the option available , and as we just found that she could have gone for a shorter period. we spoke to fitness first and they said they will carry on chasing payments and will not write off the contract. this has all started with them approaching my partner on the street to have a trial day on gym, and from that they have pushed for a 12 month contract, and although we dont want to use premises anymore, do we now have to pay over £500 to see contract trough ? the worst is, they get away with all this stuff all the time, and what can we do about this ? i think we should complain to watchdog and see the end of this bad attittude to costumers… ana May 19th, 2011 at 1:20 pm Fitness first are full of Shit… They talked into a trial day too, and they kind of pushed me to sign up with them, as they were offering a lot of promotions, they didnt even explained the cancelation period and they misslead me in signing the paperwork. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p86 | Little time after, i decided to cancel with the gym, it was all ok over the phone, and 1 month after this i had to pay for the full year, although i told them i dont want to use gym anymore and they are saying the contract s valid. They claim they are not regulated by any institution, can we make a complain to the office of fair trading ? Do not join them, they will make your life very difficult if you want to leave or if you are no available to carry on going to gym. I have hard they even follow suit in cours agains a woman with a tumor because they refused to calcen membership.. how can they get away with this crap ??? Shitness first might as well be Financial First.. I am going to Watchdog to complan about them, i hope you guys can join up.. Daniel Jun 2nd, 2011 at 10:25 pm I would just like to add my experience with these criminals. I had a monthly debit with them and I explained that I couldn’t afford it anymore. Well this black guy seemed to understand and he was fine with it. To cut a long story short I had to pay for one final month so I did. Anyway I was told by someone else that I could carry on using it until my membership ends. So what happens? I go back there to use the gym and get told by yet another person I have to pay 60 quid up front to be able to use it for the rest of the month! May I just remind the jury that I was told that I can carry on using it until the end of the month, well I told them that and they brushed it off like such a policy didn’t exist?! Suffice to say I didn’t pay it, and fortunately for me my debit was finally cancelled I managed to escape Fitness First unscathed! Be warned though once they have a hold on you they will not give it up easily! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p87 | Adam Joy Jun 1st, 2011 at 4:25 pm Just had exactly the same experience as many others. They have taken money out of my account illegally today, but refuse to deal with it over the phone. When I asked to speak to a manager I was told it is Fitness First “policy” not to allow that, but a manager will call me back in 24 hours. When I refused to accept that and stayed on the line insisting she put me through, she hung up on me. They are scum. Asia Jul 6th, 2011 at 12:34 pm Hello there, I have terrible experience with them as well. I’ve started in Feb 2011, I was approached after my 3 days free pass and same as mentioned above “When they advertised ‘free first month’, that was a lie… the sales pitch when they took me through it in detail was that “ – huge fat lie and loads of misleading! I’ve decided to bought their BodyFirst package .. silly me…with mentioned above 3 free Personal Trainer sessions – completely useless.. I’ve finished my BodyFirst commitment on 10th April and I’ve not get promised refund within 11 weeks – I was told when I was buying BodyFirst that after finish my BodyFirst commitment money will be back on my account max up to three weeks.. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p88 | I’ve been constantly told that my BodyFirst Refund was pressed or that there is backlog in head office etc etc a lot of excuses and meaningless words and promises. How come there were some people who finished their BodyFirst commitment even one month after me already have their money back but not me? Enough is enough, I was fed up of being played and mislead by Fitness First, and I’m completely disappointed unprofessional approach to customer. No promised phone calls, no emails with explanations, nothing showing good will from Fitness First side to fix the issue. I was keep asking on each my visit in FF from 4th May, so it is 20times or more what is going on and why, my recipe confirming finished BodyFirst commitment has been copied twice in this particular FF Club and nothing happened, until I gave the, official letter that I hereby inform that I’m cancelling my direct debit as well as my contract with Fitness First due to don’t keep the terms of agreement of BodyFirst by Fitness First, long term ignored my issues and totally disrespectful treated myself as a complying customer with small sentence below “Copy of this letter will be send also to WatchDog to check deeply all other scam actions provided by Fitness First” They came back finally with apologizing letter and money appears on my account on 24th June … Silly me again looks like…thought that I’ve finished with them… |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p89 | Today I’ve found out that even I candled my DD two weeks ago and they admitted they fault etc they manage to take monthly charge again – this time using my Debit Card No.. How cheeky is that.. I was in my bank now and I need to wait until transaction will went throw and them my bank will try to get it back from them Really, guys we have to do something with it, I heard that they have already been in WatchDog but looks like nothing changed.. we have to try raise this issue again with WatchDog Gabby Co Jun 5th, 2011 at 2:22 pm You have to be careful when signing up to gyms. Always, no matter how boring read the small print and always visit the gym first on a one day pass or 7 day pass to see if you will like it and it’s for you. I am a fairly regular gym goer and over the years have been with Fitness First who I would not go with again, La Fitness (been with twice) and just as bad as Fitness First, and Holmes Place now Virgin Active. These places are expensive. They make money by you not going and getting you to sign up to expensive contracts. Even the leisure centres are constantly. I now have joined a low budget gym for 12.47 per month a former Fitness First gym and behold karma does come around Fitness First are closing a number of gyms next month including Wrexham, Telford, Fenton so obviously many people do not like them. Good luck. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p90 | Kevin N Jun 13th, 2011 at 6:53 pm Same here cancelled in november 2010 then realised they werestill taking direct debits out of my account so went down in person wrote the letter and cancelled again also cancelling my direct debit. They have since used my debit card to take payment even though gym is closing. contacted bank who have cancelled my card and i hope this stops the fraudsters, Fingers crossed Patricia Jun 24th, 2011 at 4:30 am I went to Fitnes First club at begining of May to freeze my membership due to pregnancy. The lady I spoke to told me she cam do it from the 1st June and I won’t be paying a penny until 1st December. I was really happy it was so easy and she was really nice. I asked her if I need to sign anything but she said it’s all sorted. On 19th June when I checked my statement I found they charged me £31 as normal for June. I went to the club again on 23rd June to axplain that my membership is frozen and I’ve been told they don’t have any records about that. They asked me who frozen my membership but I didn’t know. I said that I asked the lady if I need to fill anything but she said it’s all sorted and they agreed that they don’t give any forms. Then they said they can freeze my memb from August because it’s too late now for July so I need to pay for another month as well. That’s £62 now and I cant even use the gym as I’m in 33wks! I rang the customer service to see if they can do something and I heard the same story. They don’t have any records saying I frozen memb on May and they can’t do anything. It’s so unfair! It must be the way to win this case as it’s not my fault their staff can’t do their job properly. How can I trust them now that my membship will be frozen from August. Please help… |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p91 | Les Allan Jul 7th, 2011 at 10:11 am Found your blog whilst searching for “Fitness Frauds” Head Office number. My wife had never even joined,enquired or even walked past a Fitness First centre.However FF managed to set up a Direct Debit and take £50 from her account!They have no record of her and it’s been murder trying to get a refund. Their so called Customer Services department are seriously inept,unhelpful and basically unintrested. Promised returned calls never materialise.And they will just fob you off with “We’ve done all that we can this end.It’s up to your bank to sort it out”. We’ve cancelled the direct debit,filled in the indemnity form and reported it as fraud.We’ll see what happens from here. Asia Jul 8th, 2011 at 10:58 am I did cancel DD as well but they have used my Debit Card No… I was in bank and I report this Debit Card as overused without my premission so they blocked it and I’m waiting for new one as well as I’m waiting how it all is going to be end… – I’ll let you know Cheers, Joel Davey Jul 14th, 2011 at 11:03 am myself and my partner joined Fitness First, over a year later we sought to cancel the membership, we went through the usual method writing a letter handing it into the branch manager etc. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p92 | Now some two months later even after I had manually cancelled the direct debits from our accounts,they have taken two payments of £32.65 from my debit card. Over two hours spent on the phone already trying to sort this mess out and I get different responses from different people. The call staff some pissed off too they must deal with Angry customers like myself all the time! I’m a web designer and SEO guru, I’m going to do some backlinking on this thread, lets get this above their website in Google and really stick it in their noses , anyone else who reads this please link to this thread with the words “Fitness First”. Cheers Joel mou Jul 14th, 2011 at 12:04 pm Thanks pal. So far the interest I’ve had in this post so far has been enough to push it to half way up the front page when searching for “Fitness First” in the UK – it’s good to know 100+ people a day are getting the full picture on FF before they part with their hard earned cash. Helen Seymour Jul 30th, 2011 at 11:36 am I just wanted to add something here. I was a member of Fitness First in Hull for a year and, although I liked the gym itself, the staff (and policies) were utterly incompetent, deceitful and basically couldn’t give a s**t. They basically go out of their way to make it as difficult as possible to cancel. either through barefaced lies (I can’t deal with this… the person you need to speak to is on holiday… I’ll call you later in the week… blah blah), blatant incompetence or pure evasion. While I was lucky enough not to lose any money, they did make it incredibly difficult. They clearly hope you’ll just give up trying and go on paying them money. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p93 | I didn’t even realise how terrible the customer service was until I joined Virgin Active (Leeds). While this is not as nice a gym as FF, you feel much more valued as a customer. A few months ago I cancelled my membership at Virgin, expecting a similar amount of hassle to FF. Guess what? I emailed asking to cancel, they said ‘it’s done, thanks for being a member’ and they never took any money again. Why can’t FF manage this???? Sleazy lying scumbags. Fiona Price Aug 4th, 2011 at 4:50 pm I was a member for 10 years-I left (giving notice) and a few weeks letter I received a nasty threatening letter from a debt collection agency. When I phoned the debt collectors Fitness First had employed I was shouted at down the phone by an aggressive man. Fitness First are a disgrace using debt collectors and allowing people to be intimidated. Claire Aug 8th, 2011 at 10:42 am Hi all! I wish i had read this before I attempted to cancel and more importantly before I joined!!!! I have been with FF 18 month and wanted to cancel my membership as I really did not enjoy the experience and there were always problems with the facilities. I handed in a letter at the end of January and all correspondence from FF stopped. (I usually had texts after I had missed the gym for a few days which asked me if everything was alright and advertising their personal trainers) I thought great, I will leave it a month and cancel the DD in the bank. A month came and went and due to receiving nothing from them and work being so busy I presumed all was cancelled and sorted. How stupid was I? I checked my statements mid July and of course the payments had come out every month since I handed the letter to them! I decided to go into branch and ask why it hadn’t been cancelled to which the response was “i don’t know, you need to fill in a form” So they obviously read my letter but chose to ignore it as they could not explain why all the texts to my mobile had stopped. The awful guy on reception asked me to leave my number and a time as management would have to ring me today. I did so and you can probably guess what happened next!!!! They did not ring on the 28th july so I cancelled my DD and today on the 8th August I have finally received that phonecall and have been told I now owe a months membership for cancelling. I explained my case and the young girl was subject to some choice words and is now apparently ringing my ex gym to find out where the letter is which I gave them over 6 months ago. I am not holding my breath as to whether she will ring me back today and I am guessing they will not find the letter!!!!!! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p94 | It is absolutely disgusting!!!! Tricia Aug 13th, 2011 at 9:32 am I wish I had read this before even bothering to join. I signed up on the body first deal which is supposed to refund the cost of 3 personal training sessions after going to the gym 20 times and completing all three sessions within 3 months. They didnt have any slots available for my third session but the girl who booked it said they’d extend the offer so I could have my final session. I then tried to get my money back. I’m being told I didnt complete the sessions in time. I ask them to investigate and gave them all the details of the girl who said I could but neither the club or the customer service manager is even willing to look into it. The club manager hasnt even called me to sort it out!! And the customer service team hasnt even bothered to ring the club manager to find out what happened. They were more concerned that I cancelled my direct debit. Which I did, because I wont pay money if they wont honor their contract!!! They are so frustrating!!!! Seph Aug 18th, 2011 at 4:57 am I also had my problems with Fitness First. I joined and within the same month they closed the yoga studio for several weeks for refurbishment after I had made of point of saying that half of the reason for me joining was to take a yoga class regularly. Long story much shorter: I called the gym about seven times to speak to the manager about this. Someone always took a message and he never got back to me. I cancelled my membership, not because they closed the studio, but because they ignored me. Then when I both mailed (postal mail) and emailed the main office, they ignored me as well. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p95 | When I cancelled my direct debit with my bank, the next month Fitness First just charged me anyway as if I had walked in and purchased another month. They used my bank details I had given them when I first signed up. Luckily, Natwest turned that around and refunded me my money, and I immediately cancelled my debit card, that is, I reported it lost, and got a new one. Then they sent my debt to a collector. Everyone should get the message that Fitness First is a horrible business that will not treat clients well and will resort to stealing your money in the case of a dispute. Stay Away! -S. Lhen Aug 22nd, 2011 at 11:04 pm Baka naman ung mga nag kumuha ng pera ninyo eh mga resign na sa FF at kinuha nila ang files ng mga members… Jake Aug 23rd, 2011 at 4:05 pm For current/future ABS-CBN members, here’s something for you: For the record, I have nothing against FF in general but I have a BIG PROBLEM with one of their veteran personal trainers. His name is JOVEN GOZUM. At first, I thought highly of him because he has been in the branch for eight years and he is considered as one of the best and respected personal trainers there. The only problem? He has been talking crap behind my back for 4 months because he’s so insecure whenever I talk to his girlfriend, who is the receptionist, in the gym. And from what I know, that is not allowed. I’ve been letting it go until I’ve had enough of it. I even stopped communicating with that girl and yet, he still won’t stop. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p96 | Thanks to my sources, which I’ve befriended along the way, here’s what he has “said” to me: 1. INDIRECT THREAT – During our first meeting outside FF, we were conversing until… Me: You said you’re here since 2003, may I ask how young are you? Joven: Pare, hindi ako matanda ah. Nambubugbog ako. Marami akong kakilala. At the back of my mind, I’m like… Okay, maybe he got offended by my question since I don’t know him. I let it pass. 2. BACK-STABBING – A former employee has told me that he has been talking crap behind my back. He would call me “T@NGA”. I believe this is a bad word in Filipino language and how dare he say that about me. 3. DISCRIMINATION – The same former employee told me that he calls me the bald-headed “white boy” since I’m Chinese. I didn’t get offended by this since “white boys” are referred to Americans. I guess he can’t distinguish an American and a Chinese. But still, it’s an obvious racist remark. 4. SPREADING FALSE FACTS – This really bothered me as I think it came from my comment regarding my BodyFirst PT, Rommel. During my first meeting with Joven, I told him that Rommel might have felt bad when I didn’t continue my PT sessions with him after the BodyFirst (3 sessions) and that whenever I greet him, he would ignore me. And from what I have heard from the same former employee, Joven has been spreading rumors that “sinisiraan ko si Rommel” and other PTs. Obviously, Joven’s circle of friends are the veteran PTs so I doubt they’ll believe my side of the story. Again, since these are supposedly “rumors”, I let it pass once again. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p97 | 5. BACK-STABBING FELLOW STAFF AND MANAGEMENT – Two separate employees talked to me and said I’m not the only one he back stabs and that they have heard Joven talk crap about fellow employees. In my mind, I just thought this is an internal problem within FF and, again, I let it go. 6. THREATENING – This one just ticked me off and it just happened a week before the time i’ll be posting this. A PT, a member, and I were all talking together and we were just discussing random stuff. After that, I went back home. What shocked me was that the member messaged me and told me Joven asked the PT if I was badmouthing him in our conversation. The PT said “no” and defended me. After that, the PT told me that Joven specifically said that he wanted to pass a message to me saying “susuntukin ko siya sa gym”. I tried to confirm this from the PT if it’s true and the PT said, it is. Since I’ve had enough of this nonsense, the next time I went to FF, I talked to the Management. Since the employees, who tipped me, requested that I should not include their names because they don’t want to be included in the issue, the Head PT dismissed my concern as pure “chismis”. I then talked to a Manager and suggested a 3-way confrontation with Joven. As usual, to save his job, he denied everything. And from the way he spoke, it’s as if nothing really happened and that I’m the one who’s badmouthing him. In the end, the Head Manager came and dismissed this as just a misunderstanding between the two of us and that his girlfriend be transferred to another gym because that is against company policy. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p98 | Even though I badly wanted to get out of FF because of safety concerns, they wouldn’t let me since they still require me to pay the termination fees. I still have 4 months left to finish my contract and now, not only I have to workout in the gym, but I also have to be aware of my surroundings since I’ll definitely be Joven’s target. My advise to the current/future members of this branch, be wary of Joven’s attitude. From what I’ve observed, he seems to be the egoistic/narcissistic type of person and he is using his seniority to intimidate and bully people. Not me, NOT ANYMORE. This is my side of the story and going to the gym has never been stressful. Elena Aug 24th, 2011 at 12:31 pm I can feel your pain. Those Fitness First f*** still took money of my account even after cancelling my Direct Debit. I called them many times to cancel my account but they don’t care. They have no customer service what so ever. They don’t even know the meaning of that word. They only care about getting rich and ripping people off. If you landed on this page don’t join this lame company. It will only give you grief and bring miserable moments in your life. Jason Moore Aug 30th, 2011 at 6:37 pm |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p99 | I feel your pain mate. I tried to cancel myself and my gf memebership after 6 months cuz i was moving to somewhere that FF wasnt within a commutable distance. was told I couldnt for which i accepted and have since paid £360 of my hard earned money for six months of a gym membership i cant use. my own fault you may say and i agree. However they are now chasing me for a further £60 because i am supposed to give them 30 days notice to cancel any membership! unbelievable! After giving them £360 for not using their facilities once in 6months you think any decent company would say they understand your situation and defer the charge i have been told that their will be no way ANY charge will be deferred and I am still waiting for a manager to call me back as I am not backing down on this. NEVER have anythin to do with these money grabbing BAst***s. And dont even get me started on their customer service. ANONYMOUS Sep 23rd, 2011 at 9:01 am WANT A QUICK CANCELLATION?? COMMIT SEXUAL ACT IN THE SHOWER ROOM.. AND IN A SNAP THEY WILL CANCEL IT!! THIS IS VERY EFFECTIVE.. PROMISE! IF YOU ARE SHY TO DOI SUCH THING.. BRING A GUN INSIDE.. LOL. tony Beatson Sep 23rd, 2011 at 7:35 pm |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p100 | got the tee shirt mate , dont even mention fitness first to me , they are a money grabbing bunch of idiots ,could get no sense on the phone ,passed from one person to another , to cut a long story short ,am still £££s out of pocket Greg Sep 30th, 2011 at 9:44 am Hi, I was one of these sales consultants for roughly a year. I witness countless dodgy deals and fraudulent activity. Luton fitness first, seems to have been a hub for this sort of behavior, although i am aware it happened all over the region at the time i was there. At about 6 months into my sales job i made a formal complaint about the way the Luton club had been operating. I wrote a 3 page letter complete with photos of text messages from senior managers autherising and instructing members of the sales team to sell ‘dodgy’ memberships. I gave this letter to my Regional Manager and and requested that he investigated my grievance Fitness first senior management are well aware of the the sorts of sales activity that happens in their clubs. My Region manager had visited the club roughly 30- 40 times since in that period. He had been present in the sales office when figures where on the board and he received daily feedback of what kind of membership were being sold. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p101 | Fast forward 3 months and i was managed out of the company. Amy Oct 3rd, 2011 at 4:46 pm Well I cancelled and confirmed September was my last payment but the D/D took today as well, so I emailed using the form on the FF website but knowing what they are like from friends and this forum I decided to call to check. So I called up on 01202 845000 the less expensive alternative to 08445713403 and after listening to the dandy warhols for 10 mins I got through to someone. I explained I was told it was cancelled in August and the last payment was September she put me on hold and checked and said that this has already been raised as an error and the refund is already being processed, I said can I have a confirmation letter also as I was told I would be sent one before but didnt get it, she said an email is being sent … I doubt it will be this simple so I will give you the update of if this D/D gets refunded or not. Amy Oct 4th, 2011 at 4:41 pm didn’t get the email so I called again today they said the email was sent today even though yesterday she said it was sent then and the reason I haven’t got it is because it has to be checked first, and when I mentioned that I didn’t get the first letter last month and I was told I had the email sent yesterday he just carried on talking over me not even a token “sorry about that” same as the woman yesterday when I told her about the error, they have clearly been trained not to apologise, either that or they are plain rude. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p102 | sally Oct 14th, 2011 at 6:15 am Same goes to london weight management. All them are BIG LIARS!!!!! Mike Nov 11th, 2011 at 11:16 am My experience was that I knew I was approaching the end of my contract term. I duly called my local club (Stockton On Tees) who confirmed I was no longer a member and based on which, I cancelled my direct debit. You can probably imagine the rest; give it 2 months later, they have got a credit recovery company after me now for non payment of subscriptions. Complete Numbties!!! Dey Nov 23rd, 2011 at 3:44 pm get this – my mum who is 75 years was conned into signing up to a 12 month membership. she suffers with cronic knee disorder, is registered disabled and can hardly walk. she filled out some forms whilst under pressure and found out fitness first had put her on a contract. they ended up only offering half the amount back (£149.70 instaed of £299.40)….even with a doctors medical report….ruthless Ian Rockett Apr 19th, 2012 at 9:20 am They did exactly the same to my daughter, i am in the forces and posted 1 month after they sold her the contract – one word – WANKERS Andy Dec 11th, 2011 at 5:13 pm Haven’t been to FF for best part of a year due to lack of time with new long commute and finally after giving them a years worth of money for nothing cancelled my DD. 10 days later theyve used my Visa card to take another month. Unbelievable. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p103 | People seem to be very tolerant as I think the whole thing of even expecting a notice period is completely unethical – if you cancel your DD it should be end of story – you just can’t go to their gym anymore.Not having to jump through their hoops related to tinmy print on a contract. Looks like i’m gonna have to get a bew bakcard to stop these fraudsters. maris Dec 13th, 2011 at 10:48 am After going through all comments here, I will find other ways to increase my fitness, I guess…. I was about to sign up with FF, but after reading here, it would be not smart to do so. Don’t want the headache of dealing with their scamming ways. Anonymous Dec 18th, 2011 at 1:11 am I’m contemplating cancelling my membership after my 12 month contract has ended. Now I’m going to be more cautious concerning the actions they will take.. I’ll inform them beforehand before the contract ends. While surfing the net I’ve seen lots of complaints! Its not just Fitness First, but its been a while since my family had issues with Virgin Media and their staff can be very rude. Manikanta Dec 20th, 2011 at 5:59 pm They are thieves, I landed up in a similar problem. They have no ethics. I have to bear them for a while and I will quit Fitness First and I will never recommend them to others after all that I went through ! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p104 | jim barnes Jan 8th, 2012 at 2:42 am Go in and smash the place up with a baseball bat then throw some acid in the receptionists face. Then chop her head off and stick your hand inside the neck so you can operate her mouth. Start shouting “Banks can’t do that – it’s illegal” in a high pitched voice, whilst operating her mouth in front of the security cameras. All you have to do then is send the video tapes to head office and tell them that you are a reasonable guy and all this could have been avoided – but they had to push you too far. mou Jan 11th, 2012 at 8:45 am !!! Fitness first the shitest gym Apr 1st, 2012 at 6:22 pm To be honest its not the fault of the receptionist, The real culprits are the managers of each branch who are full of shit and whole load of lies. Its about time that fitness first gets called to watch dog as they have a lot of explaining to do, but even then they will get away with murder… They will never learn Angry_in_wales Feb 5th, 2012 at 6:59 pm This has just happenned to me…a DD has just been re-set up following the cancellation of my account the proper way three months ago. No signed mandate or such the like…Watchdog Trading standards and every national newspapers money section will be getting a letter from me tomorrow. Simply furious |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p105 | Ian Rockett Apr 19th, 2012 at 9:17 am Reinstating DD seems to standard practice at FF And an illegal one(without informing you). As well as exploiting you girls by selling them inappropriate contracts. Get the word out – leave well alone. I HATE fitness first Apr 24th, 2012 at 11:25 am Worst company in the world! I became a personal trainer last year and was convinced by one of their managers to work for them. Worse decision of my life, you have to pay them £130 a WEEK in rent, and when you leave (after 4 weeks was completely bankrupt!) still have to pay them another 4 weeks. The mangement are the worse people I have ever delt with! I have a passion for fitness, they dont! The equipment was all broken, and when you reported it, they did f**k all about it. Their more worried about trying to find new members then actually looking after the ones (or there staff for that matter!) they already have. Had them calling up every day after I left trying to get the extra money off me which I ended up having to pay. I can’t ever say a good word about them, just stay as far away from them as you can!! I have seen what really goes on in their offices and can confirm to everyone reading this that they are as bad as the people on this page have said! |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p106 | Fitness first…more like sales first! FF are utter liars!! May 10th, 2012 at 8:14 am Hi, i wish i seen this forum before signing up, I was told i could cancel my membership after 4 months before i signed on the dotted line, I informed FF in december 2011 that i lost my job ,I have been told lie after lie since then!! Come back in in feb 2012 to cancel my membership and was to call in at the end of feb, when i did i was told that i didnt give them 5 days notice so this brought me into march.I made numerous trips to the gym and phone calls but to no avail. finally in april 2012,I simply had enough. I cancelled my dd , emailed the gym a copy of my p45 and informed them that i cancelled my dd .I was told to send them a copy of my p45 and when they received it my membership would be terminated immediately.I was given the wrong email adress 5 times by the staff also!! Eventually i was given the correct address and sent the email to the branch and it was forwarded to head office.I heard nothing until the 9th of may 2012.The gym sent me a text message to contact them regarding my membership.And so the saga continues. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p107 | result from ff gym May 10th, 2012 at 10:22 am After another conversation today at my local ff branch, i was told the branch manager left yesterday, and that another manger pops in once a week to check things. They then told me that someone had gone to coffee, was out sick, didnt know if the other person was in the building..?Its funny but the same excuses that i read about here came up..Coincidence i don’t think so! Eventually after some persistence i was given the number i wanted.They informed at head office that they received my email with p 45 attached last month(April 2012) and as of this month (May 2012) my membership was cancelled.I received confirmation of this, sent to two different email addresses and a letter from the gym would be sent out today also.I recorded the whole conversation as back up.;) Vikki May 29th, 2012 at 9:25 am I was stopped yesterday in the town centre by two Fitness First representatives, advertising a ‘free pass’ to the Kilmarnock gym. After saying no once, obviously, the two continued to harass me. Too polite to just walk away (yes, I know, I’m an idiot), I eventually gave them my name and a contact number. After going home, I thought it might actually be a good idea, since prom is in four weeks time. I then had a look to see what the charges would be per month, and couldn’t find much of an explanation on the site. I decided to search further, and found this page. After reading all of the comments about how badly they have been treated, I am now thinking twice about taking the free days pass. Much better off just joining the gym in the local leisure facilities. |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p108 | Thanks for sharing this with everyone, you may have saved quite a few people a large amount of money. Ines H Nov 22nd, 2012 at 5:32 pm I cancelled my membership with Fitness First(Streatham London) more than 1 year ago, I used a savings account, which I do not frequently check. They have continued to charge me 51.95 for the last 2 years! I would not recommend anyone using Fitness First they are clearly fraudsters!! I have basically had 1500 GBP stolen by Fitness First. Mikael Nov 28th, 2012 at 4:24 pm There’s a website that can give advice: http://www.consumeradvicegroup.co.uk I’m currently battling to get my direct debits back from another fitness centre (Greens Fitness in Liverpool). But it’s the same thing – signed up for a direct debit, changed jobs, sent a letter telling them to cancel direct debit, they didn’t. Found out I was paying for around 8 months membership even after I had gone abroad. Never joining a gym again!! Jan 18th, 2014 at 7:12 pm I cannot stress enough how important it is to share these experiences and WARN POTENTIAL FITNESS FIRST CLIENTS. Seriously guys stay away from them and tell everyone you know to do too! Its the best and most rational thing we can do- I have also been suffering quite a while with them keep taking money after cancelling the Direct Debit. I am thinking of shutting down my bank account altogether and opening a new account with a different debit card number etc. These people have lead me to desperation as you can see and I really hope word gets out there on how awful services they provide!! KEEP SPREADING THE (bad) WORD 🙂 |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p109 | Brandon Feb 25th, 2014 at 8:07 am I work for fitness first within the London region and can tell you one thing; this business is corrupted from top downwards. My personal advise would be to stay clear of this place. It’s funny how dodgy a company could be and no one attempts to bring this to the public’s attention. But seriously, stay clear from this company. jean Feb 27th, 2014 at 6:45 pm Ilost my gym card at Fitness First whilst running on the treadmill.I reported it and the person on reception did not look too interested.I had to ask for a temporary card to open my locker.On consecutive visits, I enquire if they found my card.’no’.Another time I rang the gym about my card being found and the answer was still ‘no’.I suggested if they look under the treadmill where I was running,probably they would find it.I asked the receptionist what will happen when I need to visit the gym.He said I would have to pay £5 for a replacement.I said, ‘no’, the card was lost on site and not outside the gym.In early December 2013 I told the receptionist I would like to cancel the membership.I subsequently cancelled my direct debit at the bank(I know that they would try and take January 2014 payment from my account). I had phone calls and emails about my cancellation of my membership.I told head office that I cancelled because I was not receiving good customer service and also I have spent over £1000 on my membership and I wanted to have a break.They said that I have to pay January payment.I told them that during January I would be admitted in hospital, |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p110 | the lady at head office requested the hospital admission ltr as proof that I’m telling the truth.I am at the moment in plaster of both feet and constant pain. David Cowper May 13th, 2014 at 2:48 pm I have quit pro-fitness gym in Lowestoft,Suffolk Whapload Road because of some major attitudes of staff and gym members what ever you do don`t sweat or stink because the local bullies will attack you behind your back and there was two gym instructors going along with I found this disgusting attitude very bad,this place should be closed down for there none caring attitude and I certainly will not be setting another step in a gym again after this:235 Whapload Road Lowestoft,Suffolk pro-fitness gym more like a joke of a place avoid this gym do not sign up spread the word. Malcolm Payne May 1st, 2015 at 9:12 am Fitness first are liars off the first degree all they care about is taking money I canceled my membership with them three months ago and they took money From me even tho its finished it seems to me all they care about is screwing people over katherine May 6th, 2015 at 2:54 am Great article. Thanks for the info, it’s easy to understand. BTW, if anyone needs to fill out a direct debit form,I found a blank form here http://bit.ly/1E6XGbZ |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p111 | Jay Jan 4th, 2016 at 5:14 pm They defrauded me too. I cancelled my membership and they continued to charge for the next 6 months…amounting to £500! I emailed the branch but they haven’t bothered to reply. I’ve now emailed the head office but I’m not holding hope. But I will persist as this is theft esteve May 3rd, 2016 at 5:12 am Hi, My name Esteve and i just want to share my experience with everyone. I have being hearing about this blank ATM card for a while and i never really paid any interest to it because of my doubts. Until one day i discovered a hacking guy called Paul. he is really good at what he is doing. Back to the point, I inquired about The Blank ATM Card. If it works or even Exist. They told me Yes and that its a card programmed for random money withdraws without being noticed and can also be used for free online purchases of any kind. This was shocking and i still had my doubts. Then i gave it a try and asked for the card and agreed to their terms and conditions. Hoping and praying it was not a scam. One week later i received my card and tried with the closest ATM machine close to me, It worked like magic. I was able to withdraw up to $3000. This was unbelievable and the happiest day of my life. So far i have being able to withdraw up to $28000 without any stress of being caught. I don’t know why i am posting this here, i just felt this might help those of us in need of financial stability. blank Atm has really change my life. If you want to contact them, Here is the email address paul.steve7890@gmail.com or call him +2349052116664 And I believe they will also Change your Life |
https://mou.me.uk/2008/08/01/fitness-first-are-liars-thieves-and-commit-direct-debit-fraud/?replytocom=876_p112 | Fitness First are liars, thieves and commit Direct Debit fraud | Exercise Pingback on Aug 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm Websites tagged "liars" on Postsaver Pingback on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 pm The Fitness First debacle part II – apologies and refunds, but they still can't get it right | mou.me.uk Pingback on Feb 27th, 2010 at 1:05 pm james holden | Some thoughts on commuting by bicycle Pingback on Jan 7th, 2011 at 3:55 pm Head Office Of La Fitness Uk | Fitness Care Pingback on Apr 27th, 2016 at 10:24 am Leave a Reply to James Click here to cancel reply. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Chris Chrisostomou Web Designer / Developer Leeds, UK Contact Me Recent Blog Posts Windows won’t boot after activating Hyper-V in Windows 8 PHP max_input_vars, form element limits and the suhosin patch *Another* site redesign?? Animated, scrolling “back to top” link using jQuery RIP Steve Jobs API woes Where the hell has Mou gone? Plugin updates Glastonbury Festival camping essentials… part 2 Glastonbury Festival 2010 Lineup – download the spreadsheet! Also... Blog Archive Contact Me Updates Xbox Gamertags Design and content © Chris Chrisostomou | Proudly powered by WordPress & Linode | Log in |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p0 | My Bossy Muse | Myths of the Mirror Myths of the Mirror Life is make believe, fantasy given form June 14, 2018 by D. Wallace Peach My Bossy Muse My muse. Image purchased from shutterstock I’m polishing up the last bits of Soul Swallower and Legacy of Souls when I hear the clomp of my muse’s heavy boots on my writing-room stairs. I haven’t seen her since September 2016 when she gave me an ultimatum about finishing up The Rose Shield series. It was that or she was going to quit. Well, I finished it in the spring of 2017 and took the summer off to rest. Instead of popping the cork on a bottle of champagne, she hired a mercenary muse, and abruptly my break was over. The guy was a hulking brute with a bad attitude and worse breath. And not only did he expect me to get writing, but he forced me to exercise. Amazing artwork by Peter Pham I can’t imagine what this visit is going to bring, and I brace myself. The door opens and the muse walks in as if she owns the place. She’s decked out in her clunky boots, and she’s carrying that magical staff that I still don’t know how to use since she never shares. “You haven’t written sci-fi in years,” she remarks, having read my mind. I hate it when muses do that. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p1 | “I’ll bet you stopped by to congratulate me on the new books,” I say with a smug smile and flash the yummy covers. “They’re just about ready to go.” “I’m not here to pamper you, Peach. That’s your husband’s job.” She settles onto a metal quasi-throne with rusted pipes that suddenly materializes against the wall. I grimace at the contraption. “You know, I hope that’s not permanent. I just cleaned the place up after the bats!” She ignores me and leans forward, elbows on her knees. “I’m here to talk about the next books.” “What next books?” Oh, oops. Yeeesh. I wince. “Oh, yeah. Um…” “Exactly.” Her eyes are blue today and they shoot icicles into my skin. “You’re a few weeks away from finishing the latest series, and you haven’t even thought about the next one.” “I’ve been really busy!” I cross my arms and huff. “And it’s not like there are any real deadlines.” “Except mine.” She raises an eyebrow. “You know I have other authors to manage. And there are plenty more in line looking for some guidance.” “Looking for a taskmaster more like it,” I mutter under my breath and give her a fake smile. I know she heard it or heard me think it. “I can’t believe you have other authors. I thought you were all mine.” |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p2 | She rolls her eyes. I scratch my head and blow out a breath. “Sorry. You’re right. I haven’t even thought about the next one, and I’ve got nothin’, zippo, squat. I don’t even have a starting place. I need your help.” “That’s more like it.” Her shoulders relax now that I’ve been thoroughly cowed. “I want you to start thinking about shapeshifters. They’ve been on your mind.” It’s true. “I can think about them.” She narrows her eyes at me, but gives the wise-guy comment a pass. “And goblins.” “Shapeshifters and goblins?” I twist my face. “That’s ridiculous. They don’t go together. I need a new muse.” I laugh but she doesn’t. “You can’t be serious. Are you serious?” “You can make it work. I want betrayals, lies, manipulation. I want you to make things miserable for your characters and then make them worse. I want twists, flaws, nobility, and redemption.” I don’t know what to say. My muse has totally lost it. What comes out of my mouth is, “Okay.” “Good. Three books, two years. It’s a gift.” I calculate the time frame in my head. It’s not bad. But shapeshifters and goblins? She gets to her feet, tall and powerful. “Congrats on the latest books, by the way.” The metal throne thing disappears, and suddenly she’s changing, her form taking a new shape. A shapeshifter? She winks a feline eye and pads out the door. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p3 | The wheels in my head start turning… pixabay image compilation Share this: Facebook Twitter Tumblr Pinterest Flipboard Reddit LinkedIn Print Email Pocket Like this: Like Loading... Related This entry was posted in Musings, The Adventure of Writing and tagged book ideas, books, brainstorming, fantasy, humor, muses. Bookmark the permalink. 183 Comments Post navigation ← Previous Next → 183 thoughts on “My Bossy Muse” Sean P Carlin says: July 5, 2018 at 4:17 pm Victoria Dougherty was just writing on her own author blog about how art is a calling; when you hear the call, you have to answer… LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: July 5, 2018 at 9:22 pm I agree, but I do seem to require a bit of a kick in the pants. 😀 Otherwise, I can get pulled in a lot of different directions. I need the muse to wrangle commitments out of me, particularly in terms of carving out the time to write. It’s funny how seriously I take them, Sean, but whatever works! Happy Writing to you! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Antonia says: June 28, 2018 at 6:35 am This is just wonderful, Diana. I love how much quality writing you put out. You are such a talent, and a hard worker. I am glad that you take time to rest sometimes. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p4 | LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 28, 2018 at 9:27 am Rest? What’s that? I guess I do, but I’m busy doing what I love. So far, I’m one sentence into my new writing project. The muse isn’t going to be very happy with me unless I start pushing out a few paragraphs! Thanks for the lovely comment. Hugs ❤ LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Teri Polen says: June 28, 2018 at 6:15 am Ooooh – I’m liking the sound of this, Diana. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 28, 2018 at 9:22 am I’ve written the first sentence, Teri. That’s it! But I am pounding out the plot and character profiles and starting to lay out the world… etc. etc. We’ll see. It’s fun and I’ll try to make this weird combo of characters work. 😀 Happy Writing! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Best fiction and writing blogs | M.C. Tuggle, Writer says: June 26, 2018 at 4:33 am […] to Give Up Writing and Other Bad Habits Tamara Drazic – Outlining D. Wallace Peach – My Bossy Muse Nicola Alter – Knocking People Out: Easier in Fiction Than In Real Life Didi Oviatt – […] LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 26, 2018 at 8:01 am Thanks for sharing, Mike! The muse has me busily outlining. 😀 |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p5 | LikeLike Reply thelonelyauthorblog says: June 25, 2018 at 12:02 pm My use dumped me. LOL Maybe I can rent yours. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 25, 2018 at 12:16 pm Ha ha ha. She has multiple clients, Drew. But you’re going to have to negotiate terms and she’ll hold you to them. Or ELSE! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply thelonelyauthorblog says: June 25, 2018 at 12:16 pm LOL LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Erik says: June 23, 2018 at 5:01 am You astound me. Send her my way (though she’ll have to vie for dominance with my music muse, mentor muse, language-learning muse, design muse and a few others). LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 23, 2018 at 10:29 am Ha ha ha. You need to do a post with all your muses in your living room or kitchen arguing and negotiating for your time! It would be hysterical. If it’s not right for your blog. Send it to me and I’ll post it as a guest post. Just a suggestion. 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Erik says: June 23, 2018 at 1:46 pm Well, I know which one would win that particular day’s vie, seeing as it’d require my setting aside time to write it. But I just may! LikeLiked by 1 person |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p6 | Reply robbiecheadle says: June 21, 2018 at 9:09 pm Your posts about your muse are so funny, Diana. I have found (being new to writing) that I get an idea in my head now and it just won’t go. It nips around the heels of my mind driving me crazy until I sit down and think about it. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 22, 2018 at 9:44 am Isn’t that great? I love that about stories – as if the characters have their own minds and insist on bossing us around. 🙂 My muses are good at pushing me, and it’s what I need, apparently! Have an awesome weekend and Happy Winter! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Marnie says: June 20, 2018 at 12:20 pm “My muse has totally lost it.” Oh my gosh, this post! Love, love, love how vivid it is. It’s making me think I should start a dialogue with my muse, who hasn’t been prodding me very much lately! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 20, 2018 at 5:24 pm The dialogs are kind of amazing, Marnie, because I end up buying into the time commitments and ideas. Ha ha. Writing it down is powerful and posting it even more so. My muse usually stops by to clear my schedule and give me a push. Last year we had a lot of muses showing up on posts. I’m glad you enjoyed. I’ll be very curious to see who shows up on your doorstep! Happy Writing. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p7 | LikeLike Reply Marnie says: June 20, 2018 at 5:50 pm Thanks, this is super motivating! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Aquileana says: June 20, 2018 at 11:03 am “You know I have other authors to manage. And there are plenty more in line looking for some guidance”…. Oh!. For a moment and given her plaints and overall attitude, I would have said she had an exclusive contract with you, to say the least! 😅😆 Anyway… I am sure her gadgets are effective! … of course: she is a muse after all, isn´t she?… A great reading, dear Diana . Love & best wishes LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 20, 2018 at 5:20 pm Thanks for reading, Aquileana. She comes by about once a year to badger me and then heads out to wherever she goes. It’s effective though. I’m not exactly sure what the next adventure in writing will be, but she got the old imagination jump-started. Thanks for dropping by! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply ljshouse2015 says: June 18, 2018 at 11:54 am Shapeshifters and Goblins – oh my! I’ve been attempting to explore Goblins for over 50 years, but am only interested in certain kinds of shapeshifters. I bet yours will be good, though. Not sure if I could work for a serious taskmaster Muse, although I guess I really need one to get all the writing done that I need to do. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p8 | LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 18, 2018 at 12:00 pm I’m not certain I can pull this off, to be honest, but it did get the wheels spinning. I do a lot of pre-planning before the serious writing starts, and some “musing” beforehand is key. My muse is tough on me, but she does get me motivated. 🙂 Thanks for the visit and Happy Writing! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Ellen Morris Prewitt says: June 18, 2018 at 10:25 am This was so entertaining (it’s been SO long since I’ve commented on your blog, but I’ve kept reading). Congrats on getting new marching orders—my muse recently told me to stop fooling with old work and get it all out there—clear the boards—so we can move on to new things. Muses rarely seem to arrive with small chores. 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 18, 2018 at 10:47 am That’s so true, Ellen! Ha ha. They show up with big plans that they dump on our laps and then walk away. That’s how mine operates anyway. It is easy to get stuck in revisiting old work, and that can be time consuming. Good luck with your new project! Happy Writing! 😀 LikeLike Reply heylookawriterfellow says: June 18, 2018 at 9:13 am Wait. Your muse has other clients? I thought muses were supposed to be exclusive! |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p9 | I’m going to have to have a conversation with my rat… LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 18, 2018 at 9:48 am Mine does, Mike. She only stops by once a year or so to hand me my marching orders. Despite watching sitcoms and eating ice cream, the rat seems to be working for you. Happy Writing! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Hugh's Views and News says: June 18, 2018 at 8:59 am I had no idea what a ‘muse’ was until I read this, Diana. I thought you meant a mouse, at first, but then I got myself totally fixated on what was happening to you. Do you know where these ‘Muses’ live? Do all authors have one? Does everybody have one? Do they visit only during daylight hours? 😱 Glad she gave you some ideas, though. I usually get my ideas from the ironing board. 😀It always seems to work. In fact, there I was, this morning, ironing my pair of— LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 18, 2018 at 9:45 am Ha ha. You’re the only person I know who has an ironing board for a muse, Hugh. But whatever works! My muse is more of a taskmaster than most, it seems, but I do well with the pressure and threats. She’s pushed me to write 16 books in 9 years. Despite the humor, it’s funny how seriously I take these conversations and commitments. Again, whatever works! Happy Writing, my friend. |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p10 | LikeLiked by 1 person Reply ali isaac says: June 18, 2018 at 3:19 am Such an entertaining post, Diana! And congratulations on the latest books! Your muse clearly does a great job at cracking the whip, she certainly keeps you busy and productive. Could do with some of her tough love over here… do you think she might want to take on a lazy Irish author? LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 18, 2018 at 9:36 am I’d send her over, Ali, but I don’t know any lazy Irish authors! You crack me up – between family and school, you are a powerhouse. Thanks for the cheers regarding the new books, and we’ll see what happens with the muse’s idea. I think she’s gone off the deep end. Ha ha. Happy Summer, my friend. ❤ LikeLike Reply A French Note says: June 17, 2018 at 9:51 pm Hello Diana. I am back. Just been reading about your muse. You did it all with success and your readers gets happier and happier. You are an inspiration to everyone. I am one silly head you have inspired too well since I met you. I am loving your muse and well written. I hope your week will be sunny. Take care now. Juli. LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p11 | June 18, 2018 at 9:25 am So lovely to see you, Juli. I notice a change to the name of your blog! I’m guessing that other changes are in the works too. I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to mess around with mine. It’s been the same for five years! Thanks for the visit and for reading about my bossy muse. I’ll be over soon to check out your new place! ❤ LikeLiked by 1 person Reply mother wintermoon says: June 17, 2018 at 9:38 am One helluva muse got there! This is going to be a wild and wooly ride! LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 17, 2018 at 8:36 pm I’m uncertain whether the muse was being serious or just throwing out an idea to get the juices flowing. We’ll see. Goblins and shapeshifters?! I’m excited to start on something new and the muse has a way of kick-starting the process. Thanks for the visit, MW. Have a wonderful week! LikeLike Reply the incurable dreamer says: June 17, 2018 at 7:09 am How do I hire her, Diana?!?! Your imagination is a carnival filled with fright and amusement, and I LOVE it!! You never fail to inspire me and always encourage me to push myself a little harder. Thank you, for that. So many congratulations on your success, my friend! You are a Goddess! Lots of love and a big hug. ❤️ |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p12 | LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 17, 2018 at 8:29 pm Thanks so much for the visit, Tanya. The muse has other authors, so sign her up! She has the time since she only shows up once a year to threaten me or give me ultimatums. Yeesh! Fortunately, she forces me to do things I love to do anyway. 😀 Thanks for the visit, my friend. I’ll be reblogging you post on Monday (tomorrow). 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply the incurable dreamer says: June 19, 2018 at 5:54 am I couldn’t comment on the other post, so I am responding here. For sharing my post, Diana, I want to not only thank you but also stress how very much it means to me that you did. To have my words shared is the ultimate and I am beyond touched that you thought enough of them to do so. Your support helps instill belief in myself, which can be in short supply at times and encourages me to keep putting words on paper. From the deepest depths of my heart, thank you, my friend. I am honoured and feel incredibly proud. Your kindness and belief have made an enormous impact. Know that. Thank you. Big hug and lots of love. xo PS…I am signing up that muse, stat. Nothing like being forced to do the thing you love. I could use a little of that! |
https://mythsofthemirror.com/2018/06/14/the-muse-pays-a-call/?like_comment=40739_p13 | LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 19, 2018 at 4:53 pm You are so welcome. I love to share writing that stirs the emotions, pulls out a laugh or draws tears, or that seems to touch on something deep and universally profound as this piece did. I am a big believer in the “journey” and that we can find great beauty and compassion in having survived suffering. Pain cracks open the heart. The journey demands incredible courage if we are to reclaim our lives, but it’s so worth it when we arrive on the other side. You captured all that, and I felt the grace of that realization in your words. ❤ LikeLiked by 1 person Reply the incurable dreamer says: June 20, 2018 at 6:32 am I love this comment so much, Diana. It reflects your heart and soul and the perspective I have come to admire so much in you. Thank you for everything, but mostly for being you. ❤️ LikeLiked by 1 person Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 20, 2018 at 8:57 am ❤ LikeLike Reply Jennie says: June 16, 2018 at 7:18 pm I love how you write this about your muse, Diana. LikeLiked by 2 people Reply D. Wallace Peach says: June 17, 2018 at 8:18 pm Thanks, Jennie. She’s bossy and demanding, but I thrive under the pressure and apparently I take these commitments seriously. 🙂 Happy Writing, my friend. ❤ |
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https://niffyspector.wordpress.com/tag/crocs/_p0 | Crocs | SpiffyNiffy Search SpiffyNiffy Home About RSS Tag Archives: Crocs Kaiser Karl’s Clog Clusterfuck 13 Aug Excuse my language but I have had enough! Clogs people? Really? This is a bad idea and I cannot sit idly by and watch retailer after retailer recommend that I buy into this fall’s biggest footwear trend. Everywhere you turn clogs are being heralded as the shoe of the season and it is time someone stood up and declared that the Emperor is barefoot! Wake up people, you do not want to look like a strung out milkmaid! I understand that Chanel showed them for Spring 2010 and what Chanel does must be exalted throughout the fashion world. Images from Chanel Spring 2010 RTW from style.com But I thought by the time Fall rolled around we would have laughed at our silly Spring ways, but the phenomenon has gathered steam and it must be stopped. I have had a personal history with clogs, and once down that road I swore I would never go back again. As a freshman in high school I wore pony haired cow printed clogs similar to these bad boys: And I wondered at the time why I did not have a boyfriend.. So I have made that mistake, granted I took it to an extreme, and I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I did. |
https://niffyspector.wordpress.com/tag/crocs/_p1 | I know what you are thinking, gosh those shoes are so ugly…but then I ask you, are they uglier than these shoes that net-a-porter, bergdorfs and piperlime are shilling??? 1. Hooves 2. Conceal the clog with shearling 3. Really? Boot clogs? 4. A slingback lightens the silhouette! The obvious answer is yes, the pony hair are worse, but barely when you consider how much these high priced Chanel-derivative clogs cost. What I think is particularly amusing about the clog trend is that these are wooden Crocs! How can plastic clogs be defamed but wooden Crocs be embraced? Because Karl Lagerfeld said so. Your move Mario Batali. Share this: Share Email Twitter Facebook Print Like this: Like Loading... Tags: Chanel, Clogs, Crocs, Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Batali, Milkmaid Comments 1 Comment Categories Fashion Spiffy Niffy’s Tweets Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page. Keep in touch Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 29 other followers Sign me up! Follow SpiffyNiffy on Bloglovin Top Posts Guest Post - How to Accidentally Only Spend $5 in 5 Days in Istanbul Categories Decor (8) Fashion (25) Food (25) Quarter Life Crisis (8) Travel (22) Uncategorized (7) What I’m Talking About 700 Cooking School anna wintour Anne Hathaway Armani Anne Hathaway Oscars Anne Hathaway Rachel Zoe Baking Barefoot Contessa butter Carine Roitfeld Chanel Cheap art Chef Darin Sehnert Chocolate cake Chop't Class of 2009 Clogs Crocs Cuisinart David Lebovitz DC Salads Dresser Palmer House Dupont Farmer's Market Fashionair Food Network Fried Chicken Golden Globes Gwyneth Paltrow homemade pasta Ice Cream Ina Garten India Jazz Hands J Crew jezebel jobs Julia Reston Roitfeld LA Lions Louboutin Louis Vuitton Mario Batali Michelle Obama Mixt Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room Mystic Tan Naeem Khan New Orleans New Year's Resolutions Obsessive Compulsiveness Oscars Oscars Red Carpet Piperlime Politico Polyvore Portland Portugal President Obama roast chicken Salt San Francisco Savannah SCAD Seattle Shake Shack ShopBop State Dinner Sweetgreen Target The Cut the september issue unemployment vogue White House WSJ YSL |
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https://perfectpartiesplus.com/index.php?params=information-about-weddings-engagement-photos-what-you-should-know-about-engagement-photos.html_p0 | Advice About Photo Video Suggestions Concerning Photographer Newborn | Tips On Wedding Photographer What You Should Know About Photography Newborn Home Legal Sitemap Babies have always been a passion of mine. My mother owned an in-home daycare until I was 12 years old and she then became a full time mom. Babies have been my life for as long as I can remember and I love to be around them everyday watching them learn and giggle. This is more than just pictures to me- these are memories. Its your babies personality shining through the images that makes me love this so much more. I am a PROUD surrogate mother of boy/girl twins that are two years old. And, my wife, Ana delivered our own boy/girl twins Ford and Davis in June 2018! 1. Decide what types of photography services you’ll offer. Businesses and individuals need photographers for many reasons. Businesses need pictures of their products for brochures. Realtors need images of the homes they’re selling. Magazines need photos related to the articles they’re publishing. Or you can stick with non-business photography and take portraits or photograph weddings. Love is Love Photography is a photography studio located in Dallas, Texas that serves the areas of Keller, Grapevine, Dallas, Fort Worth, and beyond. This studio specializes in candid family portraits. Clients pay $350 to secure their reservation. With Love is Love Photography, no image two images are the same; they take each photo with a unique stylistic approach. |
https://perfectpartiesplus.com/index.php?params=information-about-weddings-engagement-photos-what-you-should-know-about-engagement-photos.html_p1 | A maternity photographer based in NYC focuses on the female and her natural essence, and enabling the true personality of each mom-to-be to come through. Highlights and shadows and surrounding details all come together to create a masterpiece, thanks to the skill and talent of a NYC maternity photographer Michael Kormos. The final images reflect breathtaking silhouettes and beautiful lines unique to the woman herself is transformed into a work of photographic art - maternity photography - that is flawlessly timeless. Among the most accomplished and renowned pregnancy artists, NYC maternity photographer Michael Kormos love making pregnant women feel beautiful. The maternity photography works that he produces are by far among the best in the region. Specially trained in the field, Michael Kormos - a NYC maternity photographer presents you with image quality that is both beautiful and exceptional. They are creative and really know how to capture that true natural beauty of a woman and her pregnancy. These are pieces that can be passed down through several generations, and will be adored by everyone who sees them, thanks to the skill of maternity photographer Michael Kormos, NYC. Posed shoots can happen either in a studio or on location (usually the client’s house). A good posed newborn photoshoot should happen when the infant is still just a few weeks old because they are still pretty sleepy a lot of the time. They are generally photographed with a few well-placed newborn photography props, like a “one-month old!” sign or a cozy blanket (we’ll get into more detail on those later). |
https://perfectpartiesplus.com/index.php?params=information-about-weddings-engagement-photos-what-you-should-know-about-engagement-photos.html_p2 | Select an outfit that is appropriate year round. One of the more popular times for families to take their portraits seems to be around the holidays (when the kids are home from school and everyone is in the same place). The holidays may seem like the perfect excuse to bring out the Santa hats and incorporate props into your family portraits. However, you’ll want these photos to be displayed all year round. Try to avoid purely seasonal accessories and items. Pick out accessories to add texture to your photos. Accessories are great style pieces that add to your individual outfits and can even tie family members’ outfits together. For example, if Dad is wearing a red and black plaid coat then adding a plaid hat to your daughter’s outfit will tie the pattern in for a more cohesive feel. Accessories will also give your photos variation. Think scarves, hats, gloves and belts. Plan on spending at least an hour to get some good shots. I generally spend two hours when I photograph a newborn (some pros spend twice that much time). If you’re taking pictures of your own baby, you could also plan to spend just half an hour but try once a day for the first week. Figure out what will work best for your schedule, but realize this won’t be a quick process. Also, the photoshoot will be much easier if you have someone to help you, so rope your husband/mom/friend into being your assistant. |
https://perfectpartiesplus.com/index.php?params=information-about-weddings-engagement-photos-what-you-should-know-about-engagement-photos.html_p3 | Now is not the time to be starring dreamily into space – make sure you look at the camera (and remind everyone else in the photo to look into the camera too!). Try to get the “looking at the camera” shots out of the way first when everyone has enough attention. It can quickly get tough to get kids to cooperate, so aiming to get this shot first is key. You’ve probably seen a wide variety of newborn baby poses, from a sweet swaddle to a baby in a basket or hanging in a sling from a branch. Lots of the poses you may have seen might take half an hour just to set up, and some actually require having an assistant hold the baby in position and then editing out the assistant’s hands in post processing. Some people love these more creative poses; some people hate them. Personally I think some (when well done) are kind of cool, but I really prefer more natural poses that don’t look contrived. Since my goal here is to help you take better photos of your own newborn at home, I’m going to share three simple, go-to poses that you’ll be able to use without extra equipment (or even extra help). Ask for referrals and repeat business. If someone is happy with the photographs you took for her, ask her to refer you to her friends. Additionally, try to build repeat business; if you took 6-month portraits for a baby, contact the family 4 or 5 months later and ask whether they would like to book a 1-year portrait session. Your business can snowball through word-of-mouth.[18] |
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