Home › Forums › Open Discussion › West Seattle Athletic Club sicced a collection agency on me!
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September 24, 2013 at 12:23 am #796328
WestSeattleKimParticipantI just tweeted the link to this forum to @getjesse. Who’s with me?
September 24, 2013 at 2:04 am #796329
kjc52000MemberThey got me right when new ownership took over. I had updated my debit card expiry date for my wife and I but old ownership had only applied it to my account. New owners “fixed the glitch” by billing my debit card $500 with no letter, bill or explanation. Took 3 days of phone calls and visits before anybody could explain why I’d been billed. The money was owed, but the way it was handled was unacceptable. I quit.
September 24, 2013 at 2:17 am #796330
katmanParticipantSomeone should check to see if the collection agency is owned/operated by a relative or LLC WHICH the owner of WSAC is a part of or member of said corporation. I was a member of AllStar in 2005 and always problems with hot tub and steam room. They were down more times then working.
September 24, 2013 at 6:02 pm #796331
sb2780MemberI have done some digging, as I was hoping to cancel my membership, but now I’m having second thoughts due to all of the collection agency problems. The club owner seems to also be having issues down at the other clubs he owns in Oregon, and it looks like his employee’s payroll checks bounced last month…not good news for the WS location.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/problems_at_a_portland_fitness.html
September 24, 2013 at 9:23 pm #796332
WestSeattleKimParticipantGet Jesse at King5 responded, they are researching the story!
September 24, 2013 at 10:24 pm #796333
JanSParticipantgood…squeeky wheel and all that. I’m not a member, but I sympathize with you all. And his business in Oregon is not much better. Some of the things he said in the story about their problems down there echoed what he originally said up here when he took over the business. Maybe he bit off more than he can chew…and maybe he’s just not a good businessman..
September 24, 2013 at 10:37 pm #796334
trickycooljParticipantHopefully a little nudge from Jesse will light a fire under their rear ends. Hoping to see a positive resolution for everyone, it’s unfortunate a local is seemingly taking advantage of other locals.
September 24, 2013 at 11:00 pm #796335
IflyaroundParticipantI also wrote an e-mail to Get jessie last week, they responded they would look into it, as of yet no response from them. I went to the gym yesterday because they assured me they would cc me on the e-mails to pull me from collection. Their excuse is they have not heard back from the collection agency. I have called BOTH collection agencies this week and they told me the collections have been suspended due to inconsistencies. That said I still want confirmation my name is removed from the collection list. To date I have contacted the Attorney General, The Better Business Bureau, The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection agency, and asked legal questions on AVVO legal website where there was some interest in a class action suit. Any other ideas are welcome either on the blog or at Allstarfraud@gmail.com. By the way there is no question he is both a shady and poor businessman, there is no way a GOOD businessman would allow a business to operate in this manner.
September 24, 2013 at 11:14 pm #796336
icockrumMember@Iflyaround – I also asked them to cc me on emails to pull me from the collection agency, because they could not provide any other trustworthy guarantee.
My whole story:
I received a collection letter one month ago. It turned out that my bank had not permitted WSAC’s auto-payment for 4 months. I received no communications. WSAC cancelled my account and sent me to collections. It took 5 phone calls, 2 visits, conversations with 6 different employees (including 3 managers), and a check for $238 for me to resolve the issue.
After paying my past due fees, I demanded a written statement guaranteeing that I would be removed from collections. While the managers hid in their office, they had some poor 20-year-old front desk clerk write and personally sign a statement on a blank sheet of paper. When I asked for something printed on letterhead, they told me they didn’t have any. The membership manager finally spoke to me at that point and promised to copy me on emails to the collection agency, and that’s the last I heard from WSAC. I have not been copied on any such communications, nor have I tried to contact the gym or the collection agency.
It was a huge slap in the face to have to pay my way out of the situation, but at this point I’m happy to be rid of them.
September 24, 2013 at 11:32 pm #796337
IflyaroundParticipantJust a reminder, I owe the gym NOTHING! as stated by the manager Dasiana, I will stop by there every other day until they can provide my with proof I have been removed from collection
September 25, 2013 at 12:24 pm #796338
GreystreetParticipantI wonder how they are going to handle the large volume of cancellations that will occur when half or more of their members leave if Get Jesse takes this story. I’m sorry to hear about all of this, best of luck to you guys in sorting this out, I’m a bit afraid at this point to even try to cancel my membership :(
September 25, 2013 at 6:28 pm #796339
sb2780MemberI feel truly sorry for the front desk staff who are fielding all of these disgruntled phone calls and walk-ins while the managers refuse to accept any accountability for the current situation. I really hope Get Jesse, or WSB can do some kind of follow-up story to this mess that seems to be impacting dozens of WS folks.
September 25, 2013 at 6:34 pm #796340
WSBKeymasterI have been working on an interview that hopefully will happen before week’s end.
September 25, 2013 at 7:31 pm #796341
IflyaroundParticipantI just returned home from the club trying to understand why I haven’t been removed from collections. However, while I was there Seattle Public Utilities came in and shut off the water for non-payment. Meanwhile half an hour later they are telling members it is for repairs on a water main. Blatant lies to all the members walking through the door very poor business practices!
September 25, 2013 at 8:08 pm #796342
GreystreetParticipantThey shut off the water!? This is ridiculous, there needs to be a coup d’etat. People rely on going there before and after work and need a place to shower.
September 25, 2013 at 10:29 pm #796343
blblParticipantIflyaround, did they say it was for non-payment? Did you hear that? That’s very distressing indeed.
September 25, 2013 at 11:01 pm #796344
miwsParticipantI’m with sb2780.
I feel bad mostly for the frontline Staff, and even to a degree any non-owner Management, (they’re the ones smack in the middle), for having to deal with the justifiably unhappy Clients. On top of all that, Staff is probably worried if they’ll have a job on the near future, or even a paycheck for hours currently/recently worked.
Ownership needs to be accountable, and take responsibility for whatever it is that has resulted in the current situation; their own misfortune/poor decisions/outright fraud.
Mike
September 26, 2013 at 5:19 pm #796345
hammyMemberThe ladies working in the Kid’s Club are no longer at the former All Star. They had been there for years and years. I saw them Tuesday morning but when I went in today they had “left to pursue other opportunities”.
September 26, 2013 at 6:00 pm #796346
captainDaveParticipantBogus collection scams are rampant throughout the US right now. It’s the new economy. “If you can’t make money legitimately, steal it”. The government is even getting in on the action.
I am battling an $8,000 collection matter with the City of Seattle for another person’s parking fines. (and no, it wasn’t my car). The statutes and case law against them is clear, but they still want the money anyway. I now have over 400 hours invested in fighting the bogus claims that wrecked my credit and damaged my business.
There needs to be stronger laws to protect consumers against intentionally fraudulent collection scams.
September 26, 2013 at 7:22 pm #796347
blblParticipantThey aren’t bogus collection scams, captainDave. Even though the debts might not be valid, WSAC did send them to collections. Staff told me they tried to contact the members and either the members never responded or the gym had old phone numbers and they couldn’t be reached. Totally bogus, I certainly don’t think any staff ever picked up a phone except to call the collectors.
Here’s what I just got in my email box:
Hello Parents/Guardians:
I am e-mailing to let you know we are working hard to address the staffing issues we currrently have with the abrupt departure of some of our Kids Central staff. I know many of you have had a relationship with [redacted] and [redacted] for a long time, and they will be greatly missed. We wish them the best in whatever they will be doing next. We will work very hard to provide you with the best care for your children, and we welcome your feedback and input. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
September 26, 2013 at 9:46 pm #796348
WestSeattleKimParticipantI just got off the phone with Jesse Jones and he is interviewing me tomorrow. I’m hoping that with some extra attention from King5 and the West Seattle Blog, we will finally get the club management to respond to our emails and phone calls.
September 27, 2013 at 12:21 am #796349
IflyaroundParticipantBlbl it was shut off for non payment, I strongly suspected that was the issue with the red and white shut off notice handed to the front desk and then a member now non member called Seattle Public Utilities from the lobby of the gym and surprisingly they confirmed it was for non payment. Jesse called me earlier today for the interview but I’m out of town until Tuesday. Should air on Monday. I have a lawyer now if anyone would like to join me.
September 27, 2013 at 7:41 pm #796350
WestSeattleKimParticipantI just interviewed with Get Jesse, and he does have other interviews lined up. I understand that he already talked to Sam Adams, the gym owner. The piece will air on either Monday or Tuesday. We shall see if this helps….
September 30, 2013 at 4:58 am #796351
RoscoePekoeMemberMy partner canceled his membership a month or two ago. After reading about all of the problems here on WSB I told him to check the bank statement to make sure the gym wasn’t continuing to automatically withdraw his monthly dues. Sure enough, there was an automatic withdrawal last week. I ended up emailing Ramon, one of the managers on Friday. Luckily my husband had kept the cancellation paperwork which clearly showed the last billing date which was in August. I scanned the paperwork to Ramon and he was quite responsive. The $ was credited to our account within 24 hours. Frankly, I was very surprised given what i had read. We canceled the debit card/account just in case and hopefully we don’t hear from a collection agency down the road!
On another note, I went to the gym pool today and it was the murkiest I have ever seen it, and there was no hot water in the family changing room showers. Things in the pool area have not gotten any better.
September 30, 2013 at 6:15 pm #796352
birdrescuerParticipantI asked for a towel today and was told they were all in the dryer. Yeah, sure.
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