I cancelled my membership last year, and the business confirmed the cancellation. They then proceeded to continue charging my credit card due to their own error. After contacting them, they refunded the most recent fraudulent charges. However, the ones the “system didn’t allow them to refund” required a “check from corporate.”
I still have not received this portion of the refund, 4 months later. They have failed to respond to multiple email attempts to clarify what the situation is. I do not recommend engaging with this business. The experience as a member was not worth the fraudulently charged money I will clearly never see again.
Updated on 7/9: Warning: Fraudulent Scheme Alert: I regret to report my experience with Club Pilates Mercer Island, which has proven to be nothing short of a fraudulent scheme. If I could give zero stars, I would.
Upon signing up, I quickly realized the club oversubscribes memberships far beyond its capacity. During my first month, it was near impossible to secure a session at a convenient time. Most available slots were in the latter half of the month, with waitlists of 5-10 people for earlier sessions. This made it impractical to use the sessions I paid for.
Even when attempting to plan ahead, the system was rigged against me. If I had a last-minute change and needed to reschedule a session in the second half of the month, I was out of luck. No carryover sessions were allowed, effectively nullifying my unused passes and leaving me out of pocket.
When I tried to cancel my membership, citing the inability to access sessions at suitable times, I was hit with a double charge. Apparently, I "missed" the billing date by a few days, according to their vague policies conveniently enforced when it suits them. Despite explaining the overbooking and lack of service delivery, the general manager callously referred to the fine print of our customer agreement and refused to refund the second month.
This establishment's practices are not just poor customer service but a deliberate scam. They lure in more members than they can accommodate, rendering their services effectively inaccessible. The refusal to honor cancellations and the enforcement of unfair charges demonstrate a clear intent to deceive and defraud customers.
My previous review from April 2024: About 15 minutes of the class we spent on exercises that did not require any equipment. The instructor said it was because we needed to get “ready” or build some strength. But if it is the case, I could have done them at home, no need for membership. We also started about 5 minutes later and finished on time. I could barely hear the instructor and she asked whether I was taking the class for the first time as I didn’t follow all directions. I was disappointed in that class to the extent that I was ready to walk out.
