Peak Fitness Knighdale Closed!
As many of you may know, I blogged about some “interesting” news yesterday about Peak Fitness. I knew they were closing but chose not to disclose the information due to the fact that no one was willing to go on the record with the information. Well today it’s confirmed. Peak Fitness Knightdale has closed it’s doors. It’s quite interesting given the fact that Peak’s recent settlement with the Attorney General stipulates that Peak Fitness is required to
Give advance notice to gym members and the Attorney General’s Office when a health club will be closed or when members will be transferred to another location.
Hmm, I was at the Knightdale location of Peak Fitness yesterday and asked the manager specifically if the place was closing down. She even contacted her general manager and was told that there was no word on any closing. Hmm.
So apparently last night they emptied out the entire place! That’s right the place is now empty!
So What About Peak Fitness Members?
Apparently you can still work out at other Peak Fitness locations. Planet Fitness is also honoring Peak Memberships. However, it’s important to note that Planet Fitness doesn’t have child care or basketball courts (a big reason why so many chose to work out at Peak Fitness Knightdale.
I’ll be contacting the Attorney General today for some additional insight. If you are a member of the Peak Fitness leave a comment below or message me on twitter.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Is there anything that I need to do to have things switched over to Planet Fitness or will they take care of all that?
May 7th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Just head over to Planet Fitness and they should take care of everything. Planet has been slammed with people today so you may have to wait a while.
May 7th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Ok…. thanks so much!!!
May 7th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I saw the news of Peak Fitness of Knightdale (Peak-Knightdale) closing their doors on Facebook earlier this morning. I felt sick to the stomach. My two-year prepaid membership was also a gift — as I had requested from my husband for my 40th birthday.
I immediately called the main number one their website and received a message that the number is no longer in service. My stomach did a flip. How was I going to tell my husband that I had led us into a horrible financial decision??
I then called ABC Financial — the third party that handles all of their contracts and payments. I spoke with Brandon. He advised that sometimes gyms will “move” and that so long as the gym has “moved” within 10 miles of its current location, I would still be bound by my existing contract. He put me on hold for several minutes while trying to confirm if Peak-Knightdale had moved. When he came back, he advised that he was not able to get an answer for me but gave me two other numbers to call. Partly out of dread and partly because I’m currently getting ready to attend a funeral, I have not had taken the time to make the call(s) yet.
I’ll do it in the morning and let you know what response I get. I’m curious, have you heard if the other Peak locations are still open? Also, if you got to Planet, are you required to sign a new contract with them and therefore waive any right to reimbursement from Peak?
May 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I got stuck by ABC (Peak’s collection crew) awhile back after I was transfered to that gym years after Beyond Fitness had closed. I would advise anyone to make SURE you cancel or transfer your membership if you aren’t willing to drive to another Peak location! They WILL continue to draft your account if you don’t take care of this promptly.
Planet Fitness is a nice gym, but it really isn’t equipped for your so-called “serious” lifters. They have a “no yelling” rule (not that I care to yell in the gym) but if that’s your thing, you won’t be allowed to. Also, the dumbbells only go up to 70lbs. It’s just something to consider if you plan to switch.
I agree, Planet Fitness was packed with people inquiring about the switch today, so it might be awhile before everyone gets their issue resolved. Good Luck and thanks for this information!
May 7th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
What if I do not wish to transfer over to Planet? And what if I do not want to drive to another Peak in town? I just want to cancel my membership. What number do I need to call?
May 7th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
From what i have been told. Members who want to cancel need to email knightdale@peakfitnessus.com Of course, I am not holding my breath. I have personally contacted the NC Attorney General’s Office. My goal is to raise as much awareness about this as possible. I’m not too concerned about my membership but feel bad for all the people who woke up today out of a job! Other than what I disclosed to a few employees at Peak. They had no idea what was about to happen to them!
May 7th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
So, what happens if Peak does not provide notification as they were required to do by the AG?
May 7th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
@barracus79: Not sure. That’s a question I intend to as the AG’s office when I speak with them.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
thanks. i appreciate your diligence!
also, FYI, i called the number posted on the door (336.253.8030) and got a guy named justin with peak. he didn\’t give much info other than \”planet merged with peak\”, and that we could go to any planet in addition to any peak that\’s still open.
don\’t get me wrong, i\’m glad planet picked up our memberships, but this was handled very poorly by peak, ESPECIALLY if they were required to provide notice.
one gripe i have about the knightdale planet is its size – or lack thereof (and now there will be an influx of new members), but if it\’s any consolation to anyone, the assistant manager at planet, alan, told me that they have plans lined up to expand to the vacant store adjacent to planet. he said right now planet was 16,000 square feet, and the expansion will make it 20,000 sf.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I think this was not a correct way to close the gym. But, was just wondering if you knew if there were any prospects of someone or another chain moving into the empty space??
May 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
@av: At this point, I have not heard of anyone eyeing that space. As a Knightdale resident, I was happy to see the old Winn Dixie space come to life again. That shopping center needs a solid anchor store to bring traffic to the area. I know a Pizza shop is getting ready to open in the old Remington Grill space.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Oh, ok thanks. Well it would be nice if we had another gym move into it. I am going to miss my daily visits there. It sure helped having daycare and the classes. Def wouldn’t mind paying more. It is a great space.
May 8th, 2009 at 2:14 am
I am so mad right now. I just bought my son a membership b/c of the basketball court. Sure we could go to planet where there will be people elbow to elbow or we can drive across to town to Falls of Neuse where there is no basketball court. I want out of the contract but I know how hard that can be. What they have done is criminal, sneaking out like thieves in the night. They haven’t even been there a year. I won’t even start on the poor people who don’t have a job. It just makes me sick!
May 8th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I can’t believe that considering how difficult it was waiting for them to actually open the gym, they up and left in the manner that they did. I was completely shocked yesterday morning when I showed up to be greeted by some disheveled Peak employee and an empty gym. Although I appreciate Planet Fitness helping us out as they have so quickly. But after working out there yesterday, they are definetly a downgrade in equipment, and space, but the employees were much friendlier and more helpful than anyone I had encountered at Peak.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:13 am
We paid for 3 2yr memberships UP FRONT to get a lower rate. Any chance of that being refunded??? Thanks Alan!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:30 am
@mike: I think they are telling people to contact knightdale@peakfitnessus.com or call 336-253-8030. I emailed the address above but haven’t heard anything back yet. I also plan on calling my credit card company and contesting the charges.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I’m dreading the fight to make them stop charging my credit card. I signed up with Peak 10 months before they opened because it is 3/4 of a mile from home and I could walk or bike up there quickly. We, but especially my wife, needs child care to be able to workout.
I guess worst case I can do the best I can at Planet and cancel in September.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:17 am
If you happen to also have a trainer contract, you can contact Professional Fitness and they will take care of it, Customer Service 1-800-856-1229 or Local office 827-4664. They canceled my contract with no fees because the gym closed. The person I spoke to said they didn’t know about the closing until the customers did. She also said that any unused sessions that I already paid for can be used at any Pro Fitness location. It seems Peak also did the same thing with their Garner location. Neither location is listed on the Peak website anymore.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:44 am
My next option was working out at the Clayton one, as I did before this gym opened, but that gym isn’t listed on there website either, did the Clayton one close as well?
May 8th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Clayton did not close, they sold it to Kevin Bunn. He is apparently not honoring contracts initiated at other locations. He did work out a deal with my friend that if they bought another 2 year contract, he would honor the remainder of their old contract.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I just talked to Planet Fitness and at least as far as the talk, they seem very reasonable. I pay monthly, so they\’ll drop me down to their premium monthly rate, but not hold me to a contract period.
No child care really is an issue for me and my wife. He gave me the number for Stay & Play next door. $9/hour or $5/hour if you buy a 15 hour block. That would get pricey with 2 kids, so I\’m not sure if my wife will continue.
May 8th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
i am so very disappointed. Just when I started working out and honoring my resolution to live and eat well, they just up and leave without a notice. I guess i am very disappointed because I asked a few weeks ago about whether the gym would be closing or not, and I was told, “No” and I shouldn’t “believe rumors in the media.” What a big slap in the face this was for me…to make things worse, I paid (3 weeks ago)over 120 bucks to the gym because of late fees acquired due to the cancellation of my old debit card (a security breech issue required a new card to be issued), etc. Regardless, I went to Planet last night, but I left because I don’t like it. I joined Peak, even though it was pricier, because I liked it a lot. I drove all the way over the Peak on Wake Forest road and have decided that it is too far for me to drive to workout. I want my contract which is expires in August, to be voided, so I don’t have to worry about this impacting my credit. In addition, I think Peak should apologize and not be allowed to operate in NC again. How is it fair that Planet fitness members pay as little as 10 per month, without contractual obligations, and I pay 29.99 each for two memberships to Peak? To me, 10 dollars a month is a deal and i’d be willing to compromise and transfer to Planet for that amount if they cancel my Peak contract and give me the 10 rate, without impacting my credit. I guess i have a lot of questions that i would love to have answered and I think we are due an explanation too.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
sh, I think Planet is willing to do that. They say they will automatically roll me into their 19.99 plan with no contract. That seems to mean I can pay the lower amount or cancel.
Peak couldn’t force us to stay with them because none of the other gyms were within 8 miles. I think we’d have a case that the service (amenities) provided by Planet is “materially impaired” which allows us out of the contract anyway.
I haven’t been in Planet yet, but it sounds like they intend to treat us much better than Peak did. My advice is to go in there friendly and ask for what you want. I don’t think Planet could handle everyone anyway.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I was a member at Peak, went by Planet and while it has some equipment it really isn’t a true health club. I went to the Lifestyle Family Fitness locations in Raleigh and in Apex (near my work) and they are really great looking clubs. The best thing is that they are a stable company and don’t have long term yearly contracts.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Bravo Brad! It seems your Knightdale blog plus your desire to protect both your interest and the interest of other Knightdale citizens caught the attention of the local news media (http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/34002/knightdale-fitness-club-closes-without-warning/).
Keep up the great work!
May 10th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
To all Peak Fitness Knightdale members:
My name is CJ Bouchard and I am the owner of the Planet Fitness of Knightdale and the three Planet Fitness clubs in Raleigh. I hope the information provided below will clarify many questions you may have regarding your membership contract with Peak Fitness and how it pertains to you transferring to Planet Fitness. I will also provide you with some information about Planet Fitness (PF); I hope you will pass this along.
Peak Fitness of Knightdale, Duraleigh and Garner are obviously closed and the entire company is in financial disarray. Peak Fitness of Apex and Clayton have been given back to the original owners and I foresee the downtown club and the Fall of Neuse clubs either being turned over to other owners or closed. I first spoke with the owner weeks ago when he contacted me asking if I was interested in purchasing his membership base at the Knightdale location. I informed him we were not interested and we currently have over 8,000 members at our Knightdale location. After the initial conversation I told him if I could help in any other way to keep me in mind. I received another call the week of 5/1 and was informed Peak was again looking to see if I would take on this membership base to assist in Peak closing. It took me a couple of days to make the decision and to discuss with my corporate office and our attorney. We decided this was the best thing to do for all the people in Knightdale. We had concerns about our atmosphere and our current membership base and we looked pass those issues to help out.
Your Peak Membership:
If you are a pre-paid member, PF is enrolling you into our Black Card membership which will allow you to use any PF nationwide, Unlimited guest privileges at any PF Raleigh club or PF Knightdale (1 guest per day- must be with you), Unlimited Tanning, Massage Chairs and ½ price cooler drinks. We will honor your membership for the length of the term.
If you are paying over $19.99 per month with Peak Fitness we are enrolling you into our Black Card Membership (benefits above). There is an annual fee with this membership every June 1 for $39.00. You will have an opportunity to change your membership before your first draft.
If you are paying less than $19.99 per month you will be enrolled into our basic membership for $10 per month, with an annual fee on Oct 1 for$30. You will have an opportunity to change your membership before your first draft to upgrade to the Black Card if you choose to do so.
We will allow you to change your membership accordingly before your first draft and you will no longer be drafted by Peak Fitness or ABC billing (Peaks billing company).
We should have all memberships transferred to PF by Friday May 15 and we are in the process of having everyone complete Planet Fitness membership forms.
Planet Fitness:
We are financially strong as the fastest growing fitness centers in the industry with over 280 locations nationwide. We are expanding the Knightdale facility another 4,000 square feet to enlarge us over 20,000 square feet. We will add more equipment with the expansion, we are also expanding our hours (24 hrs / 5 days –week).
We are based on the concept of the Judgement Free Zone and do not cater to bodybuilding or power lifting. We are a non intimidating atmosphere and we work hard to maintain our concept daily.
You will not find cleaner gyms in the area or nicer staff to assist you. We hope we can help you reach your fitness goals.
Please contact us at 217-2999 if you have any questions. If you desire to cancel your membership you must see us in Knightdale to have your membership cancelled. Prepaid members would not have any facility to use if we did not assume those memberships. We are only trying to assist you – the member, and hope you will enjoy our facility enough to stay and make it your home club.
Thank you for your time,
CJ Bouchard
May 11th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Well, I can’t say I am surpised by this turn of events considering the lengthy delays in the opening of this location. We waited nearly 6 months from the time we pre-paid for 2 years until the doors opened.
That said, Planet Fitness is not an option for us, as it does not offer classes, and lacks many of the amenties we are used to in a Gym.
We are planning to fight tooth and nail for a refund pro-rated by the amount we paid vs. the amount of time that Peak was open. Honestly I expect this to be fruitless, but if anyone has any advice or contact information and intends on taking the same route, please post it here. I will be sure to do the same.
Sean White
May 11th, 2009 at 11:44 am
This is a letter I sent to Customerservice@peakfitnessus.com
info@peakfitnessus.com
Customerservice@peakfitnessus.com:
In violation of NC Law the Knightdale Peak Fitness location has closed without
any notice to its members. The Attorney General’s office requires 90 days notice
of any changes in Gym Contracts/Memberships.
We prepaid for a 2 year contract, with a total payment for my wife and I of $644.00.
The gym was open for less than 9 months so we paid a prorated fee of $241.38
The remainder of what we paid and will be reimbursed is $402.62.
From the NC Attorney General Web site, referring SPECIFICALLY to Peak Fitness:
*Cooper’s office has received around 300 complaints about Peak Fitness over the past five years.
*Purchase and maintain appropriate bonds for each health club it operates in North Carolina. Bonds can be used to pay refunds to members if the club shuts down.
*Give advance notice to gym members and the Attorney General’s Office when a health club will be closed or when members will be transferred to another location.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Can you go to both Peak and Planet?
May 12th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
let me get this straight- -I’m a little confused.
Planet fitness has assumed all Peak’s memberships and are willing to let us either opt out of the contract or take their 19.99 or their 10.00 deal? I called ABC financial about the automatic drafts and was told they don’t have information about the gym closing down and cannot help me except for stopping the automatic drafts, issuing coupons, which could make my monthly payments increase by 10 dollars. Confusing I know…
I have two memberships…one is mine and the other one is my husband. I want to cancel his since he never stepped a foot in knightdale’s gym, but i am willing to keep mine for a lesser monthly fee.
Will someone clarify this for me? i’m a little slow sometimes. hehe
May 12th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I just found out that Peak Fitness has not paid it’s employees this week. They were supposed to get paid on Monday and today they are saying it will be Thursday. The reason they are giving is that payroll money got deposited into the wrong account and needed to be transferred…yeah right!
My question is can we still use another Peak Fitness location or do we have to transfer to Planet Fitness? Also with the Planet Fitness expansion will they offer child care eventually?
May 12th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
CJ Bouchard -
Thanks for your input. I am a pre-paid member (2 year contract, starting in Feb of this year, paid up front). I was at the PF location just this morning, and Tom (older gentleman, glasses) was working your desk. He was quite rude about the Peak members coming to his gym, was very stand-offish and generally seemed to be offended that we were being extended the courtesy to work out at PF. He truly seemed to take it personally and even said that “it was a slap in the face to PF and their members.” Tom also informed me that Peak members (those that signed up at the Knightdale location only) only had a TEN DAY temporary period in which we could work out at PF. When I asked him when the 10 day period ended, he couldn’t tell me since he didn’t know, and that it was Peak’s decision to do this somehow. His statements are in stark contrast to what you’ve said here; both how are contracts are being honored and how nice the staff is (I had conversations with Alan last week and he was a great help – TOM, not so much).
I truly wanted to switch to PF after trying it out last week when Peak closed its doors in Knightdale. However, if this is how we will be treated by the in-gym staff, I’m really not so sure, and at this point, I’m so confused and am not sure at all what to believe.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:39 am
All… FYI! I sent an email to customerservice@peakfitnessclubs.com to cancel my membership yesterday 05/12/2009. Because I called the customer service number at (704) 896-5521 and was told that they needed it in writing and could do it over the phone… No response back yet. I will keep you all posted.
P.S. Thinking about joining, but torn between O2 Fitness off of Falls of the Neuse and 540 and Clayton Fitness.. Both are a far enough drive though.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
what has the attorney general’s office said about this matter? i want my money back and i don’t want my account drafted again, for Peak fitness, when it is closed down.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I’ve contact the attorney general’s office. They were completely unhelpful. The person who took my call more or less said they couldn’t get my money back. How is that possible? If Peak violated the terms of their settlement, wouldn’t they have no choice BUT to give our money back?
The people at Planet Fitness were not helpful. Of course Peak Fitness told me they would respond to an e-mail to their Knightdale “hotline” which is a load of crap, because they’re never going to respond.
I’ll call Peak one more time, and after that I’ll try challenging the credit card charge with my credit card company.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Well, I have been having email and phone conversations with PEAK customer service, PEAK hotline, AG office and ABC financial. Honestly, they are all passing the buck and PEAK reps are especially diverting conversations. I truly feel that it would be beneficial if all who are interested file a class action law suit. I have also thought about picketing downtown PEAK to keep new members from joining. I have heard that all PEAK locations will close soon, including downtown, however they continue to sell memberships to this day. I think the more pressure we collective put on, the best results we will get. I do not feel they will respond appropriately to each individual. Obviously they are playing the game well to keep everyone confused and frustrated, and finally, as far away from source of the problem as possible.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
CJ Bouchard from Planet.
As of today 5/13/09 all Peak Fitness Knightdale members are allowed to use the Knightdale Planet Fitness or any Raleigh Planet Fitness locations. You all need to understand we are dealing with Peak Fitness, they are not a responsible group of people. I can tell you they were not supposed to give upgrades to any Peak members to the Metro mambership after the closing of the Knightdale facility and they were supposed to give Planet Fitness Knightdale the computer at the front desk which was located in Knightdale Peak Fitness to check all of you into the club and have all of your information. If you wanted to cancel the Peak contract or stay a member that would have been easier to do if we had the computer. They have not been forthcoming about many things we have agreed upon. Finally, as of today I have confirmation the ABC billing company is sending the final membership disk to my billing company (Twin Oaks Software) which should receive the disk 5/14 and have the information transferred to Planet Fitness Knightdale early next week. I was told by ABC that Peak members will be billed until 5/15 through ABC. Planet Fitness will not receive any of those funds being drafted through ABC billing. If you choose to stay with us as a month to month member your first bill date will be June 17 ( we do our monthly draft on the 17th of each month) If you are a Black card member your $39 annual fee is on June 1st (unfortunately this is company wide for all Planet Fitness locations). Your annual fee does guarantee your rate will not increase. If you are a $10 per month member your first bill date is June 17th with an annual fee on OCT. 1 for $30.
From what I have seen on the Peak contracts most people were getting charged a $25 fee twice a year, we are only once a year. Once my billing company transfers all the files to my Knightdale Planet Fitness computer I will then have the ability to send letters to all of the Peak members and inform you all of the choices you have with us. I will keep you all posted as soon as I know the situation.
As far as our equipment is concerned, we have the latest state of the art Cybex equipment and Life Fitness equipment. We have almost 100 pieces of cardio (more than double what Peak had)and the free weight section is good enough for us to be the official gym for the Mudcats Baseball team. I am sure you can all find enough to do at the club to make it worth your while to use us.
I am expanding the facility another 4,000 square feet and adding another 20 plus cardio machines and some more free weights (not much more). Realize this, we are 16,000 square feet with over 8,000 members and Peak was 45,000 square feet with only 2,300 members. Our model is what most people want to use, they don’t need basketball, group classes or dare I say childcare. I know how hard it is to exercise when you have children, I have a 6 yr old boy and a wife with a full time job. As a Franchise we will never have more programs than what we offer, it works for us and we are really good at it. This is just the way it is, and I hope you all can enjoy our club and utilize it to meet your fitness goals.
I will make sure Tom Scott is handling each situation with kid gloves, he is a man who takes pride in his morning crew and works hard daily to keep the club clean and running well. I am sorry if he offended anyone and I will look into it.
CJ
May 14th, 2009 at 10:36 am
“Our model is what most people want to use, they don’t need basketball, group classes or dare I say childcare. I know how hard it is to exercise when you have children, I have a 6 yr old boy and a wife with a full time job. As a Franchise we will never have more programs than what we offer, it works for us and we are really good at it. This is just the way it is, and I hope you all can enjoy our club and utilize it to meet your fitness goals.”
This seems to be the attitude of everyone I’ve come into contact with from Planet Fitness thus far. Frankly, it’s a big slap in the face. I’m sure your gym is nice, but it’s not what I paid for, and telling people to basically just get over it is a load of crap. I’m glad the mudcats work out in your gym. I also don’t care.
I’ve contested the charges with my credit card company, hopefully something good will come of that.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Planet Fitness may be a good option for beginners or “light” intensity athletes, but it is no where near a comparable gym for those who have been working out for years at a high intensity level. This is exactly what PEAK and their colleagues want people…they want us to lay down and take this garbage and accept or forget the fact that many people were cheated out of their money. I dont know about anyone else, but I dont work hard to be swindled out of my money or to basicly throw it out the window while a few schmucks in Charlotte use it for their enjoyment. I still stand firm that we all need to band together and put alot of heat and pressure under PEAK to REFUND our money. I am not interested in accommodating PEAK or Planet Fitness or any other gym who are basically behaving as bottom feeders to collect more money out of peoples misfortunes. I refuse to give up and I will make a big stink until me and others get our money back. They sold memberships to people who only had a few days to use it. That is morally, ethically and professionally wrong and should not be accepted at all.
May 14th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
niv-
I agree. I want so badly to organize some type of protest down to the Attorney General’s office for a refund!! Although, Peak hasn’t completely shut down, I feel it is nearing and we should try to get our money back before it is too late. In addition, we are being charged until the 15th and haven’t worked out at Peak. How is that fair or legal?? of course, what peak has done is ethically and morally wrong. why isn’t it illegal too?
May 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am
who knows why this is’nt illegal. Corporate theft is what it is. PEAK reports that I am supposed to be receiving my refund in 30 days so I am going to wait and see what happens. If I do not get a refund in that timeframe then I definitely will pursue this further. From reading various sites on the net, this is PEAK’s classic trademark behavior, they open up a gym, collect a HUGE amount of money, then close it down and move clients to another gym OR just close up shop and members lose their money all together. Thats why they had a womens only section, they did the same thing and the female members filed a class action law suit against PEAK. Its all a conmans game, when members ask questions to figure out whats happening and try to get their money back, PEAK reps and these other gyms “act” dumb and lost/confused so we, the members, stay in the dark and confused, and our money stays in their filthy hands and we never see a refund. Which is why I view Planet Fitness and KX fitness (formerly PEAK Clayton) as bottom feeders because they were aware of this and they are now trying to capitalize on it for their own gain. Its all dirty business.
May 15th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
So if I’m reading this correctly, do we (former Peak members) have to call and cancel our memberships if we were paying month to month? I’m just trying to make sure that ABC (or Planet) doesn’t continue or start drafting my acount by saying that there is a nearby gym that I “COULD” be going to. That’s how I ended up at Peak in the first place. Thanks for all the posts and all the information.
May 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
i called my bank today and cancelled my automatic drafts. i hope this doesn’t impact my credit because i signed a contractual agreement. Also, someone from the NC Dept of Justice e-mailed me to let me know that Peak’s lawyers are honoring and handling all cancellations, etc.
May 15th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I received the email from the DOJ today as well. Says that the complaints are being forwarded to Peak’s attorney for action and that we should expect to hear something soon.
Here’s hoping.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
i don’t want to be overly controversial about this since my last post was not passed by the moderator yet, i’m assuming all constitutional rights still apply. However, PEAK reports that I will be getting a refund in 30 days. If that does not occur then I will be going forward with this. I have not received the email from DOJ as of yet. I hope I do, if not, then I will assume they are not operating by a standard method. I will keep everyone informed as I appreciate hearing what you all are being told as well. thanks
May 16th, 2009 at 8:51 am
This is a follow-up to my post on 05/13/2009… After emailing customerservice@peakfitnessclubs.com on the 12th. I received an email from ABC Financial yesterday the 15th stating that my membership will be canceled on 05/16/2009. Although I had another 5 months left on my contract I do not owe anymore money. Also, they drafted my credit card on 05/01 and I did not receive a pro-rated refund for the month of May. See letter below (Note this letter is from ABC Financial not Peak.
ABC received a request for cancellation of your membership agreement. Your account has been placed into a pending
cancellation status per the terms of your membership agreement. Final payments must be received in order to terminate
the account. Additionally, there may be some applicable cancellation or late fees that apply. This letter is to inform you
of your cancellation request.
Agreement Payment: $0.00
Cancellation Fee: $0.00
TOTAL DUE TO CANCEL: $0.00
All coupon payments must be mailed to ABC by the due date.
If there are no amounts listed above, there is no further amount owed and you have access privilege to the club through
the date listed here: 05/16/09
If final payment is not received by due date, the account will remain active and continue to incur
charges until the balance is paid in full. All unpaid balances could be transferred to a collection agency.
If you are scheduled for a dues or fee withdrawal, we will use your current information on file. If you prefer to have the
amounts withdrawn from a specific bank or credit card account other than what ABC has on file or if you would like to
schedule the dues for automatic withdrawal, please contact our office to make final payment arrangements.
You may contact our Member Service Division at 1-888-827-9262 during the following times:
Monday – Friday (7am – 9pm) *Central Standard Time
Thank you,
Member Service Division
ABC Financial Services, Inc.
Dear Member,
Our records indicate that your agreement has been cancelled on 05/16/09. If this is not correct or if you would like to
freeze your agreement, which has many advantages, please contact our Member Service Division at 1-888-827-9262
during the following times: Monday – Thursday (8am – 9pm) or Friday and Saturday (8am – 5pm) *Central Standard Time
Thank you,
Member Service Division
ABC Financial Services, Inc.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Ok! Wife and I joined Lifestyle Family Fitness on Capital Blvd. (In the same shopping center and BJ’s, On The Border, and Mimi’s Cafe, right at 540) on Saturday (www.lff.com)… It’s 42000sqft and really nice. They have just as much equipment as Peak Knightdale did and they have TV’s attached to all cardio equipment. They do not have basketball at this facility but we do have access to the one on Six Forks Road and this facility has a pool and basketball. They have a life center which helps you keep track of heart rate, body weight, body mass, etc..(www.lff.com/LifeCenter.aspx) and can be accessed from home through the net.
It’s a month to month facility which means there is no contract, you can cancel at anytime. Also, they give you a 30 day period that you can cancel you membership and they will refund all of you money if it turns out that you do not like the gym. The membership is more expensive than what we were paying at Peak, but I guess you get what you pay for. For the both of us it’s less than $80.00 per month and this price will never go up, but it can go down. They also give you a $150.00 gift card that can be used for 4 sessions with a training or a boot camp program. I know I am leaving things out, but you go check out the gym yourself.
P.S. The people there are nice and are welcoming all Peak members.
P.S.S. They also have Sauna’s!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I sent a request for cancellation and received and email confirmation. They also claim that a refund will be issued in 30 days. Here is the kicker. I received a phone call from Peak Fitness downtown trying to get me to renew my membership which they thought had expired. This is the fourth such call since I renewed in April. I advised the fellow of this and that since they closed my gym I requested my membership cancelled. He says “oh you were on a list of people whose membership expired and I was just trying to make sure that you were taken care of.” To which I quickly countered “yes I was taken care of until my gym was closed without notice. . . and you all are still selling memberships?” He quickly ended the conversation by assuring to remove me from the list and hung up. I cannot believe that they are still trying to take money from people. They should be ashamed.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I have been going to Planet Fitness since the day Peak shutdown the Knightdale location and I have been very p-leased with Planet Fitness, granted, I am not a huge bodybuilder, but I go the standard 3-4 days a week. They have even let me bring a free guest since I will be getting transferred to the Black Card membership. Today I asked to use the tanning booth, and was informed that they just found out today that Peak is no longer honoring the transition to Planet Fitness and are saying that if you are a prepaid member to Peak, they want you to travel to downtown raleigh or Falls of Nuese location since its within 30 miles. This is outrageous, and Im now too about to contact ABC, but it seems like this may be a lost cause.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I just signed up for a year membership at Planet Fitness, and they are waving the annual fee of $39 for the Peak members who want to transfer, pretty good deal. As far as canceling with Peak, I called and was immediatly hung up on when I said I wanted to cancel. I called back and was told to email customer service to cancel so they could have it in writing. I did this, and then recieved another email stating I then needed to either fax (two different fax numbers) or write a request and mail it in to actually cancel. I faxed both numbers and we’ll see what happens
May 28th, 2009 at 11:31 am
i’ve given planet a chance and I am pleased as well, although i was a little scared because when i began going, the treadmills were always taken and i had to wait several minutes for a free one. however, i found a very nice time to go in the evening when it is down time and have enjoyed it. i am still getting use to the closeness to my neighbor gym-goer. I was a little taken aback a few times when the girl/boy at the desk says, “have you checked in yet?” i’d flash my peak card, and i’d get “oh, you’re from peak.” then, i was pointed towards the sign-in book. yesterday, i officially, transferred my membership to the 10 and for the price, you cannot beat it. I was getting robbed by Peak for 29.99 per month per membership(2) and now i feel so much better. if i want to skip out on a workout, i don’t feel so badly because i know i’m not wasting money. i’m glad Planet was a great option in the town of Knightdale for those who committed on January 1 to take better care of their bodies.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Just for anyone wondering, I contact the DOJ to see if there has been any progress with Peak.
They replied that they have contacted Peak’s attorney, and he has yet to contact them back.
This whole thing is just a mess.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:46 am
i saw on the news this morning that the attorney general has placed a restraining order on peak forbidding them from accepting pre-paid memberships because if they go out of business, they are not bonded to be able to provide refunds. no hope for those of us who were drafted monthly and lost 1/12 months of dues.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Craziest thing happened today, I called Peak to check up on the status of my cancellation (which I submitted in writing 3 different ways nearly 2 weeks ago) and was hung up on… again
June 8th, 2009 at 8:41 am
VICTORY! I pre-payed for a 2 year gym membership back in October of last year. When the gym closed, I e-mailed Peak, the Attorney General, and my credit card company. On Friday, I received a check for the prorated remainder of what I was owed from my membership.
IT CAN BE DONE!
June 8th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Contacted Peak again today after being hung up on twice Friday and finally got to speak to someone. They asked when I sent my cancellation request and I told them about 2 weeks ago. The woman I spoke with said that it hadn’t been touched and she said she would cancel it right now and send me the confirmation to my email and to expect my refund within 30 days, so here’s to wishful thinking!
June 15th, 2009 at 11:22 am
CJ- I went to the Planet Fitness yesterdeay and was told that you are no longer honoring Peak Fitness pre-paid members. What is the the deal?
June 16th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Just to update everyone, I received my refund of 265 out of 424 paid for a 2 yr contract. They just closed Downtown Peak and more to come. It was just a matter of time that things ended like this. I have been a member of Lifestyle Family Fitness since Peak closed and I have to say, I am completely satisfied with the equipment, the business and the staff. Good luck all!
June 18th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Niv, glad you got your money back… My wife and I have been a member of Lifestyle Family Fitness since May 9th we love it too.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:03 am
FYI!
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/07/13/daily2.html?ed=2009-07-13&ana=e_du_pap
July 28th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Well, I am getting the complete run around by Peak and ABC Financial! I requested my refund, filed a complaint with the Dept. of Justice, emailed Peak and called, emailed and called Billie Rouse and still no refund.
I was told at the end of June that my refund was coming and if I hadn’t received it by July 14th to call back. When I called back they said I was not eligible for a refund since they are no longer handling Peak’s claims and that I should be talking to Planet Fitness because they now have control of the memberships…When I called PF, they deny having the memberships since Peak never paid them….
It’s a BIG MESS. I am debating my options…I plan to call Billie Rouse tomorrow and if that doesn’t work, maybe “Five on your Side” or “2 Wants to Know” will be options…Any suggestions?
July 30th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I signed up with Peak at Knighdale before they opened. Started working out in Clayton and signed up with a personal trainer there, before transfering back to Knightdale when they opened. I have been trying to cancel my gym membership and professional fitness contract since the K’dale gym closed. They are still hitting my cards for monthly payments. I am getting the run around by ABC*KX Fitness – they can’t find my contract. No contract but they are stealing my money from my account.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Pat contact the NC Attorney General office and file a complaint. The individual that deals with gym closings is name Billie and her number is 919-716-6016.
I filed a complaint because my membership started the month the gym closed down and I paid in advance for 2 full years and that was over $200 dollars. So I cancelled my account at the Knightdale Peak on May 13th and I was alerted by Peak by email that my refund will be sent out in 30 days, I call them at the 30 day mark and they told me it will be sent after 30 days.
After not receiving anything in two after the 30 day mark I called back on a Wednesday and they told me that I’m on the urgent list and they will send my check out on Monday and of course I never received anything, and that was in mid June. So I continue to try and call back but I was constantly sent to voice mail when my call was next in line to speak to someone and then when I finally go to speak to a person and told them I was calling to discuss my refund they said I had to talk to the refund department and sent me to a voicemail and I left 3 messages and I did not get a call back.
I contacted the Attorney’s General office recently to get the status of my file and I was alerted that peak fitness (it’s in lower case for a reason) is in bankruptcy and they will not be sending me a refund while they are going through the bankruptcy and there was nothing I could do at this point but sit on my hands. They did say they requested the bond from Peak and when they get that money (in my opinion if they get it) they will disperse a prorated refund to the members that should get one. Since my membership started in May and the gym closed in May I’m hoping that if there is such a thing as justice in this country I will get most of my money back. But the individual I talked to did ask if I paid with a credit card, I said yes, and they asked was it Visa or MasterCard and I said it was a Discover. They told me, “Yeah you will have to wait”, so I’m pretty frustrated at this point that this so called company can take my money from my account instantaneously and when I ask for a refund due to cancellation it takes at least 30 days (as they stated initially) that now has turned into almost 90 days.
Good luck Pat and as I said if I were you I would contact the NC Attorney General’s office so they will have this on file for you.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Pat & Cassie – Unfortunately, anyone who has not received a refund by now will not get one . . . at least not anytime in the near future. Fitness Management Group, Inc. (owner of Peak Fitness Knightdale) filed for bankruptcy protection on July 10th, which stopped all refunds.
http://www.peakfitnessclubs.com/fileClaim.html
I signed a prepaid 2-year contract with Peak Fitness Knightdale in Nov. 2008 (5 1/2 months before they closed) & have been trying to get a refund since the beginning of June. When Peak closed in May, I got the same letter everyone else did saying that my membership had been transferred to Planet Fitness. Upon going to Planet Fitness on June 2nd to work out and learning that I had no membership, I immediately called Peak and requested a refund of my prepaid contract. I was initially told by Peak, just like many of you, that I would have to deal with Planet Fitness because my membership had been transferred. The customer service rep at Peak refused to talk to me, even stating that she could not locate my file because all of my information had been transferred. On June 18th, I got a letter from the management at Planet Fitness confirming that I had no membership & filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Dept at the AG’s Office. After Peak received my complaint, they finally acknowledged that the negotiations with Planet Fitness fell through and told me on June 25th that my refund request had been processed and to expect a refund within 30 days. Of course, after 30 days had passed, I had no refund. So I called Peak and was told that all refunds stopped being processed on July 10th when Peak filed for bankruptcy, which obviously meant that the customer service rep who told me that my refund was processed on June 25th was lying.
Needless to say, I am upset that Peak has broken the law, defrauded numerous citizens of Wake County and is apparently getting away with it, at least for now.
I would just advise anyone who has been affected by this mess to take all possible steps to protect your interests by filing a complaint with the Consumer Protection Department of the NC Attorney General’s Office AND filing a complaint as a CREDITOR with the bankruptcy court. Detailed instructions on how to do both are located on the AG’s website at:
http://www.ncdoj.gov/Consumer/Health/Health-Club-Closings/Peak-Fitness-Members.aspx
Good luck to you guys!