Planet Fitness was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over its membership cancellation. According to the report, during the pandemic the reporter and their spouse noticed monthly charges continuing on their credit card statements. When they tried to cancel on the Planet Fitness website, there was no way to do so online; calling the gym, they were told they had to submit a notarised letter before their request would be considered.
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Planet Fitness: Required notarized letter to cancel membership
“During the height of pandemic (last year) my wife and I were on lockdown. We noticed on our credit card statements that Planet Fitness continued to collect their monthly charge. We attempted to cancel our membership by going to the Planet Fitness website only to find there was no way to cancel online. I had to call my gym only to be told I had to submit a notarized letter before they would entertain my request. Needless to say, we are no longer interested in becoming members.”
Disclaimer: examples in the Hall of Shame are generally drawn from public submissions and cited sources; they have not been independently verified and may contain inaccuracies. They are presented as illustrations of design patterns, not findings of fact, unlawful conduct, or intent.