you are my sunshine, but not my only sunshine

So I got my iPod my sister got me by overnight delivery today. I am beyond thrilled. I have never had an iPod before. I had a nano but apparently they don't take well to spin cycles. It was my one ray of sunshine in a day that shall forever go down in my list of businesses to never frequent, ever again.

I checked my bank account online to find that my gym has continued to charge me for a membership that should be over at this point, which is something I wasn't prepared for so I received an overdraft notice. So I call them up and lo and behold, they continue to charge you after your six months unless you come and cancel. I am sorry but what is the point of a "six month" membership then? So I called them and I went in and talked to them but they refused to give me a refund. I was so angry when I was signing the cancellation sheet that it looked like a Muppet printed and signed my name.

So what is one to do who is horrible at confrontation? I wrote two strongly worded letters. I wrote the fitness club an email and mailed a letter to the owner expressing my disgust at their failure to make their "cancellation" policy more clear. The college kid at the front desk was so nice too and I explained that I knew it wasn't his fault but I was still livid. The manager or whoever just gave them directions as to what to tell me and didn't even come out to discuss the problem with me.

And here's my letter that I wrote, with a sentence contributed by my sister (the one that sounds the most lawyerish):

Dear -- ,

I signed on for a six-month membership with your gym at the end of December of 2006. I truly enjoyed visiting your gym as your staff is wonderful. They always greet you when you come in and are willing to answer all of your questions. As I assumed my membership expired in June, since that would be six months later, I did not believe that I would be charged for any more membership dues.

However, today I checked my online banking and saw that there was an overdraft statement on my checking account. I came to realize that your business had charged me for a month that I was not aware I would be charged for. When I called and came into your gym, they explained that if a member does not come in to cancel their membership after the six months is up, they continue to charge that member on a month-to-month basis and were told to refuse to refund my $41.00. This is not something that I was made aware of when I signed up to use your gym. It may have been in fine print on your contract but it was never relayed to me by the young man who signed me up. I understand that your business model necessitates the usage of these contracts; however, I feel that this clause in your contract should be pointed out to new members. I did not sign up for a "six month membership and a couple more." Also, if you will check your records, I have not attended your gym for the past few months since summer began and the weather improved, so there is no reason I should be charged for something I am not using. During my membership at your gym, I even talked a friend into joining, putting another $246.00 in your business' pocket.

Like I stated before, I have always had nothing but kind words for your gym. Working out at your facilities helped me to lose 25 lbs. At this point, if my money is not refunded to my account, I will change my mind. Although your workers and facilities are excellent, your policies are unacceptable and unclear. As a lifelong resident of Eau Claire, I will never recommend your gym to my friends who are all in their twenties, an age group that is a significant clientele of any fitness club. I recently graduated from college with thousands of dollars in student loans so money is not something I tend to throw around and waste on unused gym memberships.

Thank you and I look forward to your response.