Planet Fitness allegedly takes payment from woman without her permission, but she ends up having the last laugh after her post goes viral
Public support is everything
Planet Fitness is having a moment on social media, thanks to multiple customer accounts that, unfortunately, are predominantly unfavorable. In a TikTok video she uploaded in July, which has gone pretty viral, Phebe (@hi_im_phebe) said she decided to cancel her Planet Fitness membership. However, she was told she still owed $42.11.
She said she cleared the balance, but a week later she received another charge from Planet Fitness. She then called her bank and told them not to approve any payments from the merchant. However, a few days later she received another charge from Planet Fitness. Phebe said that when she called the bank, they informed her that Planet Fitness had changed its merchant name to ABC Planet Fitness “so they could take the money again.”
In an update, Phebe said Planet Fitness contacted her and tried to resolve the issue. While her initial interactions with customer support did not go well, she said she received a refund of $111 and then an additional $54 later, which she notes is 6 months’ worth of fees.
In the concluding statement of her video, Phebe thanked people for rallying behind her, which ultimately led to the refund. “So thank you so much for spamming them in the comments. Thank you so much. Seriously, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have had a beautiful sushi dinner with my sister yesterday on them,” she said. She added, “And for 2, what we learned, what you taught me is that if I need to block Planet Fitness or Crunch Fitness, then I also need to have my bank block ABC merchant as well.”
“I literally filed fraud charges”
Many people commented on Phebe’s video, in which she described her complaints against Planet Fitness. Some comments indicated that her experiences were not isolated and that similar things have happened to others.
One user wrote, “I literally filed fraud charges and had to close my card!” Another said, “I closed my damn back account and still got a bill in my email over $300 dollars because they literally kept charging my closed account and it never went through for months. They will never see that!!! Crazy tail selves!!!”
A few others offered suggestions for dealing with the issue. One person provided a step-by-step for the cancellation process, saying, “go to the page to cancel. update your address on your profile to a California address. then cancel membership. I remember these instructions a few years ago. im sorry this has happened. that’s crazy work!” Another stated, “When you cancel gym memberships or any other ones get it in writing and then go to your bank and put stop payments on those merchants via debit card and bank acct.”
A simple Google search reveals that these people’s assertions are true. According to an article by Resubs in March 2026, Planet Fitness memberships cannot be canceled via phone, email, online chat, through the Planet Fitness app, or on their website.
The article notes that cancellations can be done in only two ways. One is to submit a cancellation form at your home club. The other is to mail a cancellation letter to your home club via USPS Certified Mail if you can’t visit in person.
Both options seem tedious and don’t guarantee the job will be done, as Phebe’s case shows. She followed the rules and canceled her gym membership, which we can assume was her home gym, but it still wasn’t canceled. With numerous complaints, including lawsuits, Planet Fitness should take immediate action to address these issues.
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