Boycott Gyms Using ABC Financial Billing Services

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  deanna briggs started this discussion on Jul 8, 2008

  ABC Financial continues to auto-charge gym-goers after their membership or contract is up at their gym unless they make a request to end the membership via certified mail and pay several additional monthly fees which ABC Financial auto-charges in the meantime.

  Right, this must be in the contract in 8-point font. Ending a relationship with my local gym should not be this exasperating. But it is. Apparently, unless you pay the fees they have charged you after your one or two year contract is up, they will continue to charge you on a monthly basis.

  The gyms are their primary customer, but aren’t you, the gym-goer, a secondary customer? Yet, they don’t care about you.
  http://www.abcfinancial.com/home/abc_hmf.asp
  Their mission is “to collect the most money from the most members, every day.”

  They’ll keep doing this unless you stop joining gyms that use ABC Financial services for billing. ABC Financial will not achieve their mission if you refuse to feed them your money. Only you, the consumer, can be the roadblock here. End your membership now if your gym uses ABC Financial for billing services.

  A quick Google search will turn up plentiful results about how ABC Financial is scamming people, see
  http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/310/RipOff0310208.htm

  
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  Eric Pierce replied on Nov 20, 2008

  You’re entirely correct about the business model of ABC Financial. However, this is the norm rather than the exception with chain or franchised gym memberships, regardless of the billing contractor. You are also right in placing the pressure on the gym management. But it is not ABC specifically but rather out of state, hard to contact financial services companies that are the problem.
  I support a campaign to end this practice. However, I still need exercise now. What I did when I joined Gold’s in Seattle was to give my Visa debit card number instead of a check. I NEVER allow EFT on my checking account. Then, after the first month, I changed my card (my bank doesn’t charge to reissue a debit card with a new number). I also set up recurring online bill paying about a week before the auto-draught would normally come through. It has worked like a charm for over two years. All of those extra fees have been waived when I called ABC and demanded they produce a copy of a contract I signed authorizing such fees. They rely on taking the money first and then asking you to prove you didn’t sign such a contract. They are not set up to prove an affirmative claim that you did. Most people give up on that $25 because it isn’t worth the trouble. Well, when the ball is in their court, it isn’t worth their trouble either.

  
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  J.Kris Helf replied on Dec 12, 2008

  Golds Gym and ABC Financial how do they sleep at night? I know they have no problem eating well with all the money they steal from their unsuspecting customers. I hope these snakes and their business model go down in flames. Boycott hell yes! I cant begin to express the level of anger I have towards them. Whatever happened to treating a customer with some simple common respect and dignity. Not just some ‘dupe’ who can be had for all he’s worth, or at least what the ‘contract’ allows to be extracted. Shame on you Golds and ABC Financial.

  
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  Anonymous replied on Jun 13, 2009

  NEWS FLASH PEOPLE,ABC DOES NOT COME UP WITH
  THE CONTRACTS THAT YOU SIGN, THE GYM DOES!!
  IF YOU’RE DUMB ENOUGH TO SIGN SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVEN’T READ THEN YOU DESERVE WHATEVER YOU’RE GETTING!! THEY ARE ONLY THE BILLING COMPANY WHICH MEANS THEY DO WHATEVER THEIR CLIENTS WANT, WHICH ARE THE HEALTH CLUBS!!!

  
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  Kimberly Collins replied on Nov 5, 2009

  I can hardly wait to see the reaction from the FTC and my elected government officials to "Mr./Ms Anonymous’ " comment regarding the working general public.
  It only validates my official submitted complaint of ABC’s criminal business tatics.

  
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  Kimberly Collins replied on Nov 5, 2009

  What Mr. Anonymous neglected to tell us, is that “ABC” solicits their clients by offering them an agreement to collect, say 10 cents on the dollar. After that contract is signed, Golds Gym has nothing to say or do with “how ABC collects fees”.
  My manager has nothing to do with the fee process. He gave me ABC’s contact info, to handle any questions.

  
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  Kimberly Collins replied on Nov 5, 2009

  CC:
  FTC (Federal Trade Commission)
  BBB (Better Business Bureau)
  Eva Galambos, Mayor of Sandy Springs (Elected Official in our Community)
  John McDonough, City Manager of Sandy Springs (Business License Renewals)

  http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/boycott-gyms-using-abc-financial-billing-services/discussion/topics/720?post_id=27472#discussion::posts-27472

  Jim Bottin, CEO of ABC Financial, Owned by EMC Financial, who also makes contributions to senatorial candidates under EMC, ABC and Jim Bottin Enterprises for thousands of dollars.

  Paul Schaller, President of ABC Financial, Owned by EMC Financial

  The original request has been resubmitted at least 3 times. Each of my emails to you were sent including the original request/email. I have saved each resubmitted email in the original form. EVERY TIME YOU RESPONDED WITH THE SAME TACTIC, I REPLIED WITH ALL OF THE ORIGINAL REQUESTS!

  If you will please refer to those emails and this time review them carefully from top to bottom,with your legal department, you will see the original request.
  These are games of semantics and I am tired of being, pardon my French, screwed around with.

  I am very familiar with the legal processes involved with collections! I work for attorneys. I am also closely related to the President, CEO and CFO of the 2nd largest collection agency in the US, headquartered here in Atlanta. It is this in house counsel I have consulted with to be sure of my rights and to substantiate that you and your company are in violation of state and federal law.

  I am now requesting that you forward this and ALL my correspondences to “Your Supervisor”.
  Inform she/he that I am now forwarding all documentation of my my attempts to follow your requests to the Georgia BBB ,the FTC, and my elected officials. They then can educate you on how you have violated the Laws protecting my rights, and the rules and procedures of business practices you are violating as we speak, established in the State of Georgia.

  And make no mistake, just because this contract between you and Golds Gym of Sandy Springs, is handled out of your Arizona office, does not mean you are exempt from laws protecting consumers in the State of Georgia.
  All Collection Agencies have offices in Arizona because their laws are more favorable to crooks such as yourselves.
  This nonsense of you "not being able to find my name for the last 4 months, which has been provided to you by not only me (3 or 4 times), but also by your client (Gold’s Gym), from whom your company obviously has a contract with which enabled you to send me threatening letters in the mail! Do you think that the working general public is stupid?

  Go back to your database, ask your Production Manager to show you where he/she got my mailing address, and I bet you “your job” that you will also find my account/ID#, and anything else you keep using as an excuse to delay termination “in your mind”!
  Ask your Legal Department, because believe me, I already have asked our in-house counsel, and they will explain to you how difficult it will be to convince a judge, that you couldn’t terminate as per my original request, based on the fact that you could not “Locate my information in your database!???”

  However; you were able to send me numerous threatening letters, simultaneously to my current and correct address.

  This tactic, and that is exactly what this is, is illegal. This is my last attempt to try and handle this without involving the State Agencies afore mentioned.

  Kimberly Collins

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  Subject: 9999-99999
  Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:46:39 -0600
  From: memberservices@abcfinancial.com
  To: kimmy1026@live.com
  CC: docuware@abcfinancial.com

  
  

  Kimberly –

  We were unable to locate your account in our billing system. Please resend your original request along with your full name, primary phone number, address, and/or 9 digit agreement number.

  Meagan Kunert

  CS Offline Processor

  ABC Financial Services, Inc.

  P.O. Box 6800

  Sherwood, AR 72124

  fax :: 501.992.0802

  toll free :: 888.827.9262

  email :: memberservices@abcfinancial.com

  Visit www.abcfinancial.com to make changes to your account at your convenience!