Ohio man forced to cancel credit card after unable to cancel gym membership

Doug Mattison, a 59-year-old Ohio resident, found himself forced to cancel his credit card after struggling to cancel his gym membership. Mattison signed up for a gym with no binding contract, assuming it would be easy to leave when needed. However, when he could no longer afford the membership, his attempts to cancel online were unsuccessful as the gym did not offer an online cancellation option.

Mattison explained that when he visited the gym in person, staff informed him they were unable to stop the membership payments and referred him to the gym's parent company. "They’re still charging my account," Mattison said. After several unsuccessful attempts to cancel over the phone and online, he reached out to his bank for help. The bank advised him to cancel his credit card, citing similar experiences from other customers. "The bank even said they see this happening a lot," Mattison added.

It took three months for Mattison to free himself from the membership charges. He described the experience as "the worst I’ve ever had with any type of membership." His situation is not unique, as many companies have increasingly adopted tactics known as "dark patterns" to make cancellations difficult for consumers.

A 2022 survey by C+R Research found that consumers spent an average of $219 a month on subscriptions, far more than the $86 they initially estimated. Additionally, 42% of respondents admitted they had forgotten about subscriptions they no longer used.