Does Anyone Go Tanning???

Must be Tan N' Tone Membership! She can get a note from her doctor. Two of my friends have done that. One because she got pregnant and the other because she found out she had a family history of skin cancer and their doctors wrote both of them notes to TnT saying that they had medical reasons to be let out of their contracts.

i would get the contract, read it word for word. stop the draft payment and talk to an attorney if need be. how long is the membership for? sounds like it should be almost up. of course they don't want her to get out of the contract, those tanning places are horrible. there should be a buyout clause of some kind. hopefully someone else can use it or she can just stop payment.

It's been about 7 years since I had my tanning membership but I got out of it by going to the doctor about a "suspicious" mole. I told the doctor that I was worried about some spots I had. When the doctor told me that they were fine I asked him "what to look for" and he gave me the lecture about tanning and wearing sunscreen, etc. So, I asked him if he would right me a note to take the the tanning salon to get me out of my contract. He did. He just wrote that due to some suspicious spots that he recommended no more tanning. It worked and I got out of my contract. I can't remember the name of the tanning salon but it's a big chain one so it might work for her. Good luck! I hate those stupid contracts they talk you into.

Where is the membership I might know someone

I don't know how exactly she could get out of that contract...I have a friend in a similar situation with the same place. Maybe she could see about having her membership suspended for a period of time until she can get her bills straightened out or until she comes up with another solution to get out of the contract.

I tan, but I get it at my gym and I pay quite a bit less for our family membership. It sounds like your friend got "took". You may also want to look around your network of friends to see if you might be able to find an attorney who could help her out.

Report them to the better business bureau and find out what the terms of the contract really are. If it's being taken out on a debit card, just report that card as stolen and get a new one...then they won't be able to charge her directly. And dispute it...talk to management and keep bugging them. There has to be a way out on something like that...Its just bad practice if there isn't

Morning A., I had the same problem a year ago.... Depending on the length of the contract, who the company is, the fine print & "documentation" is the key.
*Call the Better Business Bureau & check out the company.
*Read "all" the "fine print" on the contract.
*How long is the contract for, exact dates?
*Does she sign in or does she show a member card w/# they check when she enters; this is to back up how many times she has used the facility, if they keep any records.
*Call the "manager" explain (in detail)that she can't aford it & ask if they can find someone to take over the remainder of her membership; maybe even someone who is already a member whose membership is coming to an end or the next person that calls in for a membership?
*If the manager doesn't budge, find out who the owner/corporation is, call as many times as needed & write
a letter with documentation of who she has spoken with, what dates & what was said.
*If no results in 30 to 60 days she may need to seek "free" legal advise. Or call a local TV station and give them documentation.... some companies don't like that type of advertisement. :)
Tell her to be as polite & pitiful as possible, because it may get nasty.
Thankfully the comany I delt with was understanding and I didn't have to do much. I did have all documentation of everything I mentioned above, before I made any calls
Good Luck & God Bless!
CarolC

I know that this is a VERY old question but you did say that your friend has/had a "contract". Hopefully she did not default on that, because it can ruin her credit. The tanning salon also has a right if she does default to take her to small claims court, and win. Chances are at the time of your writing (since you said that she had had her contract for 2 years) she had fulfilled her contract and she could have cancelled. I don't know of any contract that is over a 2 year time frame. Did/Does she have a copy of the contract that she signed?

She could always change banks and deal with them later if they come after her for the money.

Contracts are funny things. Well, not really, but when one signs one, they are literally signing away their rights so to speak in a way that can turn into a nightmare, esp. if the customer is not happy w/the services, etc. Your friend should call someone and get advice of what she can do and what her rights are. If she knows anyone who practices law, or here's an idea, call and ask another tan place for instance, and maybe they have a suggestion. She doesn't have to tell them anything she doesn't want to. I know there has been a time or two that my husband and I were in a contract situation be it, television or other and there is no getting around or out I should say, of the contract it seems. I do however believe that the company which you are referring to, can do something about it. It's like the whole economic situation going on right now, folks go out and get homes b/c at the time it looks/sounds/feels good, but when it all comes down to it really, they cannot afford it. Some folks, not all. And they have to succumb to the pressures. That is not always the pretty or right answer. But it alleviates both parties no matter how aggravating the process is. I would suggest she talk to someone and find out more information. Worst case scenario, unless she gave them her title to her house/car, etc, she can't lose anything if she refuses to pay. It will of course prob. affect her credit for a time being. Best of Luck.

Hello just read your question....I had the same thing happen to me and I got a doctors excuse and got out of my contract. I asked my doctor if my low blood pressure was a good reason and he said sure. They have to let you out of it if your doctor says. I'm sure she can find something wrong to get out of it. GOOD LUCK!!

I can't tan either. I burn, peal, and go white again. On the good side we won't have as many wrinkles & we have a lower risk of skin cancer!

Sadly, I can't help her get out of the contract. I had to accept a nasty loss with Cory Everson Fitness - having paid in advance for a full year, then only used it for 3 months before they suddenly moved out of my commute route... but just barely close enough that I couldn't get a prorated refund on my $. They didn't tell me they were closing my location when she sold me the contract even though I mentioned the reason I chose that fitness center over the other nearby ones was the proximity to home (w/i a mile).

I also bought a membership to a fitness center because they required family membership to open enrollment into Swim Lessons for my child. By the end of the year she had used her membership maybe a half dozen times to access the play room while my husband and I walked the track. She was never able to get the swim class because they gave preference to those who were already enrolled before accepting new applicants. The old students didn't have to graduate to the next level and make room for new kids.

I have bought memberships at a few places and been disappointed in most of them. Some places get dominated by these muscle heads... I just can't get comfortable around them. I don't like the trendy places with the exorbitant priced drinks and Jock-Spa atmosphere. I don't like the "your fat, I'm fat, it's OK we'll be fat together" emotional places either. The biggest peeve are places where the staff only care about you when you are a prospective client and once signed on you are just a no-name-newb in the way.

Until just recently the best location I had found to work out was the local community recreation center. They offer more than just fitness; like classes, support/motivation challenges, community events, team sports, etc. I have even participated in a garage sale there. Unfortunatly, the price went up and it is no longer cost effective in my location. :(

I quit working out till recently when I joined "Planet Fitness" on the recommendation of a good friend. She has the membership with tanning privaledges ($20/mo) and I have the basic package ($10/mo). There is a small processing fee & annual renewal fee. (I think it was like 25 this time and 20 next yr.) They do an automatic withdrawl but I can stop at any time w/o penalty. I have used the personal trainer (part of the package) about 1/2 the time and am *finally* getting results. Note: they do not provide any form of child care; the place seems geared towards professionals on a tight schedual.

I know it is hard to get the time (and energy) to work out when you have small children but it is worth it. Hand the kids off to your husband 2-3 evenings a week and take an hour for your own sanity.

Seek legal aide in your county. IT's FREE. And explain the circumstances. They should be able to get her out of it.

What are the terms of the contract? If she cancels it is there a fee? If the fee is cheaper than paying for the rest of the length of the contract it might be better just to get hit with the fee. It seems odd that after 2 years she can't quit or cancel.
You could always put an ad in the paper and on Craig's List and try to sell it. She might have to end up selling it for a little less to get someone to buy it, like at $50 a month. But in the long run paying $120 for the year to get someone to take it, is better than paying the company $720 for the year.

I wish I lived in your area cuz I would buy the membership from her cuz I was thinking about getting started with tanning.

I got into a membership with At The Beach at the beginning of this year also and when we actually did move they wouldn't stop charging me until I could provide them with a utility bill in my new address and a new state id. We were staying in corporate housing and weren't paying for utilities so I had to pay for 6 months of tanning when I was miles away from the nearest place!! I think something should be done about this place of business. I understand a contract is a contract, but there should be a cancellation fee or something! Sorry I can't take over the membership myself but I needed to rant.

How long does this contract go for??

If she can't get anyone else to take it over, maybe she could share it 50/50 so she pays only $30/month.

L.

She needs to contact her bank and have them stop the automatic payments. She then needs to contact the Better Business Bureau and the local Chamber of Commerce and let them know that this business is holding customers hostage. She could also notify the state's Attorney General's Office.

If worse comes to worse she can simply close her current bank account and open another one that they cannot get to.

To be honest defaulting on a Tanning Salon is not going to ruin her credit history ~ especially if this company has a history of this.

Doesn't say what area you are in, but in Little Rock and the surrounding area there is "7 on your Side" from the local TV station that is very good about helping people with disreputable business who prey on people like that. They are extremely good at helping because businesses with especially shady practices don't like the bad advertizement they get from having the way they do business broadcast on TV in the area where they practice their shady dealings.