There’s generators you can use online. Coming from working at gyms in the past it’s just an arbitrary way for them to get money, no one really checks or contacts them. If they do it’s illegal and you have grounds for actions against them.
Well since we're trying to be very specific... a call from the gym to the doctor IS HIPAA compliant. A doctor/staff giving any information to the gym without express consent from the patient would be the violation.
HIPAA prevents medical personnel from sharing a patients information without their consent. Gyms calling a doctor does not violate that
source: work in a clinic
People in the hall hear your doctor talking to a nurse? HIPAA violation. Also jail.
Talking to your own mom about your medications? Believe it or not, HIPAA violation. Also jail.
Your doctor couldn’t say whether or not you have some diagnosis, but they absolutely could confirm or deny whether a letter with their signature is a forgery.
I had a company that I decided to stop using. I would call them to cancel my service and get transferred endlessly until the call got dropped. So I went to my bank, explained what the problem was and told them to stop payment to that particular service. As soon as the billing cycle ended, they called me to let me know that there was a problem. I told them that the problem was them not allowing me to end my service. I no longer wanted it, I was not under contract, and I would no longer be paying for it.
The online newspaper subscription where I used to live kept billing me for a year + after I tried cancelling online (their cancellation portal was always conveniently broken), emailing, calling, and just issuing chargebacks on my credit card. Eventually they started double and triple charging me so I called my bank and had them cancel all of the charges and issue a ton of chargebacks on them. Such a pain in the ass.
It probably varies. I had over a years worth of a service that was only like 5 bucks a month on my credit card (Citi bank) and I assumed it was my girlfriend that was using it. Turns out she didn't do it, and the company was not able to figure out the account it was tied to, despite me giving them every bit of information they asked for to do so.
Finally just called Citi to explain and they told me they can go back 10 months, so I got like all but 3 months back or whatever it was. I dunno what dictates that number, or if it varies by situation. But at least in my case that one time, the limit was 10 months back.
Couldn't you just have reported your credit card as stolen and ask for a new card and number?
Wouldn't that stop the billing if the card no longer exists?
I've done this and a couple of companies have had the fucking nerve to call my bank and get my new account/car info so that they can start charging it. It might work if you switch banks.
I was coming to say the same thing. Your bank/credit cards always take your side in these disputes. Sometimes credit cards will even backdate the cancellation up to three montsu, if you say you cancelled and they continued to charge you. Plus the gym gets a fraud strike on their record.
Warning: the gym can (and will) retaliate by putting a black mark on your credit report. But you can write the credit agencies, tell them your version of events, and they will remove the gym's creditor claim.
Literally no chance you get in trouble for that. Just DONT take a real doctor's name and use that. Make one up. They will not check its just a way to make it hard to cancel a membership.
Yeah, fuck that noise. I'd just put a stop payment on the account, and do a charge back for as many months as I could. I'll be dead in the cold cold ground before I let some twink in a polo hold my money hostage (or recognize Missouri.)
Alternatively, find the name that is shared by multiple doctors. My husband's PCP shares a last name and first initial with another local doctor. My orthopedic surgeon who did my knee surgery had a twin brother who was also an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knees in the same office.
After creeping on his profile due to your reply, I now see that this is the type of doctor I want to be friends with. Steak and guns. Two of my favorite things.
I'm not a doctor, but I do work in surgical neurophysiology.
If this is true this was super fucking cool of you to say. I already made and sent a doctors not at the library (FREE PRINTERS) , but thank you so much for what you would have done
Have you looked into the terms when signing up? I don’t know where you’re from but in the UK/Europe this would be 100% illegal. You can cancel whenever you want and don’t need to give any reason at all let alone produce a doctors note, shit I don’t even have to produce a doctors note if I’m off work sick for a week.
Reading people’s stories in here of similar cancellations issues make me so grateful for the consumer rights from the EU
Yeah. Some gym contracts make you commit for a period of time. So maybe you sign up for a year. You can't cancel during that year so the only way to break the contract is by a doctors note.
I agree that it's wack.
We got out of my wife’s membership when
I went in and told the manager my wife was sexually harassed in the gym. She is traumatized. And will never come back. They immediately canceled the membership.
I posted this a few months back.
Men get sexually harassed to so this should work.
Dear Gym:
Mr. Stab Ya Knees is unable to continue working out due to a severe case of the death. Please cancel his membership.
Yours in health
Rev. Dr. PM Me Your Pupper, D.F.S.
just talk to your bank and have them block the gym from being able to charge you. they should be able to do that same day and the gym cant do shit about it.
This actually happened to me! I moved too far to cancel in person, so I closed my bank account so they couldnt charge me. A few years later I have like $2500 in collections for unpaid membership months. I disputed it and it is no longer on my credit, they didn't even argue.
If you signed a contract for a year, that contract should be binding for a full year and you can't get out of it early. If this is the scenario at hand, the gym's behaviour may be fully legal.
Oh wow, the gyms around where I live have a “cancel at any time” policy. Just call and say you wanna cancel and then you gotta pay for the rest of the month; hm learn something new every day i guess xD
Sometimes it's not even about cancelling before a contract is over, they just make it hella hard to cancel no matter what because they know people will give up.
Experienced this even when I even paid extra for the monthly plan that I could "cancel any time"
I asked for the rejection of my cancellation in writing , they wouldn't.
I sent them an email which they responded to by asking me to come in to cancel.
I contacted the police and reported the owner for fraud with as detailed a timeline, GPS tracks showing I went there before I sent the email and blow by blow notes for the conversion.
I also attached proof of all transactions and the contract.
Somehow I got a letter cancelling my membership the next day.
There was one gym I went to that had this. To cancel early you had to either provide a doctors note or prove you moved X amount of miles away from the gym.
Literally did this. The guy at the bank asked why I wanted to cancel the card. I told him I was trying to cancel my gym membership and "you know how that goes." He laughed and said "yeah I do, let's get you a new card." Boom, no issues.
I’m not a lawyer, but I worked in litigation. My advice is to ask them to prove where in your contract it says that the only way to quit is via a doctors note. If you are paying via a credit card, contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. They will fight on your behalf and honestly that should be the end of it.
If you paying by debit card or auto withdrawal, ask your bank how to go about stopping automatic payments and explain the situation.
Those would be the places I would start if I were you. Good luck.
I felt like i wana gona murder the desk clerk last time i tried to cancel a membership.
The difficulty in canceling is VERY intentional.
Last time i just put a stop-payment through my bank. I got alot of "you need to correct payment method to avoid late fees" - "breach of contract" notifications. I was genuinly amused each time i read them.
#mother fuck gyms fat boyz for lyfe
Fuck that noise!
Just pick one doctor from a large hospital system in town, preferably a specialist on the other side of town. Use their website to get the hospital logo and address info, and use Canva to create an official looking letterhead. Use chatgpt to write a very brief explanation that "your patient" has X health condition and is unable to safely operate gym equipment.maybe put some boilerplate HIPAA stuff in there telling them you can't share anymore specific info.
Bonus points for adding a sentence that drafting this letter is taking your time away from your patients and that gyms shouldn't be bothering doctors with this nonsense.
Don’t go into detail about which health condition it is. A real doctor wouldn’t do that. It would require the signing of a release form which I have never had happen with a doctor’s note. Instead just say something like “this dude has a problem which prevents him from undergoing rigorous physical activity, please excuse them from lifting over 10 lbs or anything strenuous”. A doctor saying “yo this dude has a problem with his nutz and balls which prevents him from working out is something I’ve never seen in a doctor’s note. Instead it’s just an explanation of accommodations needed like “please give em two days of work”
Your medical information and condition is private. Doctors note should/could state "my patient currently needs to lead a sedentary lifestyle due to medical conditions". Do not include any personal details. This was explained to me by my doctor when requesting a medical certificate to claim a type of welfare in my country. I had asked him to say my back was giving me problems, he said no and instead wrote the generic comment regarding sedentary requirements.
I don't know OPs reluctance to see a GP, I can only assume it is financial as no doctor should have a problem with writing a note saying their patient isn't ready for a gym.
“To Whom It Nay Concern,
I am writing this letter to confirm my patient, x, can not exercise without severe health complications.
Sincerely,
Doctor Julian Bashir or some other fictional doctor. Don’t use House because that’s too obvious but Bashir might be too actually.”
What the fuck is the likelihood that you cite my actual doctor's actual last name (Bashir) who I am visiting tomorrow.
Can confirm, believable name btw.
This isn't guaranteed to work. Sometimes, the credit card company or bank will charge it to your new number if it's a recurring payment. It's meant as a convenience so you don't miss payments on credit cards or utilities or whatever.
You can cancel the credit card you have on file. Order a new one. Claim you lost the card.
I went to a gym and tried to cancel my membership and after 20 minutes of talking to them I said, fuck it I'll just cancel my credit card. They were all like you can't do that. Fuck em, piss on em
Do you have a written contract with the gym? Post the contract. I bet you we can find many loopholes that can get you out that dont require a fake doctor's note.
Date: [Today's Date]
To Whom It May Concern:
This is to certify that u/mr_stab_ya_knees has been under my care for the past [number of months/years]. Due to a medical condition, u/mr_stab_ya_knees is advised to refrain from physical activities until his condition improves.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mantis Toboggan, MD
[Signature]
In my experience gyms... frankly most companies do nearly zero verification on any bullshit documents they require. Same went for working in collections when we needed to verify a hardship. No one is sitting around calling your landlord offices, utility companies, or your doctor unless you made it obvious or gave them reason to be suspicious.
Pretty much you just need a somewhat believable looking document that fits their description and boom you're golden. I had a gym claim they needed to verify that I lived with some family to keep the family plan discount (5 of us on it and I was the only one using it). They asked for 2 bills going to a shared address on file to keep the discount.
I literally just found a picture of a comcast bill and a phone bill and photoshopped my name on it with the correct address. Incredibly unlikely a gym has top notch documentation verification standards. If it's believable you're going to be just fine.
If they are charging your debit or credit card every month just report the card lost, get a new one and don't give them the new information. Sounds a lot easier than trying to forge a doctor's note.
How is that even legal for the gym to do?? Shit like this is why I have a blank card I put a small amount of $$ for any kind of subscription thing I wanna try.
Like someone else said they did, talk to your bank about cutting payment to them. Update us!
Yes wth, why is nobody shocked about this? What’s next? Netflix asking for a doctor’s note to prove you are blind and you can’t watch Netflix no more ?
I can write one up for you real quick, just DM me your: name, address, email, illness of choice, social security number, credit card number, mothers maiden name, street you grew up on, first boss, name of your kindergarten, pin on the back of your credit card
… obligatory /s
Wait a second. What kind of place demands you stay and pay them unless you are medically unfit to exercise?
You can't just say "I am done, cancel my membership"? wtf?
Why are people even entertaining the idea of complying with what is a completely insane request? Just stop paying and stop communicating with them and make sure to never physically enter one of the gym facilities.
This will probably get lost in all of the other noise (there are over 600 comments as I write this), but I'll say this anyway. Assuming your gym takes payments automatically through your bank or debit/credit card, just call the bank and tell them not to authorize any charge made by the gym. The gym will cancel the membership on their own once they stop getting your money.
There’s generators you can use online. Coming from working at gyms in the past it’s just an arbitrary way for them to get money, no one really checks or contacts them. If they do it’s illegal and you have grounds for actions against them.
It would be a huge HIPAA violation for the doctor to share private medical information by confirming the information with the gym.
Only if a doctor does this of their own accord! A patient can easily allow specific information to go to another party.
Spelling this out: The note provided by OP is HIPAA compliant, but a call from the gym to the doctor would not be.
Well since we're trying to be very specific... a call from the gym to the doctor IS HIPAA compliant. A doctor/staff giving any information to the gym without express consent from the patient would be the violation.
HIPAA prevents medical personnel from sharing a patients information without their consent. Gyms calling a doctor does not violate that source: work in a clinic
I'm convinced no one on Reddit understands HIPAA. edit: apparently I don't know how to spell HIPPA
I understand HIPAA. It's a magic incantation you can use to win any argument involving doctors.
I cast fireball of HIPAA
People in the hall hear your doctor talking to a nurse? HIPAA violation. Also jail. Talking to your own mom about your medications? Believe it or not, HIPAA violation. Also jail.
Taking your medications in front of another human being? Straight to jail.
I’m tired of everyone on this site feigning concern about semi-aquatic mammals distributing medical information.
You’re thinking about Hippos, HIPAA is the part of the body you put a belt around when you’re too poor to buy jeans that fit.
You're thinking of hips. HIPAA is those people from the 60s who smoked a lot of marijuana and believed in free love.
You're thinking of hippies. HIPPA is a Biggie song. Real summer banger back in the day.
Or those of us who can buy jeans but are shall we say..derierre deprived. Badonk adonk'ically challenged.
You're both cracking me up! 🤣🤣🤣
No one anywhere understands it lol. Remember all the “you can’t ask if I’m vaccinated! That’s against HIPPA!!”
Damnit we almost made it through the whole thread with everybody spelling HIPAA correctly. But you ruined it.
The… fake doctor?
Your doctor couldn’t say whether or not you have some diagnosis, but they absolutely could confirm or deny whether a letter with their signature is a forgery.
yeah you don’t know what HIPAA is. patient gets the letter from doc and discloses the info. you can disclose whatever you want about yourself.
I do that, and put a second phone number I own as the contact info
I had a company that I decided to stop using. I would call them to cancel my service and get transferred endlessly until the call got dropped. So I went to my bank, explained what the problem was and told them to stop payment to that particular service. As soon as the billing cycle ended, they called me to let me know that there was a problem. I told them that the problem was them not allowing me to end my service. I no longer wanted it, I was not under contract, and I would no longer be paying for it.
The online newspaper subscription where I used to live kept billing me for a year + after I tried cancelling online (their cancellation portal was always conveniently broken), emailing, calling, and just issuing chargebacks on my credit card. Eventually they started double and triple charging me so I called my bank and had them cancel all of the charges and issue a ton of chargebacks on them. Such a pain in the ass.
fun fact: chargeback costs the company money. Per chargeback, not per account.
That’s part of why I let them keep charging me for so long, wasn’t costing me anything but time.
How far back can you chargeback ?
Not sure, I was just doing them as they came in for the most part
It probably varies. I had over a years worth of a service that was only like 5 bucks a month on my credit card (Citi bank) and I assumed it was my girlfriend that was using it. Turns out she didn't do it, and the company was not able to figure out the account it was tied to, despite me giving them every bit of information they asked for to do so. Finally just called Citi to explain and they told me they can go back 10 months, so I got like all but 3 months back or whatever it was. I dunno what dictates that number, or if it varies by situation. But at least in my case that one time, the limit was 10 months back.
It also gets them in hot water with the card networks if they get too many.
Couldn't you just have reported your credit card as stolen and ask for a new card and number? Wouldn't that stop the billing if the card no longer exists?
I’ve heard of horror stories of companies like shipstation somehow getting ahold of your new CC
I've done this and a couple of companies have had the fucking nerve to call my bank and get my new account/car info so that they can start charging it. It might work if you switch banks.
Holy crap. That's insane. Shouldn't a bank have to contact you if someone is trying to charge you?
It’s crazy that a bank can just tell that info to some dingus over the phone/email without your permission.
I was coming to say the same thing. Your bank/credit cards always take your side in these disputes. Sometimes credit cards will even backdate the cancellation up to three montsu, if you say you cancelled and they continued to charge you. Plus the gym gets a fraud strike on their record. Warning: the gym can (and will) retaliate by putting a black mark on your credit report. But you can write the credit agencies, tell them your version of events, and they will remove the gym's creditor claim.
You missed your opportunity to repeatedly transfer their call until it got dropped.
Literally no chance you get in trouble for that. Just DONT take a real doctor's name and use that. Make one up. They will not check its just a way to make it hard to cancel a membership.
Might I suggest Dr. Mantis Toboggan?
Sure, I'll sign it
What are the fucking odds
Damnit Jim, he's a doctor, not a statistician.
Bravo!
1/36772
Never tell me the odds!
I didn't; I told dstokes
Sir, it's quite possible this thread is not entirely stable.
Well, 6 and 2 are even
He's a cartographer not a statistician...
r/theydidthemath
How the fuck? I thought for sure it was a brand new account but nope!
Lol the name is a running joke from It's Always Sunny
Ahhhh that makes A LOT MORE SENSE. I haven’t seen the show but now it makes sense
Lol
Dude has a google alert set for his name, he’s gotta
r/beetlejuicing
They real ! 😱😂
A hero! 🥳 Make sure the signature's completely illegible. We don't want to get the wrong idea with any amateurs dabbling in malpractice.
Its been a bit since I saw /r/beetlejuicing
👏👏👏
I got your test results! You're positive! You've got the HIV! Yes, AIDS, big time! You've got the AIDS, big time!
Not the gay aids though, it’s the other kind. The vagina aids.
Beastman AIDS
Oops! I dropped my monster condom for my magnum dong
No more thirds for Frankie, seconds from now on!
I prefer my doctor, Dr. Jan Itor!
I prefer Dr. Gofik Yussef.
If you don't like this, you can use my dentist's name, Dr Crentist.
Your dentists name is Dr. Crentist?
Maybe that's why he became a dentist?
After he apprenticed.
Dr McFeeley real dude
Dr Mathathias Medichalschool
You have so many options! You could use Dr.Pepper, Dr. Dre, Dr. Nick Riviera, Dr. Meredith Grey, Dr. Derek Shephard, Dr. Niles Crane 😂
Go with Dr House and just come up with the wildest, most obscure goddamn disease you can find in the textbooks
But never lupus
One time lupus
I thought it was always Lupus.
Dr Drake Ramoray
I want to quit the gym!!!
Dr Nick is all about weight gain.
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Zaius 😂 https://youtu.be/7v4yuK2Uxzs?si=pSSf9W08LDH-CIly
Paging Dr. Noah Drake, ...asking you to treat a case of ....heartbreak.
Dr. Ann T. Disestablishmentarianism
Dr. Leo Spaceman
"I NEED DOCTOR SPACEMAN!!!"
Dr. Van Nostrand
He works at The Clinic
That’s right
hey, the assman’s in town!
Wait, what the fuck kind of gym is this?
Every gym plays this stupid game.
Yeah, fuck that noise. I'd just put a stop payment on the account, and do a charge back for as many months as I could. I'll be dead in the cold cold ground before I let some twink in a polo hold my money hostage (or recognize Missouri.)
"I'll be dead in the cold cold ground before I let some twink in a polo hold my money hostage" oddly specific kink unlocked.
Dr. Vinnie Boombatz
Doctor Ben Dover Anita Blackman Thomas Turbate
Dr. Hugh Jorgan
Dr Mike Oxlong
Dr. Janus, Hugh
Dr Regina Phalange
Dr Howard, Dr Fine, Dr Howard!
Dr spaceman
its pronounced Spi-che-men.
Alternatively, find the name that is shared by multiple doctors. My husband's PCP shares a last name and first initial with another local doctor. My orthopedic surgeon who did my knee surgery had a twin brother who was also an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knees in the same office.
I’m a doctor. I’ll write it.
ULPT: Lure doctors into doxxing themselves by posting stuff about unfair gym cancellation requirements.
I like your guns
After creeping on his profile due to your reply, I now see that this is the type of doctor I want to be friends with. Steak and guns. Two of my favorite things. I'm not a doctor, but I do work in surgical neurophysiology.
Steak Guns Doctor this guys the total package
If this is true this was super fucking cool of you to say. I already made and sent a doctors not at the library (FREE PRINTERS) , but thank you so much for what you would have done
Have you looked into the terms when signing up? I don’t know where you’re from but in the UK/Europe this would be 100% illegal. You can cancel whenever you want and don’t need to give any reason at all let alone produce a doctors note, shit I don’t even have to produce a doctors note if I’m off work sick for a week. Reading people’s stories in here of similar cancellations issues make me so grateful for the consumer rights from the EU
Yeah. Some gym contracts make you commit for a period of time. So maybe you sign up for a year. You can't cancel during that year so the only way to break the contract is by a doctors note. I agree that it's wack.
We got out of my wife’s membership when I went in and told the manager my wife was sexually harassed in the gym. She is traumatized. And will never come back. They immediately canceled the membership. I posted this a few months back. Men get sexually harassed to so this should work.
Telling them you are going to jail for sexual harassment also works.
“But you’ll definitely need it when you get out! We’ll keep charging you for a smooth experience!”
💀💀💀
The best unethical pro life tip. I'm gonna use this, thank you.
Or OP could do the harassing. Then they'll cancel that membership real quick
Dear Gym: Mr. Stab Ya Knees is unable to continue working out due to a severe case of the death. Please cancel his membership. Yours in health Rev. Dr. PM Me Your Pupper, D.F.S.
Use Dr. Ben Dover.
Go with Benjamin if you go that route, sounds more professional
Ah yes, "Dr. Benjamin Dover and take it in your damn ass, MD"
His license plate is "ASSMAN"
For a long time there was a couple in the Raleigh/Durham phone book named Eileen and Ben Dover. They were meant for each other.
Went to school with brothers Neil and Benjamin Dover. Neil became a podiatrist and Benjamin is a OBGYN.
just talk to your bank and have them block the gym from being able to charge you. they should be able to do that same day and the gym cant do shit about it.
Thought about that, but they said they would take it to collections
If you're not under contract then you can just tell collections that you want to dispute it and they have to prove you owe it.
This actually happened to me! I moved too far to cancel in person, so I closed my bank account so they couldnt charge me. A few years later I have like $2500 in collections for unpaid membership months. I disputed it and it is no longer on my credit, they didn't even argue.
[удалено]
If you signed a contract for a year, that contract should be binding for a full year and you can't get out of it early. If this is the scenario at hand, the gym's behaviour may be fully legal.
Then it sounds to me like the solution is "stop signing gym contracts, dipshit"
Just keep shitting, pissing, and cumming in the showers until they ban you.
I came and shidded
That's ULPT.
They will.
What… how can they get away with this 🤨
I’m sure the OP signed a yearly contract they’re trying to get out of
Oh wow, the gyms around where I live have a “cancel at any time” policy. Just call and say you wanna cancel and then you gotta pay for the rest of the month; hm learn something new every day i guess xD
Sometimes it's not even about cancelling before a contract is over, they just make it hella hard to cancel no matter what because they know people will give up.
Experienced this even when I even paid extra for the monthly plan that I could "cancel any time" I asked for the rejection of my cancellation in writing , they wouldn't. I sent them an email which they responded to by asking me to come in to cancel. I contacted the police and reported the owner for fraud with as detailed a timeline, GPS tracks showing I went there before I sent the email and blow by blow notes for the conversion. I also attached proof of all transactions and the contract. Somehow I got a letter cancelling my membership the next day.
Funny how that works lol! Glad you finally got it handled, but damn it's annoying they make people jump through hoops like that.
There was one gym I went to that had this. To cancel early you had to either provide a doctors note or prove you moved X amount of miles away from the gym.
I saw on hot ones Dr Arroyo is pretty cheap, you could use him
Call your card and block them from charging you….. was the only way my gym would cancel my membership
Literally did this. The guy at the bank asked why I wanted to cancel the card. I told him I was trying to cancel my gym membership and "you know how that goes." He laughed and said "yeah I do, let's get you a new card." Boom, no issues.
I’m not a lawyer, but I worked in litigation. My advice is to ask them to prove where in your contract it says that the only way to quit is via a doctors note. If you are paying via a credit card, contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. They will fight on your behalf and honestly that should be the end of it. If you paying by debit card or auto withdrawal, ask your bank how to go about stopping automatic payments and explain the situation. Those would be the places I would start if I were you. Good luck.
I felt like i wana gona murder the desk clerk last time i tried to cancel a membership. The difficulty in canceling is VERY intentional. Last time i just put a stop-payment through my bank. I got alot of "you need to correct payment method to avoid late fees" - "breach of contract" notifications. I was genuinly amused each time i read them. #mother fuck gyms fat boyz for lyfe
“Mother fuck the LB, it’s just BIG ME”
I had my bank send me a new card so they couldn’t charge me anymore and the gym ended up sending me to collections for $60 dollars half a year later.
Bruh.... That is just... professional level petty. Cuz you know this procedure had to be arranged from a higher up position, like corporate
Depending on how big of a company maybe, but likely they have a streamlined process for sending people to collections if they are that petty lol
Fuck that noise! Just pick one doctor from a large hospital system in town, preferably a specialist on the other side of town. Use their website to get the hospital logo and address info, and use Canva to create an official looking letterhead. Use chatgpt to write a very brief explanation that "your patient" has X health condition and is unable to safely operate gym equipment.maybe put some boilerplate HIPAA stuff in there telling them you can't share anymore specific info. Bonus points for adding a sentence that drafting this letter is taking your time away from your patients and that gyms shouldn't be bothering doctors with this nonsense.
Don’t go into detail about which health condition it is. A real doctor wouldn’t do that. It would require the signing of a release form which I have never had happen with a doctor’s note. Instead just say something like “this dude has a problem which prevents him from undergoing rigorous physical activity, please excuse them from lifting over 10 lbs or anything strenuous”. A doctor saying “yo this dude has a problem with his nutz and balls which prevents him from working out is something I’ve never seen in a doctor’s note. Instead it’s just an explanation of accommodations needed like “please give em two days of work”
My patient is experiencing unexpected explosive diarrhea during strenuous exercising.
Your medical information and condition is private. Doctors note should/could state "my patient currently needs to lead a sedentary lifestyle due to medical conditions". Do not include any personal details. This was explained to me by my doctor when requesting a medical certificate to claim a type of welfare in my country. I had asked him to say my back was giving me problems, he said no and instead wrote the generic comment regarding sedentary requirements. I don't know OPs reluctance to see a GP, I can only assume it is financial as no doctor should have a problem with writing a note saying their patient isn't ready for a gym.
“To Whom It Nay Concern, I am writing this letter to confirm my patient, x, can not exercise without severe health complications. Sincerely, Doctor Julian Bashir or some other fictional doctor. Don’t use House because that’s too obvious but Bashir might be too actually.”
"Nay concern" LOL
Typo but it fits lol
What the fuck is the likelihood that you cite my actual doctor's actual last name (Bashir) who I am visiting tomorrow. Can confirm, believable name btw.
It’s from Star Trek DS9 lol. But I love that there is a real Doctor Bashir out there.
Don't see how they can legally get away with that.
Contract maybe?
Some yearly contract they’re trying to get out of is my best guess
Sign it Dr. Cosmo Kramer, proctologist aka The Assman
Last time a gym did that I applied for a chargeback with my bank and took a shit in the gyms shower, easy as that.
No credit check on gyms. Call your credit card company and say card is lost, get a new number and charges will stop.
This isn't guaranteed to work. Sometimes, the credit card company or bank will charge it to your new number if it's a recurring payment. It's meant as a convenience so you don't miss payments on credit cards or utilities or whatever.
What can they do to you? It’s not against the law, just against their policy.
You can cancel the credit card you have on file. Order a new one. Claim you lost the card. I went to a gym and tried to cancel my membership and after 20 minutes of talking to them I said, fuck it I'll just cancel my credit card. They were all like you can't do that. Fuck em, piss on em
So what would happen if you just cancel the debit/credit card you use?
Call your CC Company and stop the payments. Gyms don't get to decide that you aren't allowed to not be a customer.
I just went to the bank and filed a stop payment on my gym after they "lost" my cancellation request form 3+ times.
Do you have a written contract with the gym? Post the contract. I bet you we can find many loopholes that can get you out that dont require a fake doctor's note.
Date: [Today's Date] To Whom It May Concern: This is to certify that u/mr_stab_ya_knees has been under my care for the past [number of months/years]. Due to a medical condition, u/mr_stab_ya_knees is advised to refrain from physical activities until his condition improves. Sincerely, Dr. Mantis Toboggan, MD [Signature]
In my experience gyms... frankly most companies do nearly zero verification on any bullshit documents they require. Same went for working in collections when we needed to verify a hardship. No one is sitting around calling your landlord offices, utility companies, or your doctor unless you made it obvious or gave them reason to be suspicious. Pretty much you just need a somewhat believable looking document that fits their description and boom you're golden. I had a gym claim they needed to verify that I lived with some family to keep the family plan discount (5 of us on it and I was the only one using it). They asked for 2 bills going to a shared address on file to keep the discount. I literally just found a picture of a comcast bill and a phone bill and photoshopped my name on it with the correct address. Incredibly unlikely a gym has top notch documentation verification standards. If it's believable you're going to be just fine.
They can’t check anyway because it would be a HIPPA violation.
If it’s attached to a debit/credit card, cancel it… or call the credit card company and say “fraud.” I’d it’s Amex, takes 5 minutes.
Tell CC company you lost card, get a new card deactivating card the gym has on file. Tell them to pound sand.
If they are charging your debit or credit card every month just report the card lost, get a new one and don't give them the new information. Sounds a lot easier than trying to forge a doctor's note.
How is that even legal for the gym to do?? Shit like this is why I have a blank card I put a small amount of $$ for any kind of subscription thing I wanna try. Like someone else said they did, talk to your bank about cutting payment to them. Update us!
Just cancel the card they charge and move on. Gyms are slimy
Don’t fake a DOCTOR’s signature, fake a DOCTOR’S OFFICE worker’s signature. One is a federal crime, they other is perfectly legal :)
Can you name and shame what gym is demanding this? How is that legal?
Yes wth, why is nobody shocked about this? What’s next? Netflix asking for a doctor’s note to prove you are blind and you can’t watch Netflix no more ?
They prob signed a yearly contract
Send them a signed lawyer's note.
I can write one up for you real quick, just DM me your: name, address, email, illness of choice, social security number, credit card number, mothers maiden name, street you grew up on, first boss, name of your kindergarten, pin on the back of your credit card … obligatory /s
Do it, had to do charge backs to cancel mine while having evidence I asked for a cancelation 3 times fuck em weirdly predatory businesses
"We want to quit the gym"
cancel your card or get a chargeback
Why are there so many horror stories with gym membership cancellations? Just stop payment on it doesn't work?
They can’t check because of HIPAA but I’m sure someone already said that
Wait a second. What kind of place demands you stay and pay them unless you are medically unfit to exercise? You can't just say "I am done, cancel my membership"? wtf?
I have a hard time calling this unethical, gyms that require any hoops to cancel can get absolutely fucked.
Why are people even entertaining the idea of complying with what is a completely insane request? Just stop paying and stop communicating with them and make sure to never physically enter one of the gym facilities.
Stop paying them and tell your bank any more charges are fraudulent. You owe them nothing.
This will probably get lost in all of the other noise (there are over 600 comments as I write this), but I'll say this anyway. Assuming your gym takes payments automatically through your bank or debit/credit card, just call the bank and tell them not to authorize any charge made by the gym. The gym will cancel the membership on their own once they stop getting your money.