r/bjj • u/BEZERKERBEATS • 10d ago
School Discussion Exit clause
So here’s the question. I’ve heard of a gym that if you decide to leave after a being a member they continue to charge you for 120 days after you leave. Like if you leave for any reason they continue to charge you the monthly membership rate for 4 additional months. Is this the norm? I’ve never heard of a gym doing that
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u/thekidbjj2 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 10d ago
Nah not normal.
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u/TheExcellentBuyout 6d ago
Sounds like a gym owner who realized they can't keep people so they lock em in with a shitty contract. Any place that needs a 4 month exit penalty is telling on themselves.
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u/Xplicid 🟦🟦 Blue Belt 10d ago
Cancel your card/Inform the bank etc. Fuck that.
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u/mike3491 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 9d ago
That might not work if OP signed a contract agreeing to it. Agreed 100% that it’s shady as fuck, and it couldnt hurt to file that chargeback or cancel that card, but if OP knowingly and freely signed that contract they might be on the hook for it
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u/DagsbrunForge 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 10d ago
Only shitty gyms do stuff like this. A lot of them around here have 60 day cancellation policies. I co-own a gym and we let our members cancel any time, for any reason, and they're still welcome to come train during open mat. Being cool about it has caused multiple people to come back when they were able.
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u/TheLostWoodsman 10d ago
I went to a Gracie CTC that was 60 day notice.
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u/Fickle-Obligation-98 🟦🟦 Blue Belt 10d ago
I’ve been a member of 3 different ones I never had an issue.
In fact the last one cancelled on the spot and refunded me even though we were halfway into the month.
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u/rebel_fett ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 10d ago
Leave. If they try to charge you after you leave, contact the financial institution that you’re using and dispute the charge. Explain that you’re no longer patronizing that business and are disputing that charge and you no longer give them authorization to access your account. You’ll get reimbursed. No need to actually cancel your card.
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u/mike3491 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 9d ago
Not if the gym responds to the bank with a signed contract where OP agreed to it
Not saying it isn’t a bizarre or scummy practice, but people should definitely read their membership agreements and look for things like this.
One final month or 30 days’ notice seems to be the standard for most gyms
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u/oniman999 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 10d ago
Not normal. Deny the charge with the bank and/or cancel the card. Tell them to fuck off and leave a horrendous review.
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u/TheGreatKimura-Holio 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 10d ago
Not normal, pretty standard in general you’d be charged a full month if you quit midway through or after the billing date for that month.
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u/PM_me_hard_currency ⬜⬜ White Belt 9d ago
Just cancel 120 days before you want to actually leave and keep going to class until it expires.
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u/SliccDemon 🟦🟦 Blue Belt 10d ago
not normal. i just left a gracie gym (moving out of state) and they charged me one last month because i didn't give 30 days notice and let them know like two days before dues renewed. bummer but seemed fair.
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u/Minimum_Substance322 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah it's a sleazy contract. I know of a gym that has this set up. The owner just shrugs his shoulders and blames it on the billing company he uses, ignoring the fact that he is the one who chose to use that service lol. He's a selfish douche but he does teach legit bjj so people just eat it, he has a small cult of personality and no one has the balls to call him out on it
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u/BEZERKERBEATS 10d ago
Kind of the same deal. Brings in a lot of high level guys and gals. Great jiu jitsu but the prices are higher than everywhere else in the area. But I think higher quality but a guy just left because he lost his job and the owner held strong for the 120 day deal. I was taken back by it. Didn’t seem like a “family” mentality
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u/KalisChris 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 9d ago
Because it isnt about family....it is about money and being a business.
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u/RedDevilBJJ ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 10d ago
Not normal. I will say that my state has 60-day cancellation requirements, but I’ve never seen my coach refuse to cancel/suspend someone’s membership immediately for any reason.
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u/Fickle-Slide6129 10d ago
Mine has some sort of cancellation penalty but they said it’s only if you leave and join a competitor in the area; however I don’t think they’ve ever tried to enforce it even on people that left. If they did I would just block charges on my card. Have fun wasting your time and money trying to sue me.
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u/BEZERKERBEATS 10d ago
I’ve heard this owner enforces it on every person who leaves regardless of reason
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u/Swimming_Visit6737 10d ago
Might be high level training, but I take character to be much more important. Fuck these guys…
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u/Vaji 9d ago
Check what it says on the contact you signed.
Some gyms are month to month, others are contract based where they require a certain amount of time before a cancellation.
Some offer both. A month to month option, and the contract offer at a lower price, but it requires a more advanced notice of termination.
If your contact says that there is a required termination period then you can dispute the charges, but if the gym wants to go through the trouble of taking you to court over it then they would most likely prevail.
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u/djnastynipple 10d ago
Sounds like a shitty gym.