A gym forced a woman into a nightmare scenario when she told employees she’s facing surgery

A Kentucky woman who needed to cancel her $60 Anytime Fitness membership because she had scheduled surgery found herself in a nightmare scenario when the gym demanded she prove she was “permanently disabled” just to stop paying the monthly fee.

TikToker Lilly Colton shared her terrible experience in a video that quickly racked up over 212,000 views. Colton and her family had recently bought a house in Kentucky, and she signed up for the popular gym chain soon after.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. A series of events put her in a difficult financial situation, forcing her family to sell items on the Facebook marketplace, look for second jobs, and potentially even sell their new home.

To cut the $60 monthly cost, Colton called the gym to cancel. She recalled that the first person she spoke to transferred her to another customer service representative, who then kept her on hold for 20 minutes. When she finally got through, she learned the shocking rules, according to Bro Bible.

Gyms are always out to get you

The representative reportedly told her she couldn’t just cancel for financial reasons. Instead, she was told she had to either move to a different state or provide a valid medical reason. Colton told the rep she had endometriosis surgery scheduled for the following week, which should definitely count as a medical reason. But the rep wouldn’t accept it.

They allegedly told Colton she needed a signed doctor’s note on letterhead and, crucially, that she must be “permanently disabled.” Having major surgery doesn’t count, but needing to be permanently disabled does? That’s just awful business practice. When Colton asked what would happen if she simply canceled her credit card, the response was immediate and harsh: “Well, we’ll send it to collections.”

If you’re thinking about joining Anytime Fitness, you should know that the cancellation process is notoriously difficult. Since each location is independently owned, the cancellation policies vary widely. The official website notes you might face an early-cancellation fee or a cancellation-notice requirement. Some locations might let you suspend your account at a lower rate, but that’s not always guaranteed.

Gyms are notoriously predatory when it comes to subscriptions. There are plenty of horror stories, so it may be worth it to go to gyms with an easy way to cancel, especially if you’re making New Years’ resolutions to get in shape.