Unauthorized debit, weeks of excuses, and appalling Customer Service

PF PLATTEKLOOF - CAPE TOWN WESTERN CAPE

If there were an option to give zero stars, I would select it without hesitation. Unfortunately, the system forces you to allocate at least one star — which, in this case, feels far more generous than the "service" deserves!

I signed up for a membership at Planet Fitness Plattekloof on 11 February with Robert (Sales Manager at Plattekloof), who clearly confirmed that there would be no activation fee. Despite this, on 27 February my bank account was debited for an activation fee anyway.

I immediately contacted Robert via WhatsApp to query the charge. He admitted that the fee had been app**** in error and told me he had logged a request to have the amount credited back to my account.

From that moment onward, the experience has been nothing but a cycle of excuses, empty promises, and complete silence.

On 2 March I followed up and was told that the Central Administrator was dealing with the matter and that it would be processed that same day. I was promised feedback by the end of the day. No feedback came.

On 3 March I followed up again. I was told there was still no update, but that it “should be today,” and that I would receive a phone call the following day. The phone call never happened.

Between 4 and 9 March there was absolutely no communication whatsoever.

On 10 March I tried calling Robert directly. No answer. At this point I sent a message requesting that my membership be cancelled because the situation had already dragged on far longer than it should have. Only then was I told that “National Sales are sitting with this today at 11am to sort it out.” This was already 13 days after the unauthorized debit - which is completely unacceptable. He sent a screenshot showing that a cancellation request had been logged, but once again there was no follow-up or confirmation.

On 11 March I contacted Customer Care and spoke to Lethabo, who promised to provide feedback by the end of the day. Predictably, no feedback was received.

What is most shocking is the complete lack of accountability at every level. Everyone promises to “follow up” or “get back to you,” yet nobody actually does. It is astonishing how a company can be so efficient and enthusiastic when it comes to signing up new members, yet so utterly incapable of resolving even the simplest administrative error once they already have your banking details.

This entire experience has been incredibly frustrating and has left such a bad taste in my mouth that I will never set foot in any Planet Fitness again. The level of customer service is frankly appalling. If this is how Planet Fitness treats customers when something goes wrong, then potential members should seriously think twice before giving them access to their bank accounts!