A family member paid for a gym membership via cash. She is a regular at the gym for several years though it did change hands when she paid for renewal.
Unfortunately, gym now denies ever receiving payment and have been extremely unhelpful with dealing with the situation. They've basically made no effort whatsoever and now we're out of pocket $400+.
Is there anything we can do? How would you approach this situation?
The best we can do is ask for CCTV footage?
The only way they recorded this was on a notebook with people's names on it. Unfortunately no receipt given as the worker said it was updated on the system (which it was not)
Does that worker have any memory of it?
Haven't been back to ask, worker could take the easy way out and just say she didn't remember.
@navegante88: It is entirely reasonable for a worker not to recall a specific and otherwise uneventful interaction with a customer from seven months ago.
Even if they do remember it, they could still claim amnesia or something and get away with it… right?
The only way they recorded this was on a notebook with people's names on it.
Not providing the option of a receipt isn't legal. Sounds like this "cash" business is one that the ATO would love.
Them recording it in a notebook doesn't mean there's no option of a receipt. Sounds like OP's wife didn't bother asking for one and just handed over $400 (and then didn't attend the gym for 7 months).
The worked probably had their own spare notebook and got richer by $400+
Is there anything we can do?
Well basically only this if you didn't get a receipt.
The best we can do is ask for CCTV footage?
But as it changed hands, sounds like someone pocketed the cash and didn't record it, knowing it'll be someone elses issue down the track.
It is a bit of a weird situation but I'm fairly sure payment was made to the new management. Hoping it'll somehow get resolved. May need to contact their head office.
Where are all the
Cash is king
Ozbargainers?
The same place that kfc was yesterday, went through the driveway to a sign that said cash only.😳😳
Guess what i normally have cash every day but this day not, so had to wait in the queue until it cleared HUNGRY 😡
Cash is king… as long as you are the receiver.
Why would you pay for something in cash and not get a receipt
This isn't an issue with cash being king (it is), it's an issue with the person
No receipt is the whole reason it’s cheaper haha
K AsH iZ K1NG
The worker stole the money obviously. Get the police involved. They arent just going to give you the cctv footage proving their involvement in theft.
Police won't do anything in a civil matter.
but this is grand theft
JV alt account?
Steal as a clerk or servant
Theft is not a civil matter, where do you get this from.
If this employee has done it once, they may have done it many times previously, in which case its still worth reporting to the police even if they do nothing there may be a pattern of behavior that forces the police to do something about it.
Theft is not a civil matter
It's not theft though…
"A family member paid for a gym membership via cash. "
I'm leaning towards more company incompetency than theft but theft is a possibility. I guess you never know…
Do you genuinely believe it's more likely someone pocketed hundreds of dollars while at work than it is someone made a minor clerical error?
There should be cctv in the room of exchange, I would ask for it or for them to view it and for you to view it as well. If they say the cctv was "down", I would get the police involve due to theft.
Also, where is this notebook they speak of?
On their front desk. Hopefully they will let us view the CCTV ( I doubt they will)
Is there anything we can do?
Show them the receipt.
Go full Karen on them on their facebook page, bad google review etc
I thought this initially but there's info op hasn't divulged about his wife that was linked in the Reddit thread but someone else
She paid for it in cash in December last year
So she hasn't been to the gym in 7 months and I'm guessing the gym has changed hands since then
It's a loss of $190 or so because that's what is remaining on the supposed membership
This is why you keep receipts
Interesting that she's not referred to as your wife here …
Also do you really expect the gym to keep CCTV footage for seven months?
Interesting that she's not
Sort of gives away the plot when it switches to we're /we toward the end.
Nice detective work
So she paid for it December, but hasn't been back to the gym since ?
Consider it an investment to the gym I suppose
Consider it an investment to the gym I suppose
Consider it a donation to the gym I suppose
fixed
She's been to the gym every week since then. The payment in December was to extend the gym membership another year from July. The reason they had this deal was because the gym was changing ownership and were raising their prices from Jan 2023. So a whole bunch of people signed up and probably why they lost track of the payment. Another lady had the same issue but luckily enough her name was on the notebook and after much complaining they gave in.
Sounds like the previous owner didn't pass the "payment" on?
Go find another gym.
She has been going, this payment was for extension from July 2023-2024
Its not clear whether you are saying she paid the new owners or the previous owners just that payment was made as it changed hands.
If her membership was with the previous company, did the new company offer to honour any preexisting advance paid memberships when they took over? Whilst it definitely would be seen as great practice to do so they are basically not making any money from the additional member being present. They're more than happy to roll over ongoing members as they receive payments for access each week/fortnight (whatever the arrangement may be).
With regards to CCTV the new entity probably has no control over the previous companies recorded footage, once again as it has changed hands you wouldn't have a case against the new company not being able to provide this if it was requested.
If its the new company then by all means you can request that and should opt to speak to management not counter staff in regards to possible solutions though it does make it hard that a receipt was not kept and in this instance cash was paid so theres no bank statement etc that can also support the transaction. Did by chance your family member take a photo of any receipt provided on the day for tax purposes or for this very purpose of being able to provide it to staff if challenged throughout the year? I know I did when I used to pay annually in advance.
Thanks for your response. From my understanding, membership was paid to new entity as they had a deal to extend membership (without the pay increases of 2023). So a whole bunch of people hopped onto the deal. The transition was more to deal with the renovation/ closure period.
Unfortunately no photos of receipts as none were given. Definitely have to tell her to be more careful in future.
You're not out of pocket $400
At most you're out of pocket $200 because from your Reddit thread your wife didn't go to the gym for 7 months
I'd chalk it up to being stupid because she didn't get a receipt
Paid for extension. Membership expires end of July.
So how has she been getting into the gym for the last 8 months?
She paid for an extension. Her membership actually expires end of this month. She paid for extra year on top.
I doubt any business keeps CCTV footage for 7-8 months. Most places would be rotating footage every 3 days, a week at most.
Even if they did, i doubt the company is going to go out of their way to be helpful. They've been very dismissive from the very beginning.
So it was cheaper via cash or what?
Not anymore!
OP has my sympathies. Unfortunately businesses can be like that, particularly with an extension where the problem won’t be noticed for a number of months. A few lessons for all of us to learn. Cash transactions are not your friend in relation to a paper trail. Always get a receipt from the organisation. Take down the name of the person you gave the money to. Of course the person might give false details and the receipt could be denied.
Hold the provided receipt up and take a photo of it at the counter, time stamp shows it has been provided at the location. That should assist that being disputed, might even accidentally capture the staff member who provided it to you in the background…not intentional of course but just a coincidence they happen to be in the background so should it be disputed you can also point out accurately which person you performed the transaction with.
Of course this only assists with future instances, it seems like this instance has been a costly exercise
Yes will need to take these steps in future.
Thank you for your message. Lots to learn from this situation. In the grand scheme of things $400 may not be a lot however, it still stings that something like this happened. Wish the money could've at least gone to a worthy charity instead of a multi million dollar gym company.
What kind of 'multimillion dollar gym company' doesn't issue receipts and records payments in a notebook?
I never saw the movie "The Notebook" and given this thread I don't think I missed anything.
I can't get a refund without a receipt or ticket either…
Take it as a lesson and go to a different gym.
Contact Fair Trading
Fair Trading are the only ones who can help with business disputes, you down voted the only course of action
tell them you no longer want a membership. you want a refund
didnt she think to get a receipt? if no, good luck, you're probably going to have to suffer the loss.