Fine print creates $200 nightmare for one Topekan
6:20 p.m. Tuesday, September 9, 2008
"Don't be too trusting, cause you don't know what the other guys going to do," said Shannon Petrel, in reference to the nightmare she says she's experienced with Maximus at 29th and California.
Petrel says she wanted to cancel her membership to Maximus, so she hand delivered a letter declaring her desire.
She didn't realize she was still an active member until money continued to be taken out of her account.
"We find out from the financial service that they never got a letter, that they haven't seen anything, so they don't know what we're talking about," Petrel said.
Related links:
Maximus Fitness and Wellness Web site
If you have a complaint about this or any business, file it with the local Better Business Bureau.
She received a letter from the financial service Maximus uses that stated she owed them money.
Petrel told 49 News she has tried to get out of her contract since June even though it didn't end until July.
But what tripped her up was the fine print, requiring her to give Maximus 60-day notice.
49 News contacted the owner of Maximus, Scott Hutson. Hutson helped 49 News sort out the problem.
"It was an automatic renewal, meaning after her two years, she goes to a month-to-month basis after that," Hutson said. "And if she ever wants to stop that membership, she just needs to give us a 60-day notice, at any time she wants to do that."
Scott told us she never gave a 60-day notice.
Bottom line: Always read all of the fine print before you sign any agreement.
Not reading the fine print has cost Petrel out about $200. Next time she signs a contract, she says she will keep a copy of all her records.
There have been 28 complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau on Maximus in the past three years.
The owner says they have more than 12,000 members.
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