Looking to sue Planet Fitness? Small claims court is an option, and you may have others…
At FairShake we’ve helped thousands of people ripped off by big companies like Planet Fitness. And we’ve helped get millions of dollars in settlement offers…
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Tired of hitting dead ends when trying to get a refund from Planet Fitness? Feeling like there’s nowhere to turn?
You’re not alone. It seems like many people have tried all the Planet Fitness customer service options, but still feel unheard.
There are different ways to file a complaint against Planet Fitness, but none have the same power and leverage as taking legal action.
So, if you’re thinking of suing Planet Fitness, where do you even start? You might expect there to be tons of class action lawsuits against them, but it’s often more complicated than that.
What many people don’t know is that hidden clauses buried deep within their contracts frequently allow companies like Planet Fitness to push legal claims into the private realm of consumer arbitration, away from conventional courts.
But here’s the thing: your Planet Fitness contract doesn’t have the power to take away your right to pursue legal action by suing them.
Here’s what you can do…
Learn more about the consumer arbitration process here.
If you’re ready to sue Planet Fitness in Small Claims Court, read on below:
Before you sue Planet Fitness in small claims court you have to make sure that the small claims court will accept your claim. There are a few limitations.
The first is the amount of money you are asking for. When you sue someone you’re asking them to give you compensation for damages and small claims courts have a maximum dollar amount. In Most states that amount is $5,000 worth $10,000 but it differs. You can find a list of all 50 states’ monetary limits here.
If your claim doesn’t fall within the limits of your state’s small claims court, you’ll have to arbitrate your claim instead.
Before you can head down and sue Planet Fitness in small claims court you have to ask them nicely to fix the problem beforehand. Sure, you’ve probably tried this by way of customer service but now you have to let the bosses know that you want them to fix something before you sue. This doesn’t have to be a complicated letter. In fact it can be nothing more than a few sentences telling them what your gym account number is if you have one, your name, address, phone number, what the problem is, and how you want them to fix it. The whole point of this is just to check a box.
When you’re done you have to mail a hard copy of that letter preferably through certified mail or something that lets you confirm delivery to the official address. According to our most recent research, Planet Fitness is legally based in New Hampshire and receives mail at this address:
Planet Fitness Holdings LLC
C/O COGENCY GLOBAL INC.
63 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH, 03301
If you would like examples of demand letters or more information about how to write them, you can find an excellent guide here.
Before you can sue Planet Fitness in small claims court you have to fill out the right court forms and you have to be very careful here because every court is different.
Each state has its own set of forms that you have to fill out and in some cases your county will have additional forms. You can find these forms for free on your state court website.
You also have to make sure you have the right number of copies. Most courts ask for three or four copies because you have to give them two different people.
All of those papers that you work so hard to fill out have to be officially filed. This gets a little tricky.
Most courts require that you physically come to a specific courthouse so that you can hand-deliver the forms to the county clerk.
The county clerk will review everything, you will pay a small claims court filing fee, they will stamp it, and give them back to you with your court hearing date.
This doesn’t mean that you have completed the process to sue Planet Fitness in small claims court. Remember that you have multiple copies for a reason.
Now you have to take one of those copies and officially serve Planet Fitness, informing them that they are being sued. There are very specific rules on how you have to do this and each court is different so pay particular attention to the requirements on your state court website.
If you miss any step or something isn’t done correctly they can throw your case out.
So be careful!
Remember that court date you were given? Now it’s time to go on the right day at the right time. Make sure you go to the right building too because there are plenty of areas that have multiple court houses and if you show up to the wrong one it won’t work out well for you.
Bring the copy of your filed forms and any other evidence you have to show what Planet Fitness did it and why you deserve compensation. Sometimes Planet Fitness will send someone to oppose you but sometimes they won’t.
Ready to sue Planet Fitness in small claims court?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…
Get justice when a business lets you down:
FairShake’s Ultimate Guide to Consumer Complaints
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