Celebrity Fitness service

Before Celebrity Fitness (CF) opened I signed up for a one- year membership, with the monthly fee automatically charged to my credit card. After the year ended I submitted a termination letter on May 6 to Joko Sulistyo from the customer service department.

CF still charged me a monthly fee for May and June. CF insisted that it was an error caused by their system. I can accept that, but what is annoying is how unprofessional they have been in handling the matter. Instead of apologizing and fixing the situation, they were unhelpful. Not only did they refuse to reverse the charge to my credit card, they told me I had to submit my credit card statements to them as proof of their mistake. It was their mistake, the record was on their system, so why did I still have to provide the documents?

So I gave my May statement on July 1 to Sulistyo, who promised to pass my refund request on to accounts. He did not know how long it would take, and the refund would be in cash so I would have to return. I again asked for them to credit the amount to my card, but he said it was too complicated. (I called Citibank for their view and they said the process is very simple).

As I didn't have my June credit card statement when I met Sulistyo, he told me that CF could not give me a refund for June's fee until I submitted the statement, despite the fact that it was on their system that they charged me. Unbelievable!

I talked to Mike, the sales manager, and he was as unhelpful as Sulistyo. He only stressed their refund procedures and wasn't helpful or understanding of my frustrations at all. And despite my efforts and follow-up calls, I still haven't got my money back.

LUTFIANI REED, Jakarta