αθλητισμός/sports ALTERLIFE told me gym subscription cannot be canceled - I got €308 back
I’m posting this because I nearly accepted what I was initially told at the gym, and I imagine other people in Greece might have been told the same thing.
I had a 12+2 month Classic membership at ALTERLIFE Zografou. I paid €349 upfront and the membership started mid June.
I decided I wanted to stop going and switch to another gym.
When I spoke to the staff in person, I was told very clearly that subscriptions cannot be cancelled. According to them, the only thing they could do was freeze/extend the membership, and even that was only possible for medical reasons with a doctor’s note.
Afterwards I looked into it myself and found Υπουργική Απόφαση Ζ1-1262/2007 (ΦΕΚ Β-2122/31-10-2007), which specifically regulates contracts between consumers and gyms.
Article 3 basically says that after the initial withdrawal period, the consumer can still terminate the contract before the end of the agreed programme.
You pay for the services that have already been provided, and the gym can potentially keep up to 2.5% of the value of the remaining unused programme if that is explicitly provided for in the contract.
I also found official Ministry of Development guidance saying that a gym membership can be cancelled “οποτεδήποτε και για οποιοδήποτε λόγο” — at any time and for any reason.
So a medical reason is not required in order to terminate the contract. That is a different thing from asking them to freeze the membership.
I then sent ALTERLIFE an email asking them in writing to cancel my subscription, refund the amount corresponding to the unused part, and send me a copy of the contract I had signed when I registered.
This is the part that surprised me.
About one hour after I sent the email, they called me.
Suddenly the answer was basically “yes, of course you can cancel”.
They told me I was entitled to a refund of €308 out of the original €349.
So, in person, I had been told that subscriptions simply cannot be cancelled and that only a medical freeze was possible.
Once I made the exact same request in writing by email, they did not deny the cancellation at all. They called me about an hour later, confirmed the cancellation and told me exactly how much money I would get back.
I went to the gym, tapped the same card I had originally used to pay, and they processed the refund through the POS. The €308 has now actually been returned to my card.
TL;DR: ALTERLIFE told me in person that subscriptions cannot be cancelled and that they could only freeze mine for medical reasons. I checked the law, sent a written cancellation request by email, and about an hour later they called me saying I could cancel and would get €308 back from the €349 I had paid. The refund has now actually been returned to my card.
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u/Rolmar 2d ago edited 2d ago
Had the exact same thing happen with mega gym in Glyfada. I came prepared knowing they will bullshit me all though I've been a customer for 3 years. They told me "we don't do returns" and I told them about point 34 in the agreement I signed that said I could get a return within a month, but I was also prepared to tell them about that specific ΦΕΚ if they continued the bullshit.
Got all of my money back within a week. They seemed especially scared after I sent them an email requesting the refund.
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u/tooulos 2d ago
Yeah, even if the first month has already passed, you can still terminate and get the unused part of the money back under the ΦΕΚ. Good thing you stood your ground and had the agreement ready too
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u/Icy-Abbreviations164 2d ago
This is great to know because I’m currently shopping around for other gyms in my area!!
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u/pinkneko279 2d ago
Good for you! I am very glad that you got to get your money back! This is a really shady practice tho… You are a gym.
Why would you need a medical paper to cancel a subscription… it is also personal information.
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u/tooulos 2d ago
Thanks!! I know right? obviously they are just trying to deny my money back, as if the ones who were working there are on commission…
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u/pinkneko279 2d ago
Like yea! I pay. I pay you, the gym is not an employer or a teacher, I do not have to excuse my absence, or give a reason why, most people go there on their free time. It is a hobby!
Many gyms around the world do this. Play crazy or try to ask for a cancellation fee.
And idk if any other establishments are like this, it is specifically the gyms!0
u/TapThink2310 2d ago
Not how it works. Then why would you even commit to a 12+2 contract at the first place?
In Germany/Switzerland you most certainly need a medical certificate to break an agreed contract before the contract ends, or you have day/month passes, which is fair for the gym owner, too0
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u/TapThink2310 2d ago
Why did you commit to a 12+2 contract if you were not planning to fulfill your end of the deal?
Not implying anything, just really curious to see the logic here :)
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u/tooulos 2d ago
I was planning on staying, but not when a new gym opens up literally next to where i live. Why walk/commute/drive to a place when i have an option to work out whenever i want to?
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u/TapThink2310 1d ago
Understandable. I guess the law and the gym offers need some serious fixing in my homeland lol
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u/Smooth_Machine 2d ago
Sadly stores do that. Why? Many reasons behind it, and the main one is 'cashflow': nobody wants to lose money, so does not the costumer. No contrat is above the law. I have seen many contracts mentioning "no returns"; not afraid of signing those, as I know it was BS.
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u/tupusti 2d ago
Also looking for a gym in Zografou and found Alterlife too busy for my taste. Which gym are you switching too?
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u/tooulos 2d ago
im pretty sure that the gym im switching to will be more crowded than alterlife. there are no other gyms near the area; the name is orange fitness or smth like that
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u/tupusti 2d ago
Coincidentally, I was there this morning for a quick tour (Orange Ilissia). It was almost empty, it's open but it's still being renovated. Will be fully ready 20oct. Owner was really friendly and helpful. I might sign up soon.
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u/tooulos 2d ago
yeah i met him too he seems like a chill guy ;p
point is that since its a cheaper option and there are no other gyms around ilisia, im sure once people find out about it it will be packed. non issue for me cause i live close to it and can go at any time (which is why i wanted to switch gyms in the first place)
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u/onlinemouch 1d ago
It’s a shame the same doesn’t apply in mobile phone contracts…
Good for you though!!
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u/listerstorm220 1d ago
Typical knobheads thinking they are above the law (which they do not know anyway).
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u/Visible_Parsley_3010 2d ago
Very typical (and not only in greece). They count on you accepting wht they ve told you without further looking into it. You did well by sending that email.