Shady Business: Beware of Grotto Climbing & Yoga

I want make a PSA to let people know that this gym continues to charge you after you cancel your membership. This is not a fluke or a personal problem: I have spoken with roughly a dozen climbers who have experienced the same thing. Grotto will not respond to emails regarding this problem. It's quite sad to part on these terms. This negativity now overshadows all of my happy memories. 

I am sorry for the shadow, may you find light and love in the new year at our heavens gate Mesa Rim.

Rumpel Stiltskin wrote:

I want make a PSA to let people know that this gym continues to charge you after you cancel your membership. This is not a fluke or a personal problem: I have spoken with roughly a dozen climbers who have experienced the same thing. Grotto will not respond to emails regarding this problem. It's quite sad to part on these terms. This negativity now overshadows all of my happy memories. 

May I ask how you “cancelled”? Most gyms have a form that you fill out that would tag the date and time and then the membership coordinator would use that list to cancel accordingly. Without a single conduit for membership management the job would be impossible.

Had many people claim they cancelled at our gym (not Grotto) but all they ever did was mention it to the FD or send an email, that’s not the proper procedure as was outlined in the membership contract.

On the flipside, call your credit card company and dispute all the charges, they are on your side, and you will get your money back.

That is unfortunate. While I know nothing about this particular gym, I do know that gyms in general, not only climbing gyms, but general-fitness gyms also, make it somewhat-difficult to cancel or pause membership.

You have to do it with certain amount of advance notice (2weeks or even a month), you can’t cancel starting on a random date, only on your next billing cycle, you can’t reinstate the membership you cancel for the following X months, for some gyms you have to fill out forms, for some you have to email to a specific person, and so on. Details vary between gyms, and some are more extravagant than others.

But they all have these things, and galling though it may be, it was right there in the membership agreement you probably initialed without reading, like most of us. So before you cast shade on a gym (might be deserving, I don't know) make absolutely sure that you had followed the proper cancellation procedure, and maybe share their stated policy and how they deviated from it. 

We are all submitting the online form.

I tried to cancel in person and I was told that it is impossible. The only way to cancel is by submitting the form. But after submitting the form, the only thing that has changed is that I am no longer getting monthly emails from them notifying me that my monthly membership has been charged. But I am still charged!

Rumpel Stiltskin wrote:

I tried to cancel in person and I was told that it is impossible. The only way to cancel is by submitting the form. But after submitting the form, the only thing that has changed is that I am no longer getting monthly emails from them notifying me that my monthly membership has been charged. But I am still charged!

Yes, only cancelling via form is standard. How many times have you been charged beyond cancellation? Perhaps you missed the cutoff date. Like if it’s the 10th of the month and you cancelled on the 11th you would still be charged the next month then dropped the month after that.

They require three weeks notice yet I've been charged multiple times since I canceled. Every one I know who has canceled has had the exact same thing happen.

Rumpel Stiltskin wrote:

They require three weeks notice yet I've been charged multiple times since I canceled. Every one I know who has canceled has had the exact same thing happen.

Then dispute the charge with your credit card company.

When things initially shut down in March of 2020, nearly every single gym in Southern California simultaneously put out public announcements via social media and email about closure and automatic pause of memberships, forgoing dues during closure. They left the initiative to continue to pay dues up to customers. The Grotto Climbing & Yoga, on the other hand, set their own precedent by holding off over 3 weeks. When they did finally put out an announcement (via email only and 3 days before payment date) they made a pretty bold decision to not only continue taking dues from members when the facility was inaccessible, but also reinforce that it was a $45 dollar fee to put your membership on pause. They justified it by explaining their 1 million dollar investment they were undergoing, their 2nd location in Miramar. Fuck that place, and Fuck that owner. I climbed there 4 days a week for a really long time. Ill never be back.

op if you paid on a card file a dispute and block. If it’s auto debit from a bank cancel block it with your bank. The other poster is right , normally have to pay one month after you cancel or some extra time. Find out who owners are and contact them. 24 hour fitness and other gyms are awful. I always prepaid for a year with them . I use prepay punch card passes with climbing gyms. 

Call your CC or bank and dispute the charges.

Put a bunch of poop in a paper bag, leave it on their doorstep. Light it on fire. Ring that bell, run like hell! 

2024. Still happening. I wonder why their yelp/google reviews are still so high. Can we spam some warning reviews so that people know to be cautious with memberships?

Because half of online reviews are fake or paid commentary