Anyone who has ever attempted to cancel a gym membership knows how unnecessarily difficult it can be.
One woman, Megan Million on TikToklearned this the hard way when trying to end her Planet Fitness membership. According to the gym’s policymembers who wish to cancel must either “visit your home club in person” or “send a written notification via mail to your home club requesting to cancel.”
Megan attempted to do the former, but even then, had to make up lies about her family to get the gym employee to accept her cancelation.
The woman felt ‘forced’ to lie about her family’s health to cancel her Planet Fitness gym membership in person.
“I need to cancel my membership,” she told the worker at the start of her video. She was then asked if she had “a good reason” for canceling.
Putting aside the fact that a desire to cancel something you are paying for should be “good reason” enough, Megan quickly made up a story to justify her decision to the worker.
“Basically, my family and I, we were at Sushi King, and our entire family got food poisoning,” she lied. “My dad lost his leg.”
“So, we have to move overseas to Singapore,” she continued. “None of my family can afford memberships to Planet Fitness. We have to cancel ASAP.”
The worker appeared to be in shock by Megan’s admittedly shocking story, apologizing for her family’s hardships.
“It was so bad,” Megan told the worker. “We literally have to leave at 2 a.m. tomorrow. My dad, he’s been having terrible stomach cramps too, and his leg’s gone.”
“My sister, she jumped off a cliff too,” Megan belatedly added. “It’s terrible.”
Her outrageous stories worked, at least, and Megan was told by the Planet Fitness employee that her membership was officially canceled.
The woman questioned why gyms like Planet Fitness make it so difficult to cancel their memberships.
While her made-up story was funny for many online, it points to a bigger issue. Many people feel a sense of shame or anxiety when made to prove to workers why they deserve to cancel their membership. Whether it’s financial struggles, a lack of time, or any other reason, it’s truly none of the gym’s business.
“I love you for this bc Planet Fitness is literally holding me hostage,” one commenter joked.
“I tell places like this I’m going to prison,” a Reddit user admitted. “Stops all further questioning and makes them feel awkward so they just cancel whatever to end the interaction ASAP.”
Planet Fitness isn’t the only gym to have such cancellation requirements, although it does seem to be one of the strictest. For example, Equinox requests gym-goers cancel their membership in person, by mail, or via email — an option Planet Fitness doesn’t offer.
These ‘shady’ membership programs contribute to stigmas about exercise and ‘healthy’ lifestyles — while profiting off of them.
The exercise industry is chock-full of shame-driven motivation and toxic discourse, so it’s not exactly surprising that so many people have poor experiences in gyms.
Planet Fitness alone utilizes a “lunk alarm” — a siren that blares loudly when a patron “grunts, drops a weight, or judges,” drawing the attention of all gym-goers. While the gym claims that the purpose of the alarm is to create a “Judgment Free Zone®,” it’s hard to believe that the alarm actually does that.
So, between judgment from members and workers and difficulty in canceling, many new gym-goers have decided to steer clear.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of fantastic local gyms,” life coach Erin McGoff admitted in a TikTok, “but let’s look at the facts here: big gyms are ripping off people (and getting away with it). In fact, it’s become such a huge issue that the FTC is stepping in proposing a formal ban on subscriptions that are simple to start and difficult to cancel.”
“Don’t fall for schemes that prey on your vulnerabilities,” she added. “Always advocate for yourself and know your rights.”
Gym chains are fully aware of the difficulties that “in-person cancellation” requirements pose for members — whether it’s shame, anxiety, or simply finding time. That’s why they have such demands in place.
Thankfully, the formal ban McGoff mentioned was actually adopted in October of 2024. Now, companies are required to allow consumers to cancel their memberships and subscriptions “as easily as they started it.”
No longer will such lies and outrageous made-up stories be necessary.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
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