Join Plaza in Eaux-vives, so far , no trick :-)

Thanks, I shall look it up.

And and update: I found my contract and the date on it clearly says June 3, 2009.  No mention of a special September 2009 contract.  I shall send it off to them and reiterate my request.  Glocals shall be notified of developments.

or you can sell it to someone else at a slight discount. that s what i did with mine. no problem at all, they were very cooperative.

Thank you, hay_, that is also a good tip.

In the interest of completeness, I am happy to report that this has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction.  I showed up personally with my contract and spoke with the customer service rep who had called me up earlier.  She scanned my contract for the necessary details and found everything in order.  Thus, my subscription was cancelled within two minutes.  With just smiles, gentle words and some paper-waving.

In conclusion, after this episode, can I recommend Holmes Place to a glocals member?  Sure, with the following caveats:

1. Keep your original contract and read the fine print.

2. Know that Holmes Place may increase the rate any time after the first year (yeah it says that in the fine print).

3. If you're charged with a surprise 'coaching' fee, maybe it would be worth it to try  it out.  

I was satisfied with my two years of membership.  The hours are exceptional for Geneva, the changing rooms are kept clean and there are enough classes to keep one occupied morning, noon and evening.  Not to mention that the fitness instructors are professional and give challenging classes.  Plus ou moins.  And some are preternaturally fit and good-looking that you can reach 80% of your maximum  heart rate just by staring at them. A cardio work-out right there!

Happy training, everyone!

I tell you NEVER EVER GO TO USINE

they are the same that holmes place

when they realize that you are leaving the country they will take twice the amount of the money in your account and make as much trouble as possible for you ...

usine thinks that when you are leaving a country you are not prepare to pay a lawyer for your rights to take the money,

for example they took from my account 2 year in total even if i sign just one year contract. They took the money the following day i said to them that i was leaving Geneva...and then when i ask them why... they make me understand that a lawyer will cost me 3 times this amount so... they take advantage of this

PLEASE NEVER EVER GO TO USINE THEY ARE WORSE THAN HOLMES PLACE

Hi there! Can anybody tell me how much the membership costs per month at the Holmes Place? I cannot find the prices anywhere on the website. (even though after reading all the negative comments and reviews, I will think twice whether to join or not). Thanks for your info, guys!

On the few times, I have asked for the rates, they have always refused to give them to me, saying "it depends on, what you sign up for" and have then given me signup forms... without the rates, of course.

Couldn't agree more L'Usine Opera is a complete amateur operation. Their accounting department incredibly managed to "lose" their records of several payments I made towards the monthly membership fee. Instead of properly investigating the matter, management then decided to invoice these payments a second time.

As you pointed out Veronica, L'Usine management is taking advantage of the fact that many clients, in particular the international ones, will quickly fold to their demands in order to avoid further legal wrangling.

STAY WELL CLEAR OF L'USINE.

HAHAHAHA I can seriously only laugh and at the same time empathise with anyone trying to leave Holmes place...They will do everything in their power to keep the reins on you in order for you not to leave.  I had to threaten taking them to up legally on a case of missapropriation, just to get out of the claws of their contract. For a whole year they badgered me with calls and letters of I refused to pay and until I took steps for proceedings they backed off.

They WILL HUNT you down. Your bark has to be Louder and  you just have to BITE back!!!

Good Luck!!!

I re-iterate what I have posted on other HP threads (same goes for some of the other dubious gyms) - as soon as you join, send them the registered termination letter immediately and insist on a written confirmation on their part. 

At the end of the year, if you really want to extend your contract, they certainly won't stop you.

On the other hand if you chose not to terminate immediately then a year down the road you may be on your deathbed, or just plain forgot, or missed the deadline by a day, or can't be bothered becasue you haven't been to the gym in such a long time cause you are disgusted by the management practices, well its payup time for yet another year.  Imagine being 6 feet under and still paying HP . . . . plus coaching !!!

I once saw a customer at the reception desk of HP asking whether he could pay a one-off fee to use the gym for one session, he was in town on business for the afternoon. 

The advisor behind the desk looked panicked for a moment and then said "uh, 50 CHF for the session" ... I couldn't believe it. The guy paid and grumbled, but really he had no right to and he only went there to be SEEN anyway, just like many of the people. 

I always laugh when I remember - I saw that "older lady" on the xtrainer wearing dangling ear-rings, a huge belt, more make up than a Paquis Prostitute and lips redder than Dracula, desperately bobbing up and down with her arms flailing from side to side as she alternated from watching herself in the mirror and checking whether anyone else was looking at her ( which they were - there are a lot more prettier, less self-conscious or attention seeking girls in there, I'm sure ... right? There has to be at least one ) 

I got out of HP in the end by showing them a return ticket home. Which it was. For the weekend. I came back on the Monday sans abonnement! I'll never go back there, so prtentious, the desk staff are usually kind of rude and they once locked me in the building on a sunday night - they hadn't seen me on the bike in the corner towards closing time and I was lost in my ipod ... Off went the lights and they disappeared down the lift and I was stuck there. I had to getr out the fire escape and they never even apologised. Not once. 

Never again ! I would recommend Silhouette - at Les Alpes, deal with David, he looks like inspector Poirot and is pretty helpful. 

Actually, the personal training is not mandatory - don't let them them tell you that.

I joined in Oct 2010 and they offered me the 2 personal sessions, which I declined, since I have been using gyms for more years than I care to remember and don't need any advice or motivation. They were never mentioned again and I certainly wasn't charged for it.

One thing I do object to is the 'one off admin fee'. It's CHF150 a month for fxsake - and they don't even have a pool!

Just one more example of rip-off Geneva.......... (don't get me wrong, I do love Geneva but ............!!)

The only reason I joined is because it's open all day on Sunday. It's also in the same building that I work in, making it easy to use early morning, lunchtime and evening. Saying that, it's far too busy at lunchtime to have a meaningful workout.

I finally decided that Holmes Place is not good value for money. I got fed up of having to wait for machines and weights, and I became i'll on consecutive occassions after using the sauna and steam rooms.I intend to join Harmony at La Praille, which is new, bigger, less busy, and has a pool. Oh, and it's cheaper!

As an endorsement to the original poster's message, I visited Holmes Place in person on Tuesday in order to enquire about cancellation (since I am unable to decipher the french T&Cs on my joining form), only to be told there was no-one in the office that day that could assist me. They took my details and promised that someone would call me the next day. Surpise, surprise! No one called me. I returned there again today, only to be told that I needed to send them a registered letter giving notice of cancellation. Considering I was actually standing there in front of them, and I work only 2 floors above, I am still mystified by this. It just doesn't make any sense.

So now I've sent a registered letter which probably won't arrive until Tuesday, which is 2nd August. I will not be happy if they try to charge me a membership fee in December.

Grrrr!!!

Try taking your letter (2 originals) to them and have them countersign it tomorrow as acknowledgenment of receipt.  This is also as valid as a registered letter - in fact to cancel your subscription, a registered letter is not usually required, except that in case of a discrepency of dates, actual receipt, etc, it is certainly worth having.

Tell them that you are not leaving until they endorse your letter as received.

Mark "Confirmation de réception" and get them to sign, print their name, and have them stamp (any stamp will do) your original and their original. Basta !

Thanks Poster.

I offered them taht yesterday but they refused. The contract apparently stipulates that it must be sent by registered post (it's all in French and my colleagues translated it for me yesterday), and they are holding me to that.

It's a shame that no-one from Holmes Place can actually be bothered to respond to some legitmate queries from a growing number of people ... What a way to run a business ! 

I sent them a registered letter ad the claimed they received it after the deadline unfortuately I had lost the receipt from the post office.  They took money from my account for another year. Then at the end of that year, they tried to to say they never got the letter at all.   Luckily I kept the letter from them when they claimed the registered letter did not arrive in time.  

Keep everything.   They are extremely unethical to the point of almost being criminal.  I have bee trying to cancel my membership since 2009.  I am at the point that I have threatened to file a case and bill them for my legal fees if their fraudlent claims continue

I agree, I am also trying to quit Holmes Place since January and they make it impossible. 

The rates are very different for everyone. I only pay 135 CHF per month.

Guys,

I don't really understand why you are so unhappy with Holmes - “a leading European fitness chain, with clubs in Geneva, Lausanne, & Zurich, and a largely international clientele” that “is the favorite fitness club for many glocals.com members (including our own site-admin, when we give him a break). !!!!!!!!!!!“

look, look - you can get a 100CHF discount as  Glocalers – this is huge! 100chf off of ..sorry...what's a yearly membership price? ...Don't be so whiny, go and get muscular :-)

I guess you are not falling for 100chf discount, think again....

@reka maybe it's too early on a monday morning, but I think Sam was being sarcastic.

I swear Holmes Place are the biggest crooks ever!  After paying for a full year for a membership that should have been cancelled the year before they have now sent my name to a collection agency for the final month's payment which had been paid..

Add to the fact that after a year they tried to say they never received my registered letter of cancellation in the first place.  I really regret that I ever joined this gym.  These people are outright criminals!  It was my own stupidity for signing a contract in French.  Interestingly my new health club offers an English version of the contract.

I am thinking that I really might have to pursue some sort of legal action, because at this stage it is outright harassment.

Do not join the gym.  You will regret it at some point.

CROOKS. Horrible to deal with, completely unfair and unjust! PLEASE save yourself from the maddness and do not go here!

Here's my own horror story: 

I left GVA in 2012 and sent a registered letter. They kept charging me. I emailed Emeline Garcia who is - interestingly - the "retention officer." The title gives away her real purpose....

They denied ever receiving a letter and, stupidly, I lost the receipt. I sent another letter that was received but then they said that I had to also send my attestation, which really shouldn't be the case. Still, I did that too. 

In the meantime, they've continued to take money out of my account. 220 CHF one month, 356 CHF the next. Whatever they want. I have yet to have a clear answer from Emeline OR the manager Blaise Languin (who just ignores my letters) as to what these amounts are for. Oh and they have sworn up and down that I didn't pay in August. My bank account says otherwise. 

I called my bank and cancelled payment. Now Holmes Place - despite my trying desperately to cancel FOR MONTHS - is putting me to a collection agency. I don't live in Switzerland any longer so I'm not sure what they hope to get out of this.....

But they are reading the contract in a way that only helps them. And they will NOT (ever ever ever) let you leave. That's why Emeline is the retention officer. 

Two friends of mine had the same exact experience. One had to pay the collection agency 600 CHF even though it was completely within her right to cancel. 

Moral of the story: DO NOT SIGN UP. You'll be hemorraging money to this horrible machine with no recourse for months longer than you ever wanted to. 

STAY AWAY. 

@ Zaino:

In case you think that being in another country could stop them from getting paid, it could turn out it`s not. Some companies offer the service to collect payments from foreigners. These companies get a big commision and therefore highly motivated to do so. They wait until they have a certain amount of outstanding dept from several people based in the same country. Then they proceed to contact a local dept collector who then will go after your money.

So in case your subscription is still not cancelled, I would advice you to do so...

The problem is that even when a person cancels, as my friend did, HP refused to accept her cancellation -- although she had a UN reassignment and provided documentation to that effect.

They continued to charge her although she has proof that Ms Garcia agreed to cancellation of the contract. I hope that people intending to join a gym read this thread and send a registered letter as noted above. This doesn't always work but you would have some proof.

When confronted with any demand from a collection agency, then send a copy of this letter and the registered letter recepit.