A South Florida woman wanted to help her son's fitness journey so she spent hundreds of dollars on a personal trainer. What happened when she thought the sessions had ended had her calling Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Getting a gift for an adult can be difficult. Catherine's son made it easy.
Catherine Vega: "And he wanted to get a personal training package so he could learn how to work out."
Catherine bought one month with a personal trainer. The cost for that? $600.
Catherine Vega: "It included four sessions of personal training. Consider it a holiday gift, learn all that you can."
Her son did work with the trainer for a month. His sessions ended, and then Catherine's headache began.
Catherine Vega: "I took a look at my credit card and I thought, 'Wow, this is really high balance. I haven't purchased anything."
Catherine's statement showed the gym had billed her for November, which was correct. But then charged her for December, January, and February.
Catherine Vega: "Six hundred dollars, $600, $600. So $1,800 additional in personal training."
Catherine contacted the UFC Fit facility in Pembroke Pines.
Catherine Vega: "'Oh, it was an error. We misunderstood. We're going to refund you."
That was in March of 2025. We are now in November.
Catherine Vega: "I didn't hear anything. I started emailing. I actually got an email stating that I would be credited, the refund is coming, the refund is coming, but the refund never came."
Catherine didn't have a contract. She had bought the gift over the phone with a simple understanding.
Catherine Vega: "I used the merchant for a one-time training package, not for recurrent billing."
She paid $600 for her son to work out. Now she is getting a workout trying to get her $1,800 back.
Catherine Vega: "I'm frustrated. I'm extremely frustrated."
She paid for something she didn't get, but is she entitled to get her money back, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein: "If there was a contract, this is simple. Catherine gets her money back. A verbal agreement over the phone makes it harder for the consumer to prove what she bought. But reputable companies record those conversations so they know what the verbal agreement was. Catherine says they even admitted it was a mistake, so they should have returned that $1,800 immediately."
I contacted UFC Fit. They replied:
"...Thank you for reaching out. This matter has been reviewed and addressed through our corporate team. A refund has already been submitted and approved..."
I then called Catherine.
Catherine Vega: "I actually didn't know until you guys contacted me and said, 'Oh, it's been resolved.'"
Resolved, meaning Catherine got her $1,800 back. All she had been asking for when she called Help Me Howard.
Catherine Vega: "I am very glad I called. I wish I had done it back in April or May and hadn't waited this long. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache."
You never gave up, Catherine. Good for you!
Now, if you get an agreement over the phone, make sure you get them to email it to you so you can prove what the verbal agreement was. Not all companies will refund your money.
A problem left you fit to be tied? Wanna lift that weight off your shoulders? Try this exercise. Contact us to work out a solution. With this Help Me Howard, I'm Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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