Martial arts school contract

[Kylefrc]

Jurisdiction

Washington

So basically I decided to join a mixed martial arts gym, and the owner left for California the week after I signed up. I tried to cancel my membership within the 72 hours, and I have time stamped emails within that period- however after the 72 hours were up I received an email from google saying my email was delayed for another day. I had called in attempt to cancel however one of the instructors had said they needed a written form (thus the email). My reasons for canceling were simple I don't have the time to commit because its a long drive away, and I have full time work and school- concerns I addressed with the owner previous to signing. Basically I am wondering if there is any way for me to get out of this contact with out having to pay 174$ for the next year it would be quite the burden. I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Kyle

 

[mightymoose]

Print your emails and include the headers which show the dates and times they were sent. Show that to the company and see if they will honor your cancellation. If they refuse then you will have to seek assistance through the court.
I've never heard of emails being delayed, or the type of notification you describe. If this is legitimate then investigate the reason for it and use that information to support your intent to cancel within the time limit.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Why don't you first ask the martial arts school to cancel the agreement? I wouldn't bring up the technicalities unless needed. Speaking from experience (I'm a Taekwondo instructor and helped our grand master run our martial arts school), I doubt any reputable school will nail you down to a few hours for a cancellation. In fact, I rarely find any business that will stick you with a personal services contract that is canceled a few hours late. Not only is this an unpleasant and unnecessary act but it can have repercussions when disappointed people discuss their experiences with others. However if they did incur some costs, you should expect that those might be taken out, e.g. any credit card processing fees, etc.

Not sure why you've got cold feet. I think martial arts is a great sport. Mixed Martial Arts is actually a bunch of different disciplines. It may be a great school. But my experience has been that unless it's reputable, it can be a mashup of different styles without mastery of an individual style. If you're going to have a second chance at martial arts - which I hope you have - make sure your school is reputable, you like the teacher and environment, you find them trustworthy, and ask about accreditation if that is important to you. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I've never heard of emails being delayed, or the type of notification you describe. If this is legitimate then investigate the reason for it and use that information to support your intent to cancel within the time limit.

When a server is down or there are network issues there can be attempted redelivery, typically within 24 hours. It's certainly possible and I'd guess that this problem probably shouldn't go to court... but you never know.