Getting Out Of An All Star Contract?

[Lunasky]

Hello - so, I'm wondering has anyone ever gotten out of an all star contract?

There is one gym in the area that has registrations ending soon and I wanted to register to get a placement, because I'm almost certain my CP will be going there. However, there are 2 other gyms we want to try out for before making a commitment. It sucks because this gym is the only one with a contract that makes you legally responsible to pay the whole season if you drop out after registering.

so, I guess I have 2 questions.

Does anyone else's gym require a signed contract? (such as the one I described)

.. and, If so, have you ever gotten out of one successfully? - I have heard one horror story where someone was taken to court because they could no longer afford the program and the gym owner demanded that she pay all season fees and tuition for the whole year by the end of the month she left.

I was thinking about having one of my attorney friends look over the contract to see if there is any loophole.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I would be honest with the gym with a contract. Don't sign it till you are sure you want to go there. Also, any chance you can get a
private eval for the other 2 gyms before the first gym's registration deadline? Maybe they can tell you what team your daughter would likely be on before the tryouts?

Do not sign a contract with the hopes of getting out of it if you change your mind, epsecially so early in the season and to go to another gym - often if the gym really wants to hold you to it and push things, they will win. A gym around me did this to more than one parent and they ended up paying them. Also, you don't want to get a reputation for doing things like that.

 

[Lunasky]

I would be honest with the gym with a contract. Don't sign it till you are sure you want to go there. Also, any chance you can get a
private eval for the other 2 gyms before the first gym's registration deadline? Maybe they can tell you what team your daughter would likely be on before the tryouts?

Do not sign a contract with the hopes of getting out of it if you change your mind, epsecially so early in the season and to go to another gym - often if the gym really wants to hold you to it and push things, they will win. A gym around me did this to more than one parent and they ended up paying them. Also, you don't want to get a reputation for doing things like that.

You're right.. hmm. I definitely don't want that reputation and don't want to create bad blood. The problem is I told the gym owner that we would be there tonight to sign the contract - only because they kept calling us and emailing to see if we were still coming.. We also tried out for one of the 2 other gyms and was told which level she would be on, but they're not sure if it would be youth or junior.

changing gyms is so hard.

I guess worse comes to worse is that my CP will do this season with this gym and if we don't like it then we leave and stay put wherever we go until the end of her cheer career.

 

[cheer25mom]

I would save that gym for last. I don't like the fact that they hold you responsible for a whole year before even placing you. We pay a nonrefundable deposit that is enough to make people think twice about gym shopping, but I cannot imagine being on the hook for the whole season if practice times didn't work for us, ect.

 

[cheermomforever]

Remember you will b paying a lot of $ over the next 11 months! Too much if you or Cp r unhappy. Make a decision on what's right for your family. If u have doubts now.......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BlockHead]

I agree with the others. I would be completely apprehensive about a gym that requires you to sign a contract like you have described. To me, it makes me wonder if there is something wrong with their program that makes people want to drop out in the middle of the season.
Our gym requires we pay a commitment fee in July of $235, which is out monthly tuition rate. And if we stick around, that commitment fee will count as our April tuition.

 

[emo_wifey]

We have a contract, they charge a $500 contract buyout fee if you quit. I've heard (rumors only) they don't always charge this depending on circumstances and whatnot. We had one girl quit in the middle of the season last year for financial reasons and I don't know if they paid the fee or not.

Like everyone else, I'd be wary of signing a contract requiring the full season's payments even if we left.

 

[MissCongeniality]

Cross out portions of the contract you don't agree with before signing- Don't call attention to it.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

It is very common in my area for gyms to have clauses that if you leave you owe everything for the rest of the year - some even have fees ON TOP of the rest of year payment stuff to pay for rechoreographing the routine. A couple even bring in notaries to be there when parents are coming in to sign forms - that shows how serious they are.

However, many of the gyms will let you get away w/ delaying the signature/committment for about a month (basically before the gym starts investing their own money in you in terms of ordering uniforms, paying choreographers, etc.), but usually by the week of choreography they want every athlete who's in that routine financially committed.

I think it all stems from how we have a lot of options for cheering in our area, and if people start quitting to hop gyms mid-season it can really be devastating to a team. Probably most gyms that have such clauses have learned the hard way about what happens when they don't.

 

[632_beans]

It is very common in my area for gyms to have clauses that if you leave you owe everything for the rest of the year - some even have fees ON TOP of the rest of year payment stuff to pay for rechoreographing the routine. A couple even bring in notaries to be there when parents are coming in to sign forms - that shows how serious they are.

However, many of the gyms will let you get away w/ delaying the signature/committment for about a month (basically before the gym starts investing their own money in you in terms of ordering uniforms, paying choreographers, etc.), but usually by the week of choreography they want every athlete who's in that routine financially committed.

I think it all stems from how we have a lot of options for cheering in our area, and if people start quitting to hop gyms mid-season it can really be devastating to a team. Probably most gyms that have such clauses have learned the hard way about what happens when they don't.

Having been a cheer parent for a few seasons now I get the gyms point of view on this but if I was a new parent this would make me run for the hills! Even if my current gym starting doing this now I would probably run, and I love our gym.

ETA - I wonder how many potential CPs they lose doing this?

 

[Cheer Dad]

Having been a cheer parent for a few seasons now I get the gyms point of view on this but if I was a new parent this would make me run for the hills! Even if my current gym starting doing this now I would probably run, and I love our gym.

ETA - I wonder how many potential CPs they lose doing this?

They lose very few when the gym choices are limited and all the gyms in the area have a similar clause.

 

[Lunasky]

Cross out portions of the contract you don't agree with before signing- Don't call attention to it.

Oh, they will definitely notice that. They check each and every page of the contract tally up each check box and initials on the form.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

Hello - so, I'm wondering has anyone ever gotten out of an all star contract?

There is one gym in the area that has registrations ending soon and I wanted to register to get a placement, because I'm almost certain my CP will be going there. However, there are 2 other gyms we want to try out for before making a commitment. It sucks because this gym is the only one with a contract that makes you legally responsible to pay the whole season if you drop out after registering.

so, I guess I have 2 questions.

Does anyone else's gym require a signed contract? (such as the one I described)

.. and, If so, have you ever gotten out of one successfully? - I have heard one horror story where someone was taken to court because they could no longer afford the program and the gym owner demanded that she pay all season fees and tuition for the whole year by the end of the month she left.

I was thinking about having one of my attorney friends look over the contract to see if there is any loophole.

I've been at a gym that had a contract like that, though I felt uneasy as I signed it. I totally understand not refunding any fees, and maybe even comp fees... paid prior to departure, but it is dumb to me that they would charge tuition if someone left. I've always wondered if a parent could insist that their CPS spot not be filled if they left since they paid for it. I prefer buy out fees, they make more sense to me. It covers the gyms fees/etc, but stops short of charging for services that aren't rendered.

I would not sign the contract until I knew I could honor it. Or ask them to put a rider in that you could cancel at some rate by such and such a date.

 

[Pebbles49]

Truthfully, I will never sign any contract that you promise to paid all services upfront. I believe this is illegal and NO contract should be that long term,, I can see, paying 1 month, possibly 2 months given notice, but a full year, HECK NO!

PS: Any contract can be broken within the window of 72 business hours, though...

 

[Boughetto]

Great thread! Please keep it going I'm in the process of reviewing my CP contract for her new gym and it has the same clause: if you leave for any reason even if the gym dismiss you and ask you to leave you are still responsible for the entire contract amount plus a $500 penalty!!!