To cancel a GB3 membership, send George Brown’s Health Clubs a signed, dated cancellation notice at least 30 days before your next billing date. You can deliver it in person, by first-class or certified mail, or by email from the address GB3 has on file. If you signed up within the last five business days, you have a stronger option: cancel immediately for a full refund. Everything else is a matter of timing your notice and keeping proof.
If You Signed Up in the Last Five Business Days
California gives every health studio member the right to cancel by midnight of the fifth business day after signing, not counting Sundays and holidays. You don’t need a reason, and the gym cannot charge a penalty.1California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.85 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
Mail, email, or hand-deliver a signed and dated notice stating that you are canceling. GB3 must refund what you paid within 10 days of receiving the notice, minus the value of any services you actually used.1California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.85 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
The 30-Day Written Notice
Once the cooling-off window closes, cancellation runs on a 30-day written notice. California caps the required notice period at 30 days, so GB3 cannot demand more lead time than that.2California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.84 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
Month-to-month members can cancel at any time using this notice. If you signed a fixed-term contract (GB3’s terms typically run 13 months), you are generally still on the hook for the remaining payments. You can, however, submit your notice before the term ends so the membership terminates the moment the commitment period is up instead of rolling into ongoing monthly charges. Aim to have GB3 receive the notice at least 30 days before the date you want billing to stop.
California also caps health studio contracts at three years and voids any agreement that requires payments beyond the contract term or purports to last for life.2California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.84 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
What Your Cancellation Notice Must Contain
Give staff enough to find your account and act on the request without back-and-forth. Include:
- Your full legal name as it appears on the membership agreement
- Your membership ID number, found on your check-in barcode or the top of your original contract
- The current mailing address GB3 has on file
- The termination date you’re requesting, at least 30 days out
- A clear statement of intent, such as “I am canceling my membership effective [date]”
Sign and date it. California’s health studio law specifically requires a “signed and dated notice” for the cancellation to be valid.1California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.85 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
How to Deliver the Notice
California recognizes three delivery methods for health studio cancellations: in-person delivery, first-class mail, and email from an address the gym has on file. Your contract must list a mailing address and an email address for this purpose.1California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1812.85 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
In Person
Bring two copies to a GB3 location and ask a manager to sign and date both. Keep the signed copy. It’s fast proof, but the weakness is obvious: if the staff member on duty refuses to sign or claims they can’t accept the letter, you walk out with nothing. Switch to certified mail if that happens.
Certified Mail
This is the strongest paper trail. At the post office, fill out PS Form 3800 (the Certified Mail receipt) and attach PS Form 3811 (the return receipt card). The receipt gives you a tracking number, and the return card is signed by whoever accepts the letter and mailed back to you.3United States Postal Service. PS Form 3800 – Certified Mail Receipt
The date on your certified mail receipt sets the start of the 30-day clock. Keep both the mailing receipt and the signed return card. If a billing dispute comes up later, they show exactly when GB3 received the notice.
Check your contract for GB3’s designated cancellation email address. Send from the same email you used at signup, and save the sent confirmation. Email is quick and timestamped, though it doesn’t carry the formal proof-of-delivery of certified mail. If you don’t hear back within a week, follow up with certified mail.
If You’re Moving or Have a Disability
Two situations let you cancel immediately, no matter how much of the contract remains: moving more than 25 miles from the facility, or a disability that prevents you from using the gym.4California Department of Consumer Affairs. Overview of California’s Health Studio Services Contract Law
For a qualifying move, GB3 must refund any prepaid balance on a pro-rata basis if it can’t transfer your contract to a comparable facility nearby. Your contract may include a cancellation fee capped at $100, or $50 if more than half the contract term has passed. That’s the ceiling California allows.4California Department of Consumer Affairs. Overview of California’s Health Studio Services Contract Law
For disability, submit a signed doctor’s note verifying that a medical condition prevents you from using the club’s facilities, along with your cancellation notice. No further payments are owed and any prepaid amount is refunded pro-rata. The same right passes to a member’s estate on death.4California Department of Consumer Affairs. Overview of California’s Health Studio Services Contract Law
Expect One Final Charge, Then Confirm Closure
Because the notice period is 30 days, at least one more billing cycle will process after GB3 receives your letter. Ask for written confirmation, or a signed receipt, stating your account is closed and in good standing. Keep it. That document is your defense if collections ever contacts you about the old membership.
Watch your bank or card statements for at least two billing cycles after your termination date to confirm the automated charges have stopped. If an unauthorized charge posts after the 30 days have run, contact your bank with your certified mail receipt and cancellation confirmation to start a chargeback.
If GB3 Won’t Honor the Cancellation
California law backs you up if the gym ignores a valid notice or keeps charging. Any health studio contract that doesn’t comply with the state’s health studio services law is void and unenforceable, so if GB3’s contract is missing required disclosures or the gym is violating cancellation rules, you may not owe anything at all.4California Department of Consumer Affairs. Overview of California’s Health Studio Services Contract Law
You can also sue in small claims court and potentially recover three times your actual damages plus reasonable attorney’s fees. If GB3 charged you $200 in unauthorized post-cancellation fees, a court could award $600 plus legal costs.5Justia. California Code CIV 1812.80-1812.97 – Contracts for Health Studio Services
Before filing, send one final demand letter referencing California Civil Code Section 1812.94 and the triple-damages provision. Most gyms will process a cancellation rather than face that exposure.