Steven Palma says Planet Fitness allegedly “started charging me again” after he called to cancel his membership from his hospital bed

NEED TO KNOW

• Steven Palma claims Planet Fitness continued charging him $15 monthly after a stroke left him paralyzed and unable to work out
• Palma allegedly visited the club twice with assistance but was told he needed to sign electronically to get out of his contract
• After ABC7 contacted the gym, Palma’s membership was finally canceled, and he received a $105 refund

A Long Island, N.Y., man who was paralyzed after having a stroke was unable to cancel his gym membership, he says, because he was physically unable to sign his name.

When Steven Palma, from Holbrook, had a stroke last year, he called his son to tell him, “I might not make it through, but I wanted to let you know I love you,” the dad of three told ABC7‘s Nina Pineda. He survived — but was left with lasting damage to his body. As his doctor told him at the time, “You’re going to be paralyzed to the point where you can’t move your fingers, and you can’t move your arm, and you can’t move your legs.”

Palma had to make adjustments to his life, like outfitting his home with ramps. And he had to cancel his Planet Fitness membership, as he was no longer able to work out. When he called the gym from the hospital last October, he says he was told it was “no problem.”

“And then they started charging me again in December. December, January, February. You know, they just kept going,” Palma said of the monthly $15 charge.

That’s when Palma went in person. “I had to get taken once by ambulette there and once by my brother. The guy said, ‘Okay, well, you’ll have to sign, you know, the electronic thing,’ And I said, ‘My signature doesn’t exist anymore. My right hand is paralyzed.’ ”

Still unable to cancel the membership, he contacted Pineda through the news organization’s  7 On Your Side series, which reached out to Planet Fitness.

The outlet says that the next day, Palma’s membership was canceled, and he was given a refund of $105.

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In a statement to PEOPLE, a representative for Planet Fitness said, “Planet Fitness takes member concerns seriously and the local club worked directly with the member to address this matter. We can confirm the refund has now been processed, and the matter has been resolved.”

The statement continued: “We strive to provide a great fitness experience for all our members throughout their membership journey with Planet Fitness. We wanted to clarify, since May of 2025, all Planet Fitness members nationwide have been able to manage their memberships online, including joining, canceling, transferring memberships, updating billing information, and more. All of this information can be found on our website FAQs.”

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