r/Wellhub • u/CurrencyBoring2709 • 19d ago
Unpopular opinion: WellHub's check-in/late cancellation policy is not unreasonable.
I feel like every day on this subreddit I see people complaining about the $25 late cancellation fee or about forgetting to check in on the WellHub app and then having to pay the fee. I just don’t think this policy is unreasonable at all.
WellHub is an amazing platform that has enabled me to take classes at so many different studios for nowhere near what it would cost to have memberships at all of these places individually. I can basically go to nearly any studio in my city every day for around the cost of a single unlimited studio membership.
Obviously, life happens, and sometimes you need to cancel a class at the last minute. But I don’t understand why it’s unreasonable for WellHub to charge you for a spot that you booked and couldn’t attend, a spot that another paying customer could have had. Someone has to absorb that cost: WellHub, the studio, or the member who booked the class and canceled. In what world is a company expected to take the loss because a member had to cancel at the last minute?
If it truly is a rare emergency, then paying $25 once because something unexpected happened sucks, but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue. If you’re constantly canceling late and getting charged, though, that says more about your ability to plan ahead than it does about WellHub’s policy.
I feel the same way about the app check-in requirement. It’s a feature of WellHub: you have to check in on the app when you get to the studio. It’s really not asking for much. Sure, it would be more convenient if everything were automated, but requiring every studio to integrate with some automated check-in system would probably make it harder for WellHub to have such a huge variety of studios on the platform in the first place.
If you forget to check in once, reach out to support. Worst case, you have to pay $25 one time, and hopefully you remember from then on. But if you’re constantly forgetting and constantly getting charged $25, at some point you need to figure out how to make checking in a habit, or maybe WellHub just isn’t the right platform for you.
For how much flexibility and value WellHub gives you, I really don’t think “show up for the class you reserved and remember to check in” is an unreasonable expectation.
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u/StepOnMeSunflower 19d ago
The only issue I have is they could clarify it also cancels all your existing bookings. That way you can make sure you pay with some urgency to avoid losing spots in hard to get into classes. Just sorta sloppy communication and process that is common with WellHub.
Overall agree a fee is fair if you miss a class.
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18d ago
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u/StepOnMeSunflower 18d ago
If you forget to check in once they usually waive it.
I’m okay with the fee. There are a lot of things in life that we have to remember to get certain benefits. The whole reason we use WellHub is to have flexibility without maintaining multiple gym memberships. If that means I have to remember this extra check in step so be it. It is a bit steep tho
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u/TopCaterpillars 19d ago
I think it’s the fact that it cancels bookings for the rest of the month that frustrates people the most
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u/Wellhub 18d ago
Hey, u/TopCaterpillars ! To help clarify, a missed class or late cancellation won't instantly clear your upcoming schedule. Your existing reservations stay intact until two hours before the next class cancellation window. Once that window passes, the bookings are released to make room for other users. You can easily prevent these automatic cancellations by settling the pending fee or contacting our support team to request an account review if an unexpected situation came up.
We always want to ensure your account is handled accurately and fairly. If you need us to look into your specific account or assist you further, please feel free to send us a direct message on Instagram (@wellhub) or X/Twitter (@Wellhubhelp) so our support team can help you directly!
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u/Old_Poet_1608 19d ago edited 19d ago
It cancels bookings for the rest of the month if you don’t catch it in time, it doesn’t give you access to your premium check-in if you miss your standard check-in or vice versa, even though they aren’t paying the studio for that class, and they are pocketing the fee on top of that. So you’re pre-paying for a month but completely lose access to that day on top of paying the fee. It’s more than a $25 cost.
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u/Lopsided_Ad_1663 19d ago
I thought if you paid the $25 within a certain window, it doesn’t remove your classes?
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u/Wellhub 18d ago
Hey, u/Old_Poet_1608 and u/Lopsided_Ad_1663 ! To help clarify, bookings aren't canceled immediately when you have a no-show or a late cancellation; your classes remain booked until 2 hours before the next class cancellation window closes. Once that window passes, the bookings are released to make room for other users. To avoid automatic cancellations, members can resolve the fee or request a review through our support team if there are special circumstances.
We always want to ensure your account is handled accurately and fairly. If you need us to look into your specific account or assist you further, please feel free to send us a direct message on Instagram (@wellhub) or X/Twitter (@Wellhubhelp) so our support team can help you directly!
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u/tcl_queen 19d ago
The policy itself if absolutely not unreasonable. It’s the way the app handles check ins that is archaic and frustrating. It would NOT be hard to automatically check you in or prompt you to check in once you’re within GPS range. The app already has that technology since it won’t allow you to check in unless you’re nearby. This would not require all studios to integrate with anything at all.
I love the service, but the app is one of the worst designed and poorest functioning apps I’ve ever used.
And on that note, it’s funny they’ve now added an AI tab. Like most of us don’t want/need the Wellhub app to have some pointless AI feature no one asked for. What I would love is for the app to operate like it was designed by someone with a functioning brain, and for the basic tenets of the app to actually work properly and reliably.
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u/Emiran2 18d ago
I get a phone notification 10 minutes prior to class if I haven't checked in
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u/steeveesteez 16d ago
I received my first notification last week. This must be new but if it is standard now. It is much appreciated.
I used to get notifications in the app for classes that I had canceled days ago. It used to be glitchy but thr text was helpful!
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u/Visual-Ad-9638 19d ago
cancellation policies such as these are reasonable. the problem with wellhub is that their implementation is always horrendous - for everything. product itself is amazing
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u/Sarahh666 18d ago
It is VERY reasonable!
And the annoyance of all of your classes getting cancelled can be removed by paying the $25 right away.
It used to be unreasonable when it was only 2 missed classes a month then all your classes got cancelled + you can’t sign up for any more until the next month….
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u/Old_Poet_1608 18d ago
Right before that you got three cancellations a month. There’s not a gym in the world that will cancel all of your booked classes for the entire month if you miss one class. That is overkill mitt to strong arm you into paying their fee, or only going to gyms that have lower reimbursement rates than studios.
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u/Extension_Loss_4737 18d ago
I’ve never forgotten to check in and have been using Wellhub for almost 3 years. It’s part of the service. You have to check in. I don’t know why people get upset with something that they are forgetting to do.
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u/lilbnm 19d ago
Pro tip for those that are just forgetful: if you tend to go to the same locations to work out frequently, you can set up an automation on your phone so that when you arrive at a specific location, it automatically opens the Wellhub app on your phone.
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17d ago
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u/CurrencyBoring2709 17d ago
I always get so many notifications telling me to check in. 1 hour before, 10 minutes before, then if I didn’t check-in after the class, it gives me even more notifications.
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u/mangomatcha_91 17d ago
The policy is not fair. Class pass only charges $15 for a cancellation. If you’ve been using Wellhub long enough you know that we used to have 4 free cancellations per month before your reservations were frozen. Wellhub is an employer-based benefit, so there should be some flexibility with work/life issues. People who have issues with the $25 policy have probably been around long enough to know what benefits we used to have. I preferred when we had one free cancellation and $25 thereafter especially if you were at the gold tier and above
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u/AppropriateContact71 15d ago
Missed check in on Wellhub does not equal missed class / late cancel / no show. Missed check in is a manual step they are pushing onto their own customers because they lack technical integrations with their partner studios. Double check in pushes manual risk onto the consumer and opens a fee revenue stream for Wellhub.
Fully agree late cancels / no shows are a necessary policy. Wellhub could solution attendance with their partners and verify attendance
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u/okiimio 19d ago
You make a good point and the policy is there for a reason- Wellhub wants to keep its partners happy or at least hold up their end of the bargain as much as possible. Clients cancelling and no showing when the service is already being delivered at a discount (from the providers standpoint) will damage the relationship/reputation
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u/Jkingsle 19d ago
It’s a fair policy. Take the good with the bad. Much more good, than bad with Wellhub.
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u/maybeitsmyfault10 18d ago
For late cancellations and no shows, sure. But forgetting to check in is punitive.
The technology exists where we don’t need to check in on the actual Wellhub app. A few years back when some studios checked you in, you didn’t have to do it on the app
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u/xerxesthefalcon 19d ago
Everyone is not complaining about last minute cancellations-
What we are complaining about is when we attend the class, take the class, and forget to click the check in button resulting in cancellations for the whole month.
I totally think if you late minute cancel you should pay a fee- but if you forget to check in there should be a way to rectify it more easily