LA Fitness Fails to cancel membership after sending letter via the post, and continues to charge account Irvine California

LA Fitness has an effective scam going...

I tried canceling this membership in August 08, by speaking to someone over the phone, and afterwards sending in a cancellation letter via the USPS.
My mistake was not double checking that the charges had stopped.

The have continued to charge me for the past 9 months!

I immediately called customer service and asked for an explanation. They said that they never received my letter. If I had sent a certified letter (which I'm not sure if I did, and if I did, I most likely don't have the receipt) then they would credit me the amount since August. (I wish there was a way to search old tracking information via last name from the post office-- if anyone knows?)

They agreed to immediately cancel my membership today and sent me a verification email. This was actually quite simple and I received the email immediately. Why wasn't this possible last August?

I've just disputed these charges with my citibank credit card (charge disputes are only valid for 90 days). I am curious to see what will happen next. Does anyone have any experience with this?

It's just so upsetting that there aren't regulations to stop companies from treating individuals like this. They obviously don't tell you all the hassle it is to cancel your membership when you first join the gym, and then even after going through the trouble to type a letter and mail it, to find out months later that you are dealing with a corporate scam artist, and that a representative tells you that "maybe your letter was lost in the mail".... I'm sorry. How real is that?

Also, just a side note. When I initially called the company, they complained about bad reception on the line and hung up on me 3 times. Although, it definitely wasn't my phone, since I called from a landline twice and a mobile phone the first time. I'm just curious if this is also part of their scam. I hate to say it, but I am the type of person who procrastinates and doesn't like to deal with menial problems like this. (gas company, phone bills, blah blah blah) This 'bad reception' tactice is actually quite effective for a consumer such as myself-- it could mean me hanging up and not trying the call again for another month... which means another monthly payment for a gym membership that isn't being used.

Well, I wonder what all of these complaints will really amount to. I would love to bring a company like this down. I am a small business owner, and to see practices like this, is really upsetting. Is this the formula for success in America? Cheating and Lying? I really don't want to believe that.

Thomas
los angeles, California
U.S.A.