The first half of the March complaints: (I am posting them here as I don;t know how long they will be available, the guy who started the site was sued by Bally's)
Verify what you read before you give it any credence.
Andrew S. Faber assumes no responsibility for the veracity of any of the following.
Report bogus links to: ballysucks@compupix.com
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I have belonged to Bally's for about 8 months and have noticed many problems. There are two Bally's in my area, outside of Philadelphia, which I attend. One of them has a constant problem with lockers being broken into and the whirlpool there is constantly almost cold. The showers also need to be scrubbed thoroughly.
The other Bally's I go to is extremely overcrowded. I usually have to park in the mall across the street and once I get in, I usually have 4 people in front of me trying to get on one machine. Then the machine is constantly broken too. The place has too many people, yet it aggressively recruits people to that location.
But two days ago, the worst incident to date at the gym happened, I was in the pool area and an announcement was made to leave the pool immediately. Turns out that someone went to the bathroom in the pool -- an attendant and to come in to scoop it out.
E. M.
Philadelphia, PA USA - 1 Mar 1998
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My brother got a membership at Bally's. The worst part is that he couldn't turn the membership over to me without paying an outrageous fee.
E. D. <dittmer.4@osu.edu>
Columbus, OH USA - 2 Mar 1998
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Cancellation is a hassle. If you have to travel through two hours of traffic to work out, 23 miles from home, what's the sense? I tried to cancel and there is too much run around. Save yourself the trouble, DON'T JOIN Bally's ever. Go with a smaller gym that is not national and that cares about the fitness and happiness of its customers. Bally's truly sucks!
K. Allen
Washington, DC USA - 2 Mar 1998
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First, I must restrain myself from using foul language since I am basically livid!
I had been fighting with them since May 1997. I signed up in PA when I was visiting with a friend. I had the membership two weeks and my lung collapsed. I had major lung surgery. I called after returning home from a two-week stay in the hospital and was told I passed the 30-day cancellation mark and couldn't receive a full refund regardless of my health condition!
I was told I needed a letter from my surgeon and the membership could be "frozen." After several weeks I called because I had not heard anything. I was then told that there was no such thing as a freeze and that I owed them!
I had never used the gym because I could never seem to get an orientation appointment and became ill a week later. I had to call long distance over a dozen times, was spoken rudely to and hung up on when I was very pleasant.
I refused to pay and luckily my bank changed names so they had a wrong acct # for me. They proceeded to harass me by calling my home and sending nasty letters. I sent my letters three separate times. They claimed they never received my letters! My ass.
I finally got a refund. Six months later!
Katherine
Robbinsville, NJ USA - 2 Mar 1998
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Bally's refused to honor the proper cancellation documentation from my son who moved permanently out of the country. This advice is from a lawyer friend:
Click the receiver once, and say:
"I am informing you that this conversation is being recorded. My son has properly cancelled his contract but Bally's refuses to accept it. I am not legally responsible for his debts. If you should fail to include this information into your records, or, if you or any agent of Bally's should contact me again on this matter, I will consider it a violation of the April 1994 consent agreement, and is prosecutable harassment. Is there anything you wish to add to this record?"
Then, do not respond, except to say thank you, and hang up.
John Collins
Danvers, MA USA - 3 Mar 1998
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My son, a Bally's member, recently moved out of the country. Before leaving he sent in a cancellation notice. After receiving an overdue notice from Bally's, my wife called them. She was told that even though they received the cancellation, they could not accept it because "it was mailed from Boston." (We live 20 miles north of Boston.) When she asked to speak to a supervisor, she was told that her request was denied.
John Collins
Danvers, MA USA - 3 Mar 1998
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Attention Bally's members in St. Louis!
I use the Bally's at Dorsett & 270. You can easily ruin your car's suspension if you hit one of the bomb craters in the parking lot. There are about 12 holes over 12" wide and very deep. (I've mentioned this twice to the staff.) They have a dark parking lot where you can twist an ankle or crash your car into a jumbo pothole. Not to mention the safety of walking in a dark parking lot late at night.
John Collins <Jackndyan@aol.com>
Maryland Heights, MO USA - 4 Mar 1998
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In September of 1993, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I joined the local Bally's. My membership was good only at the Cambridge location. I paid $300 up front for my first three years, with an assurance that I would pay only $9 per month to renew thereafter.
In May of 1996, upon graduating from school, I took a job in Chicago, and undertook the procedures to transfer my membership to the Century Mall location. I was told that it would take several weeks to process my request. I went to the Century Mall location and asked if, since I was transferring my membership anyway, I could begin working out at Century Mall pending issuance of the paperwork relating to my transfer. I was told that this would not be possible, because I was not a member of the Century Mall location.
I then asked the representative at the Century Mall Bally's whether I could obtain a temporary guest pass to allow me to work out as a guest at that club while waiting for my transfer. The representative stated that, since I was a member, I could not be a guest (you recall that he earlier told me that I was NOT a member).
At this point, I asked to speak to a manager. I told the manager that I was committed to working out regularly, and that, if I couldn't work out at Bally's while awaiting my transfer, I would be tempted to take my business (and future renewal fees, upgrades, etc.) elsewhere. At this point, the manager very rudely, and in no uncertain terms, informed me that he didn't care what I did. He then walked away.
At this point, I decided that I wanted nothing more to do with an organization that is so inflexible, and allows its employees to have so little regard for customer service and relations. There are plenty of other nice gyms in the Chicago area.
So I called the customer service department and asked them to cancel, rather than transfer, my membership. I backed up my conversation with a letter. Despite my cancellation, I continued to receive notices that my renewal fees for the Cambridge location were overdue. I called Bally's again to inform them of my cancellation and to request that they send me no further correspondence. The woman I spoke with told me to ignore the notices. Soon, I stopped receiving notices altogether.
It is now March 1998, and I haven't heard from Bally's in over a year. Imagine my surprise (and anger) when I opened up a recent credit card bill, and noticed that Bally's had charged my credit card (which they had never been authorized to do) for all of the renewal fees for the Cambridge location since September of 1996. My credit card company and I are now engaged in a battle with Bally's to get them to remove the charge. Just when I thought Bally's was long-gone from my life, it rears its ugly head.
I encourage everyone to discourage their friends, family, and coworkers from signing up with this organization. Bally's main concern seems to be obtaining money from customers. Therefore, one of the few powers we as consumers have is to refuse to give them my money.
Julie Martin <jmartin@kmz.com>
Chicago, IL USA - 6 Mar 1998
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Information and/or witnesses are needed for accidents at 1653 Merriman Road Bally's in Akron.
In October of 1995 I was injured on the steps of the pool. They had recently painted the bottom of the pool and the steps were extremely slippery. I injured my left knee, and both shoulders. (This resulted in reflex sympathy disorder in my right shoulder and arm.) I told the manager about the dangerous situation with the steps and he agreed that there was a problem and 5 or 6 people had fallen before me and that he would get the problem fixed. I asked to fill out an accident report but they were too busy and asked me to come back.
I called them for 2 days to see if I could fill out an accident report but I was told there was no manager available. I finally went in after I received hospital treatment a couple of days later and asked for an accident report to be filled out. The manager did one at that time. I asked for a copy but the manager refused.
Over two years have gone by and I have had knee surgery, ganglion nerve blocks for my shoulder arm and hand and have tried many medications to help the pain but with no relief. I have had weeks of physical therapy and have been under doctors care since the accident.
The problems we are having with Bally's are many. They have conveniently lost the accident report and admit to only 1 person having slipped on the steps prior to my accident. But they do not have any information on that person. They admit to draining the pool and repairing the steps with a rough surface the day after my accident.
We are asking to be contacted by people who were injured on the steps of the pool in October of 1995.
Richard Bender <rbender@lrun.com>
Akron, Ohio USA - 7 Mar 1998
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The East Sunrise Bally's has become a complete dump! The many excuses and delays for repairs and upgrades result in nothing. Above all, it is a pigsty, mold, mildew, and the stench of an overused under cleaned locker room. To find a decent Bally's I have to drive across town to University Drive. Not very convenient, to say the least. Moral: Its only going to get worse, no money is spent on upkeep.
J. J.
Ft Lauderdale, FL USA - 8 Mar 1998
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I have compiled many complaints with Bally Total Fitness over the past 5 years.
First, my main reason for joining Bally was because they stayed open until midnight on most days. But since then, they have reduced the hours significantly -- closing at 10 p.m. or earlier on some days. You would think they would at least stay open until 10 p.m. on weekends.
The second complaint is that my monthly dues have been increasing by one dollar per month for the last three years. All the while, there have been no significant improvements to the club.
The third complaint is with the errors I have experienced with the Bally computer system. On many occasions, the computer reading membership cards at the main entrance has denied entrance to the club because of a "bad card". On other occasions with my special membership that gives me access to any club in the country, I visited another club whose computer denied entrance to the club claiming that my membership was not valid at that particular location.
And to top it off, the customer service number is no longer toll-free!
I am currently looking into other fitness clubs.
Ron Galon Jr. <rongalonjr@prodigy.net>
San Diego, CA USA - 6 Mar 1998
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As a member of Bally Total Fitness, I have experienced guerilla sales tactics, uncaring unprofessional Bally's employees, over crowded unsanitary clubs, broken equipment, cramped areas, creative and unethical billing practices, among numerous other unpleasant experiences. Here is my Bally's saga.
I needed a health club with cardiovascular and strength equipment, a pool, and multiple locations. Unfortunately in the Chicago area, Bally's seemed to be my only option. I had already heard a lot of bad things about the club and wasn't eager to join. At the end of May '97 I went through their insanely high-pressured, miss-leading sales pitch and "signed on the dotted line". My first experience with my new, expensive membership was that checks started bouncing in my account. Although I specifically stated, repeatedly I did not want anything to do with any automatic payment program. I wanted a coupon book so I could pay by check; the salesperson set me up (literally) for automatic payments from my checking account. When I approached the salesperson about this, he LIED, again. It took me weeks and dollars to sort it all out and learn how bad their terrible customer service is!
Swimming is my core workout activity. I was at the Oak Lawn, IL facility one evening swimming laps. I was minding my own business when the guy in the next lane decided to try and strike up a conversation. I was polite, but had no interest in chatting and continued my workout. (NOTE: I'm wearing goggles, a cap, an ugly one piece bathing suit and actually swimming laps. I'm obviously there to workout, not "pick someone up".) The guy proceeds to stand at the end of the lane next lane as close to the lane line as possible. Each time I turned, I couldn't help but (and believe me I tried) notice him, shall we say, "playing with his shorts". Shocked and appalled, I moved over a lane, so did he. It got more obvious. Furious, I got out of the pool and asked to speak to the manager. I explain what happened, which the young male manager found very amusing. He finally sent a maintenance guy down to the pool to talk to the guy. The guy admitted what he did. The manager then refused to throw the guy out of the club, or even the pool for that matter because nobody from Bally's actually physically saw the guy do it! I was extremely upset and in my haste to leave the club I forgot a few things and few valuable things in the shower area in a bag. I left 15 minutes before they closed. I called first thing in the morning they found nothing. I called that evening to talk to maintenance. They found nothing. Nothing has ever turned up. That guy is still probably "enjoying" the pool.
Last Sunday, March 1st I went to the Orland Park, IL club. As soon as I got near the pool I could tell the chemical level was high. I started to swim anyway. After 2 laps, with goggles, my eyes were uncomfortable. I though it couldn't possibly be that bad and swam a few more laps. The chemical level was so bad I quit after 10 minutes. When I took my goggles off my left eye was incredibly blurry and burning. I went into the shower area and closed my eyes to let them water. It got worse. As I tried to get dressed it became unbearable. I couldn't open my left eye and all. I went upstairs to get my friend that came with me to the club. Concerned, he got his saline solution and tried to rinse my eye to prevent further damage. My eye continued to get worse and by this time I was crying it hurt so severely. A Bally's employee approached us at this time and asked if I was all right. I said I wasn't and he left. My friend rushed me to the emergency room at the nearest hospital and I was admitted immediately. My eyes were flushed and when the doctor looked at my left eye with the scope he told me that over 50% of my cornea had been chemically burned! I can not tell you how much this hurt! Luckily, my doctor said there should be no permanent damage.
I went back to the Orland Park Bally's the following day between doctor appointments to find out the pH levels in the pool the previous day. The employees at Bally's stalled for time, were suspicious and evasive, rude; they lied to me, and denied me any information I requested. I filled out a copy of an accident report and they refused to give me a copy stating that it was company policy and the employee would get fired if he gave me a copy. I called the general manager of the club that evening. The only information he would give me was an address for the Bally's legal department in Maryland. I asked for a phone number and he said there wasn't one.
The next day I made 23 phone calls trying to locate the Bally's legal department or find someone who could help me get the information I needed. I was put on hold indefinitely, hung up on, given wrong number, invalid extensions, told Bally's didn't have a legal department, told that to transfer me to the legal department the employee had to ask a supervisor, and repeatedly lied to. I only found the legal department by accident and, oh, the legal department isn't in Maryland, it is in Chicago, IL!
My eye is still uncomfortable, and my vision is still not back to normal. I have been spending a lot of time at doctors' offices. My dealings with Bally's continue to be frustrating, dishonest, and time consuming. I fear that they will suffer no repercussions for this incident, actually profit from it, and continue to do business unethically.
I hope nothing like this ever happens to you. It is unfortunate that it can happen at all! The way Bally's conducts its business is WRONG! This is a very irresponsible company. I hope more people see this company for what it is and STOP SUPPORTING BALLYS! For Bally's to call themselves a Health Club is an oxymoron. I don't consider my experience at Bally's "healthy."
Rita
Chicago, IL USA - 10 Mar 1998
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I moved. I requested in writing, that my membership be cancelled, as they had no centers within the 25-mile radius. I have been fighting with their ineptness and extremely poor customer service people since September of 1997. It has been almost six months, and I've been nothing but frustrated. They keep trying to get me to send them a copy of my marriage license so they can issue me a new card. I am now being threatened with collection because in January I closed the account they were making payment deductions from. I am now letting my attorney deal with them and I hope he gets them off my back.
E. I. <Rita rsilf@aol.com>
Fort Collins, CO USA - 10 Mar 1998
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I am so happy that I found this page. I sent the following letter to Bally's last August and the only thing I have to show for it is more harassment by Perimeter Credit. Bally does suck! Thank you for this page.
Bally's Total Fitness
Membership Cancellations
7755 Center Avenue, Suite 400
Huntington Beach, CA 92674-0677
To Whom It May Concern:
I became a member of Bally's Total Fitness in 1996 at the Coral Springs, Florida location. I was very pleased with my membership and continued a rigorous fitness regimen. I found the facilities clean and the staff professional. In August, I accepted a position in DeLand, Florida. According to my agreement, I was able to terminate my membership as there was no Bally's Total Fitness Center within fifty miles. I inquired at the desk and they gave me a telephone number to contact. I was given the address and told to inform Bally's Total Fitness in writing and to turn in my membership card. I was also told to send in a cancellation fee.
I followed the young woman's directions to the letter.
I sent in a cancellation letter, my card and a cancellation fee. This was check number 507 from Nations Bank in the amount of $49.35 dated October 4, 1997. I disregarded the two past due notices in order to give my request the sufficient processing time. I never received any response from your corporation. When the notices kept coming, I called the telephone number on the letter, (800) 638 0165, extension 3251. The woman I spoke to - she would not tell me her name - explained that there should be no problem since the check had been cashed on October 10, 1996. She asked that I fax her a letter describing my situation to two numbers; (800) 344 9907 and (410) 825 3093. She was to "handle everything" upon receipt of the fax.
After I faxed this letter, I called to confirm receipt and she told me she had received it. She reassured me once more that "everything will be fine." Again, I complied in good faith with the promise that the situation would be resolved.
I have since been contacted by a firm called Perimeter Credit, L.P. I was very surprised with what I was told.
They have informed me that Bally's Total Fitness has turned my account over for collection. According to Mr. Brown at Perimeter, I now owe Perimeter Credit $1,148.61. I find this to be absolutely ridiculous as I followed the necessary steps to cancel my membership.
I once had a very positive image of Bally's Total Fitness. As stated previously, I enjoyed my membership to the fullest. I probably would still be a member had I not relocated. I am frustrated and increasingly disgusted with the lack of response to my telephone messages and the unprofessionalism Bally's Total Fitness has displayed. I feel that this situation must be resolved. I want a response to this letter.
Enclosed you will find a copy of the fax and the latest Perimeter Credit invoice. Unless satisfactory action is taken on your part to resolve this matter, I will turn this matter over to my attorney for the appropriate legal action against all parties involved.
Thank you for your time; I know it is valuable.
Sincerely,
MONICA E. CASTELLANOS
MC
cc: Perimeter Credit
Walter F. Tedford, P.A.
Encl.
Monica Castellanos <tia_cucu@yahoo.com>
De Land, FL USA - 11 Mar 1998
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I attend the club in Hurst, Texas. The janitor there starts cleaning long before closing time. How can one adequately work out when you are going deaf from the shopvac and suffocating from the dust and cleaning solutions? The noise is very loud. I brought this problem to the attention of local staff several times. The situation got better for a week or so. The last time I spoke to the maintenance manager -- Wendy Tilly (sp?) -- she was extremely rude. She looked at the janitor and said: "Disregard that, turn on the vac and continue cleaning". You don't have to be a medical doctor to know how health hazardous it is to raise dust and use chemical cleaners where people are working out.
Also, in order to make sure they kick everybody out exactly at 10:00 p.m. they simply... turn the lights off! This isn't a very safe situation!
Alexander <sashatbn@flash.net>
Hurst, Texas USA - 11 Mar 1998
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When I went to Bally's they told me "you can cancel your membership any time if you really want. You just have to pay $50 and you will be free."
I'm from another country. Now that I returned to my country, I tried to cancel the contract. They said NO WAY.
Now I need to send in many papers to justify why I want to cancel the contract, it's not as easy as they told me. I have been paying the gym since I came here and they told me that maybe I can't cancel the membership until August!
If someday I have the opportunity to live in U.S.A. again, I'll be more careful about what I sign.
Alexandra
- 11 Mar 1998
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I thought I cancelled my membership. Bally's stopped withdrawing monthly dues from my account. Now, four months later they are calling and threatening me. Kelly Placilla
Placentia, CA USA - 12 Mar 1998
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For anyone who wants to join the Atlanta club in the town of Sandy Springs, DON'T. This club is old with machines that date back to the 1970's. Theft occurs on a regular basis both in the parking lot and in the club. The club is in a state of disrepair and the Fulton County Health Dept often closes down the wet area. The sales people are out to make a quick dollar off you. DO NOT JOIN THE SANDY SPRINGS, GA. CLUB!
D. P.
Atlanta, GA USA - 12 Mar 1998
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The following was sent to Bally's Customer Service Center in California via Airborne Express on 22 February 1996:
Bally's Total Fitness
Customer Support
7755 Center Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Dear Sirs:
I am writing to let you know what sort of service your members are receiving at your Dallas (5919 Forest Lane) club, both good and bad.
I'll begin with the good news. When I first visited your club (4 February, 1996) as a guest of Toni McGann, who has purchased a membership Bally's, I was greeted by a personal trainer named Ray. He gave me the "presentation" listed on the back of the one day guest cards. Although the presentation was clearly a sales pitch, Ray seemed to really be listening to what I was looking for in a health club, and didn't annoy me with a great deal of pressure to purchase a membership right away. After a tour of the club, which I found to be spacious, clean and well equipped, Ray shadowed me during my workout, during which I became ill. Ray was kind enough to offer me another one-day pass, which I used the next week (Monday, February 11).
Unfortunately, Ray was not present the second time I came to visit. A trainer named James gave me the presentation this time, and nearly every other word out of his mouth was an attempt to get me to sign a contract. He may well have been doing his job, but it was a major turn-off to be treated in this way.
I returned with Mrs. McGann on Tuesday, the 12th, with a 2-week pass. A manager, Troy, came to give me the same presentation. When I indicated that I was still evaluating the facility and did not intend to purchase a membership at that time, he informed me that I would have to wait 90 days before I could use the 2-week pass. There is no indication that a 90 day waiting period would apply printed anywhere on the 2-week pass.
Nonetheless, I returned on Monday, February 19, and the 2-week pass was honored and initialed, and a start date was written on the card. When I came back on the 20th, in the middle of my workout, I was informed that the manager, Troy again, had decided not to honor the pass, even though it had been accepted once, and would thus no longer be useable at a later date. Ray was the bearer of this news, and apologized to me. Then, he told me that there were membership deals that I had not been informed of before. James had attempted to sell me a far more expensive package, and hadn't indicated that others were available. He had just shrugged when I said that my budget might not be able to accommodate the membership fees!
Surprisingly enough, there was a reply phone call left on my answering machine from someone identifying himself as a Bally's employee. Unfortunately, he neglected to leave a phone number for me to get in touch with him.
I decided, at this point, to evaluate a different location that was just a close to me. I was very impressed with the facilities, and some of the employees seemed very helpful. Mrs. McGann brought me as a guest to the Richardson, Texas location the next week. I unpleasantly surprised to see that the obnoxious trainer, James, had been transferred to this location. I presented my pass, and he did his sales pitch bit again, only this time, I wasn't permitted to work out afterwards, despite the fact that I'd been led to believe I would be allowed to. I found the manager, and told him what had occurred, and he told me that "the Forest Lane Bally's manager had been calling around, warning people about me." Yep, I was obviously the one causing all of the problems here.
Needless to say, I've had nothing to do with Bally's since, except for harboring an unhealthy grudge. Nothing would make me happier than to see them go belly up in a sea of class-action suits.
Jake Lawson <karoshi@metronet.com>
Dallas, TX USA - 12 Mar 1998 |
