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Bally's Fitness Sucks!!! - Ok...this is going to be a rant more than anything else but Bally's fitness on Airport Highway has serverly PO'ed me. So here's the story and why everyone should tell Bally's go to hell!

My girlfriend and I have been members of Bally's over on Airport Hwy for about a year. Now many of you may or may not know the condition of this place. Frankly, the Bally's staff do very little to keep their space clean or tidy. It can actaully be disgusting. When you work out, you sweat...right? OK...yeah there are a few who do not but in the year 2007 everyone knows that machines (or places we put our sweaty butts on should be wiped with a sanitizer..right???), well this disgusting place rarely has an abundance of sanitizer available for its club members. When I do my cardio I sweat...I sweat a lot! So naturally I wipe my machine down so it is good to go for the next person...common sense right? Wrong! There have been countless times that I had to walk to the front desk and ask them for santitizer or paper towels because they were out...how ridiculous is that? Many people just leave and leave the machines nice an sweaty and disgusting...I am suprised they haven't had any health code violations.

Seriously...that gym is filthy, yet its is always packed...annoyingly pack when I get off of work around the 5-6 pm hour. But alas...I digress.

I know I am complaining but the reason I am doing so is because last week it was announced that they were changing the schedule for group fitness. I am love to go to Spinning classes so I checked the schedule and what to my wondering eyes did appear...but a drop of 3 Spinning classes (all in the evening/weekend) and the classes reduced to 45 min instead of 60. Hmmmm...whats going on? So we go to speak with one of the fine caring (hahaha) Bally's employees to discuss and what line of crap does she feed us...."oh these are summer schedules because it really slows done in here in the summer..." Hmmm...It's not even April yet...as far as I know (last I checked) summer was in June....and wouldn't you think that the gym would actually be busier now because people want to get in shape for summer???? I mean c'mon...come up with a better lie than that! So we ask can we get out membership so that we can go to classes at the Monroe location (which is nicer). She punches her keys...yada yada yada...oh thats an additional $7/mth. I was annoyed but ok...whatever there are more Spinning classes at Monroe. Hold on...I have to restart your membership she says...and they initiation fee is $150....uhhhh excuse me? Are you insane??? I am a member...you're telling me to add one little club for $7 i need to also include an additional $150...you are out of your F'in mind! Then she trys to interest us in a 3 yr membership. Oh its cheaper than you monthly plan...no thanks! I wouldnt be stupid enough to waste my money by getting locked into a 3 year membership at this crap hole.

So we called Ballys corp...who refered us to the local club...who refered us to the manager of both clubs who didn't want to do anything...and guess what? When we said look...if you cannot waive the $7 fee, we will quit the gym...go to 360 Fitness and pay more money on principal. The manager "Joe"'s reply was that good old "there's nothing I can do" BS response. So...guess what. We are quiting the gym and going over to 360 Fitness in Maumee...which is awesome! Clean, new. Yes it is more $$$ than our crappy Bally's membership...but I am willing to pay for this gym...I look forward to going to this one. I will bad mouth Bally's until the day I die. Just think...for $7 this moron manager was willing to lose our business ($800+ per yr.)...if they would added the $7 it would have been close $1000 per year. Wow...its no wonder they are considering filing Ch. 11 Bankruptcy. So...I say screw Bally's I will never say a kind thing about them again. For those interested in a real gym check out 360 Fitness in Maumee. They actually care and the gym there rocks! More expensive yes...but the old adage rings true "you get what you pay for".
posted by douglasadietz to commentary at 9:53 A.M. EST     (16 Comments)

Comments ...

Whew! Feel better now?
posted by holland at 10:43 A.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Sure do...they deserve worse that I dished
out, but thanks to Bally's I found a better gym. Bally's is just another example of big business that could care less...even if they are going bankrupt.
posted by douglasadietz at 10:53 A.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Exactly why I like our $350.00 weight lifting/workout machine in our basement.

Nice Rant, by the way! lol
posted by aperson at 10:54 A.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Join the YMCA. They're everywhere and it doesn't cost you anymore money to go the different locations.
posted by SensorG at 12:20 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

I love the "Y" too. Have been a member for a long time. My one beef with them, however, is why can't i just purchase a membership to just one location? Say, the one closest to my house?

I live in West Toledo, so chances are I am never going to go to the Fort Meigs Y in Perrysburg or the Francis Y in Temperance (nice as they are). They are rebuilding the West Toledo Y so I am looking forward to that. But why do I need a membership that includes the Y in Oregon?
posted by daddyg at 02:26 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

I wish the Y had a 'couple's rate.

the family rate of $61.50 per month isnt bad if there's 4 of you, but with just two, it gets kind of high.
posted by billy at 02:56 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Billy,

See if the company you work for gets a corporate discount. Both my wife and my companies get discounts. I believe we pay $54 per month. I also get a couple hundred dollars from my company to cover a gym membership per year.

The thing we really like as well, is the free child card while we work out. The play area is always well staffed and the kids really enjoy going.
posted by SensorG at 03:18 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Wasn't that facility Vic Tanny before it was Bally's? And wasn't there a fatal accident in the place years ago?
posted by flinty at 10:26 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

Flinty, yes, it was Vic Tanny before Bally's took over.
Arnold Schwartzenegger used to be the spokesman for Vic Tanny. His commericals aired incessantly on local t.v. stations mid-late 80's. "This is Arnold Schwartzenegger for Veeeeek Taaaawny..."
There was a fatality at the Monroe St. location 6 or 7 years ago. Heart attack victim. It didn't have anything to do with the equipment or anything like that. Believe he died in an aerobics class.
posted by McCaskey at 11:43 P.M. EST on Fri Mar 30, 2007     #

I worked for Bally's corporate office in Towson, MD for over a year (many years ago). It really is a scam. I quit because I could not stomach the fact that the contracts they have people sign are full of verbage that gives the company the right to basically charge whatever they want. Typical bait-and-switch routine. Bally's will start you in a long-term contract with a "teaser rate" and then increase your monthly dues exponentially every year until you either break your contract (and pay termination fees), or sell it to another unwitting sucker. My job was to supervise the the call in complaints from customers. Boy, were we busy!!
Bottom line: Stay far away from Bally's!
posted by Newbie at 09:08 A.M. EST on Sat Mar 31, 2007     #

Grrrrrr....Bally's. Just hearing that word makes my blood boil. They have actually had class action lawsuits filed against them for their shady sales and collections practices, and for good reason. Let me tell you my little Bally's story (and I will try to keep it brief)...

I signed up for a Bally's membership in 1997. Part of the contract clearly states that if you move to an area where there is no participating club within 50 miles, you will be released from your contract upon providing sufficient documentation (the contract clearly states that "sufficient documentation" entails a lease with your name on it, plus at least one utility bill or bank statement with the out of area address). In 1999, I moved to an area that wasn't serviced by Bally's. I sent the required documentation certified mail exactly as specified in the contract. I spoke to a person at the club, explained what I had submitted, and they said everything should be fine.

2 years later, I see a listing on my credit report saying that I owed Bally's $1,200. I know full well I don't owe Bally's any money - the membership fees from the time I used the club were deducted automatically from my bank account, and I should have been released from my contract when I moved out of the area.

Thankfully, I have saved all of the documentation (certified receipt, copies of the documents, etc.). I call Bally's corporate people, explain the situation, they apologize, and tell me where to send my copies. So again, I send them copies of everything certified mail. Speak with them again later, and they tell me everything has been resolved. The item disappears from my credit report.

2 years later, I see a listing on my credit report saying that I owed "Perimeter Credit" $1,200. I have no clue who "Perimeter Credit" is. Do a little research on the web, find out that they are, turns out they are a collection agency owned by none other than Bally's. I am seriously angry at this point - call the number listed on my credit report for Perimeter. Again, I explain all of the documentation as described above. They also apologize and request copies of the documentation. Again, I send it via certified mail. The item disappears again from my credit report.

This past fall (now 3 years after my most recent dispute with them), I was applying for a home equity loan. My loan officer advised me that there was a balance due to Bally's listed (again) on my credit report. I show the loan officer what I know refer to as my "Bally's file," which has all of the paperwork dating back to 1997 (includes the original contract, all the certified mail receipts, correspondence, etc.). He agrees that there is no way that I should pay that balance - ordinarily the company's policy would be that any debts showing as outstanding on the credit report would need to be paid off with the proceeds from the loan, but based on my documentation I got an exception for the Bally's item. Through the process of getting the loan approved and exception granted to not have to pay the Bally's item, the loan officer contacted them on my behalf - they had the nerve to give him a "settlement offer" where they would take $750 or so as "paid in full." The hell with that - I don't owe them a DIME. The loan guy advised me to consult an attorney if I continued to have problems with them.

Unfortunately, my situation with them is not unique. As I mentioned above, they have had class action lawsuits filed against them for their shady collections practices. What they do is prey upon people, knowing that they will eventually need to get a mortgage and pay off the balance just to get them off their backs. Do a Google search on consumer complaints or class action lawsuits for Bally's and/or Perimeter Credit - you will be shocked at the sheer volume of people they have screwed. I don't know how they are allowed to stay in business. Here's a few sites to get you started...
Federal Trade Commission slaps $300K civil penalty on Perimeter for debt collection practices: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/02/perimeter.htm

Consumer Affairs.com complaints about Bally's collection practices: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/health_clubs/ballys_moved.html (none of these are my story - I haven't submitted to any complaint website)

(There was a very comprehensive site of complaints called ballyssucks.com, but unfortunately Bally's sued to have the site shut down - here's a link about Bally's lawsuit against Andrew Faber, the owner of that site: http://www.phillipsnizer.com/library/cases/lib_case27.cfm )

Please do yourself a favor and do not ever sign a contract with Bally's. There are too many people who have been screwed over financially by them, and I'd hate to see any of you be the next.
posted by mom2 at 09:24 A.M. EST on Sat Mar 31, 2007     #

My job was to supervise the the call in complaints from customers. Boy, were we busy!!

newbie, if you worked there from 1997 through present (during my 10 year battle described above with Bally's and Perimeter), perhaps we crossed paths. :)

I'm glad you posted your information - I know that my story above might sound unbelievable just reading it on the Internet. (Without knowing me in person and seeing my "Bally's file" firsthand, it would be easy for someone to think that somehow I hadn't fulfilled my end of the bargain and that I was just trying to blam the company.) But, having worked there before, I'm sure you know all too well that my unfortunate scenario has happened to many people.
posted by mom2 at 09:28 A.M. EST on Sat Mar 31, 2007     #

Mom2, You did the right thing by keeping records of all your interactions with that company. They are counting on people getting so fed up with the situation that they just pay the "ransom" to get out. I don't know how the Better Business Bureau allows them to continue. My experience there taught me to always read the fine print before I sign any contract (gym, cell phone, etc.)

All I can say is the newer facilities (locally owned) and the YMCA are smart alternatives to the living hell Bally's Fitness will put you through.
posted by Newbie at 09:43 A.M. EST on Sat Mar 31, 2007     #

See if the company you work for gets a corporate discount.

Thanks sensor - I know my company does not, but my wife's company has fantastic benefits, so maybe they offer that as well - in the long run, it'd only save em health insurance money.

My company has their own gym, BUT - employees only. No family. I'm looking to do things WITH my spouse.
posted by billy at 11:13 A.M. EST on Sat Mar 31, 2007     #

Wow Mom2...that is an amazing story. Reading your story makes me thank God I never signed a long term contract with these villians, luckily I was on mth to mth with them. You're story definitely validates my views are how uncaring and egomaniacal this company is. I can only imagine the countless number of people that have had the same experience as you or I had. I will most definitely never look towards ever being associated with Bally's again, no mater where I am located. Good riddance!
posted by douglasadietz at 07:48 A.M. EST on Mon Apr 02, 2007     #

For anyone interested in a no-frills gym, a small club was just opened up in Holland:

http://www.ironworkstoledo.com/

Bally's DOES suck.
posted by drago at 10:56 A.M. EST on Wed Apr 04, 2007     #

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