My Contract Horror StoryI am not a happy, satisfied Bally Fitness Center customer. The contract was misleading and the salesman even more so. It is my hope that this information provided will help the consumer who is thinking about joining Bally Fitness Center to make an informed decision on whether or not to join. Why can't Bally explain the contract before it is signed as well as they explain it after it is signed? What Bally doesn't tell youWhen you join, no matter at what level, there are two fees. One is a membership fee. My membership fee was a little over $8 a month. That is what they financed for me. They did not tell me I could pay that fee up front and avoid an extra $50. Then there were the "Monthly Dues" which was a flat $10.00 a month plus tax. That amount was not financed, nor was it offered to be financed. It wasn't mentioned until near the end of the contract. Then it was not elaborated upon. That was how Bally's misled me. The membership fee plus the Monthly dues is the total amount you will pay Bally for your 36 month contract (I had the $18 per month, limited membership). That totals over $700. However, the amount shown on the contract is the membership fee plus the finance charge. In fact, the contract even says, "The total sale price of your purchase on credit, including your downpayment of $18 [for a total of] $331.56. Nowhere on the contract does it inform you that the monthly dues will also total $360. Why? Because they evenly space that amount out month by month and add no finance charge. When Bally DOES Tell you!Imagine my surprise when I paid off my membership fee and still had monies being taken from my checking account. Would I have been surprised about this if I had been fully informed? Of course not. So I got on the phone and a lovely lady down at Bally's carefully explained the contract to me. It was amazing how quickly I understood what was going on! Just amazing! My DecisionQuite honestly, if I had been treated honestly and had the contract explained to me before signing, I would have still signed. I liked the club. It was clean. The equipment all worked. It was a big place, with a beautiful pool and hot tub. However, I got my hopes up. I thought I was saving money by paying off my account ahead of time. My only comfort is that the membership is NOT renewable, which means unlike other people who have lifetime contracts, they won't automatically renew my membership. When it is gone, it is gone forever....which is too bad, because if Bally had been honest with me, I might have joined forever -- even at a bit over $700 per 36 months...and this webpage might be extolling the virtues of Bally instead of telling it like it is. Tell it like it IsBut wait...there's more!Here are some websites I found that also are full of other ex (and current) Bally victims. If this website has helped you NOT to sign with Bally or even convinced you TO sign with Bally, please email me and let me know. I'll even put your story here if you like. My email address is notstuff@hotmail.com Thank you.
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