Beware of Bally's in the Porter Exchange

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

Apologies, I should have written this months ago and the last entry in this forum reminded me that I had not. I think it easiest just to cut and paste, so here goes:
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I'm glad you had a good experience with Bally's. I did not. When I wanted to end the contract, I gave the notice they told me they required, *in the manner* that they verbally said was required, at the front desk, but they kept taking my money, which I found out when my bank charged me exorbitant fees for being overdrawn. When I found this out and took it to the manager on duty in person, I was told that, in order to cancel, I had to call corporate (so, apparently the person I asked to cancel me who thought it was all taken care of was either wrong or lying, as was the person at the front desk who I checked with a week later just to be sure). When I went in there in a huff, that was when I was told I had to contact corporate (which was clearly scribbled written in tiny little letters since asking in person how to end it is clearly not enough). The man at the gym I spoke with when I was furious and trying to figure it out told me a short cut since, it would seem their system is set up to make it close to impossible to get them to actually do what you want when what you want is to cancel (he had to tell me which number to push when I got the recording; I expect I was bitchy enough that he wanted this to be over so he didn't have to deal with me coming back and yelling at him again in front of members. I prefer to be nice, really, but that manner was punished rather than rewarded).

Even when I got someone on the phone, he very *reluctantly* asked me if I wanted to cancel after I told him all that had happened (really? you still haven't figured it out? It's what I have been repeating over and over--not like *I'm* cloaking it in fine print and lying to *you* about it).

In order to get my money back, he told me I had to get bills and all sorts of other verifications, including a statement of all that had happened, and mail it in to corporate. I did this. I still have not heard back from this over 6 months later. I would call back, but it seems like wasting time since they don't really honor their word and I have spent enough time and energy on this. I will not enter into any more contracts with them since they have acted in calculatingly bad faith from the get-go, lying and, as far as I am concerned, stealing.
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And of course it was only after the fact that I learned that they are known for this behavior, and that many folks don't even catch it because they are not overdrawn or don't keep close check on their account summaries--and when (if) they manage to finally get corporate to cancel them, they don't get any of their money back. Maybe this entry will save someone else from the hassle, unless you plan on staying with them for life. I'm done.

Comments

[ceo]

Huh, so maybe they've wised up in the intervening decade.