BSC Update?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

So has anyone managed to actually find out the details of the charter membership rates or any other pertinent info at BSC? Anyone?

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ETA: The charter membership rate is a one-year commitment at $55/month (with a $59 one-time processing fee). Their default is $70/month with the processing fee as well as a $149 joining fee. There is no set cap on how many charter 'ships they will sell, so it might go on for a while, or might end anytime.

If you join now, your first monthly payment is January 1, and until then, you can use any of their other clubs anytime. They expect the Davis location to be open mid-December.

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And as long as I'm posting, I was at The Onion the other day and thought of y'all as I read World Series Flyover Turns Out To Be Full-Scale Airstrike.

(I love knowing that I can always count on davis_square for my noise- and burrito-related news.)

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

World Series Flyover Turns Out To Be Full-Scale Airstrike.

I swear, the authors of The Onion must be reading _b0st0n_snark or something.

[ursamajor]

Until I saw the "gym" tag, I was very confused as to why a post about the Baby-Sitters Club was in davis_square. *facepalm*

[alphacygni]

I walked by this weekend, and there were BSC employees out front offering to make appointments for tours. The deal, as they quoted to me, was that if you're one of the first 750 people to take a tour and then sign up, you get a $55/month rate, no initiation fee, one year contract that goes to month-to-month after that. You keep the $55 rate for as long as you're continuously a member.

But I would guess the "deal" may change depending on how fast they get sign-ups. But right now, that's a pretty good deal.

[nathanjw]

As alphacygni said, they're offering charter rates right now. They were open to sign people up yesterday, and I got that rate. The "no initiation fee" is only about half correct, as there's a $59 "processing fee", but they waive the usual starting fee (in my experience with BSC, there's a special that waives the initiation fee about half the time, so that's not super-special). Locking in $55 requires a 1-year contract, but the $55 does outlast that, and the usual contract rate is $70. This is for their "Gold" membership, which gives you access to your home club at all hours and other branches at off-peak hours. There's no discount on the "Passport" membership that gets you all clubs at all hours.

They said that they weren't yet sure when they would be open for real, and hoped to firm it up in the next few days, but were shooting for early-to-mid December. The membership fee will be pro-rated accordingly, and you'll get use of their other clubs at all hours with your member tag until this one opens.

[lonely-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, I remember when I was working downtown I took a tour. I don't remember what the rates were there, maybe 70 or 80 dollars a month, but it bothered me that there was the two-fee signup.

Apparently, MSC has an "initiation" fee of $200, and a "processing" fee, about $50, to process the application. Now I know they're free to break it down however they want to, but they need to be paid for the effort they make in getting paid? A fee to process another fee? It's all so they can waive certain fees but not others, obviously, but it made them seem sleazy.

[ron_newman]

what's MSC?

[lonely-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meant BSC. Wandering fingers on the keyboard.

[androidqueen.livejournal.com]

Did you happen to ask what the hours were going to be? The website just has the Presale/Tour hours.

[nathanjw]

I didn't catch the closing time, but they said that the opening time would be 5:30am.

[l-a-u-r-a-c.livejournal.com]

Do you know when they're open for tours? Ii looked on the website, and the only thing i can find is how to sign up for their email updates.

[androidqueen.livejournal.com]

Club Pre-Sale and Tour Hours
Monday-Friday: 8:00am-9:00pm
Saturday-Sunday: 9:00am-6:00pm

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

they told me 5:30 am - 10 pm during the week, i dont remember opening time on the weekend but closing time on sat and sun is 7 pm.

[unbelman.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they will offer a discount rate to current members. I use the Central Sq location, but will change to Davis if/when it opens


ANyone know?

[fefie.livejournal.com]

The BSC is open for tours now. I walked in this afternoon and was immediately given a tour and sales pitch.

Hours it will be open when it opens for business the beginning of Dec:

M-F 5:30am - 10:00pm
Sa-Sun 8:00am - 8:00 pm

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I was just in there.

You can transfer your membership from one location to another, possibly without a fee.

Other deets

[lyjoc.livejournal.com]

There is a 1 year commitment to get the $55/mo rate. If you cancel before the year is up and your reason for canceling doesn't fall into one of their 4 no-fee reasons (medical disability was one, I don't remember the others) there is a $250 fee.

Re: Other deets

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Right, I forgot the one-year thing. Added. Though the membership *is* transferable to another person if you decide to bail, and since they'd get the same discount rate, it probably wouldn't be too hard to find someone for it.

The no-fee reasons included disability, if the club closes, if you move more than 25 or so miles from one of their gyms, and my favorite one: if you die.

Thank goodness for that!

[bluesauce.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this, it was my first heads-up that it was accepting members, I got down there and signed up.

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

hi,

it's not entirely accurate to call the $59 a 'processing fee' - only $4 of it really is, as when i signed up it was explained to me that the $59 fee included the first month.

you make want to make sure, since I was also told $54/mo not $55.

also the original post says first payment is jan 1 2008 - not true, my paper work says dec 1.

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

er $5 of it... if it really is $54/mo like i was told. my paperwork surprisingly doesn't say that. it just says 1 yr/gold.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I don't entirely understand what you're saying. They told me processing fee, the paperwork says processing fee. Also, they said the December fee would not be charged, since they won't even be open til mid-Dec. Jan 1 is the first that will be charged and not immediately refunded.

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

the december fee won't be charged because you already pay it. it's part of the $59 processing fee.

it sounds like the different folks there explained things very differently. i have right here on my contract with them saying that my billing cycle starts December 1. i was told that my $59 'processing fee' would count towards my first month of membership, so if i understand correctly i should not be paying the $54 monthly fee until january first.

that means that the processing fee was really $5, since i am paying $59 = $54 + $5 for a "processing fee" that includes one month which is worth $54. does that make more sense now? :) yes, the paper work says it is a processing fee, but since they waive the first month fee then in effect it's really $5.

i could be totally confused. but i asked the person i signed up with point blank: "this $59 processing fee counts towards my first month's membership fee" and he said "yes"

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

oh i was also told end of november first week of dec, NOT mid-december. sounds like they are giving out a lot of varying information :(

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think they're really sure when they're opening, so that's just a detail.

But again, everything I was told and every piece of paper has the $59 as a processing fee irrespective of the monthly, which starts Jan 1. And the monthly is $55. Though now that I look at my paperwork, it actually just says $0 for the monthly, so who know what'll happen.. ;)

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

i'm not saying there isn't a processing fee, and i am not saying that it isn't $59. what i am saying, is that given that at least from what i was told that the $59 processing fee counts towards your first monthly bill, the processing fee is *effectively* $5 rather than $59 dollars.

and i was definitely told $54 for the monthly rate. but who knows, again it sounds like they are giving out somewhat contradictory information, not just on the dates. :)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

If they really do open late-November, then indeed, it is effectively that. But the $1 discrepancy is odd given that the dozen other people I've talked to who talked to them all heard $55.

Anyway, I don't think they're contradictory -- I think some of the people there are just a little clueless. My guy had to call over someone else to answer my questions.

[laklare.livejournal.com]

I just spoke with a BSC salesperson this morning. Regarding the charter membership rates, he said "they are taking that away from us tomorrow." Also, people may be interested to know that you can't convert an existing membership over to the charter rate without first canceling your membership (which takes 30 days) and then opening a new membership (at which point the charter memberships will no longer be offered).

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info! By any chance were you able to get an updated prediction of when they will open?

[laklare.livejournal.com]

I didn't ask. He didn't say.