Check this shit out - about Baileys

[AAP]

I go to visit Bailey Gym over on Dixie Highway. They have a special and I am using quote marks over "special", 10 days visit for 5 dollars. Sounds like a nice way to try out a gym. Right? Ok, I go in, they make you sign a waiver against injury, etc... then they sit you down and go over the membership rates. Typical. Now - pay attention, this is what confuses me - they ask you if you want to join and give you this rate of $XXX.xx (of course that I say NO I want to try it out first) well they say INSTEAD of signing a contract, just to INITIAL it at the bottom to show that the employee did attempt to sell the club to me. So I initial it, work out for ten days, and leave. They ask you use your debit or credit card to pay the $5 because they "don't have change for a $20 downstairs."

Now, a friend of mine (who went with me, but never worked out) calls me and tells me that last week he found out that a Bailey in CA was billing him about $78 per month for a membership he never signed up for. Like I, he went and used his debit card to pay the $5 and then didn't work out at all because he didn't like their leg equipment, he just used the tanning bed and never came back after that day. After he tells me about this, I look over my bank records and LO AND BEHOLD there it is - Baileys $65 per month draft. For three months previously. I call them and get the run around. I call the billing office and still no one gives me any answers, so I tell them I am canceling the draft and having my bank recovery the charges. Now I start getting calls back. I just got off the phone with the region manager - only after I called his supervisor and raised hell - and he tells me "well you have signed a contract" Did not. I initialed it. He says "that is the same as a signature" I say "you are full of shit. I never authorized any drafts from my bank, you are stealing from me." He calls back a minute ago and said "we cancelled your membership, but there will be no reimbursment." WTF????? they take three months of drafts from my bank for something I never bought or used and tell me no reimbursment. They told my friend the same thing, about signing the contract (he even gave a fake name and they paid no attention when they ran his debit card through) and they only relented after he had an attorney friend to write them a letter and they still say "no reimbursment". I need some revenge. If anyone works out there, I want you to start stealing some weights for me.

This sucks. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Darksong2k1]

What state is this?

I'll go with a baseball bat.

 

[Y_lifter]

It's my understanding that any document with Initialed sections must have one actual Signature on it as well.
I'm sure there are some Legal types that can tell us for sure..

 

[AAP]

It is Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

YLifter - exactly. I never had a signature on it at all. Also, even if I had signed the contract, they still would have had to have a seperate signature and blank check to legally start drafting my account.

And what the fuck is up with this no reimbursment. I swear, I am tempted to send someone over to sign up for that 10 days thing and rob them blind. That is $195 they have taken from me. And why did they charge my friend $78? And from CA as well?

 

[Weapon X]

You should be able to get the dinero back through your credit card issuer. We deal with that shit all the time where I work.
If the customer refuses the charge(s), no matter how much documentation we provide, we can't collect.

 

[Y_lifter]

This is exactly why I went with joining the YMCA.
2 other chain gyms tried the bank draft shuffle crap and I caught
it before I signed.
With the Y I also have a bank draft but no contract, just Month to Month
Have an attorney call them or send a letter on leterhead and see them do a 180 real fast...

 

[Weapon X]

Before the downtown gym I used to belong to was bought by World Gym, they tried this shit of charging me every year dor "Membership Card Fees." (Not membership fees or dues, but card renewal fees!) Even though I had let my membership expire two years prior!
They said I had to bring a signed letter (which I had done a year before) again. I told them to kiss my ass and I haven't been charged again.

 

[TxCollegeguy]

Screw that, balleys gave me the run around for 3 years.

My bank was told not to issue them shit, thankgod for me my mom worked for my bank and kept a close eye on those fuckers

 

[FrankRizzo]

I'd definately go down and do some intimidatin! I'd stand over some natural little pussy while he reversed the charges.

 

[AAP]

I used a debit card, not a credit card and the bank told me that the debit card was like a check, I had to collect the disputed amount from them.

Man, I am mad. I am not kidding about any fellow board member going there and stealing enough for me to get my money back. Maybe I should phone in a bomb threat.

 

[TxCollegeguy]

well if you phone in a bomb threat bet your ass your goign to get into trouble if it's anywhere near a school

 

[COL KURTZ]

bro DO NOT SIGN UP WITH BALLYS. They are notorious for this shit. As a matter of fact they got into a lot of legal trouble for this tactic in a few states. Do a search on the web, there are dozens of news stories out there about their practices. I honestly don't know how a company like this stays in business.

 

[big4life]

Bally's is well known for screwing it's members over.
I've never heard of this scam though.
Keep after them and you should get your money.
It will take time , they hope that people will just
give up and take their loss.

 

[Y_lifter]

Bally's huh! Damn I thought when I read Baileys you were seriously talking abvout some other gym chain.
Shit yea, they were one of the fucks that tried the Used Car salesman tactics on me.
The only way they stay in business is on the percentage of people that simply give up and keep paying instead of fighting it.
Dude, be a Pain in the Ass(no pun intended).
Call them everyday threatening legal action.
If that fails call a lawyer for a one time low fee for him to give them a call..

 

[AAP]

Yes, it was Bally's. I misspelled it. (See I told you I never went there before)

I couldn't edit the Thread Title.

But this shit sucks. Why hasn't this place been closed for this kind of shit.

What should I do? I want SOMETHING for the $$ I had stolen.

 

[MuSuLPhReAk]

Small claims court!!!!

 

[plifter]

If you weren't a fairy I'd say go kick their asses.

 

[ZenMachine]

Here is something that you can try that might work better than a bomb threat (OK, won't work better, but at least you won't be in jail).

Write the Manager a letter explaining the situation fully and making your demand for refund. Also send a copy of this letter to the corporate headquarters, president of the company, any other big wig etc. You also CC the letter to your state's Better Business Bureau, and any other regulatory agency (i.e attorney general's office - fraud division) that you can think of. Get as much outside heat on them as you can.

I would also begin legal proceedings against them in small claims court.

 

[plifter]

Bally's tried to screw me over too. I signed up but I decided I didn't like the place on my first night. Under law you can get out of any contract within 72 hours of signing it. Well let's just say Bally's doesn't make this very easy. Best thing is to go to a gym that isn't part of a chain. They usually don't have contracts.

 

[musclebrains]

WEll, it won't help you now, but I've been the object of enough attempted scams that I now maintain a credit card with a very low credit ceiling to protect myself from such ripoffs.The other thing, of course, is to NEVER use a debit card when there's any doubt whatsoever. I learned this when a West Hollywood hotel charged me $800 in telephone connections (I'm not kidding). Because I had used a debit card on check-in, I couldn't recover a penny through my bank. So I wrote letters -- lots of them and finally they returned most of the money. I have since gotten a debit card that offers consumer protection but it requires yoiu maintain a high bank balance.

If I were you, I'd contact the consumer reporter at the newspaper there -- you'd be surprised how hungry they can be for leads .

 

[Wombat]

Report them to the better business bureau----If you have some cash to burn, open up a letter in the local paper asking people that have been ripped off from them to report them to the BBB. Once you do that they will no doubt be in touch with you. At that time tell them you want $5 grand for your pain and suffering(cash of course)

 

[satanic goatslayer]

I agree with arson.

 

[Warik]

This is a textbook case of credit card fraud. It would be the equivalent of you buying one book at amazon.com and them charging you for a whole library. People to call, in order, should be:

1) Credit Card company
2) Bally's again
3) A lawyer. Even a lawyer fresh out of law school should be able to handle this. He'll thank you for an easy first case.

Also I recommend you get yourself an American Express card because they offer protection against shit like this. I love my AMEX and I spit upon anyone who doesn't accept it. =)

-Warik

 

[Kryp2o]

I still find it very hard to believe that people would actually join Bally's knowing all the shit they pull. Due diligence before you sign.

 

[Jacked Johnson]

Bally's is the shadiest gym out there. They do this shit all the time. I went through a similr situation when I went to college and there was no Bally's around to work out at. They have a rule that if there isn't a Bally's within 50 miles then you can have your contract nullified. I was about 150 miles away and they tried to tell me to go there. Yeah right, well anyway mmy dad's a lawyer and needless to say my bank draught was stopped. Shitty club, shitty service, period.

 

[Austin316]

They suck at first, but I can't complain now cause I paid off 13 months for $99, after thats up I pay $9 a month, I used to pay $36

 

[Darksong2k1]

Anal you can fire an Uzi right?

I know I can fire a shotgun.....

 

[Ingram]

Better Business Bureau - They love this kind of shit!

Or… swallow your pride a bit and write a leaflet explaining your situation. Then hand them out to members going in and out of the club. Do this for a few days! Bally’s will definitely not appreciate the negative publicity and you’ll quickly get your money back.

 

[AAP]

Well my friend who was being billed from a Ballys in CA, even though he visited the one in Ft. Lauderdale, just long enough to use the tanning, he had a lawyer to write them a letter citing fraud, forgery, and theft. I had him draft my name onto it and if there are two other people out there, we would have a class action lawsuit. They told my friend the no reimbursement line too, but he used a debit card as well.

See this is the kicker here why we both used debit cards. They claim credit card orders must have a $10 limit for Visa to process -(Ok, for some places that is true as you all know from seeing the signs posted), then they say they don't have change for a $10 or $20 (which we both tried to use) so instead, we just debit the card for $5. Then afterwards that number is applied to the waiver of injury and the contract they ask you to acknowledge and initial so the managers will know they made an attempt to sale you a membership.

In the letter, the attorney (who by the way is a Bally's member) gathered up literature and cited that when new members join, they get a membership card with their account number on it, a Ballys welcome kit (coupon book for tanning and massages), and a parking decal for the parking lot (so you won't be towed) well they did not mail us ANY of that. They do not even have a membership number assigned to me. (Not sure about my friend), only an account number assigned to my bank account.

I am serious, I am looking for $198 worth of revenge.

P.S. the letter was also CC'd and mailed to the Better Business guys, the Sun Sentinel and two neighborhood weekly newspapers that Ballys advertise in.

 

[plifter]

It would be the equivalent of you buying one book at amazon.com and them charging you for a whole library.
-Warik

Amazon.com will not do this. They are a very reputable company and are great to work for (at least that's what I've heard).

 

[Burnboy]

go use your membership and lift weights and in the middle of the workout poop on one of the benches and just leave, then come back every day and do it again.


ir you could do the "asspennies" get a roll of pennie snad shove them up your ass and leave them ther for a day. then the next time you go in there and buy somthing , pay with those pennies.

 

[Wombat]

Take 100 needles and syringes and throw them all over the bathroom-----Run to the front desk naked and tell them that you just got out of the fucking shower and that you stepped on the needles. Put a few small cuts on the bottom of your feet. Make sure you keep yelling shit like "Im gonna die- Im gonna die" Tell them to call an ambulance. After leaving the hospital, call a lawyer and call a therapist --- See a therapist and tell him/her that you want to kill yourself. That you know you are going to die blah, blah,blah----Just make sure that the syringes can not be traced back to you(Dont use used ones with your blood in them)--Follow this plan and stick to it. And you should see your bank account rise to new heights!

 

[Bull69]

It happened to my partner and I. It is common for Ballys. They got $200 before I refused payment. The home office does not care, and the actual Ballys fed me this bullshit that this was fraud, and they would take care of it. I still receive collection letters, and that was a year ago.

 

[john937]

Do the whole world a favor and file fraud charges with your county sheriff department.
Won't cost you a cent and will keep their expensive lawyers busy.

 

[AAP]

Ok, I have done all the legal things I can think of to do at the moment, as you can tell from my previous response. But now I am looking for revenge tactics. Maybe start a small fire in a locker. (just kidding,) but really need ideas.

 

[growin']

Same shit happened to me at Gold's or World's. Whatever is in Boulder. I was billed for months after my contract was over. After relentless hounding, and calls to the Better Business Bureau, i got back what was mine

 

[john937]

Ok, I have done all the legal things I can think of to do at the moment, as you can tell from my previous response.

What I see in your response is you sent letters to everybody EXCEPT the law.
They have broken the law, and the amount you mention is a felony in most states.
It's the county sheriff's department responsibility for implementing the state fraud laws, so your city police probably won't be effective.