- Report: #227116
Complaint Review: Ballys - Bally Total Fitness - Westlake Ohio
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Ballys - Bally Total Fitness
1255 Columbia Rd Westlake, 44145 Ohio, U.S.A.
Phone:
440-835-8320
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Ballys - Bally Total Fitness - Cynthia Catalina dishonest fraudulent lied about contract and cancellation ripoff Westlake Ohio
Bally westlake manager cynthia catalina lied about and misrepresented the contract to my wife and I when we went to inquire about joining. Spoke to her the day after signing up and told her I had lost work and could not afford a gym, she said not to worry, use it for a month and if we still want to, just cancel. End of month, she won't cancel, gives me ph #, they don't respond til after first full month of membership, then tell me I can't cancel after 1st month and give me California ph #.
They tell me I didn't join a gym, I signed a contract that was going to be 3 years and I was going to pay it. California bounced me back to Ohio VP named Rob Johnson who said Cynthia was an ethical employee over 20 years and I was lying about her misrepresentation of the contract as a month 2 month deal we could quit whenever we wanted. He then went on to state that Westlake Bally's has sold over 150 memberships a month for the last several years and never a complaint. 1800 members? A year?
This is an interesting side note: There is no way all the people they claim to sign could even use the facilities if they wanted to if it was open 24 hrs. 7 days. Obviously BallyTF is just a contract signing scam, counting on people not working out.
I found work more than 25 miles away from any of the BTF clubs, sent in the info required in the contract relocation cancel clause, 3 weeks later recieved threatening call to pay 3 months membership fee or I would be sent to collection, even though my membership was cancelled. Why? because my wife was listed on the membership, and her name was not on the forwarded mail sent in as part of their crooked cancellation scam. Even though i am listed on the contract as primary owner/buyer, and the only billable person on the contract, and my membership is cancelled.
I was recording my phone calls with BTF by this time, and though the contract said the 'family' membership part listing my wife said she was $16.00 a month, BTF customer disservice variously told me I still owed half the 3 year total of $1872.36, the whole amount, or pay it current then pay an additional fee to qualify to cancel the whole thing.
A BTF csv named Anna who is on tape was totally psychotic, reading me language that was not in the cancel clause listed in the contract I had. I finally found what she was reading in a different part of the contract, and when I pointed this out to her she just ranted on about how I was still responsible for the whole amount and I would be reported to collection and if I wanted to sue go ahead because nothing I did would result in cancellation of the contract.
These people and this company are out of control, and have obviously been getting away with financial rape of unsuspecting customer victims for quite some time if the treatment and information I have encountered is any indication.
J
andover, Ohio
U.S.A.
They tell me I didn't join a gym, I signed a contract that was going to be 3 years and I was going to pay it. California bounced me back to Ohio VP named Rob Johnson who said Cynthia was an ethical employee over 20 years and I was lying about her misrepresentation of the contract as a month 2 month deal we could quit whenever we wanted. He then went on to state that Westlake Bally's has sold over 150 memberships a month for the last several years and never a complaint. 1800 members? A year?
This is an interesting side note: There is no way all the people they claim to sign could even use the facilities if they wanted to if it was open 24 hrs. 7 days. Obviously BallyTF is just a contract signing scam, counting on people not working out.
I found work more than 25 miles away from any of the BTF clubs, sent in the info required in the contract relocation cancel clause, 3 weeks later recieved threatening call to pay 3 months membership fee or I would be sent to collection, even though my membership was cancelled. Why? because my wife was listed on the membership, and her name was not on the forwarded mail sent in as part of their crooked cancellation scam. Even though i am listed on the contract as primary owner/buyer, and the only billable person on the contract, and my membership is cancelled.
I was recording my phone calls with BTF by this time, and though the contract said the 'family' membership part listing my wife said she was $16.00 a month, BTF customer disservice variously told me I still owed half the 3 year total of $1872.36, the whole amount, or pay it current then pay an additional fee to qualify to cancel the whole thing.
A BTF csv named Anna who is on tape was totally psychotic, reading me language that was not in the cancel clause listed in the contract I had. I finally found what she was reading in a different part of the contract, and when I pointed this out to her she just ranted on about how I was still responsible for the whole amount and I would be reported to collection and if I wanted to sue go ahead because nothing I did would result in cancellation of the contract.
These people and this company are out of control, and have obviously been getting away with financial rape of unsuspecting customer victims for quite some time if the treatment and information I have encountered is any indication.
J
andover, Ohio
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Bryan
Westlake,Ohio,
U.S.A.
I Understand
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, August 13, 2007
This is not the first time I have heard this, as I have also experienced it. I signed up for a month to month (as I was a student) and knew the 25 mile clause. I gave them my updated dorm address 2 weeks before the month was up to cancel my membership so I would not be charged September, since I would be gone. Well, I kept asking and asking and they said they would get to it. I called the numbers and they required me to mail it in, so I did that as well. Long story short, they applied my new address to my account after my next month was billed, EVEN THOUGH, they had my info 2 weeks prior. If that is not indicative of the people they have working there, I do not know what is. Along the lines of Catalina, I had the pleasure of working for 3 different managers, all who played the exact same game. They want you to sign up, no matter what situation you are in. SALES, SALES, SALES. And we made it hard to cancel. You have the 3 day period and then the month satisfaction IF you use the gym. Geez, when quota time came, we used other members cash deposits to create fictitious memberships to meet numbers. Best part, one of the cash paying members came in to cancel and I was on the receiving end of that angery tirade. Regardless, there still are ethical people that work there, as I was one of them and so was one of my managers and the people I worked closely with, but the story that most people paint is unfortunately very true. They can and are very misleading and malicious. They keep charging more and improving less. Machines are 20 years old or more in some cases, with no improvements. It is evident that this kind of behavior and business management will eventually cost Bally's its business and pave the way for more user/customer friendly workout facilities. Been there, seen that Cleveland, Ohio
J
andover,Ohio,
U.S.A.
Bally total fitness rip off and liars
#3Author of original report
Thu, January 11, 2007
Hey company boy cesar, I did move to the place of my new work, I don't know why you would assume differently. Oh, wait, yes I do: You work for BTF, and use the same illogical, irrational, and inconsiderate methods of thinking and doing. Your a*s-umption that BTF just let me cancel without actually moving shows you are an apologist for that crooked company. I have the recording of the phone conversations with the BTF reps, legally done, and would be glad to share them with anyone who needs to show how they treat people, twist the truth, and just plain old make stuff up as they go along. Go back to keeping your nose brown in your supervisor's anus, until you get the BTF treatment someday from someone. Enjoy
Cesar
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Bally Total Fitness
#4UPDATE Employee
Wed, January 10, 2007
If you read the Cancellation clause you can cancel if you relocate for more than 25 miles and we are not able to provide you with a facility. A lot of people call in and say they work more than 25 miles and we do not let them cancel because they can work out, on their days off, BTF made an exception in your part or did not take the time to see that you did not relocate but just work in that area. Are you not able to use BTF on your days off? When you signed the contract you accepted Financial Responsibility for your wife's membership. Why should your wife be cancelled out if she is able to use the gym?
