Bally Total Fitness Sales rep lied to me about what was in contract Boston Massachusetts

About 3 months ago, I signed up for a Bally's fitness membership at the downtown crossing location. I told the sales rep I was looking for a month-to-month membership.I was presented with a contract, and I asked the membership representative selling to me if there was a time obligation or cancellation fee. He responded, You can cancel at anytime for 25 dollars.

I only attended the gym a few times my first time there, I walked up to the desk to check in and a woman reading a magazine sat and stared at me as if I was crazy. When I said it was my first time here, she pointed at the scanning device. So I reached over the desk and SCANNED MYSELF IN. I also met with a personal trainer for my first fitness evaluation. We discussed personal training, and when I showed up at 8 a.m. before work on a Monday morning for our second meeting, he was a no-show, and never called to apologize or reschedule.

The crowdedness of the gym and the rudeness of the staff caused me to decide to cancel my membership. When I went to Ballys to do so, they said they could not it at the gym, and gave me the number of the corporate office. The corporate office informed me I was locked into a 36 MONTH CONTRACT which would cost me over A THOUSAND DOLLARS to get out of.

When I told her that I was informed before I signed my contract that I was merely signing up for a month-by-month, 25 dollar cancellation fee contract, she said that all she could do was file a complaint against the man that told me this (Marquise), and that they don't honor verbal contracts.

Mind you, I am an AmeriCorps volunteer, who gets a very small monthly living stipend and I plan on leaving Boston next August to continue volunteering elsewhere. I NEVER would have knowingly signed up for a 36 month contract I had carefully budgeted myself to afford the 38 dollars a month just for the winter while it was too cold to run outside.

I'm so disappointed that this man knew my situation, looked me in the eye and flat out lied to me then had me sign a contract locking me into something completely different than the thing we discussed.

3 months later, I am still getting the run around from corporate. I'm terrified that this will affect my credit score and my future.

Mary
Boston, Massachusetts
U.S.A.