Bally Total Fitness Bally Total Fitness - "free" trial ripoff Colorado Springs Colorado

In June 2006, I was attending a local street fair and Bally's had a booth set up. They offered me my choice of a free week trial OR for $5 I could upgrade that up to 30 days free. I opted for the upgrade.

My mother was visiting from out of state at the time, plus going to school full time plus working parttime, and I never was able to make it to Bally's to workout. Two months later I realized my debit card was being charged nearly $100 a month. Actually, since we were broke at the time, they were attempting to charge my card after the 2nd month and I was getting calls from my credit union telling me this charge wasn't going through and if I wanted it to go through, I had to deposit some money in my account. That's how I realized Bally's was trying to charge me for a membership!

I went to Bally's on N. Academy and talked to several people including the manager. They told me that there was nothing they could do without my sending a notarized letter to them via registered US mail telling them to cancel my account. So I did it. Then they kept trying to charge my card. They also refused to talk with me again. Next thing I know, I got a 'past due' bill in the mail for $800. They were charging me $800 for violating the terms of the contract and needed to pay the entire contract at once to avoid being sent to collections.

I finally dug out the so-called contract and realized that if, during my "free" month, if I did NOT go to their stupid gym a MINIMUM of 11 times, then I was required to pay the full amount of the contract for $800. I wasn't aware there WAS a 'real' contract, I thought I was signing something that just outlined the free month I was supposed to be getting.

That part IS My fault, I shouldn't have signed it without reading it. But it was over 90 degrees outside, tons of noise (like any street fair), people everywhere (I'm autistic and have problems with too many people), & my mother, wife and child were waiting for me, in a hurry to get to the ice cream stand to buy an ice cream for my daughter. so, I signed. But Bally's was in the wrong for not telling me the truth about what I was signing & not telling me I was letting myself in for a REQUIRED number of visits to their gym. I was told that I could go as often or as little as I wanted during my "free" month trial.

So, I haven't paid the $800 they claim I owe them and I never will. They've destroyed my credit and I can't afford to do a thing about it. Bally's sucks and I hope people stop falling for their line of crap and let them go belly up like they deserve.

Anyone starting a class action lawsuit against them for their deceptive business practices? I'd happily join.

Therev5
Fountain, Colorado
U.S.A.