I am filing a complaint because of inadequate and unlawful service. Upon signing the contract, I was told that "at any time during the three year contract I could pay a termination fee of $50 (per member) and end my contract"; however, when i tried to do that, I was told that there was no way I could possibly get out of my contract. The information I have been given from various bally's total fitness sources has been conflicting and misleading. Other papers say that even if you "die or become totally and permanently disabled after the date [your] contract takes effect, you or your estate may cancel this contract and receive a partial refund of your unused membership fee"-- they expect a dead person to continue paying for use of the facility. Additionally, there "cheap prices" would eventually cost my sister and I$2,256.61- money that we do not have to spend mindlessly. And yet i had no idea about any of such semi fraudulent acts upon attempting to cancel the membership. Rather, i wanted to cancel because the facilities were dirty, the employees were crude, unsupportable and had no idea what customer service nor etiquette implies, the classes were too large to even see myself in the mirror and the machinery was cheap, specifically the rowing machine and ellipticals. I found a better deal at larry north fitness in Hiighland Park Village, an institution infamous for being overpriced, and yet Bally's the cheap fitness institute was thirty dollars more per month for both my sister and I! When i tried to cancel I had previously looked at their website, ballyfitness.com, and found that i would have to pay a fifty dollar cancellation fee. That appalled me but I was willing to. Then i discovered that i was legally binded to their program for three years - something i never heard until i tried to cancel. I am deeply frustrated and what i continue to wonder is why would a large organization attempt to infuriate their customers, word of mouth is strong and harmful. I will do my best to ruin bally total fitness on McKinney credibility. Further, their not even a member of the better business bureau! What a scam. I am expecting my sister and i to be allowed to cancel without paying a cent. We have not even shown up to the institute for over a month. That alone should show how dissatisfied i am with that fitness center. If i am not allowed to cancel without paying I will file a dispute with my bank regarding federal regulation E and consult our family's lawyer. I am horribly upset with this "company," and you should be too. Not only are their lower-end employees poor with customer service, so are their founders. Bally total fitness is anything but user friendly, their a scam just gliding along the lawful lines.

Company details:
Bally Total Fitness, Turtle Creek II location Dallas, Tx 74204