- Sep 13, 2001
- 53,452
- 6,299
- 126
This is just a PSA to let people know how shitty LA Fitness is in general as a business practice. This may get long winded and kind of convoluted because there are a few issues I had, but I will try...
So I joined bally's in 2000 and had been a member since. I paid my annual dues every year in early May. I had no credit card on file or anything. I would simply come in one day in May, my card wouldn't scan due to my membership expiring, and I'd pay again for a full year ($254).
This past November or so, LA Fitness bought out bally's, and my gym turned into an LA fitness. Prior to that, it had already started to fall apart and they would never fix anything that broke. AC wouldnt work half the time, macines broken, lockerrooms never cleaned, etc. I only stayed there because it was cheap, close to where I live, and i've worked out with the same people for years.
There had also been rumors for YEARS they were going to tear this gym down to build condo's. Nothing ever came of it. Additionally, there is an LA Fitness Signature club down the street. However, to upgrade to a signature membership, they told us it would be about $30/month MORE than what we pay, after some ridiculous initiation fee.
So last Monday when I go to the gym, there were signs posted in the gym stating that the gym would be closing for good May 15th at 2pm (yesterday) and that everyone who goes here can now go to the signature club down the street and our membeships would transition. I asked 3 different people to confirm this, and they told us we could go there Tuesday and all would be well.
So yesterday I go there with my 2 other lifting buddies. Apparently the other LA Fitness lied to us. Only people who's "home gym" (ie, the one you signed your papers in to become a member in) was the gym that closed down, meant you could transition to this new one free of charge.
I was okay because I joined there. However my 2 buddies weren't ok because one joined in Seattle, WA (we're in Maryland), and one joined at another one in MD. Even though we had been lifting for 5+ years in the one that closed, it did not matter.
So my 2 buddies sat down with the sales guy to see how much it would cost them to join. one guy was an "enrollment" fee of $400 + $45/mo. the other guy was an enrollment fee of over $1k and $849/yr. Yes ... $849 a year.
Oh and while I was there and my buddies were with the sales guys, I walked around the gym to check it out (i had been there before, but off peak hours - this was 6pm my normal time) and the place was RIDICULOUSLY crowded. it makes sense though since it was already a gym with regulars, but now there were even more from the gym that closed down the street. On top of that, they give out towels and have a basketball court there, BUT if you were a "transitioned" member like I was, they would not give you a towel or let you in the basketball courts lol.
There were countless other people there furious about this whole ordeal. One guy had a lifetime membership to Bally's that worked at the one he always went to and was opened there, but they had no way to transfer it and were looking to charge him some ridiculous amount for it.
So since my buddies couldn't join there, and we have like 3 other gyms we could go to, I told them I wanted to cancel my membership. Of course I didn't care because it was just about to expire soon anyways.... or was it!
So they pull my information up and told me I renewed for 1 year on May 7th. I told them no way that could have happened because my information isn't on file and my membership never expired like it used to, then I would pay a year for it.
He then told me that I had an agreement with bally's that if my membership expired and I was still using the facilities for a few days after that, they would auto-renew my account. I told them no I never had anything like that, and if I did, to show me where I signed. I explained what always happened year in and year out with bally's.
He then told me no, I had an agreement with bally's. then I informed him that they aren't bally's, so even if i DID have an agreement with them, I had no agreement with LA Fitness. Again I told him to show me where I authorized this and he said it was in the contract I signed. I kept asking him to show it to me and he couldn't.
So I basically said ok well if you don't want to refund me, then I will do a chargeback to my CC. I asked if they really wanted me to do that and the guy was just being a fucking dick about it all. Being lazy as shit and didn't want to help anything. So I just left and was going to do a chargeback with AMEX.
I got home and tried to search a corporate member service number and could not find one on the website. When you try to contact them on the website, it puts you in touch with the local gyms. So I found another local one and called them. They told me "the woman who handles this is out for today but she will be in tomorrow morning and can call you" so i left my information with them.
Today I didn't have a call back by 11:30am so I called the same one asking to speak to the lady. The woman on the phone said "well it's not a lady, but it is this man named John, let me find him for you hold please." So I was on hold for like 2 minutes and it disconnected.
I called back and the same lady picked up. I told her it disconnected and she told me "oh well he is in a hiring meeting right now he can call you afterwards" and I told her I was told that spiel yesterday and didn't have a call back yet. I ended up leaving my number for a call back.
An hour later, still no call back. So I googled LA Fitness corporate phone number and found one.
I got on the phone with a corporate person who actually could help! I was shocked. I ended up telling him the situation, and he kept trying to tell me basically the same thing as everyone else, but he had a dick attitude at this point. Eventually he was like 'do you just want to be refunded?' and I of course said "yes and you can prorate it for the time I've used since then, since it has been a week or two.
he then told me "ok well i've issued the refund for $242 which is the $254 - the days you used the facility, you should see it back on the AMEX in 5-7 days"
So finally I got somewhere after all this bullshit. i asked if i would receive something in the mail or email about this, because i want to be sure i'm refunded. so if i don't see anything in my account 5-7 days from now i'm going to be pretty livid. but i wouldn't put it past them.
so yea ... stay as far away as possible. this place sucks and is a scam and a half just like bally's always was. google all the horror stories if you don't believe me.
i'm going to join a new gym today as well that is only $20/mo and just as close/convenient, and the other peole I work out with are also going there.
So I joined bally's in 2000 and had been a member since. I paid my annual dues every year in early May. I had no credit card on file or anything. I would simply come in one day in May, my card wouldn't scan due to my membership expiring, and I'd pay again for a full year ($254).
This past November or so, LA Fitness bought out bally's, and my gym turned into an LA fitness. Prior to that, it had already started to fall apart and they would never fix anything that broke. AC wouldnt work half the time, macines broken, lockerrooms never cleaned, etc. I only stayed there because it was cheap, close to where I live, and i've worked out with the same people for years.
There had also been rumors for YEARS they were going to tear this gym down to build condo's. Nothing ever came of it. Additionally, there is an LA Fitness Signature club down the street. However, to upgrade to a signature membership, they told us it would be about $30/month MORE than what we pay, after some ridiculous initiation fee.
So last Monday when I go to the gym, there were signs posted in the gym stating that the gym would be closing for good May 15th at 2pm (yesterday) and that everyone who goes here can now go to the signature club down the street and our membeships would transition. I asked 3 different people to confirm this, and they told us we could go there Tuesday and all would be well.
So yesterday I go there with my 2 other lifting buddies. Apparently the other LA Fitness lied to us. Only people who's "home gym" (ie, the one you signed your papers in to become a member in) was the gym that closed down, meant you could transition to this new one free of charge.
I was okay because I joined there. However my 2 buddies weren't ok because one joined in Seattle, WA (we're in Maryland), and one joined at another one in MD. Even though we had been lifting for 5+ years in the one that closed, it did not matter.
So my 2 buddies sat down with the sales guy to see how much it would cost them to join. one guy was an "enrollment" fee of $400 + $45/mo. the other guy was an enrollment fee of over $1k and $849/yr. Yes ... $849 a year.
Oh and while I was there and my buddies were with the sales guys, I walked around the gym to check it out (i had been there before, but off peak hours - this was 6pm my normal time) and the place was RIDICULOUSLY crowded. it makes sense though since it was already a gym with regulars, but now there were even more from the gym that closed down the street. On top of that, they give out towels and have a basketball court there, BUT if you were a "transitioned" member like I was, they would not give you a towel or let you in the basketball courts lol.
There were countless other people there furious about this whole ordeal. One guy had a lifetime membership to Bally's that worked at the one he always went to and was opened there, but they had no way to transfer it and were looking to charge him some ridiculous amount for it.
So since my buddies couldn't join there, and we have like 3 other gyms we could go to, I told them I wanted to cancel my membership. Of course I didn't care because it was just about to expire soon anyways.... or was it!
So they pull my information up and told me I renewed for 1 year on May 7th. I told them no way that could have happened because my information isn't on file and my membership never expired like it used to, then I would pay a year for it.
He then told me that I had an agreement with bally's that if my membership expired and I was still using the facilities for a few days after that, they would auto-renew my account. I told them no I never had anything like that, and if I did, to show me where I signed. I explained what always happened year in and year out with bally's.
He then told me no, I had an agreement with bally's. then I informed him that they aren't bally's, so even if i DID have an agreement with them, I had no agreement with LA Fitness. Again I told him to show me where I authorized this and he said it was in the contract I signed. I kept asking him to show it to me and he couldn't.
So I basically said ok well if you don't want to refund me, then I will do a chargeback to my CC. I asked if they really wanted me to do that and the guy was just being a fucking dick about it all. Being lazy as shit and didn't want to help anything. So I just left and was going to do a chargeback with AMEX.
I got home and tried to search a corporate member service number and could not find one on the website. When you try to contact them on the website, it puts you in touch with the local gyms. So I found another local one and called them. They told me "the woman who handles this is out for today but she will be in tomorrow morning and can call you" so i left my information with them.
Today I didn't have a call back by 11:30am so I called the same one asking to speak to the lady. The woman on the phone said "well it's not a lady, but it is this man named John, let me find him for you hold please." So I was on hold for like 2 minutes and it disconnected.
I called back and the same lady picked up. I told her it disconnected and she told me "oh well he is in a hiring meeting right now he can call you afterwards" and I told her I was told that spiel yesterday and didn't have a call back yet. I ended up leaving my number for a call back.
An hour later, still no call back. So I googled LA Fitness corporate phone number and found one.
I got on the phone with a corporate person who actually could help! I was shocked. I ended up telling him the situation, and he kept trying to tell me basically the same thing as everyone else, but he had a dick attitude at this point. Eventually he was like 'do you just want to be refunded?' and I of course said "yes and you can prorate it for the time I've used since then, since it has been a week or two.
he then told me "ok well i've issued the refund for $242 which is the $254 - the days you used the facility, you should see it back on the AMEX in 5-7 days"
So finally I got somewhere after all this bullshit. i asked if i would receive something in the mail or email about this, because i want to be sure i'm refunded. so if i don't see anything in my account 5-7 days from now i'm going to be pretty livid. but i wouldn't put it past them.
so yea ... stay as far away as possible. this place sucks and is a scam and a half just like bally's always was. google all the horror stories if you don't believe me.
i'm going to join a new gym today as well that is only $20/mo and just as close/convenient, and the other peole I work out with are also going there.
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