Feb 20 2009
Fuck you Bally’s Fitness
I’ve finally decided to cancel my membership at Bally’s after almost a year of not going.
I called the guy at the location where I joined and he told me I needed to call some phone number (866-402-2559). Turns out it’s just a recording with canned instructions on how to cancel if you move or lose a limb.
So I dug my contract out from under a pile of crap somewhere in my apartment, and it turns out the contract states that (a) I have to notify them in writing to cancel, (b) it takes 30 days to cancel during which they’ll still charge me, and (c) I’m supposed to pay them a $25 cancellation fee!!
Fuck them. I just called Citibank where my monthly payments were being billed and reported the card lost/stolen. Bally’s was set to bill me for another month on 2/21 which shouldn’t be happening now since all charges will be blocked, at least in theory.
FUCK YOU BALLY’S! Dicks.
I also have a major problem with Citibank which I’ll bitch about later.
9/3/2009 edit: Since this post seems to be attracting all kinds of people who are looking to cancel their Bally’s memberships, I’m gonna make it nice ‘n’ easy for everyone by posting the number right here:
(562) 484-2000
Press 0 to get the operator who will send you to Customer Service. They’ll tell you how to cancel your membership.
Good luck!
P.S. Here’s a great story about how some guy used Twitter to shame Bally’s into submission. It’s a little long, but it’s worth reading (the only part I skipped was his email to Bally’s).
BTW… to cancel your Bally’s Fitness membership, call their California office at 562-484-2000 and press 0 to get the operator who will send you to Customer Service. They’ll tell you how to cancel your membership.
I just called and told them (a) I’m canceling, and (b) I’m not paying their $25 cancellation fee on principle. Since I’m already pissed off at Citibank I’ll be closing that account entirely and that should solve the problem.
I agree that Bally’s sucks and hope the bankruptcy it’s going in will finally shut that place down. But regarding your attempts with Citibank or any other bank or credit card company…though it will stop monthly payments from being deducted/charged, you will only affect your credit rating. Once Bally’s recognizes it’s not getting money, they will hire a credit agency to get their money, which will adversely affect your credit rating.
omg somebody actually came to this crappy blog.
Bally’s never sent me any collection notices even though they definitely could have… they have my phone number and correct address. The only thing I ever got was a followup letter with some “special offer” if I reinstate my membership.
I think I got away with it! If they had sent me a collections notice, I might have caved.
Ballys will close down over 100 clubs in June of 2009 and possibly shut down like Circuit City. I have some friends working at Bally in Orlando which is not far from my house. Ballys bankruptcy didnt get approved by the bankruptcy judge in May of 2009. They are lying to their employees, not paying commissions out and have kept cutting because the company has only $54 million in the bank. The debtor of Bally dont even want thier money.
spread the word, BALLY WILL SHUT DOWN. Dont join. They suck.
I heard from a person high up in that fucking company, they will shut down the doors since they will not have enough money to operate like GM.
Just wanted to say a big thanks for this post, I was googling around for a better customer service number to use and the first comment on this post provided one that worked. Thanks!
Another big thanks for this post - I had waited about 15 minutes calling their regular toll-free number before finding this post - then I got through on this number in under 5 minutes. I’m no longer under contract, so I could have canceled, but they *DID* end up convincing me to just put my account dormant for a year with no charge (they used my last two payments to pay for the cost of $25 + $4/month to keep the account dormant). Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually want to go back…
Anyway, thanks for the number!
— jr
I WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP AT BALLYS…. DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NUMBER???
Yes….Bally Sucks…I was trying to cancel my membership and I went to the website with the number 1-866-402-2559 (Bally); it directed me through maze of instructions..when it comes to cancellation…the number was just a recording and it hung up on me because of high call volumes…I tried many many times…but still busy..yes right…so I called that number 562-484-2000 somewhere in Long Beach area…and finally got through the REAL PERSON…they canceled it for me..with letter..when let wait and see, but I will also call me credit card to stop the payment…OK Good luck people…
Thank you a thousand times for that CA office number, you saved me a lot of frustration and money.
I just had to cancel and I called 866-402-2559. I spoke to someone named Veronica and she wanted to put me through to the regular cancellation number I told her that i was on hold for 30 minutes with them. She apologized and asked why i was canceling and I told her that I no longer can afford it. She offered to put my account on hold and I told her no. She said ok and that she would cancel it right away and send me a confirmation letter.
Thank you thank you thank you for the real person phone number!
Just called 562-484-2000 to cancel. The rep was actually very helpful. I had to hold a while but it was worth it. They tried everything to keep me, but I told them the mold on the walls, crime in the parking lot and filth on the equipment was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Not to mention extra fees for some classes…
Although she said it was not necessary, I will follow up with a certified cancellation letter with return receipt, mailed to
POBox 1090
Norwalk, CA 90651
good luck everyone!
I signed a contract that lasted 30 days almost 2 years ago and canceled just recently. The guy told me that he completely removed my card info etc. and would send me a confirmation letter to cancel and said I could take it to the club I went to and pay for it there. How long does the confirmation letter take to get? I also called up my bank to cock block them from charging me again later in the future or is it better if I just report my card lost/stolen?
that number doesnt work anymore, it says that “the number you have dialed is not in service”.. just called it again, same answer!!! WTF..
Hey Mark…I just called the number and it seems to work.
OMG! Thanks so much for giving that number. The guy I had gotten would NOT shut up about how he had two jobs and no time blah blah blah. Working out makes you not tired, more energy and I was like yeah I hear you but I just don’t want to go for many reasons and then he told me he wasn’t reading from a script that it was “supposedly” his personal experience. (Like I freaking asked for it, right?) Thanks so much for the help. YAY NO MORE BALLYS!
We need like a protest or something against them, haha. 
They cashed my cancellation check but continue to take money out of my account. I just contacted the BBB and I am in the military so I will contact JAG for help to get back my money and get out of this contract. They are crooks
Wow, I just called that number and it totally worked. I wasn’t under a contract any more as well. I had a lifetime membership from since 1998 and they too tried everything under the sun to keep me but I declined declined declined. Now I can continue with NYSC lol! She told me she would stop payments from my acct as well as send me a cxcl confirmation too my email address in 24 hrs. She was actually really pleasant and I made sure to kiss her ass so that she wouldn’t sdo anything crzy on my acct lol. GOOD LUCK, I will advise everyone in a month if this method worked.
I called and asked to cancel my account. The lady was really nice and told me about keeping in shape and offered to give me free 2 months etc. but I nicely declined. I asked her if it was canceled for sure and she told me the last day I could work out was on September 9 and that I wouldn’t be charged any further. They also told me that they were going through a lot of changes such as getting new equipment and how that they got out of bankruptcy just recently so there’s a lot of changes. She didn’t mention anything about a cancellation fee although I wasn’t under any contract so I hope this goes well…
Also thanks for the number, it really helped!
I just got the “cancellation fee” in the mail and apparently it says nothing about paying $25 just a bunch of crap telling me to renew etc. Am I in the clear?
I tried to cancel with the number the club gave me and it was just a bunch of automated crap and then it hung up on me saying that there was a long wait of over 30 min and to try later. Then I found this website and used the number in the posts, 562-484-2000, and it worked! I spoke to a real person and she canceled my membership and my husband’s without a hassle! I told her we couldn’t afford it any more (which is true) and she first offered me some deals like $19/mo or 40% off to go twice a week. But it only took maybe 10 min and she was very nice and said she stopped the payments coming from our account and we could still use it for another month since we paid for the last month when we joined. She didn’t say anything about needing a letter or charging a cancellation fee. Thanks so much everyone for posting the number!
Toby it may be the statements that they want you to renew your membership you should call they advised me that those would be sent out once my membership was cancelled.
THANK YOU for the number wow I barley had to wait. One time I spent 1 hr waiting it was ridiculous. It was a 1 week on going thing, trying to call, sending them letters, forget your local Bally.
I am glad to hear that people have managed to cancel. I am in the same position as most of the people who have posted signing up the month to month with no contract. Hopefully I get my cancellation letter soon. I also asked my bank to decline any further charges.
Plus I filed a complaint to my attorney general’s office. They are attempting to refund a month that Bally charged. The people at the AG’s office read the agreement and saw charges that should have not been made. We should all file complaints to out Attorney Genral’s Office or Consumer’s Council they will be able to get Bally to respond to them.
So is there really a $25 cancellation fee or is it just some trick the asshole told me to get me to secretly renew my account?
Toby I think you should honestly ask, I didn’t have to pay 25 and it was not in my agreement. I called and they canceled it but who knows what they are planning ahead. I feel you really should call or if not go file a complaint to the Attorney General’s office they will have people look at your contract. I’m having the consumer’s council of the AG office looking at the agreement and they wrote a nice friendly letter to Bally on my behalf to better guarantee my cancellation and not to ever have contact with me. Also this gives physical proof to the AG office that your account has been canceled.
well the first time i called they told me about the $25 cancellation fee and i was like yeah okay that’s cool. the second time i called i told them i wanted to cancel (i didn’t tell them it was the second time calling) just to make sure and the lady told me she canceled it and my last day of working out was 2 days ago. she did not mention anything at all about a cancellation fee so who am i supposed to believe?
Thanks for the blog. I will have to try calling that number. I didn’t it would be so difficult to cancel Bally fitness Membership. For that reason, I signed up for Month to Month membership but it seems very difficult to cancel.
I looked at my month to month agreement and it says that to cancel MTM you have to pay $25.00 cancellation fee. I just sent in my written cancellation notice with $25.00 check (just to make sure). They also cashed in my check as well.
How long did other people take to receive the written confirmation?
On online, it says that my account expired in July. This is so frustrating…
Hello Nemo,
I had signed up with bally about 3 months ago but the agreement that I received did not mention any cancellation fee and I think it was due to their period of bankruptcy. I feel that you should really go seek some higher legal counsel incase they start pulling crap on you. If you don’t have your own attorney you should file a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office or any other government agency that deals with consumer issues.
After more then a month and being promised a cancellation notice I never did receive mine. I called them back telling them that they are a bunch of liars and I have reported everything to my Attorney General. I told them that I wanted my confirmation sent to my email, which they did immediately. I got a letter from corporate stating that this was an official letter and both my payment and membership has been discontinued. With this I forward it to the complaint manager. Now the complaint manager at the AG office is waiting for the scums to reply back to them.
I highly recommend going to see the AG they have people and attorneys on staff that look at these contracts or agreements.
this number was NOT helpful at all. I did talk with someone named Mark but he would not let me cancel. He said that losing ur job and not having a source of income are not good enough reasons to cancel a contract! Hello! I don’t have any money to pay you crooks! I read all these reviews before I called and I got excited because I saw that ppl were having success with this number. Well, not me. I tried calling back three times and they just kept me on hold FOREVER. Then I called back and talked to a lady named Monica who said the exact same krap. “You can’t just cancel because you don’t want it anymore; you have to qualify.” They won’t let me out and it’s starting to piss me off. I want out!
Well that’s because none of us are under a contract I think. Also it’s been a month, I still haven’t gotten any cancellation fee just special offers. I’m in the clear right guys?!
so I am about to be free of these sons of bitches after 3 yrs, just wondering if anyone knows if there’s anything special I have to do to “officially” end my contract - because I wouldn’t be surprised if they so graciously decided to put me on a month to month without my consent. has anybody let their contract run out? did you have to do anything or did the payments just stop?
Toby congrats you broke free, now just be careful that they don’t start charging you again and telling you that you have been going to their gym and so forth. The send out a bunch of emails and calls to try to get you back just ignore them.
In the future for your records try to get the cancelation letter and keep your agreement. If you ever get a call from collections under the fair trade collections act they will need to provide a copy of your contract with all your correct information. Most of the time Bally can’t provide this information or they have false contracts with all the wrong information. Then it also becomes a case involving fraud and identity theft. Many other legal recourses can be taken against Bally. Alway report this to different state agencies that will investigate the circumstances.
Ariel sorry to hear about your situation, but it seems you did sign a contract. Go to you Attorney General’s Office and seek help.
Loopy go write your cancellation letter and get your confirmation letter that you have been canceled. Keep record of everything if you have an attorney tell him or her to write it for you. If not go to your Attorney General’s Office and have someone at consumer’s affair to write you something.
Is the cancellation letter the same as the mail they sent me with the special offer? I have two of them and they both have the “Your membership expires xx/xx/xx.” That’s the confirmation that my account is canceled right? Also I’d like to thank the owner of this site and the posters here, you’ve all been really helpful.
toby i am not sure if the special offer letter is considered official. i know that several people received letters saying that it is inactive and it can be reactivated under offers again. make sure to call you bank and block them. without any real paper work or contract being signed they can’t hold you for collections. i got a formal letter that said that my membership has been discontinued.
remember you don’t owe them anything and don’t pay them a dime. if they insist file a complaint to the attorney general and they will write bally a nice friendly letter.
good luck with your account and good luck to everyone.
this is to everyone who reads this:
always get everything in writing and make copies of everything you get. to better guarantee your cancellation write them a letter certified and get a tracking on it, so they won’t have an excuse they never received it. then keep bothering them to send you a formal letter in regards to your membership. cancellation over the phone call seems shady and the employees at Bally do not honor what they say.
its important to get solid proof so they won’t be able to take you to collections or court.
Hey everyone, I just dialed 562-484-2000 and spoke with a really nice lady named Alexis. Its about 1pm on the east coast, figured I’d let you all know since that number didnt seem to be working for me last night. Anyways, I don’t have a contract and she said that all I have to do is send in my name and membership number along with my reason for canceling to bally’s (no mention of a cancellation fee!… yet). When I told her that I planned on sending it certified she gave me the physical address of bally’s, not the p.o. box, so that I could be assured that they get it. Here’s the “official” address for all of you dying to be done with this nightmare: 12440 East Imperial Highway Suite 300, Norwalk, California, 90651. Good luck everyone!!
Just called the number above to cancel my 3-week old membership because they want to charge a $99 “upgrade fee” to switch from the One Club Access plan to the Local Access plan. Complete and utter bull****!!! I spoke with Mark on the phone and he didn’t even try to save the account. He just gave me the PO box address and that was it. Wow, you’d think they’d want to keep their customers after their little bankrupcy thing.
Thank you very much for this number! Took about 5 minutes on hold, then another 5 minutes for the call. I didn’t have my account number, so that took a bit of time as she verified my personal info. After trying to talk me into staying, she told me what was needed to cancel the account.
My membership already passed the contract, was just on monthly dues.
Send a letter with your name and account number(s) asking Bally to cancel your account AND to stop all auto-debit transactions.
The address is
PO Box 1080
Norwalk, CA 90650
attn: EFT Department
For those of you who have had trouble with Bally Fitness, you might find this website useful: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/w-10.shtml. On this site you will find an Overview of California’s Heath Studio Services Contract Law, dated May 2009. It came in handy for me and it might help someone here. Two of us escaped Bally’s clutches by quitting three weeks into a three month contract. Had they stayed the full four weeks, they would have been locked in. Also, what worked in our favor was there were three of us in the group. The third party joined a week later. An employee in the San Bernardino Bally Fitness took cash money and never offered a contract to the third party. He was the only employee there at the time and claimed had no access to the money to make change (or to the contracts apparently). The third party didn’t get a contract or ID the first week due to illness, The ID machine was broken on the next visit, (still no contract). It was the following week the third party discovered there was no record of a payment except the receipt in hand and she was listed as a “guest” in the computer. To make a long story short, the first two members quit citing deceptive practices as outlined in the Health Studio Services Contract Law and the third party recovered all but two dollars of the stolen money, (it seems Bally has to hang on to something) after threatening a lawsuit. Rule 1: Don’t waste your time talking to Bally on the phone. They lie. Rule 2: Notarize everything you send. It gets expensive but its worth it to be free. Rule 3: Certify everything you send. Make sure the certified number appears in the heading of your letter. Rule 4: Make sure EVERYBODY who joined as a group writes his or her own letter of resignation. Rule 5: Send a copy of your complaint letter to the Attorney General Office. Rule: 6: Keep notarizing, certifying and writing letters until you get that letter of cancellation. Rule 6: Don’t EVER throw away your letter of cancellation. It took 6 months of letter writing, but we finally got those letters . . . and would you believe Bally tried to send one of the three a new bill for November 2009, even though they claimed on the phone (that was before we knew better) that the contract ended the first week of September? In response they got a copy of their own cancellation letter.
I tried calling their main office first (866-402-2559) and there was what they claimed to be a “heavy call volume” where I would have to wait at least 25 minutes (sure). I then tried calling 562-484-2000, as you people seem to claim works, but only received another voice message claiming I didn’t have the correct access code or something. No way to get through to a person. I am in NY and it is almost 4PM. Should I try at an earlier time? This is ridiculous - Bally will get what’s coming to them.
For those who have signed up for the Easy Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP) I have a copy of the contract in which state Quote:
To cancel an Easy Monthly Payment Plan membership send a written notice containing the canceling member`s name by certified or registered mail to : Bally Total Fitnass Services 12440 E. Imperial HWY P.O. Box 1080 .Norwalk , CA, 90651-1030 or via email to webcancel@ballyfitness.com .
Good Luck
if you want out of it say you live in the city twenty nine palms CA! that is 70 miles from a bally’s!
email me at famous4×4@yahoo.com if you need the address.!!!
it works i did it!
if you;re not able to reach them on the phone , ( i couldn’t either ) and i was getting frustrated with them ….so i went to the website and filled in the contact form and asked them to call me as i had to discuss something urgently …i got a call in 5 days and i cancelled my membership then ! i also received an email from their confirming the cancellation .
but now after a month of cancelling , i have a mail that says that someone used my card at their gym . however thats like absolutely impossible …coz i have my card with me n no one used it ..theyre the biggest liars ever
Okay guys, I’m pretty sure my account at Bally is canceled and they haven’t told me to pay any cancellation fees etc. but I want to make sure it really is over. Today I just received a letter for $76 and it says:
It’s time to protect your investment in fitness, and save hundreds of dollars over the price of a new membership. Don’t delay, please make your payment today to keep your membership active.
I’m thinking they’re just telling me they want me back but I really don’t want to end up getting screwed in the future so I need someone to help me confirm… Thanks!
I’m so glad I read your blog after went through many links on Google. Thanks a ton for the number. I was able to talk to some CS rep within 2 minutes. She’s reasonable. She still tried to convince me to not cancel my membership but I said No.
On the other hand, I waited for more than half an hour on their toll free number but only get the automated reply “Due to the high volume…” That number is totally a scam. Can’t believe they are still in business.
Hello Everyone,
I want to give some hope for people cancellation can be done. I think Lady Mai has is all together. I had to solve my problem through the attorney general office and I received a letter of cancellation plus the attorney general office has their copy too. We all hope to get out of this mess it takes a while but it can be done with patients.
Hi Everyone,
I finally could talk to someone, to get my membership cancelled.
It worked.
Hey fellas,
I happen to stumble into this blog after I got off the phone with Bally agent over the phone. My plan didn’t require signing annual contract(unlike the wife who had her membership since 2000!) except it was national access EMPP2(easy monthly pay plan) …membership will automatically end when my payment stops….So,naturally I linked my bank account to EMPP and………lo and behold,no link or ways to STOP EMPP!!! They got bunch of links to “sign in or sign up” but no way out….So I called 866-402-2559..went through bunch of sub menus and eventually got a hold of an agent. She asked for my member# and reason why(relocating to Birmingham), and zip code too? She then told me I had send in a letter of cancellation to P.O box 1090 Norwalk,CA 90651 Attn:EFT DEPT……Sure is bullshit if you ask me…All this to end EMPP?
Thank you! Worked! Fax number to send cancellation letter:
562-484-2448
I just called 562-484-200 (it’s about 11:30am in California) and I had to wait about 2-3 minutes listening to the phone ring, then I got to a voice recording that lasted another 2 mintues. FINALLY I got to speak with a live representative (named Rodney) he was quite helpful, despite the fact that he spent about a minute trying to persuade me to keep the membership by offering all of these perks and discounts, but I politely told him that I can no longer afford the monthly payments and that I need to save everything I have for college (which is the truth!).
Like most people here he told me to send a letter requesting the cancellation of my membership (before January 18) to:
Bally’s Total Fitness
ATTN: EFT Department
PO BOX 1090 Norwalk, CA 90651
The letter is to include your NAME, MEMBERSHIP NUMBER and request to cancel statement.
Apparently, if I send my letter today I should receive a conformation letter from Bally’s conforming my cancellation within 1 to 2 weeks (is that true?).
Also, Rodney told me that if I send my letter before Jan 18, my membership will be completely canceled by Feb 28.
I hope everything works out well.
Good Luck to everyone else!
And thanks so much for providing the phone number!
I just called and they said they were having computer issues and they couldn’t access my account information. Not sure if I buy it, but he said to call back in an hour or possibly tomorrow. And he didn’t know why I was calling, so he probably wasn’t just giving me a line. But thanks for that number… holy christ I’ve been looking for a hassle-free way to cancel forever. I’ll follow up if this works…
I HATE BALLY. My membership expired yet they still need a letter? NOT TO MENTION THERE TAKING PAYMENTS OUT STILL. Bally is over-rated, I’m so glad I joined Lifetime where its clean, more equipment, more resources, everything is better and i’m paying less than at Bally.
If you are reading this and considering Bally, read what everybody else is complaining about. You will not be able to get out of your contract for a long time. Wish I would have known this before hand.
What did people say to get out? And did the people who got out have a 3 year contract? I just called and was offered a 15% discount on the buyout, but it was still the same story of paying off the rest of the membership in full. Did I not say the right things?
I don’t know if this will work as easy as everybody is saying…
I hope, they don’t give me a hard time.. In this economy, you can’t afford going to the GYM anymore.
Question: How long do I need to allow the letter to get to them. For example: 10 days before the next billing cycle or 30 days?
Thanks for all your advice
I paid the last payment on my 36 month installment contract yesterday, 1/28/10. I’ve been giving them $47.32 per month for the last 3 years. I never used their gym, it was dirty, the staff was unprofessional and the classes always overloaded.
This lesson cost me $1,703.52, and believe me I did learn my lesson!!
Something I want to mention that I haven’t seen anywhere else is that I got suckered into this contract from attending Discovery Health’s National Body Challenge back in 2007. We all want to get into shape and be healthier but when companies like Bally’s and Discovery Health take advantage of this fact, it should be a crime. It’s not. Yes, Discovery Health is doing the National Body Challenge again in 2010, http://health.discovery.com/national-body-challenge/national-body-challenge.html. Bally’s is still listed as their partner and offers a 2 week free pass. DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!!!
If you’re considering joining Bally’s or The National Body Challenge, go back up and read my post again. Then run like hell!!
I’m sending a certified letter of cancellation today stating I’m giving them 30 days advanced notice that I’ve fulfilled my contract and that my contract is cancelled. I have a good cancellation letter if anyone wants to use it. You can email me at sendtocarla@gmail.com. As this is my catch all account and most of it gets deleted without being opened, please put Bally’s Letter or at least Bally’s in the subject line so when I search for it I’ll find it before deleting all the spam.
Good luck to everyone fighting Bally’s. Hopefully they’ll go out of business soon!
P.S. Thanks to this blogger for holding this open forum to rant on! You rock!
The number worked for me!!! I still had to send the letter, but got right through to get the address. I was on hold through the normal channel forever but when I called this number they put me right through…
They are a horrible company with underhanded ways to keep people in their grips.
I personally hate calling any customer service so I sent an email saying I wanted to cancel it, but I never received a response email back. I just called the number above and spoke to someone who said my account had been cancelled and that they sent me written notification but i just didnt give it enough time. They said sending an email qualifies as “written” notice so you don’t have to send the letter too! (since they do require written notice). Just FYI, save yourself the hold time and send an email.
I have an Rx from a workers compensation doctor for a gym membership for one year. I chose Ballys because it had a pool. 1.) Three weeks ago I spoke with a manager there, they can handle an Rx, different options are availabe and I would have to pay in advance. OK, understood. 2.) Two weeks ago I tried to get the price in writing so it could be submitted to W.C. for approval. They would not even write down the high price (uncommitted). 3.) Today I tried to get a flyer or a copy of one, anything with a price on it. Even a leter head with a non committed cost they would not consider. They say they dont have fyers and dont have copies. An Rx is a corporate issue and has to go through coporate and to call 1-866-402-2559.
Good blog.
This has been a great resource, thanks so much. Finally almost done w/my three yr contract and want to do everything right.
Thanks for posting this, it was a big help to me as well. I called the 562 number and got an extremely helpful guy named Albert. He helped me out and was very friendly and courteous.
Thanks for the number, I canceled my account a few months back but I still get letters of stacking bills saying that they want me to join back. Then it also says “If your intent is to cancel your membership, please bring your account current by paying your Total Dues Amount of $### today and include written notice of your request to cancel. Please send written correspondence including your email and mailing address to the address listed below.” I know for sure I canceled it through the phone and they told me there was no cancellation fee, is this some sort of trick? I’ve gotten many offers to renew my account but this one is scaring me.
If you have a month to month contract with Ballys they require 30 days to cancel your membership, you have to inform them with a letter, you can’t do it over the phone.
In the letter include your membership Acc number, complete name and your signature.
If you don’t want to waste your money anymore, go to your gym and ask to put on hold your membership for just $4 a month, then send the letter, that way you will have more than 30 days to ask them the cancellation.
Nestor, The Acc number you are talking about is my debit card account number?
Does anyone have the e-mail for Ballys? I’ve canceled a bit back but I want them to stop sending me shitty offers.
webcancel@ballyfitness.com
regina: i think he is talking about your bally membership number. also i’ve read up about the letter I got and it’s just a way to trick people into reactivating. also, does that e-mail work to get them to stop sending me crappy deals?
Yes i emailed it with my membership # and they canceled my month-to-month plan without me having to send a hard copy of the letter
Oh sorry i’m not sure if it would stop them from sending you emails. I misread it, that email just canceled my membership.
Has anyone noticed the addresses seem to vary? My contract from 7/3/09 says:
12440 E. Imperial HWY, PO Box 1080
Norwalk, CA 90651-1080
But Shahrbanou has the PO Box as 1090, and Mike has the zip code as 90650. In fact, the USPS website has the zip code for this address as 90650. Can anyone confirm an address that has definitely gotten a response?
Scott C, I used the exact address you listed for my certified letter to Bally’s. The USPS website confirmed it was delivered when I entered my tracking number.
I chose to send a certified letter so that I would have hard copy proof showing when I cancelled my account in case I had to go to court and fight Bally’s.
If you want my cancellation letter email me at sendtocarla@gmail.com. Be sure to put “Bally’s” in the subject line.
I’m also ecstatic to report my last EFT payment automatically deducted from my bank account on Jan 28, 2010. Nothing in February! I’m DONE with Bally’s!!!!!!
The certified letter was received at the 90651 zip code, so I guess its active. We’ll see what happens on my account in about a month
I’m not sure if I should stress a bit when usps.com gives me the message “Your item was forwarded to a different address at 10:26 AM on March 15, 2010 in NORWALK, CA 90650. This was because of forwarding instructions or because the address or ZIP Code on the label was incorrect. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later. ” and I did send it to
12440 E. Imperial HWY
PO Box 1080
Norwalk, CA 90651-1080
and thank you Carla for your help
Just called this morning and the lady that helped me out provided this address for me to send my cancellation letter:
EFT Department
PO Box 96241
Washington, DC 20090
I’m putting it out there because there seems to be several mailing addresses posted throughout this comment thread (all in Norwalk, CA), and I found it odd that this one is in Washington, DC. Can anyone confirm the address I’ve listed?
I just called and they also gave me the Washington DC PO Box address to send my cancellation request. I asked them if I could fax it but he said that they are in the process of changing their address and fax numbers and therefore it’s better to mail it (!). I will send it out today (2-day, certified, confirmation, the whole thing).
The customer service guy said that they needed to receive it 10 days before the next payment is posted so I don’t get charged. So I have almost a month if I send it now, we’ll see.
I’m tempted to go to a Bally’s and ask them to put it on hold too, just in case. That way they charge me less if they do charge me. Has anyone tried that?
I’m trying to cancel my membership as well and was given the 866-402-2559 phone number. I called and after being given the run around 3 times i was able to get through to them today. the lady i spoke with said I was on a month to month but still had to mail a letter to the DC address. I asked her why I had to do so and all she said was “its company policy” i’ve never had so many problems with trying to cancel a gym membership. I didn’t even want to renew it after my 3 years were up and now that I’m trying to cancel it needs to be “approved”. Does anyone know if that 562 # is still working? I’m not sure of what else i could do.
I will not recommend Bally’s to anyone. Same situation. I will pay the $25 just to be done with them.
They gave me the Washington DC address as well.
Haven’t had this much crap since trying to cancel AOL… lol…
I’ll buy my own damn treadmill!
I just got off the phone calling (562) 484-2000 to check and see if my cancellation letter was received to the Norwalk address, which it did a few days longer than I thought. The nice female rep on the phone didn’t give me a hard time about it. She asked for my membership number and e-mail address to confirm my identity. Then she asked for the reason why I’m quitting, I told her why and she told me the last day that my membership would be valid. I’m leaving happy.
A professional corporation should in theory not abuse it’s customers or workers due to the simple fact that both disgruntled customers and workers mean in the end more people leaving the company in both roles. This of course leads to lower profit and above all is morally unjust.
According to most of the post on this site this is what is happening.
I am a Bally’s member and I have to agree with the gentlemen posting this. They fucken suck. Their customer service is the worst I’ve ever experienced. The other day when my card did not work properly, the lady at the front looked at me and said you know you got me into trouble the other day with my boss. I thought, “what the fuck?” This is not personal and her attitude was so unprofessional. I brushed it off as well, “sorry If I did but that’s water under the bridge now.” She replied, “not me it isn’t” to which I said, “Well good luck with getting over it.” I mean I felt like this fat bitch was harboring on my like the crazy ex girlfriends you see on t.v.
They are vultures and are lower than bacterium. Vermin.
Hey thanks for the number! You saved me like hours and hours of jumping through hoops!
Even if you are month to month you have to send them a letter CERTIFIED. After 10 days of not hearing back I went to ballys was told it had to be certified. They didnt tell us that on the phone.
SO I sent a certified letter with a return receipt. I heard horror stories about being told its cancelled and still getting billed. and being taken to collections. SO I went to ballys.com hit contact us. and gave them all info once again asking for a confirmation letter.
They emailed back informing me it was closed I have this saved just in case. I also heard it may be a good idea to photo copy your membership card when sending out cancellation letter. save a copy of that letter. hope this helps
Angie
i just sent an email to the webcancel@ballyfitness.com hopefully it will work and i dont have to sent a stupid actually letter to “washington dc” i did call a few numbers and got some b s about sending a letter if i want to cancel. what the hell kind of crap is that anyways? i hope that ballys closes down ASAP
Thank you so much for the phone number. At least, they will be looking to contact with me in person to address my complains.
Bally Sucks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alek
Ballys can go fuck themselves. Worst piece of shit business I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Lying scamming cheaters.
[...] we came to discover that doing this was often an incredibly difficult undertaking, to say the very least. Armed with this knowledge, we made sure to talk with the employees of our local gym to find out [...]
BAlllllyyyyyyy ssuckkkssssss. i’ve heard these stories and they did this to one of my close friends. FFFFFF UUUUUU BALLY’S. only they said something about a one year contract and now he’s stuck with it.
oh and the staff was hellllllllaaaaa laaaammmmeeee douchebags!!!!!
Hey guys I was reading these blogs and i wanted to let everyone know how to cancel their membership with ease. the company does suck i used to work there until it started laying off. there was some 400 people that worked in the Norwalk, CA office. There is now only about 100 that was when i left. Customers dont even need to call in and waste their time talking with a representative.
send mail outside envelope put
Bally Total Fitness
Attn: EFT dept.
PO Box 96241
Washington DC 20090
Letter just needs to say
acct number: 2606123456789
My name is Mr. Steve Smith
I would like cancel my membership and electronic funds transfer.
Signed ,
Mr. Steve Smith
Thats it.
I used to anwser the phone. we hate our jobs we just do it to make some many in this damn recession. Please dont get mad at us its not our fault we tried to get through the day.
BALLYS SUCKS!!!!! MY FINGER FOR THEM! they will do anything to charge it off your atm card now im having trouble with my bank…so i simply reported my card stolen now ballys cant do their little dirty work…..im in the process of sending that cancelation letter too! people i dont think its a good idea to open membership with them
So if you did sign a 3 year contract, you’re pretty much eff’d, right? There is no cancellation once the contract is over? It’s just funny the impression they give you is you can cancel, it’s not a “real” contract.
Bally’s does suck. Totally. I was told by the desk guys that I could fax a cancellation in and they even gave me the number. After three days of BUSY BUSY BUSY on the fax, I called the numbers in this blog. Thanks for doing that. THEY, turned around and told me to send a written request to:
Bally’s Total Fitness, EBPP Department
12440 E. Imperial Highway
Suite 300
Norwalk, CA 90650
You have to tell them you are canceling, give them your member number and tell them to stop e-withdrawl. This is so jacked up. I’ve never had THIS much trouble canceling anything. I’ll never go back to Bally’s.
Thanks for all the chatter on this. I sure hope I don’t get screwed like some of you people have. Bally’s should die.
BEWARE!!! Don’t Do IT!!!!
Bally’s has a recent trend of closing down local gyms. If you try to cancel your membership because they closed down the gym you were using they will tell you that you can only cancel if there is not another gym within a 20 mile radius from your address.
I was 1.5 years into a 3 year contract when they closed down the gym in my city. My only method of transportation is a bicycle which I used to ride to the local gym. Now that my local gym is closed the only option I have is to ride my bike 15+ miles through extremely busy city streets. I was told that since the next closest gym was under 20 miles that I would have to keep making payments for the next 1.5 years or pay it all off now.
I told them to charge me the full amount just so I could be done with this miserable company. The gym that I used to go to was dirty anyway and the equipment was getting pretty run down. I guess they did me a favor since I will definitely move my membership to 24 Hour Fitness which has a much better facility anyway.
Send the following to WEBCANCEL@BALLYFITNESS.COM with your information (obviously). They confirmed my request within three business days. Simple as that.
———————————————————————————————————–
Good morning –
Please let this message serve as written notice for the cancellation of my month-to-month Bally Total Fitness membership as of today’s date, XX/XX/201X.
Member Name: [Enter Name]
Member Number: [Enter Number]
Please send confirmation via e-mail to [ENTER E-MAIL ADDRESS] or to the following address:
[ENTER ADDRESS]
Regards,
[ENTER NAME]
I’ve been trying to cancel my membership for awhile now since I will soon be moving, but it hasn’t been going very well. I went to Bally and they gave me the Washington dc address, so I sent a letter there, but it turns out that didn’t work because the person who wrote it down made parts of the address look different and she even thought Washington dc was in Washington.
Last week I tried the email that a few people said worked to cancel your membership, but I’m not sure I did it right since I haven’t received a confirmation. I sent another email today saying to cancel my membership and requesting a confirmation so I figure I will give it a few days and see if I get anything back, and if not then I guess I will retry the letter to dc.
I’ve made the gross mistake of getting convinced at the beginning of college by a friend to get a monthly membership several months ago and now I’m stuck with this excuse of a business. I tried the number and pressing 0 but it’s not working, but I basically wiped out my contract and got some info from the websites, so at least the mail-a-letter thing it’s true (truly laughable when we’ve got so many forms of communication now).
I’m getting some papers from the DMV to show I don’t have any Bally’s for a good 50 miles from me anymore and gonna send everything to these both addresses (anyone can tell me if this is not a good idea and should just stick to one address?), notarized and by certified mail:
Bally’s Total Fitness
ATTN: EFT Department
PO BOX 1080
Norwalk, CA,90651-1090
Bally Total Fitness
Attention: EFT Dept.
P.O. Box 96241
Washington, DC, 20090
I hope it works; as long as I can get everything to end I’m gonna be satisfied (am hearing a lot of horror stories about collection agencies and past dues though)
I did just like Zack and sent a letter of cancellation via email. I sent the letter last Friday August 20th and sent a second request Wed August 25. I recieved notification that they will no longer be taking money from my credit card.
This was their response:
Thank you for contacting Bally Total Fitness.
We’re sorry to hear you wish to cancel your membership. We do not like to see any of our valued customers leave Bally Total Fitness, but we understand that sometimes it is necessary. We would like the opportunity to discuss alternative solutions, so that we may protect your initial investment not only with Bally Total Fitness, but also to yourself and your fitness needs.
To protect your membership investment, you may renew your membership under our “inactive” option, at $4.00 per month. To be eligible for this option, your membership must be current and paid in full. Prior to making any payments, please reply directly to this e-mail with the exact number of months that you would like to be inactive, so that we may set-up the membership accordingly.
As per your request, we have removed the Electronic Payment Plan feature from your membership. You may continue to use the facilities until 10/21/2010
I hope this helps everyone!!!
Hey guys just like Michelle I sent two separate requests and got this letter:
Dear (name):
Re: Membership number:
Thank you for contacting Bally Total Fitness.
We’re sorry to hear you wish to cancel your membership. We do not like to see any of our valued members leave Bally Total Fitness, but we understand that sometimes it is necessary. We would like the opportunity to discuss alternative solutions, so that we may protect your initial investment not only with Bally Total Fitness, but also to yourself and your fitness needs.
To protect your membership investment, you may renew your membership under our “inactive” option, at $4.00 per month. To be eligible for this option, your membership must be current and paid in full. Prior to making any payments, please reply directly to this e-mail with the exact number of months that you would like to be inactive, so that we may set-up the membership accordingly.
As per your request, we have removed the Electronic Payment Plan feature from your membership. You may continue to use the facilities until 10/15/2010.
In the future, if you decide to return to Bally Total Fitness, we ask that you contact our team of professional Member Support Associates at (800) 448-4865 to take advantage of any special offers available to you.
Sincerely,
(Bally’s employee name)
Member Support Center Associate
Bally Total Fitness
—
Now it’s just a matter of time to see the credit balance next month and see this honored. I had an “easy monthly payment” membership if that helps anything.
The 562-484-2000 number doesn’t seem to allow dialing “0″ to get an operator anymore - I press zero, the automated options repeat, and then will hang up if I hit zero again. Anyone have any ideas on how to get an actual person on the phone or an alternative phone number??
Just a quick update - used google voice, so I wouldn’t have to use my cell phone minutes. I tried various extensions - used 562-484-2000 x 2701 and got someone who told me I could only cancel via snail mail. I persisted and he eventually caved in and canceled me over the phone. I was hesitant to hang up the phone, but the email just came through and reads:
RE: Account Number: X
Dear X ,
This letter confirms that your health club membership has been cancelled.Bally Total Fitness is sorry to see you leave and hopes that we may be of service sometime in the future.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Bally Total Fitness
Member Support Center
(866) 402-2559
Just called and was on hold for over twenty minutes. They gave me this address: 12440 East Imperial Highway Suite 300, Norwalk, California, 90651
Request to remove the elecronic payment option.
They also offered to keep me at 14.99 a month. Wish I had known this earlier - I at least could have lowered my payments by ten bucks a month before my cancellation. (But maybe they could have extended my contract with that one, so maybe it’s best I didn’t.)
Good luck, all.
How I got rid of my membership without having to directly cancel:
- In April, I called in and got connected to an associate.
- Told them I’d like to cancel my membership because I’m a broke college student.
- They offered to put my account on hold, and if I was to cancel I would have to send a letter.
- I planned to put my membership on hold during the cancellation process so I wouldn’t have to pay another dollar until it’s canceled.
- I had them put my account on hold for 3 months, from April to June (not without a $5 per month hold fee with a bullshit $20 “over the phone transaction” fee).
- I eventually forgot to send them a letter, but I received a letter from them two months ago asking to pay a renewal fee of $30 which I ignored because I wasn’t told of such a fee when I had my account on hold.
- When my 3 months were up, I never renewed my membership nor did I contact them again until today but I wasn’t charged anything even after 3 months.
- I stumbled upon this blog and found the 562-484-2000 number I called them to see if I could cancel over the phone.
- Went on hold for 20 minutes.
- They told me my membership expires in June, 2012 and I told them, “No, when I signed up for my membership they said I could cancel anytime.”
- Then they told me my account has actually been inactive since June.
- I asked if I would still have to cancel, and they said I should send in a letter just to make sure and there would be NO cancellation fee and that my account hasn’t been active for a while.
Maybe some of you can try doing the same. Best of luck! I know what a hassle these assholes can be.
I tried sending the cancellation email to the address above (about 15 times) to no avail. So, I broke down and sent a certified letter to the Washington DC address
They received the letter a week ago, so i called to make sure and just got confirmation from someone at bally’s over the phone that my membershit is being cancelled at the end of this month.
The way i found best to get them on the phone is to use the (562) 484-2000 number, BUT they have made it so that if you hit “0″ a couple times, it’ll hang up on you. So, choose the option to add a family member, then when it asks you to punch in your membershit number, just wait. They’ll transfer you and you’ll get someone quickly… or at least i did this way.
best of luck!
to all those who want to quit dirty awful Bally’s, send an email to webcancel@ballyfitness.com
and tell them if they don’t remove you that you’ll complain to your attorney general.
it worked for me! i think it did anyways, they responded quickly
I have canceled a Ballys Easy Monthly Payment Plan by sending a letter to the Norwalk, CA address within 3 days (buyer’s remorse). The question I have is am I being too paranoid in assuming that without doing this, the only way to get out of it is paragraph 2(b) — death, disability, moving sufficiently far from a Bally’s — or does the “Termination Notice” of 30 days really count? A paranoid reading of the contract could say that the 30 days is the notice period IF you meet the death/disability/distance requirements, and isn’t a right in itself. If so the contract seems Draconian (pay for the rest of your life, basically) but is that what they are trying to achieve? Or does an EMPP really allow you to get out with 30 days written notice?
Yeah, they are a joke and lack any form of customer service or basic business skills. When I tried to cancell my sons membership, I got the run around everyon else spoke of but when I asked if I could transfer it to my niece, they stated that it would cost $150.
$150 to make a card and the paper for a new contract.
I am currently writing my AG and the BBB as I have had enough with these clowns and their foul business practices.
Dear :
Re: Membership number:
Thank you for contacting Bally Total Fitness.
We are in receipt of your request and we’re sorry to hear you wish to cancel your membership. We do not like to see any of our valued customers leave Bally Total Fitness, but we understand that sometimes it is necessary.
As requested, your Electronic Payment Plan has been stopped. However, if you would like to leave it active and continue with your healthy life style, all we ask is that you contact our team of professional Member Support associates at (800) 448-4865. We are here to ensure your experience with Bally Total Fitness is always above and beyond what you expect. Ask what we can do for you!
Sincerely,
Member Support Department
IT REALLY WORKED!!!!! THANKS ZACK!!!
I sent a letter via email and this is what I got:
Dear
Re: Membership no.
Thank you for contacting Bally Total Fitness.
Your Bally Total Fitness membership may be cancelled if you permanently move your place of residence more than 25 miles from any Bally Total Fitness facility or if you have a permanent medical disability that prevents you from using the club.
For cancellation consideration under the Relocation clause, you must send one of the following dated items as your verification:
* A utility bill in your name
* A bank or credit card statement in your name
* Your new drivers license
* Your new signed lease
* A yellow postal forwarding mail sticker
* Your military orders, which include location and report date.
* A document verifying your campus address
* A one-way airline ticket (if moving out of the country).
A cancellation fee of $50.00 is required to cancel for relocation.
For cancellation consideration under the Medical Disability clause, the following items must be submitted:
A dated letter from the member’s licensed physician including:
* Prognosis of condition
* Diagnosis of condition
* Date of onset of condition
Please mail all correspondence to Member Support at: Bally Total Fitness, PO Box 96241Washington DC 20090-6241. Please be sure to include your membership number with all correspondence.
We will then review your cancellation request and contact you by mail.
Please note that your membership is not cancelled until you receive written confirmation from us.
Sincerely,
Stephanie H.
Member Support Center Associate
Bally Total Fitness
http://www.Ballyfitness.com
Your Total Fitness Resource
WTF!
I’ve sent two emails and no response so far, and I just mailed out the letter this morning. So hopefully I’ll get a response soon. I friggin HATE Bally. They make it so hard to cancel.
I just recently started going to a SNAP 24/7 and their equipment is so much better, I cannot believe how shitty Bally’s machines are compared to this little place. Ugh. Good riddance.
I also sent an E-mail and got no response. Sending the letter today. It’d better work.
Update, finally got a response from the e-mail, so it does work!
I sent in my registered cancellation letter as per the contract and got my return receipt but I think I will follow up with an email. I don’t want to cancel my credit card but will do that too if needed.
I just found the trainers very pushy and kept trying to get you to sign up with a trainer, I just want to go to work out and don’t want to be hasseled. The wife and I are going back to the YMCA, a little more money but they aren’t pushy plus they have a pool.
Thanks for the blog!!
I called a few weeks back and after being on hold and going through lots of options I finally got a real person. I explained to her that I wanted to cancel because I bought a treadmill and since all I ever did at the gym was run I no longer needed my membership. Then she tries to tell me that I should keep it because I have national access so if I go visit someone I can use a club near then. I explained to her I would just run outside. Then she tells me that I should keep it because “exercise is really important for your health” and sat there dumbfounded for a minute, was she listening at all?? what part of “I run all the time and I bought a treadmill” made her think I don’t exercise? how are these people they employ?? haha. Anyways, I sent a letter to the Norwalk, CA address she gave me and then came across this blog (when I was trying to verify the address since she sounded like she was purposefully being unclear with the address) and found the webcancel email (thanks Zack), so I sent an email to them as well. Let’s see if this works!!
I tried sending an email to the email addy webcancel, on 4 Jan and haven’t heard back. Today I finally got a hold of a lady named Yvonne at the 562-484-2000 number. She told me the only way to cancel is to send something in writing to their address provided. I told her an email was in writing and that it’s god damn 2011 get real! I then asked about the email address and she said that was only for people who signed up online for their membership. She procedeed to give me a Washington DC addy and when I asked why all the way in DC and told her I had a Norwalk addy too which would be much closer. She said either would work….these guys are soooo sneaky, I hate them all!!!! I hope Bally’s goes Bankrupt!! Good ridddance……
Called the 562-484-2000 number. Wasn’t able to get through to a live human being; wasn’t able to get any satisfaction. This is absurd.
Off to throw them under the bus on Facebook.
Hi, I just spoke to Soleil at the 562 562-484-2000 number (I pushed “0″ hoping to bypass the circuit but that didn’t work. I ended up pushing the button for changes to my EFT - electronic funds transfer - and then I pressed “0″)
She said I had to email PO Box 96241, Washington DC 20090, make it attention Cancellations (I’ve also seen EFT Dept on other postings).
Make sure you put in your membership number. If you are canceling a second member, like I am, also put in their number. Make sure you put in your names and email addresses and a request for confirmation. Soleil said they’d confirm via email but my letter asks for “written confirmation”. Frankly, I don’t care which. I added our join date as well.
I asked about the Norwalk, CA address that’s been posted. She said they don’t take cancellations there…
She was very nice, was doing her job to try and keep us as members but was not obnoxious.
I am sending it certified today!
ценно ) важно
I called the number on the website and cancelled through there. I waited for 30 minutes before speaking to a representative who said he will cancel it. There is a 10 dollar processing fee if you do it over the phone or it’s free if you send it through the mail. He said the Norwalk CA address forwards it to washington. I didn’t want to wait through the mail so I said fuck it lets do it over the phone!
So, I called the 562-484-4000 and they just transfer you to the regular 866-402-2559 number. I did speak to a live customer service rep and she did give me the same address Sheree posted: Bally Total Fitness Attn: Cancellation Department
PO BOX 92641 Washington, DC 200900-2641. She instructed me to write a letter with my name, address, membership numbers, and an explanation as to why I want to cancel my membership. Also, don’t forget to sign it and make sure you mail it via Certified mail.
You guys seem nuts and you really pay that much. I know it is dirty and usually dank but that is the point to sweat and workout. I pay $100 dollars for a whole year and have been doing that for 10 years. I see other people have had plans where they pay that in less than three months and have long term contracts. I don’t know how or why you signed up for that, but I figure your all crazy. I left and went to Hawaii and they wanted me to keep my account active but you don’t need to do that. They will beg you to came back every month whether or not you pay to keep your account active. Also I paid $88 dollars for a year the year before. At that rate you don’t worry about cancelling. I just wish everyone had the same experience I have had over the years then they’d be around providing fitness at a low yearly rate for years to come.
so i sent the certified letter with member ship hope this works
I called them up and they said they had a new policy to completely cancel my membership over the phone if I paid the “over the phone” fee for $10. I did that and they told me they cancelled it and my electronic funds payment, but I also sent a physical letter to their Washington DC address and sent them an e-mail to confirm and verify my cancellation.
I am not taking any chances after hearing all these horror stories of people trying to cancel their memberships.
They are a bunch of F_N crooks, they continue to charge my account electronically even after I was told that account would not be. AAARRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just called Ballys at 8664022559 and cancelled my and my wifes membership over the phone. I said I had been given three different address to send the cancellation letter, and that my gym gave me a forth address. Also I brought my cancellation letter into MY gym and they wouldn’t accepts it. Said I was moving to a different area and I always join the gym closest to my house, and it’s not Ballys this time. (I was a month-to-month membership.)
She cancelled my and my wife’s membership on the spot and provided a 6 digit cancellation confirmation number. Also said I did not need to send a letter and it the process was complete. I was charged a final month of membership (which I knew of and am fine with) and a $10 “service” fee for cancelling on the phone, but that’s the best $10 I could spend to know it was over and done.
She was actually very friendly, and tried to retain us, but was also understanding when she knew I was not going to put the membership on hold or change my mind.
Good Luck!
I just tried 10minutes ago and I was given an address and told I could not do it over the phone :< ???
Dear Allan C Eslao:
Re: Membership no. 2607-128-277-001
Thank you for contacting Bally Total Fitness.
We have processed your Buyer’s Remorse cancellation request. Please allow 7-10 days for refund to be credited to your card.
Member Support Associate Bally Total Fitness, National Support Center
Sincerely,
Member Support Representative
Bally Total Fitness, National Support Center
http://www.Ballyfitness.com
Your Total Fitness Resource
I sent an email to them and this is what I have received from them. Can anyone tell me if my membership is really going to be canceled?
This is the worse company of all time.
They lie about anything, they wont clean machines and they even break into your locker. Don’t believe that its outsiders, bally employees know how to cut your lock in 2 seconds. The locker room is flithy and there are homeless, one a former employee
living in the lockerroom.
BY the way, three different members have noticed bedbugs in the locker room.
I’m surprised that more haven’t seen them. It’s filthy in there. They cut back on everything. There’s no paper in the bathrooms and they run out of soap daily. They are even cutting down on the lighting to save money. They should just fold, there’s no hope for this POS.
I am working for this bull shit company!!!
Beleive or not, but It’s NY (NewYork)..
Crap, they pay as low as a state minimum, they will never raise you, until minimum state pay will go up….
This corp. Already 2nd time bunkrupt, don’t do memberships guys….. Otherwise they will suck all your blood out…
Managment sucks, customer support-bulsh.
Respect to a members, no way….
Happens and happens… Any state any city, every Bally’s club goes down…
Respond people, lets talk, i like this blog!
I got a little angry about a random charge that they gave me (an $32.09 this month without explanation for the fee) so I called my local gym, and they gave me the corporate number to call. I tried that, didn’t have to go through loops because this number requested that I give my membership number and then sent me through to a person. I asked him what the fee was for, and he told me it was an annual equipment fee??? Really, Bally??
(please let me know if others get this charge too, or I’d feel very … jilted, ugh)
Anyway, since I was already on the phone with him, I asked to cancel my membership (I have the no contract bi-weekly payments). He kept trying to persuade me not to, etc etc, but eventually told me he’d give me the physical address to mail my request to. I asked why I couldn’t cancel on the phone, and he then immediately said he’d do it for me (yay). I got this confirmation:
Re: Membership Number:
Dear ,
We have updated your account information. We appreciate that you have chosen Bally Total Fitness to serve your health and fitness needs.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Member Support Center.
Sincerely,
Bally Total Fitness
Member Support Center
BALLY’S CANCELLATION #: 866.402.2559.
WOW.I.HATE.YOU.BALLY.FITNESS
So I sent my written letter about 2 weeks ago to cancel my month to month membership. In the letter I had asked for a letter back confirming that they would cancel it. Didn’t receive a letter…instead I looked online to see that my membership was “inactive.” After reading around, an inactive membership still charges you $4 a month so I’m pissed. I call their stupid 866.402.2559 number and I get transferred to some idiot who was rude and kept mumbling his words together who just hastily said “yes yes your membership will be officially cancelled by August 23″ and hung up on me.
So we’ll see if I get charged…..I may continue to bombard them with emails/letters/phone calls until they listen to me!!!
Hey guys,
I just got off the phone with Bally’s (the 866 number…you can press 1 for a CSR after pressing 4 or something to hear cancellation options) and cancelled my membership over the phone. I was charged $10 plus the last month’s membership fee. I was moving abroad, so I believe I was able to skip the $50 cancellation fee. I also received a confirmation email immediately.
This is good for me since I’m closing my bank accounts very soon so I don’t want a delayed cancellation resulting in unpaid fees and stuff. Very sorry to hear about everyone who’s had problems. They are pretty sneaky about the cancellation stuff. Thankfully the guy I got on the phone was somewhat cooperative, even though he did say at first that I’d HAVE to cancel by mail. Just keep insisting that you know that you can cancel by phone for $10. Small price to pay.
Good luck to everyone! I liked the gym I went to, but I hate this penny-pinching sleaze that they engage in to keep customers. It’s bad for business, long-term.
how did you get through to an actual person TANK?? i can’t seem to get through the damn recorded messages. im sick and tired of not being able to cancel, and im afraid they’ll make me pay the many months i havent even been in the gym. so mad. i hate them
ballysucks09 - http://contacthelp.com/directory/Health+and+Medicine/Personal+Fitness/Bally+Total+Fitness?ListingID=980
Follow the exact number pressing and you’ll get right to an agent - ignore the warning about the $10 charge. I finally managed to get Ballys out of my hair after a few tries. The first try I got this guy who insisted the only way to cancel was with a letter with my membership number. After arguing with the guy a few minutes to just cancel the account I eventually conceded. HOWEVER, I called again and got a lady on the line and explained I had already a new gym membership elsewhere, she was much more helpful (shocking given their track record). After initially suggesting I talk to another agent to reconsider, I persisted I wasn’t interested and she went to cancelling the debit withdrawal and I got a confirmation email in a few minutes. The account currently states inactive but she stated I would not be charged going forward and that the membership is indeed cancelled. I’ll send something in a few weeks to confirm that is the case but it seems the best method is call, get an agent and persist. If that doesnt work try calling again and getting someone else.
Hope this helps!
Hi everyone!
I signed up on-line for month-to-month membership, so when i decided to cancel and read all these reviews i thought it would be a nightmare. I hate to make phone calls - so i didn’t even try to reach anyone) I sent e-mail via “Contact Us” page of their web site - and it WORKED!! i got confirmation e-mail (standard letter that some ppl posted here)the next day! They did not charge my card and i did not pay any fee for cancellation!
I hope this helps someone.