Bally Total Fitness/LA Fitness takeover

Hellbent_Heidi

Any Bally's members out there?

I just found out they're being bought out by LA Fitness and they're officially be changed over on December 1st. I can't find a lot of details online, because the sale isn't closing till tomorrow, but with a super-cheap Bally's annual fee, I'm a little concerned about my membership status...

Has anybody heard anything more about the conversion details?

snookumss

Well you are at least guaranteed for the rest of your current membership terms. Other than that, I don't know anything about how thats going on

rml_16

I loved Bally's when I was a member. Then I moved. :-(

I imagine LA Fitness will have to honor contracts with current members.

Hellbent_Heidi

I imagine LA Fitness will have to honor contracts with current members.

That's my hope. My club isn't the fanciest (they're all older and a little run down in the area, but for my rate, I didn't care), so this could be a giant improvement if they honor my current lifetime contract.

KarenG1213

I would hope they wouldn't want to lose a valuable member!!! Good luck!

Hellbent_Heidi

double post :grumble:

Hellbent_Heidi

I would hope they wouldn't want to lose a valuable member!!! Good luck!

Thanks...not sure my membership will look very valuable to them though...I only pay $50 a year, so that's why I'm worried. A lot of people I work out with have similar old memberships and some pay even less than me, so it will be interesting to see. I'm crossing my fingers, but preparing for the worst. If I lose it, I guess I'll chalk it up to a good run, since I wasn't even the person who paid the huge upfront costs to get it to this point....

moylie

I just joined, too, so I don't have a contract. I'd be quite happy if they re-habbed the club I just joined. Older equipment, and kind of dingy looking. Here is the article that was in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-bally-to-sell-171-health-clubs-27-in-illinois-to-la-fitness-20111118,0,5738136.story?track=rss

Hellbent_Heidi

I just joined, too, so I don't have a contract. I'd be quite happy if they re-habbed the club I just joined. Older equipment, and kind of dingy looking. Here is the article that was in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-bally-to-sell-171-health-clubs-27-in-illinois-to-la-fitness-20111118,0,5738136.story?track=rss

Yeah, everything I have seen online so far basically says they've "refused to comment" on what it means to current members or employees...ugh! I guess I'll know soon enough though...my club is closing at 5PM tomorrow "for inventory" and on Thursday morning, it will be LA Fitness, so I'm assuming they'll be contacting members pretty soon.

arc918

I was an LA Fitness member for a number of years. My only comment is that their weekend hours SUCK! They don't even open until 7:30 AM on Sat & Sun.

Niveous

I just joined, too, so I don't have a contract. I'd be quite happy if they re-habbed the club I just joined. Older equipment, and kind of dingy looking. Here is the article that was in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-bally-to-sell-171-health-clubs-27-in-illinois-to-la-fitness-20111118,0,5738136.story?track=rss

Yeah, everything I have seen online so far basically says they've "refused to comment" on what it means to current members or employees...ugh! I guess I'll know soon enough though...my club is closing at 5PM tomorrow "for inventory" and on Thursday morning, it will be LA Fitness, so I'm assuming they'll be contacting members pretty soon.

Same here - my club is closing at 5PM tomorrow. I'm wondering what this means for my membership as well, as I'm another long-term member also.

protect_your_rights

Yeah, same here, I only pay $52 a year which includes tax. The contract that I signed with Bally in 1987 said that after making the regular payments for 2 years, my contract would become a LIFETIME contract at $49 a year plus tax. I am not too thrilled about this LAFitness takeover, but if they try to shaft us, I think we have legal ground to sue and we should all stick togother, even file a class action if they want to screw us. My renewal date is 6/21/2012. I called Ballys and they said that the contract would have to be honered, but I have my doubts that after the current year expires, this LAFitness giant would try to squeeze us for more. Please if anyone has any info on this, post here and I will do the same.

JCHarrilal

I just got an e-mail from Bally's saying that L.A. Fitness will be honoring our memberships. I think that they are just taking over. Even mentioned that they would be charging me on the same account that Bally's was. Hopefully this goes smoothly, or else Im outta there... there are plenty of other gyms around!

"December 1, 2011

Dear Member:

Bally Total Fitness® has made the decision to focus our portfolio of fitness centers in certain key markets. As a result, we will be transitioning ownership of a number of our clubs, including your home club, to Fitness International, LLC, an affiliate of LA Fitness International, LLC ("LA Fitness").

LA Fitness will take over the clubs it is acquiring and assume your membership agreement effective December 1, 2011. As a result your payments will be collected by LA Fitness going forward using the same account as did BallySM. You can find more details on our website and at www.lafitness.com.

It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we thank you for your loyalty to Bally Total Fitness through the years. We wish you continued success in pursuing and achieving your fitness goals.

Yours in Health,

Bally Total Fitness"

MsQt

I just got a free year from getting 5 other people to join so I'm cool till then but the problem is how much will PT contracts be? :huh:

Hellbent_Heidi

I got the same letter, but we were told this morning that our club will close next week. There's a new LA Fitness a mile from it, so all the front desk girl could tell us was that we can use our Bally's cards till the end of the year there and can go in between 9-4 to talk to some guy and they might "work with you"....ugh!

I'm fairly sure its the end of the road for all the super-cheap annual memberships. I'm willing to bet somewhere in the fine print, there's a stipulation that your 'lifetime contract' is null in the event of a bankruptcy type sale, which I believe this is...

Hellbent_Heidi

I just got a free year from getting 5 other people to join so I'm cool till then but the problem is how much will PT contracts be? :huh:

The trainers at my club said they'd be receiving less pay per PT session if they go there, so not sure how that translates to customer costs.

Hellbent_Heidi

Interestingly enough...I went ahead and logged into my Ballys (now under the LA Fitness website) online account and it shows my billing detail like this:

Regular Dues: $50.00
Next Billing Date: 10/15/2012

Hoping it stays that way....but in the meantime, I guess I'll print that out and have it in hand when I go in!

Nelski

I'm not sure if all areas are the same but I would think this is a good thing. In my area LA Fitness is cheaper and you don't have to pay extra for any classes.

ninerbuff

A trainer that I know of said on her FB that the takeover is going to affect their income. Didn't mention specifically how, but I'm betting it's a reduction in commissions.
Glad I don't work for chain clubs.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

protect_your_rights

Heidi1558

Where did you logged in at the Bally Fitness site or the La Fitness site? I tried to log in at LA Fitness site and cannot log in. The Bally Fitness site is still Bally, they did not sell all the clubs just in some areas. So where exactly are you logging in into?

Hellbent_Heidi

Heidi1558

Where did you logged in at the Bally Fitness site or the La Fitness site? I tried to log in at LA Fitness site and cannot log in. The Bally Fitness site is still Bally, they did not sell all the clubs just in some areas. So where exactly are you logging in into?

They sold 171 of 271 clubs so depending where you are...there's a good chance yours is one of them (I'm in Michigan and they were all sold out). I went to the LA FItness site, then clicked on the announcement in the middle of the home page and followed the "verify your account" link., but if you go to the Bally's site and click login..it will also direct you to the LA Fitness login, then you have to put in your info (there's no place where you're agreeing to any fees or anything).

http://www.lafitness.com/Pages/Announcement.aspx

protect_your_rights

Heidi1558

Where did you logged in at the Bally Fitness site or the La Fitness site? I tried to log in at LA Fitness site and cannot log in. The Bally Fitness site is still Bally, they did not sell all the clubs just in some areas. So where exactly are you logging in into?

They sold 171 of 271 clubs so depending where you are...there's a good chance yours is one of them (I'm in Michigan and they were all sold out). I went to the LA FItness site, then clicked on the announcement in the middle of the home page and followed the "verify your account" link., but if you go to the Bally's site and click login..it will also direct you to the LA Fitness login, then you have to put in your info (there's no place where you're agreeing to any fees or anything).

http://www.lafitness.com/Pages/Announcement.aspx

Thanks!!! OK, did that and was able to register, and now I also see the amount due in 6/2012 is $49.00 in billing info, but under payment and prepayment 0....wondering if I should pre-paid this now to try to lock in another year? Does anybody have any info if pre-payment now would lock in another year. Thanks

kwadguy

I am getting screwed by this takeover.

I have an old "Gold" membership, originally sold by Jack LaLanne, before they were taken over by Bally's. Good for $60/year membership for a lifetime, use any club, any time. Now, that card was originally purchased at a club in New Brunswick, NJ. But I've been using Bally's in Massachusetts, where I live, for the past 18 years. That's where my bills for Bally's come. That's where I attend the gym.

I just notice that my membership is transferring to LA Fitness because my "Home Club" is turning into a LA Fitness. Great. There isn't a LA FItness anywhere near me that's convenient--none of the Bally's in my state are changing to LA Fitness.

I emailed Bally's to tell them I don't want to be transferred--but of course I'll never get a reply.

This totally sucks.

I can't seem to log into either Bally's today (site doesn't respond) or LA Fitness (doesn't seem to accept my name/phone/zip info).

Double suckage.

It seems like Bally's shouldn't be able to transfer you to LA FItness if your defacto "Home Gym", the one nearest to your billing zipcode and the one you've been attending for years, is not changing. But even if I have a case, I am assuming it'll never be worth the hassle...

Hellbent_Heidi

I am getting screwed by this takeover.

I have an old "Gold" membership, originally sold by Jack LaLanne, before they were taken over by Bally's. Good for $60/year membership for a lifetime, use any club, any time. Now, that card was originally purchased at a club in New Brunswick, NJ. But I've been using Bally's in Massachusetts, where I live, for the past 18 years. That's where my bills for Bally's come. That's where I attend the gym.

I just notice that my membership is transferring to LA Fitness because my "Home Club" is turning into a LA Fitness. Great. There isn't a LA FItness anywhere near me that's convenient--none of the Bally's in my state are changing to LA Fitness.

I emailed Bally's to tell them I don't want to be transferred--but of course I'll never get a reply.

This totally sucks.

I can't seem to log into either Bally's today (site doesn't respond) or LA Fitness (doesn't seem to accept my name/phone/zip info).

Double suckage.

It seems like Bally's shouldn't be able to transfer you to LA FItness if your defacto "Home Gym", the one nearest to your billing zipcode and the one you've been attending for years, is not changing. But even if I have a case, I am assuming it'll never be worth the hassle...

Be sure to stop any auto payments you might have coming off a credit card or something. I'm concerned about the home club issue too actually. I'm getting the feeling that the run-down old 'home club' is the only one I'm going to be allowed to use, (unless I pay more to join LA) because that's where it was bought, even though the location I've been using daily is closing and is right near a brand-new LA Fitness..ugh! Of course, I'd rather hit the new one than be limited to the old nasty place.

I'm shopping around a little already, and trying to keep an open mind, but have a feeling they're going to screw me out of my cheap membership one way or another!

kwadguy

Be sure to stop any auto payments you might have coming off a credit card or something. I'm concerned about the home club issue too actually. I'm getting the feeling that the run-down old 'home club' is the only one I'm going to be allowed to use, (unless I pay more to join LA) because that's where it was bought, even though the location I've been using daily is closing and is right near a brand-new LA Fitness..ugh! Of course, I'd rather hit the new one than be limited to the old nasty place.

I'm shopping around a little already, and trying to keep an open mind, but have a feeling they're going to screw me out of my cheap membership one way or another!

I, fortunately, never did the electronic auto-payment thing. Actually, a couple of months ago, they made me some sort of offer to try to induce me to go that route--but I didn't bite. Actually, the offer they made was pretty good: They'd upgrade me to a Bally <whatever they call their premium clubs> membership if I went electronic. But I heard so many horror stories about electronic payments that I declined.

I wish that the Home Club associated with my membership were just run down. It might be--I've never been there, and it's about 8 hours and several states away, so I'll never find out. But I'd take a run down club over no club (of use to me).

Hellbent_Heidi

I, fortunately, never did the electronic auto-payment thing. Actually, a couple of months ago, they made me some sort of offer to try to induce me to go that route--but I didn't bite. Actually, the offer they made was pretty good: They'd upgrade me to a Bally <whatever they call their premium clubs> membership if I went electronic. But I heard so many horror stories about electronic payments that I declined.

I wish that the Home Club associated with my membership were just run down. It might be--I've never been there, and it's about 8 hours and several states away, so I'll never find out. But I'd take a run down club over no club (of use to me).

Yeah, if I can keep my rate for a while, I'll do the run-down club for now...better than paying $60 a month somewhere else I guess..ugh! It just sucks in general when you're used to a certain club and like the people and everything. Nothing I can do about it though...

kwadguy

It seems to me that if you have a Bally's membership, your membership agreement is with Bally's, not with the club at which you signed papers. If your membership offers use of ALL Bally's clubs, then the sale of the club at which you purchased the membership does not void the contract you have with Bally's. The closure/sale of a particular Bally's club merely means that "all" refers to a less extensive list.

Hellbent_Heidi

It seems to me that if you have a Bally's membership, your membership agreement is with Bally's, not with the club at which you signed papers. If your membership offers use of ALL Bally's clubs, then the sale of the club at which you purchased the membership does not void the contract you have with Bally's. The closure/sale of a particular Bally's club merely means that "all" refers to a less extensive list.

Well, that's the argument I plan to use..because my LA Fitness account shows the 'home club' and says something about that being the one I can use my membership at. There's an LAF person on site my my preferred location this week though (they're closing next week), so I'll try to find out more tomorrow.

Elyssa_38

if you go to l.a fitness website it states that all members contracts will be honored. for both l.a and ballys. i would suggest you read more details on their website. i was planning on signing up today lol so lets see what the new deal is.

kbarry64

I have the Bally's Gold Charter membership with $5 fixed annual renewal that was paid until 1/15/2014. My "HOME" club was sold to LA Fitness, so supposidly so was my membership. Logged into LA Fitness and it says my membership will be cancelled 2/2/2012. I called LA Fitness, and they said too bad, they would not be honoring my contract. Robert (employee ID 1836353) actually said "Does you contract say LA Fitness, then too bad, we're not honoring it." That's verbatim. I tried to explain to him that I have an actual written and signed contract but he actually just kept saying "Does it say LA Fitness" like a mantra. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he said he's a manager and there's noone else I can speak to. When I insisted, he refused.

I called Bally's, and they just said that even though my contract said I could use any club, it is transferrable, and because my "HOME" club was sold, my contract was sold with it. He didn't know why LA Fitness wouldn't be honoring the term of my contract, but there was nothing they could do.

So, I've filed complaints with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau. I'll update if I hear anything.

Hellbent_Heidi

if you go to l.a fitness website it states that all members contracts will be honored. for both l.a and ballys. i would suggest you read more details on their website. i was planning on signing up today lol so lets see what the new deal is.

Here's their statement:
"Our objective in general is to make this transition as easy as possible for both the members and employees. We will be servicing all of the membership agreements that were acquired from Bally. The majority of the acquired clubs will remain open, but some will be closing before the end of the year. If we close a facility, we will transfer those members’ agreements to a nearby facility, either an acquired Bally or an LA Fitness. We plan to add new equipment to many of the clubs, and we also have plans to remodel, expand or relocate a number of the clubs to larger and newer facilities"

It says they are "servicing" the agreements, which IMO, leaves some gray areas...especially where they say if your location is closed, they'll transfer your membership "to a nearby facility"...not into the general "use any area club" type of membership. If you were with Bally's and login to set up an LAF account it says a lot more. Here's the disclaimer at the top of my account page:

Your Membership Access:
- If you hold a One Club Bally membership the club you can use is shown at the bottom of this page
- Local Club access is still local club Bally plus the club listed below (home club - where membership was purchased)
- National Club access is still national club Bally access
- Whether local or national, it’s only to the Bally clubs acquired by Fitness International

Additional Membership Access In December
We want to welcome you by inviting you to use all of the LA Fitness clubs across the country, including our Signature clubs, during the entire month of December. This will give you an opportunity to see and experience what we have to offer. Your regular membership access will resume in January.

So, once January comes around, we can only use the former Bally's (acquired) locations, and if they all close..I'm willing to bet they'll try to make us pay more.