Complaint Review: 24 Hour Fitness - Nationwide

 In Colorado, Bally's Total Fitness was bought out by 24 Hour Fitness. I had a lifetime membership from Bally's, that was locked in at $50 a year. When 24 Hour Fitness took over, I was told by them that my lifetime membership would be honored. I paid my first year online, and paid at the gym the following year with a credit card. I didn't return to the gym for my next visit until roughly five months later, and was informed that I was no longer a member due to letting my membership expire after the 90 day grace period. They apparently had let it quietly slip away for non-payment, without notifying me. I strongly suspect that they never processed my payment in the first place, and

purged the visit from their database, as there is no record of any activity on my credit card account. I didn't have a receipt because I was told at the time that it would be emailed to me. They were probably counting on the fact that I would forget it, and not check my email. Unfortunately, it worked. I started getting advertising in my email from LA Fitness, just about when my 90 day grace period would have been up. They were usually titled, "We want you back." I have never been a member of LA Fitness, and thought it was a marketing ploy, or mix up of some kind. When I met the club manager for the first time, he obtained my contact information. Subsequently, the LA Fitness junk

emails stopped, replaced by marketing emails from 24 hour Fitness. When questioned about it, he said that they are not affiliated. At my first meeting with the manager. he told me he would investigate, and for me to come back the following Monday with solid proof that I had made a payment, such as a receipt. When I returned the following week, he said he had found nothing in their database regarding a payment. I didn't have a receipt, so I asked him if the club kept a log of member's check-ins. He told me that they did. I thought I was in luck, because I had my fingerprint scanned that day for club access. I figured that if nothing else, I would at least be able to obtain the name

of the employee that took my payment and fingerprint. Of all visits, I would think that this was the most likely visit to be in their logs, particularly since I was told by the employee at the front desk that the fingerprint scan had been successful. There was no record of the visit, or the fingerprint. I asked the manager why I never got a late notice during the 90 day grace period. I was told two things that seemed really far fetched: First, that it wasn't just me. It isn't their policy to send out late notices during the 90 day grace period, even to members with much more pricey memberships than I had. Rather, it's the member's responsibility to stay current on payments. The second obvious

lie was that they don't do collections, and don't even utilize a collection agency. If a customer's membership expires, they simply sign a new contract. Seems like that wouldn't be very good for customer retention. The first thing I see on this website are complaints regarding their collection practices. as well as numerous complaints regarding the collection agency that they [don't] have. I decided to investigate whether 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness are somehow affiliated. An quick online search reveals that they have purchased at least eleven clubs from LA Fitness in the Phoenix area, as well as two in Oklahoma, and one in Nebraska. I'm heartbroken. I've been going to Bally's for

many years. I feel like I've been robbed, and there's nothing I can do about it!