Bally Total Fitness

Pros: you may get a deal
Cons: not clean, expensive, not convenient hours

It sure isn't in any Bally's I have been to. I have been a member of Bally's for 3 years and I have been trying to break off the relationship for 6 months - they will not leave me alone! My contract was up so I called to cancel my membership, the...

Pros: Hard to say...
Cons: The entire experience

I joined Bally's with a co-worker several years ago and thought for a while the $500 up-front fee for three years was a good value. We went twice a week for about a 1 1/2 years after work and took advantage of as much as we could. There wasn't too much...

Pros: Low cost membership, variety of equipment, large club
Cons: Cleanliness, attitude of employees, unreliability of classes

***NOTE: This review is primarily about Bally's at Loehmann's Plaza in Falls Church, Virginia. Though some comments pertain to Bally's as a company, the criticism can only be about what I've experienced, which is at the above mentioned location.***
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Pros: Great machines, staff, and classes
Cons: Pricey, Stuck in a contract

I joined Bally Sports Club in NYC about six months ago because I got a great deal. I Have been these almost every day ever since and I cant get enough.

I joined the sports club instead of Total Fitness because I wanted to be able to swim....

Pros: None.
Cons: Poor Customer Service

I became a member of Bally's Total Fitness during their end of year special which was just $5.00 to start. When I attended the facility I watched as the cleaning person cleaned parts of the equipment that were not physically contacted by its users. The...

Pros: affordable, clean, good equipment, availability
Cons: too pushy in deciding what you should include in the workout , want your money and find ways to keep you from canceling

I have coronary artery disease. I have had 3 open heart by-pass surgeries and multiple minor invasive procedures. I need cardio-vascular exercise on a regular basis. I live in the Pacific Northwest where the weather can play a big part in a person's...

Pros: Friendly staff, helpful trainers, longer hours ,no time restrictions on the abundant equipment.
Cons: A bit pricey, personal training is extremely expensive.

Who ever said no pain no gain was so right. The only problem is that you have two types of individuals that go to the gym and even their groups are split. You have the types that are there strictly to pick up men or women, who don't really give a flip...

Pros: An atmosphere conducive to working out more, tons of new equipment
Cons: Some untrained Personal Trainers, Vehicular break-ins, lack of security in parking lot, Carpets need replacement and are filled with sweat smells

Do you want a social forum to experience new things and meet new people? Or do you like to be seen around hard-bodied, well-tanned people while hardly breaking one or two sweats? I am going to take you at your own words. Year 2000. You vowed to be...

Pros: variety, modern equipment
Cons: inconvient class hours

With Bally's great mix of activities, there is something to help just about everyone get motivated to work out. Sometimes, though, I wonder if they are trying to appeal to too broad a spectrum. They may have lost site of what their primary customers...

Pros: I can't think of any.
Cons: Cons? More like Con-Artists!

The Update:

After sending a letter to Bally's PR agency, documenting my attempts to resolve my disputed debt (2 years in collections), I got a call from someone in BTF's Doubtful Accounts. He had looked up my record and noticed I don't owe...

Pros: Great equipment, clean, good staff, good classes, everything!
Cons: There's not one in my college!!

When I decided I wanted to join a gym three years ago, I looked at all the gyms in my area. Since I live in an Urban area, there were many gyms to choose from. Out of all the gyms I considered, there was no contest: Bally's Total Fitness was by far the...

Pros: Great facilities, across-America locations, respect for older memberships
Cons: Hired staff, certain maintenance issues, petty schemes for additional revenue

I've been a member of my local gym for 16 years now, and when Bally's bought it out nearly 8 years ago, I wasn't so sure I would like the forthcoming changes.
Well, in those 8 years, Bally's has grown into an excellent fitness-minded corporation....

Pros: Consistent equipment between gyms, some are really nicely maintained.
Cons: Buyer beware. Don't rely on the salespeople. Some are moldy decrepit gyms.

I've been a Bally's member for about three and a half years now. I started at a club in Chicago with a "Premier Plus" membership and now I have a "Gorilla Passport" membership with their affiliate club in San Francisco.

I've read cover to...

Pros: Can get a cheap rate
Cons: 3 year contract, deceptive sales practices, very difficult to cancel a contract, etc., etc., etc.,

I am a consumer advocate type. I listen to as many consumer advocate talk shows as possible. As I listened to these shows I have heard several accounts of people having trouble with Bally's partly because of Bally's, partly because they didn't read the...

Pros: many locations (not really true.. see my story)
Cons: Everthing, scam, sleaziest

I can write a book of how much I hate this organization. All these people care only about the initial sign up contract. After you sign up the constract they don't give a damn about you. Worst service by sleaziest slums in the world.

I will...