Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

filed a complaint with the BBB?
If so, how did it go? Did it take long before you heard anything from them?

I just filed one with Bally Total Fitness. I went in there in May with a 2 week free trial membership... never went back into the facility after that day and NEVER worked out there (had to go out of town unexpectedly). But .. the stupid thing I did do was let them use my debit card for a "5.00 processing fee"... STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 weeks later there is a debit on my account for $41.73.. I call the manager to find out why and he says he "will take care of it"... after going back and forth with him for a few weeks he finally tells me to come in and he will give me cash from the drawer to pay me back.. fine.. no biggie.. I send DH over to get it and figure thats the end of it.... WRONGGGGGG
I've been getting collection notices since then for a 3 YEAR MEMBERSHIP!! ($1,400!!)
I call the manager AGAIN asking W T F is going on and he says (yet again) he will take care of it... now.. .6 months later nothing has been resolved and they are claiming my signature matches the signature on the contract! I just put in a complaint with the BBB and am going to file a claim in Small Claims court. First of all, if I signed a contract, why wouldn't the "manager" tell me that from the first time I called?? Gee maybe because he was figuring out how to forge my signature???

After doing some research online, it seems that there are HUNDREDS of complaints from people going through the same thing as me!! Plus, I have read on other websites that the contract with Ballys is over 3 pages long... I didn't read ANYTHING when I went in there that day!! All I did was fill out a small questionnaire, and sign a debit card slip for 5 bucks! I'm soooooo ****** right now it's not even funny. If I wasn't sick right now I would go into the facility and drown the manager!

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Yes I have. They work like a mediator to try to resolve the matter with the the recipient of the complaint to give them a chance to rectify things b4 they get sued.I heard back from them with in an hour or so. I'm sorry you have to deal with this crap. Even if BBB can't talk the party into fixing the comlaint they get this complaint on their website for all to see..

Message edited 11/14/2006 8:03:06 PM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

You go get them! BBB is just kind of like a first chance kind of thing to see if they will rectify the situation for you. Some companies could care less and think you won't bother with it Such a time consuming headache when this cra happens.Good luck to you

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

My blood is still boiling about this crap.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I had this with Bally's too -- I had moved to Spain but they wouldn't let me out of my contract, started harassing my mother and sending collection agents to her house!!

Definitely file with BBB - it's pretty easy on the website. And file with the local Chamber of Commerce....I hope it works out!!

Message edited 11/14/2006 8:38:45 PM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Yes, I filled complaints in 2 BBB (FL & NY). Same company - Stainsafe. I also sent a complaint along with the multiple complaints on ecomplaints to the Federal Trade Commission. I think it was the Federal Trade Commission complaint along with the letter demanding any & all legal fees associated with enforcing their warranty that did it.

Here's the online complaint form for the FTC:http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/.

I think you're better off with a letter that documents everything & threatening to sue them to get your money back.

I would also notify your bank that they are taking money out with your authorization.

Message edited 11/14/2006 8:42:29 PM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I reported them to the BBB years ago. They did something very very similar to mine. I was only like 17 when it happened- so my dad filed the claim for me- and it eventually did get resolved- but it took a long time.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

OMG WOW! that is CRAZZZZY! I really hope you get it resolved!!

to answer your Q, I did file a BBB complaint against Sprint, but it never got resolved too long of a story and I hate talking about it b/c I got screwed out of $150

ETA: I have heard SO MANY nightmare stories about Bally's and other gyms too. such a sleazy business!

Message edited 11/14/2006 9:03:21 PM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

BBB is just a tool like a scare tactic.They have no obligation other than that. They will contact the company in question for you but that is really what their function is. It ends there for BBB, It's the fact BBB will keep your comlaint on file so others can check and see complaints that others have had against them.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

At this point, my advise is: document, document, document!
Whenever you speak to a person about this, write down their name, and what was said. Send letters to them via US return receipt mail.
This happened to me from a gym and I kept on top of it and they finally backed down. Formally request a copy of the "signed" contract.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

This sort of happened to me with Dolphin . They literally took a 3 mo. membership for 100 bucks form me and closed the downtown Manhattan gym the week after I purchased it!!!!!!!! (It was for my DH for Xmas). I got the run around, fought withthem non stop and contacted the BBB. It took them almost a year to get back to me.. with no results. So I was "screwed" basically. But I have dealt with them one other time in the past with a different problem and they got mt my $$ back!!
Good luck.... I know how frustrating it is! I say you still go and drown the manager even though you file a complaint!! LMAO!!

Message edited 11/15/2006 1:16:57 AM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I filed with BBB and Nassau County Dept of Health....some teenager working at a restaurant, put her hair in a ponytail and then started to make my order. No way...she had no gloves and did not wash her hands. The manager hit on me instead of resolving my issues. The manager let the teen go on preparing other orders w/o washing her hands untill I made a scene and told everyone in the place about her personal hygiene. I got both of their names...called BBB, NCDH and corporate hq's for the business.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

This happened to friends of mine with Bally's. They are an awful company and try to take advantage of potential customers. Don't just let this go b/c they'll keep harrassing you for money! They sent a collection agency after my friend who did the 2 week trial thing too. She never signed any agreement with them and they started billing her. Go get 'em!

Edited for spelling.

Message edited 11/15/2006 10:01:39 AM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Posted by Chica

This happened to friends of mine with Bally's. They are an awful company and try to take advantage of potnetial customers. Don't just let this go b/c they'll keep harrassing you for money! They sent a collection agency after my friend who did the 2 week trial thing too. She never signed any agreement with them and they started billing her. Go get 'em!

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I have. Problem is, if the party you are complaining about never reaches an acceptable agreement with you, the complaint is dropped.

Doesnt that defeat the purpose?

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I had a similar problem with Ladies Workout express. We signed a one year contract with auto renewal. Well 2 months before my conrtact was up The one I went to closed. So I waited the 2 months and called to cancel NO PROBLEM ya right. I got charged.

I called. They said I needed to email a letter I did. Next month got charged.

I called Send a hand writen letter I did I got charged.

They charged me close to 200.00 for a gym that was no longer there!!! Sure I could have gone to another location but why should I. And the location the 1800 # told me I could use closed 2 months later

I fought them and Had my credit card stop payment. They would only reverse 2 of them and I gave up


And you know what My best friend started to have the same problem and so did her sister with the same place. They sent them to collections because the cancelled the Credit Cards to have the automatic debits stop.

THEY ARE HORRIBLE!

So imagine 3 people I know had this problem how many other people did

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Yup! A year before my wedding I purchased my wedding dress and when the dress came in, I was called to pick it up and take it home without a fitting b/c the store was closing for renovations and would re-open in 4 weeks. I had time so I didn't mind. Well, they closed alright....and never re-opened. The dress was too tight on the bust and when I went to another store to price alterations, it would have cost almost as much as the dress and would have lost most of the detailing on one side. My mom reported to the BBB, but they closed and ran so nothing ever came of it. Sorry to hijack the post...I just get heated when I think of it.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Your best case scenario is that you just notified all of us on here and are now aware of there little charade. As far as BBB they are like a mediator but for me they didnt have any results. Your next step should be small claims court. Good Luck!

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

Yes, with Georgetown Volvo of Smithtown. Bastids. I got all the work done on my car for free...I was in an accident and took my car there; most of the damage was in the rear panel. When I got the car back, the radio didn't work and neither did the heated seats. They had my car for THREE MONTHS and refused to give me a loaner. It was awful. I got my way, though. I always do.

Mind you...I now drive out of the way to a different Volvo place; I don't want to see those freaks until the car is due back, when the lease ends. People were fired; I caused quite a stir! In front of customers.....

Message edited 11/15/2006 12:08:44 PM.

Re: Better Business Bureau.. have you ever..

I did - I ordered furniture from a store in NC and never got it - kept getting the runaround. I filed the complaint, and the Attorney General's office actually got in touch with me. Apparently, this guy had just done similar things in SC, was forbidden from doing business there, and moved to NC. I was one of the lucky ones - actually got my $$$ back. I think he was arrested and put out of business - don't remember if he went to prison or not.