Bally Total Fitness

Pros: Great Equipment and Tons of It
Cons: Pushy Sales Staff

OK. I know. This is a fitness chain with the distinction of having its own ******sucks.com web site. The problems with Bally’s are certainly nothing new. However, that does not mean it is not a good value.

Certainly, the first problem with...

Pros: Lots of equipment, cheap, have tons of locations.
Cons: Very busy peak hours (5:30-8:30) everyone works out after work.

I've been a member at Bally Total Fitness for about 5 years now, and I'd say I don't remember a single time I had to complain about something.

All Clubs are different
Of course from club to club everything is different -...

Pros: Convenient locations, large variety of equipment
Cons: Lousy business practices, frequently overcrowded

HOW I BECAME A MEMBER OF BALLY’S

It all started when the company I was working for back in ’94 decided to offer it’s employees a corporate membership at Bally’s as part of the company benefits package. Basically, the deal was that the company...

Pros: Varied equipment and classes, free trial, inexpensive as these clubs go..
Cons: Too many bodies for the equipment and classes, extreme contract provisions

Joining Bally's is like a marriage, except Bally's is more difficult to get out of. You're stuck in a contract whether you like it or not, and you take the good with the bad.

I joined Bally's when I'd just returned from my Army assignment...

Pros: Reasonable prices
Cons: Staff is lacking

After reading a number of epinions that warned me against Bally's, I researched numerous other gyms in the D.C. area. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could meet the cost/benefit analysis as most other gyms were too expensive.

So, I...

Pros: Quality equipment and excellent assortment in newer gyms, morning and evening hours and TV.
Cons: Amateur, out of touch staff. Hard-sell and high prices for the uninformed.

I've been a member of Bally's since is was Jack LaLanne's, and my opinion has changed from being someone satisfied, to complete displeasure and now to liking it quite a lot. I thing the reason is that Bally's finally figured out that they can't assume...

Pros: Many locations, easy to sign up, lots of aerobics classes
Cons: Too many people during peek times, meat-market atmosphere

My ex-husband and I signed up for a family membership several years ago and I only started to use it when we separated and I wanted to lose weight and get in shape since I was going to be single again. I went to Bally's because it was close to my home...

Pros: Excellent facilities, usually uncrowded, large range of equipment
Cons: Not for the un-fit.

Bally's is a great place to get in shape. Provided you're already in shape. When I signed up they offered me a membership that lasted 3 years but worked out to less than $8 a month. (In part because I paid fully up front)

I went three times a...

Pros: equipment is okay
Cons: sleazy sales tactics, pushy sales reps, does not care about employees

I work for Bally Total Fitness here in Michigan. I am here to tell you that the club stinks. I just started working there in March of this year, and it has not taken me a long time to figure out what Bally's is all about. I work in the day care facility...

Pros: workout facilities
Cons: unbelievably unprofessional, rude staff; money-hungry above everything else

I will begin by stating the positive things about Bally's. The workout facilities are excellent. Free weights, Nautilus machines, swimming pool, cardio machines, etc. You can accomplish an excellent workout here, and considering that my membership is...

Pros: Latest equipment, national access, great deals can be had on secondary market!
Cons: You are just another $ to Bally, crowded during peak times, pushy & unknowledgable salesmen.

As an accountant, I make sure that I read the fine print on everything so I'd like to explain in laymen's terms the membership contracts you are entering into if you buy a membership at Bally's. For those not familiar with Bally's membership contract ...

Pros: Availability, Opportunity
Cons: Three-year Contract

I decided recently to join Bally's. I had not worked out in quite a few years, and I have been looking forward to getting back into it. There is a new Bally's within walking distance from my house, and with no other clubs remotely close, Bally's was the...

Pros: Conveniently located; affordable pricing IF you insist on it
Cons: 3 year lock-in contract; hard sell

I've been lifting weights since 1986, and I've belonged to every kind of gym imaginable. I've worked out at Y's, college facilities, expensive private clubs, and no-frills "dungeons," literally from coast to coast. But Bally's--never....

Pros: Large variety of equipment, Social life encourages one to work out more,
Cons: Lack of parking area patrolling, Car burglaries and break-ins, some indifferent staff, lack of carpet maintenance, and sweat smells all over the place! thieves waiting to steal your belongings

Due to the lack of security at the local Bally Total Fitness parking area, my vehicle got broken into. My briefcase got stolen with important papers including my university degree. <A thief will finally get a degree!> This is the first thing you...

Pros: lots of locations, equipment in good order, nice variety
Cons: staff is complacent unless they're selling you a membership, gym gets crowded, not all locations are equally equipped

No fooling, I've been a member of Bally's Total Fitness since May 1985. Back when I joined it was called "Jack LaLanne" named after the T.V. exercise guru.

The reason why I joined is basic and simple...at that time you either joined...