Bally Total Fitness

Bally Total Fitness is definitely not a ""high end"" gym. Having trained at Equinox for some time, and even New York Sports Club, I'd have to put this gym at last place. However it was my first gym ever, I trained here for years. I used to train primarily at Penta in midtown, but also frequented the other gym locations as well. When I moved to the Kew Gardens area it was only logical for me to join up here. They have what I need for training, and it's a decent gym. One thing to note is that in the evening this place gets packed! Full like you can't imagine. It's mostly male ""hard core"" types, you know, the ""tough guy wannabe's"", and I don't like training in that environment. Not so much because of the type of people, but moreso because of the amount of people. There is plenty of chit chatting and socializing, along with long waits for any of the machines, cardio or weight equipment. It's not my ideal training scenario, so I opt not to go after work. Unfortunately for me this limits my training sessions to the mornings, so if I can't wake up for whatever reason, I'm screwed for the day. In the a.m you see a mixed crowd of serious dedicated trainees. You give and receive a nod here and there, but for the most part people keep to themselves and are there to train, get in then get out. That's more my scene. The equipment is in good condition, and the place appears relatively clean. Bottom line is that it meets my need, mainly in the a.m. OH, I almost forgot.... For me as a past member, a 1 year membership was REALLY CHEAP! Even new memberships are pretty cheap, and you can go to any bally's, even the ""sports clubs"" in midtown. more

STAY AWAY UNLESS YOU DON'T PLAN TO CANCEL EVER!!! ONE STAR RATING IS TOO HIGH FOR THIS BUSINESS!! I joined Bally @ Englewood Cliffs, NJ with my wife on March of 2011. The sales person that helped us, ALLAN RAMIREZ was very swift and helpful to get us signed up. At the time, he told us we could bring a cancellation letter to him and he would take care of it. A few weeks ago we went to the location and we were told we could ONLY cancel in writing. I called customer support today and spent over 30 minutes trying to get a representative on the line, which you can only do by asking to sign up or add a member. The rep that picked the line ""LUIS UGALDE"" told me that even though I was the husband and the account buyer/payer, we had to send SEPARATE CERTIFIED LETTERS EACH. He even said to mail to a different address other than the one on the contract. I called my local Bally to corroborate the address. The ""manager"" there ""ALEXIS HERNANDEZ"" said he didn't have the address and that I should call customer service. What kind of manager can't give you this kind of information??? This guy even put me on hold every two minutes, then pick the line as if he didn't know who I was or what I was talking about. This has been BY FAR MY WORST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE! THEY ARE ALL TRAIN VERY WELL TO GIVE YOU THE TURN AROUND SO YOU DESIST ON CANCELLING! BEWARE!! STAY AWAY, YOU WILL THANK ME!! more