In an effort to save their sinking ship, they'll send you a note saying you used your expired membership card at some location you never visited, then bill you for it.

On the notice, it says that if you pay the amount due, you automatically renew your membership.

Careful....

Several years ago, I was in a salon and saw the "fill this out and win a free membership" ballot box for Bally's. I filled out a slip, and surprisingly got a phone call a week later saying I won.
When I went in to discuss things with them, I discovered that nothing was free! They said I'd get 5 free days but had to sign up for 3 yrs and pay the whole thing up front in order to claim my prize. I told them that I didn't have the money on me and really needed to think it over.
They said they'd hold my spot with a deposit of $25 and I could pay the lump sum within 30 days. I told them what I had in my pocket...$5.
They said, "Ok, we'll hold your spot if you give us the $5 now and come back with the other $20 within 7 days."
So I gave them the $5 cash, no recept, but a copy of the contract stating that I gave them $5 and $5 ONLY. I decided it wasn't affordable for me and didn't return with the other $20 within 7 days and figured I'd just let the $5 go.
2 weeks later, I got a bill from them saying I owed them over $300! So I went there w/ my copy of the contract and they showed me what they had in their files... they write in a 2 before the 5 making it $25 and "sealing the deal" as they put it.
DO NOT TRUST BALLY'S EVER!

I went into Bally's about 2 years ago after graduating from college. I explained to them that I had no money and that I didn't want to sign any contract for 3 years (since I knew people that had gotten roped into this before).

The guy told me that all I need was to out down 25.00 and that my payment would be like 20.00 a month for the first 3 months and then 40.00 after that and that any time that I wanted to stop going to the gym all I had to do was pay 50.00 and that would be it.

I even asked him if there were any conditions to this 50.00 and your out thing and he said NO that since I was underneath their college student program that I would just be able to call and pay the 50.00 and that was it.

Well a couple of months later when I wanted to stop going to that gym. They told me that I have to live over 10 miles away from a bally's or have a doctor's note stating that I could no longer work out in order to cancel my membership and pay the 50.00 and that I should read my paperwork more carefully. They were extremly rude and would not let me cancel my membership.

They are a bunch of liars!!!

I was on Bally’s month-to-month membership plan that I could cancel at any time. I canceled the membership without any problems back in February. However, I received a “Monthly Statement” in the mail today stating that I owe them the dues for the months of March and April. The “Statement” states that “Late Charges Will be Applied On Payments Received 10 Days after Due date” and that “a negative credit report reflecting on your credit record may be submitted to a credit reporting agency if you fail to fulfill the term of your credit obligations.” Furthermore, the “Statement” gives me several payment options, which include credit card, check and automatic electronic transfer.

I called Bally (on its non-toll-free number) and was told that I do NOT owe Bally any dues, and that the “Monthly Statement” was merely an offer to renew my canceled membership at the old rate. I could simply ignore the “Statement” if I didn’t want to renew my membership.

In my opinion, this is a deceptive practice to get people to buy the services that they no longer want and are under no obligation to buy. Before calling Bally, I seriously thought that if I didn’t pay the amount stated in the “Statement,” my credit would be ruined. They forced me to call them on their non-toll-free number, and I had to endure their sales pitch while paying for the long-distance phone call charge.

Well, I promptly filed a complaint with the BBB. I plan to file a complaint with my state’s Attorney General’s Office. And, being a lawyer myself, I am also going to do some research to see if there are any causes of action under the consumer laws.

My advise: Stay Away from Bally! They will give you more headaches than you can imagine. I certainly didn’t expect a “Monthly Statement” from them after I rightfully cancelled my membership. Stay Away!

I think Xeno was right Gina. You should then stay away from Bally because it may be possible that they will ruin your life. My advice to you is, do what Xeno said. It's better for you to find a new place for you to live or report it to the police.