Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit today claiming Bally Total Fitness had tricked former members into renewing contracts by sending them "past due" notices.
More than 1,000 Texans were duped into renewing, Abbott said, after receiving the notices.
"Bally's notices claimed that recipients owed at least one month's overdue fees - fees for which the notice demanded immediate payment," the AGs office said. "Some of Bally's past due notices even claimed that failure to remit a payment could result in a negative entry on the former members' credit reports."
The AG said some people `fessed up: "Company representatives who were contacted by past members about past due notices acknowledged that the notices were not a collection effort, but rather an attempt to get former members to renew their memberships."
Texans who believe they have been deceived by similar fraudulent business practices may call the Office of the Attorney General's toll-free complaint line at (800) 252-8011 or file a complaint online at texasattorneygeneral.gov.
- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.
