I thought you guys might find this interesting. I didn't know anything about it until I received a notification in the mail recently.

I entered into a deal with 24 Hour in '06 where I paid almost $600 upfront for 3 years, but in exchange I would only pay $50/year thereafter for life. But three years ago they reneged on the deal, tripling the yearly rate. They basically told me to kick rocks when I objected. So I was pretty happy to see they got called out on it.

https://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/02/oc-district-attorneys-office-settles-with-24-hour-fitness-for-1-3-million-over-misleading-annual-renewal-rates/

Nice

I've had a few different gyms as I've moved in my 20s and 30s that wanted a big payment up front and I walked away each time.

I can get hoping that I forget to cancel with auto draft but I'm not paying big $$$ up front when there's no guarantee the gym will be there years from now or that I can't walk away when they raise rates.

Glad they got theirs.

Thanks for posting. I paid for 3 years up front at 24 Hr fitness around that time and I have paid $20/year since. They have not tried to increase my rate.

One of the greatest benefits I reap from insurance (BCBS) is the health program. I pay them $30/ a month, and I use any gym in their network. No contract with the gym, and a month to month plan with BCBS.

It takes a TON of that concern out of my decision making process.

Really like that about bcbs. The reward points are great too. I'll get a new garmin after two years of doing fitness stuff I would do anyways.

The Pilot said:

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Really like that about bcbs. The reward points are great too. I'll get a new garmin after two years of doing fitness stuff I would do anyways.

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Tell me more about the reward points.

When you log into your account on the quicklinks there should be a link for "Well on Target'. Go through that link and you'll find it, you can earn points for signing up for the fitness programs, linking your Strava account and gym visits among a few other things.

CrockerAg98 said:

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One of the greatest benefits I reap from insurance (BCBS) is the health program. I pay them $30/ a month, and I use any gym in their network. No contract with the gym, and a month to month plan with BCBS.

It takes a TON of that concern out of my decision making process.

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Are you serious?!?! We had BCBS for YEARS, and I never knew of any program like that. I guess we were too busy fighting with them over every claim they wouldn't pay. Finally had enough and dropped them last year.

Is the $30/month just for the gym? If so, that's not much of a deal

I received something in the mail about this. I plan to jump in as I am a victim of this heinous act.

It's $27/month for every gym in the BCBS network of gyms. Depending on your location the options vary. In Dallas, this includes all LA Fitnesses including the Signature location.

One thing I hate about the gym industry is most places have crappy annual contracts or just stupid high month to month prices.

MEENag said:

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Thanks for posting. I paid for 3 years up front at 24 Hr fitness around that time and I have paid $20/year since. They have not tried to increase my rate.

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Same here, although it was only two years upfront. I've always wondered if they'd eventually try to up charge me, since it's been about 15 years since I signed up.

so I did the same thing, back in 2008, paid like 500$ for 3 years or something...

but i can't find my original contract...

a year or two ago, my renewal rate went from 99$ a year to like 160...

I threw it away because i heard you could be countersued in a class action law suit if you werent a victim but claimed you were..

The Pilot said:

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It's $27/month for every gym in the BCBS network of gyms. Depending on your location the options vary. In Dallas, this includes all LA Fitnesses including the Signature location.

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Wow, thanks! Definitely have to look into this. Have BCBS and didn't know about this benefit or reward points. I'm paying $25/mo. now and if I travel and there's no franchise, I'm out of luck. This sounds like it might be a much better option for just a few dollars more and additional rewards.

aznaggiegirl07 said:

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so I did the same thing, back in 2008, paid like 500$ for 3 years or something...

but i can't find my original contract...

a year or two ago, my renewal rate went from 99$ a year to like 160...

I threw it away because i heard you could be countersued in a class action law suit if you werent a victim but claimed you were..

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Sounds like you qualify for the settlement. You just have to attest that they offered you the lower rate without increase in the future.

double aught said:

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aznaggiegirl07 said:

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so I did the same thing, back in 2008, paid like 500$ for 3 years or something...

but i can't find my original contract...

a year or two ago, my renewal rate went from 99$ a year to like 160...

I threw it away because i heard you could be countersued in a class action law suit if you werent a victim but claimed you were..

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Sounds like you qualify for the settlement. You just have to attest that they offered you the lower rate without increase in the future.

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so how would I go about doing that?

I did the 3 yr upfront in about 2003. I think it was $25 or $50 a year for life. But 6-8 years ago, gym options around me were not convenient so I didn't even keep paying the small annual fee.
And now I am back on a membership. Oops.

aznaggiegirl07 said:

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double aught said:

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aznaggiegirl07 said:

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so I did the same thing, back in 2008, paid like 500$ for 3 years or something...

but i can't find my original contract...

a year or two ago, my renewal rate went from 99$ a year to like 160...

I threw it away because i heard you could be countersued in a class action law suit if you werent a victim but claimed you were..

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Sounds like you qualify for the settlement. You just have to attest that they offered you the lower rate without increase in the future.

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so how would I go about doing that?

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Go to prepaidmembershipsettlement.com and submit a claim form. You'll need the ID number they sent you in the mail or your 24 Hour membership number (you can get this if you log into the 24 Hour website). There's also a phone number on the settlement website if you need help.

You stand to get a decent amount of money, so I encourage you to do it.