Didn't know were else to post this, as you have most area's set up pretty topic specific. This story is off topic though..
Just got done with a pretty heavy situation with LA Fitness. A few months ago I decided to get off my lazy ass and start working out.. Being the introvert couch potato that I am. I have never been into lifting weight's. I was into Biking and doing speed walks for most of my exercise but it wasnt cutting the belly fat like I wanted. So I joined the gym and started trying to add lifting weights into my regime..
Long story short. I ended up making the stupid move to sign up for a trainer at LA Fitness. A couple of weeks ago I hurt my back and decided I needed to stop going to the gym as my doctor says I have a degenerative back disorder.. Not enough fluid in between the disk, which causes the disk to slip every now and then.. Putting the stress on the body at the gym isn't helping...
Back to long story short. LA Fitness has a set up. That locks you into a binding contract making it almost impossible for you to get out of it, without paying them major dollars.
As it was I already payed them boo-koo bucks up till now.. The way the contract is stated. To walk away, you will have to pay them half of the rest of a year's contract or half of the money that is owed for the full extent of the contract... You have no idea how mad this made me, when I realized what a scam they have set up, with the way they execute there contract's and deal with there customers.. I didn't even know I was signing a contract until it was to late.. You swip your card, sign the electronic black box, no contract was present at the sale, until after the fact... Even then it is filled with small print and the sale is set up in such a way you are misdirected.
Well they didn't know who they were messing with. I've been on the net before there was a net. Probably one of the best social engineers your going to meet. I've built mailing list and BBS content areas of all types. Ranging into the thousands of members. Been the part of many a BBS and forums area before there was an Internet... (Any one here know who Dvorak is? Didnt think so..)
So the last two days I set up a board, got my profiles on Facebook and Twitter fired up, started posting in my blog and linked everything back to my new site. The name you ask..
"LA Fitness:Class Action Law Suit"I then found a guy that posted the owner and about half the corporations e-mail and cell phone numbers.. This was a Gold mine! I sent a mass e-mail today, letting them know I was ready to go for the throat.. If they didn't release me from my contract. I would make it my main goal in life to bring them down with the power of the net. I then linked my new web site and all the structure I had set up over the last two days, so they could see it..
Think you can figure out what happened? I got a call tonight from LA Fitness Corp, saying that I would have no problem.. They will not pursue the issue and will release me from there binding contract...
Gotta love it! Hell have no furry like a pissed off internet jockey.. They have no clue the wrath I was going to pull down around there ears if they got stupid..
Needles to say I'm in a pretty good mood right now. I'm still holding my sites up. Let them know, until I get a mailed confirmation stating I am released from my contractual duties. I will hold.. If they follow through, I will pull the plug and cease and desist.. If not, then oh boy what a fun couple of years I'm going to have, building a web site with one thing in mind. To bring LA Fitness to there Knees..
There is power in numbers my friend's and with the right abilities. It isn't hard to use the net to collect those numbers.. ;-)
Have a good night guys..
Yours On Pro2
MarkWF1
