I've seen some postings here that seem to be supportive and sympathetic to what Crunch is doing. I think you people are misinformed. I joined Sportslife at its Windy Hill Road location in Atlanta in 1991. There were no limitations about what gyms I could use. I was told expressly that I could use all Sportslife locations. It was a guaranteed lifetime membership.
Beginning in 1991 or 1992, I got a job in Buckhead and started visiting Sportslife's Buckhead location almost exclusively. They closed the Windy Hill Road location. Some time later, after Crunch bought Sportslife, Crunch opened its Parkway Pointe location. I sometimes went there, but my principal gym was still Buckhead. I paid my dues at Buckhead. I was never informed that I had somehow become a "Parkway Pointe" member. That was certainly not something that I elected. I never had a single-facility membership.
I was told a few weeks ago that Parkway Pointe had closed, and that the members there were being transferred to LA Fitness. I didn't think of myself as a Parkway Pointe member. But, a few days later I got Letter #1, saying that I should contact LA Fitness for my future gym needs. I even got the same letter from LA Fitness confirming that. Then, a few days after that, LA Fitness wrote back and said that its first letter had been sent in mistake. Now, Crunch says I can't use the Buckhead gym... Where I've been going for 17 years! I don't want to go to LA Fitness. I have not been provided with comparable facilities. This is obviously an attempt by Crunch to dump all of its non-profitable lifetime memberships... That it agreed to honor when it bought Sportslife.
This is the second or third time I've had Crunch play these games. Each time I have to hire an attorney and/or call the Governor's office for help.
Crunch's obvious intention is to generate enough hassle for us lifetime members that we'll be frustated and "go away." We won't, at least not without a fight. I question whether Crunch somehow "cherry-picked" into a "Parkway Pointe" category many of the lifetime memberships that it wanted to pass off to LA Fitness, now without success.
Surprisingly enough, Crunch Buckhead is still trying to get new members. I hope they read this first to see how they'll be treated as Crunch members.
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