Bailey Porter
Editor-in-Chief

Who would have thought that joining a health club could give you such a headache, not to mention a hole in your pocket, even when you stop using the facility.

In November I joined a local health club. It was great because it was far removed from 24 Hour Fitness or

others with their intimidating wall-to-wall mirrors or, worst, big windows facing the street. I still don’t see how people can exercise in a fish bowl. Instead, this place was tucked away in a shopping center near my house and appeared to be community oriented, basically catering to working moms and others who don’t want to be put on display while they exercise. Perfect. Now I had no excuses and I quickly jumped into a fitness routine.

My mom and sister also signed up at the center the same time I did. It was great for about a month. We ate up the compliments we were given by the annoyingly chirpy women who run the place even though we knew it was too soon to see any transformations. But when the owner treated one of us unprofessionally we made a family decision to get out.

Little did I know that behind this seemingly quaint, family-run fitness center was a hungry monster lying in wait somewhere in Colorado – the billing company in cahoots with small businesses like my fitness center.
This billing company and others like it try to remain discrete.

When I signed a contract binding me to the center for one year, I didn’t realize I was entering a relationship where I had no way out. There should always be a way out.

But when we applied for the contract cancellation using notes from our doctors (one of the few possible ways to get out of a contract with the billing company) our applications were denied.

Luckily, I’m not in this mess alone. If you ever need to fight an ethical fight – or just push to get something done that should be done – you would be lucky to have my mom on your side.

She has a perfect record. Ours is the only neighborhood street in three miles with speed bumps because my mom petitioned for an entire summer to get Los Angeles County to put them in. When my elementary school went year-round, she spearheaded a group of parents to get the word out and challenge the school board finally making it possible for my brother, sister and others to do an inter-district transfer to a school on a traditional calendar.

Currently, she is on a panel at my sister’s high school to challenge the administration’s implementation of block scheduling. You get the idea.

I have a feeling her next quest will be to take this billing company to small claims court. It’s the principle of the matter. We were treated poorly by a business whose quality services we paid for. Since they were in the wrong, we have every right to end our contracts and not be forced to pay for the remaining seven months of a fitness program we are not using.

Maybe there is something to the anonymity you can achieve at a huge gym after all.

If you don’t get along with the staff you can still do your workout without dirty looks from three generations of abnormally hyper, fitness-crazed women.

I was so convinced that paying for a fitness program would be beneficial. Now I think I should depend on my own initiative to stick to a home version of exercise.

My dogs would definitely appreciate it if I commit to the age-old method of walking and running.

Or then again, I might just try out one of those fish bowls.

Bailey Porter, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at porterb@ulv.edu.