24 Hour Fitness' "Million Dollar Contest" Falls Short

Some companies feel that contests can be an effective way to spread buzz. Recently, my local 24 Hour Fitness gym, part of the nation's largest privately-held sports club company, has been busy promoting what they call a "Million Dollar Contest" with huge signs posted around the gym and even hang tags on individual pieces of exercise equipment like the Stairmasters. In the exercise classes, instructors are also talking up the contest.

The contest is open to all gym members who can enter up to seven times a day by dropping their name, address, telephone number, and membership identification number on a 3" x 5" note into a ballot box. Surely, it's a good way to update member records which likely have a lot of out-of-date addresses and contact information. No problem so far.

But, when I studied the contest details in fine print, I noticed that it's extremely unlikely that $1,000,000 will be awarded. The contest involves a complicated level of steps to qualify, culminating in the requirement that finalists must be present at a drawing in Los Angeles to win (they must travel at their own expense). Reduced value consolation prizes will be drawn if a winner isn't present to receive his prize in the first round.  This means that 24 Hour Fitness will likely distribute closer to $50,000 in consolation prizes rather than the much touted $1,000,000. It's the ultimate bait and switch.

When its time to renew gym membership, has 24 Hour Fitness bought loyalty with its contest or merely convinced many that it will misrepresent the truth in an effort to score points with its members? 24 Hour Fitness is buying more bad buzz than good with a "Million Dollar Contest" that will most likely fall far short of living up to its name.

Comments

[CAROLYN NAVARRO]

HI. I EMAILED YOU A WHILE BACK ABOUT THE 24 FITNESS CONTEST AND HOW I CONTACTED THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE. THE OTHER DAY THEY ACTUALLY CALLED MY HOUSE AND SAID THEY WERE CONTACTING THE WINNER OF THE DIVISIONAL DRAWING. THEY EVEN LEFT A MESSAGE ON MY VOICEMAIL. THE BIG PROBLEM IS THEY GAVE THE WRONG PERSONS NAME! IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN HONEST MISTAKE BUT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCE I DON'T TRUST THEM. I SENT THE VOICEMAIL TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. I ALSO SAID TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THAT I FEEL THAT IT'S INAPPROPRIATE AND AGGRAVATING ENOUGH THAT I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO TO THE DRAWING NEXT FRI ANYHOW. ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING MY ENTRY WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE BOX AND I HAD TO CONFRONT THEM AND TELL THEM TO PUT IT BACK IN MOST PEOPLE WOULD PERCEIVE THAT $1,000,000 WOULD BE GIVEN AWAY AND I ASKED THAT THEY THROW OUT 24 HOUR FITNESS'S RULES ALLTOGETHER. I WAS TOLD I'M A 2ND RUNNER UP AND THAT THEY ACCIDENTALLY CALLED ME BUT I'M NOT GOING TO JUST TRUST WHAT THEY SAID. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST DRAWING I INFORMED THEM THAT I WANTED AN INDEPENDENT JUDGING AGENCY FOR THE 2ND DRAWING AND THEY DID THE 2ND DRAWING WITHOUT ONE ANOTHER THING I BROUGHT UP TO THEM. YOUR ARTICLE HELPS CLARIFY A LOT OF THINGS. FOR ONE THING ON THEIR OWN RULE PAMPLET THEY CALL IT A CONTEST AND ALSO A SWEEPSTAKES AND THEY ARE LEGALLY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

[CAROLYN NAVARRO]

HI I CONTACTED YOU A WHILE BACK ABOUT THE 24HR FITNESS CONTEST/SWEEPSTAKES. I CONTACTED THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WON'T ACT BASED ON ONE PERSONS COMPLAINT. IF YOU HEAR OF ANYONE ELSE PLEASE CONTACT ME OR ADVISE THEM TO CONTACT THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THEY HAVE A WEB FORM AT THEIR SITE BUT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK SO IT MAY BE EASIER TO WRITE IN. IF YOU PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO WRITE IN YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE CONTEST PLEASE DO. I OBTAINED A LIST OF THE WINNERS TO VERIFY THAT THE PERSONS THEY MEANT TO CALL WHEN THEY CALLED ME WAS ACTUALLY ON THE LIST AND SHE WAS SO I DO FEEL SOMEWHAT BETTER ABOUT IT NOW. BUT I STILL FEEL AGGRAVATED THAT MY ENTRIES WERE TAKEN OUT OF THE ENTRY BOX ESPECIALLY SINCE I DIDN'T MAKE A PURCHASE AND DID A NON PURCHASE ENTRY ON A NOTECARD AND THE PEOPLE MAKING A PURCHASE ENTERED ON PAPER AND I WAS ANNOYED THAT I HAD TO CONFRONT THEM WHEN I WENT TO THE DRAWING THAT NIGHT JUST TO HAVE FUN. I WOULD'VE BEEN HAPPY TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE WIN THE STORE PRIZE AND NOT ME. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE IT A TRY. THE PHONECALL TO MY HOUSE ANNOUNCING A WINNER SEEMED VERY ODD AND I RESENT IT.