CURVES Franchise: Curves Still Bullying Failed Franchise Owners
CURVES franchise owners don’t get a helping hand when they fail. No thank you card or best wishes. Just legal threats and a demand for tens of thousands of dollars.
Curves has new ownership, but not much has changed in the lack-of-compassion department.
Curves franchise owners who are unable to save their failing clubs (more than half of Curves clubs have failed) still should not expect a helping hand from Curves International.
They shouldn’t expect a nice letter thanking them for building the Curves brand, for paying years of royalties, for enabling Gary Heavin to strut like an altruistic peacock on national TV and cash out with an untold fortune.
What they can expect is a legal demand for the future royalties they would have had to pay if they hadn’t run out of money and could stay open to the end of their contract.
And they can expect Curves International to tell them they don’t actually own the equipment they paid for, and they should return it.
aussie z wrote:
Well I closed my club at the end of June, 4 years prior to the end of my agreement.
I did everything that CI wanted me to do in regards to closing.
I did not give them my equipment or CS [Curves Smart]I figured that I paid good money for it so I will do what I want with it.
I received a letter of demand for $64,000 to be paid within 7 days (what a joke).
I asked them to review this amount as I had no money, I then got another email telling me the figure was now $17,000, again I explained that I had no money and then a month later I got a letter delivered to my home signed by a person I have never heard of in the 6 years I have been dealing with Curves (must be from the new people who have taken over) telling me that I owe $64,000 again.
I sent an email to this person and have not heard anything since, it has now been a month since I received that letter.
I know that this will not be the last I hear from them but they will not be getting a red cent out of me. The restraints they put on you regarding getting rid of the equipment is ridiculous, there is no brand name on the equipment so what right do they have?
If they want my CS they can pay me the $12,000 I paid for it. I will not let CI bully me into anything and I will help anyone else who is being bullied by them. They need to be stopped.
In Australia we have gone from over 400 clubs in 2006 to 283 in 2012 with still many in the process of closing. I think that Curves has run its course over here and I would encourage any owner who has a profitable club to try and get rid of it before its too late. CI are putting to much emphasis on Curves Complete, I personally think it is a rip off. None of the members I had would have been able to afford the $199-$299.
I am so stressless since closing my club BUT I do miss my incredible members everyday.
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Stopped by a local shopping area yesterday and saw that another Curves club had closed — very sad. There are only 5 of us left in our city. Soon 4. This is a dying brand, looks like nothing can stop the clubs from closing. This was a fairly new location. Very Scary. It was sad, heart-breaking — made me cry.
Does anyone know what is going on at Curves? Are we still offering the Curves Complete with Jenny Craig?
I just received my closing package along with the statement that I still owe them 28,620.00 because I have only been in business 2 yrs now. and like a lot of you, I have seen no profits, no member increases and only demands from Curves. I have 5 days to file my paperwork, so if I file the paperwork does that mean I agree with the amount they say I have to pay back, or can I try reaching an agreement with them? Also I am LLC so will that help me any if I have to file bankruptcy or trying to reach an agreement? any fed back?
I too am closing my club after 8 years. I have been complying with the closing process but my revenue is running out. I have the month of October left and no income. I have no money left to pay and rent utilities. Let alone the 22,000+ curves wants for me club closing early. I have been devastated to say the least. I do not understand where NCP is going with merging Jenny Craig? This is a competitor and they have a new meeting held in large cities to bring curves owners there to brainwash them into thinking this will be their “blue ocean” of opportunity for income. Curves told me I had to scrap everything can not sell anything to another curves. $20,000 down the drain for my equipment and smart system. I do not know what to do! Help
Pamela and sadden, I am so sorry for the loss and sorrow you are dealing with. I closed 10 months ago, and I still had a year and a half left on my contract. Curves sent me a letter stating I would owe over 20,000 when I told them I needed to close. I complied with all their requirements, and once I showed I had done it the way they required they then reduced the amount to 6500. I paid it and they left me alone. I scrapped the machines as required. I lost everything, more money than I can bear to think about, but I am free now. I know of some who closed and didn’t pay the final amount and I don’t know what has happened with them up to this point. Its a no win, but I am happy to be done. The losses every month, the stress is relentless, I pray you are able to free yourself soon and wish you the best.
I am finally closing after having this location for 10 years. I am barely scraping by, with less than 4 months left on my contract. I’ve been supplementing my club with my own money. There’s no money left. Curves sent me the closing packet and said that I could sell my club up to the day it closes — I wouldn’t do that to my worst enemy. I had it on the market and couldn’t give it away.
My issue is the SilverSneakers people. They don’t pay an enrollment fee, I get paid only when they show up, and then CI takes a portion. I’ve had some S/S that joined, got a key tag and never showed up after that. Over half of my membership is S/S. They won’t do the Jillian Michaels workout. By the way, how is that going???? She has so many other irons in the fire — no one has EVER asked me about her workout.
I’ve spent so much money on painting, redoing my club, on Curves Complete, give-aways, Rest of Year Free, SilverSneakers, free stuff — doesn’t CI know that we must buy this stuff and then turn around and “give it away” for free. The bars bombed, Complete bombed, Shakes and Supplements bombed, J. Michael is bombing, and now Jenny Craig is our savior — glad I’m getting out. I’m so stressed. I’m actually counting down the days left!!! How sad is that……
I so agree with the comments on the comments concerning the SilverSneakers, free stuff and rest of summer free and now they want us to do the rest of year free until year end. What about the bottom line for us. Lots of problems with CurvesSmart. Anything we have gotten is either broken or they short us on what we need to complete/update the project. I don’t see any advertising for Jillian Michaels. When they brought Jenny Craig they told us they were going to use the advertising dollars from Jenny Craig for Curves Complete and Curves fitness that did not happen. Lots of promises from Curves last year when we when to the National meeting in Chicago and nothing happen. So glad I spend all that money to go to Chicago for nothing again. I could go on but what would be the point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just learned of another club closing in my area. After I close, there will only be 3 clubs left in a city that once had over 20. I watched the Curves/Jenny Craig co-branding videos and wondered why everyone (all the speakers from Monty to Gary) act like everything is ok within Curves. Why JC will be the savior. How much more $$$ are clubs going to shell out to CI. From building offices, buying food, etc. Do any of you have members in your clubs that will pay $90/week for food. Who will pay $1800 for JC. I can barely get members to pay the regular fees. I get more ladies that think the workout is free. Can they try it? Have you ever been in the “Y” or LA Fitness or Planet Fitness — have they ever let you try it for free. My rent, utilities, insurance, etc. are not free. And, now its the rest of the year free!! Curves keeps giving it away. I’m so frustrated, stressed and resigned to the fact that I will NEVER make any money here. I’ve been supplementing my club with money from another part-time job that I work. I’m counting the days/minutes until my contract is up. That is my goal — sad to say — to get to my end date and be DONE!!
Curves as much as they pillaged and poorly planned their own demise, to my knowledge none of the franchise owners who closed in my area were ever sued for closing their doors. While stressful, just cover your butt, but don’t give them a closing dime
If you read enough stories on here, you realise that the legal dept must be snowed under with work. And that seems to be getting more and more as clubs close faster. So how about everyone just refuses to pay then a cent? And better still, we all refuse to even answer their legal letters? How they hell will they cope then? They won’t.
I didn’t run away. I didn’t walk away. I stayed. To the end. I finally met my date — the end of my franchise agreement. I was hard, and still is. I’ve been counting down for 3 years. Working the last 2 1/2 years just to have money to pay my business bills. Now I’m down to the last couple of weeks. Feels “different”. Found out today that another Curves in the area is closing. We used to have 20+ in the city and the nearby counties — now only 3 left. Wonder how CI is dealing with it? The loss of royalty and ad fees, plus ALL the other stuff they stick us for. I am very sad for my members — they are at a loss. A new Planet Fitness is opening near us. I’ve been a Curves owner for more than 10 years, once owning 2 clubs. Now I’m putting money from my savings just to have enough $$ to close. There is nothing left — except my pride — that I didn’t walk away. Never again will I ever own a franchise!!! Good luck to you all who are struggling. I’ve been there the last 4 years!!! Peace!!
H Hope, I never did pay CI and am still here. I was sent to collection, but I told them I would never pay them a dime and they have apparently quit calling.. I have been happier then I think I have ever been. I know some clubs are hanging in there and appear to be doing OK, but will they ever recoup their money for all the new requirements?? Don’t know and they would probably not admit it out of pride or self preservation…. Glad to hear your doing well and are finally at peace
C
Dont pay them a dime!!!!
Well, CI has not gone away, at least in the UK. In my local area 2 out of 3 clubs have closed and several of us have stayed open but changed our brand from curves to our own businesses. I love the workout and still believe in it offers the best workout you can get in 30 minutes. However it is CI and NCP that are the problem. They are just money grabbers with NO interest in members or franchise owners. I left them over a year ago and it nearly killed me financially. I signed a 1 year agreement to comply with their requirements and now with 6 weeks left they sent a sneak inspection – a lady who said she wanted to join, but was really a CI person!!! And now they demand £26,000 and want me to close my business. I don’t understand why these people won’t just leave me alone. I am not troubling them, the brand is dead in my area, and I have no curves locally to compete with. I have no intention of paying them a penny. How is the rest of the UK faring??