CURVES FOR WOMEN: Franchisee a Victim of Fraud?

View Comments

• Close now! Do not respond to any certified mail from Wacko-in other words-refuse to sign for it. Curves will not pursue legal action outside of Texas thusly upsetting the position they have fought so hard for in our lawsuit. We have earned major victories as we are moving closer to our cases being heard-this will not be good for CI. THEY WILL PAY-one way or the other! This fad business is just another fraud perpetrated by born again Heavin with multiple family members (vendors) participating in insuring a stream of income when the owners have none-zero-zilch.
  Stay away, get out now, CLOSE!

• PAST AND PRESENT OWNERS,
  Don’t forget to send your complaint letters to the BBB in your area as well as waco Tx. and your states attorney general as well as TX. and the FTC. Here are the links that you can go to to file the complaints.

  http://www.bbb.org/

  http://waco.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx?site=40&id=ab5100aa-4c5a-4314-8e1b-f5996973f10c

  http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/index.shtml

  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml

• Dear Guest,

  Thank you for watching out for the buyers of those clubs. I wish someone would have been there for me when I bought my clubs 4 years ago. My story is a little different then the story above.

  http://www.bizzia.com/franchisepick/curves-franchise-resale-buyer-cries-fraud/

  With my story in mind, if you have read it, I have a question for whomever would like to respond. I am looking at a bank statement right now, from one of my previous members. She transfered to another club in August, and I forgot to stop her September draft, so she was double drafted. (This is the first time I have seen a bank statement with a draft from another club on it.) Needless to say, I am surprised. My draft shows up in the "Other Withdrawals" section, and states Curves(location) Member Fee. The other clubs draft is amongst the other checks she has written, and shows up as check # 0. There is a copy of the check too, but this was not the case in the past for many members. My question is, is this the way everyone drafts?

  If so, I wouldn't have gotten involved with Curves. This goes against everything I believe in. You don't do things like this. In life, you must be honest and upfront.

  Another thing I just found out. The previous owner of my clubs, is telling everyone we both know, that she doesn't talk to my husband and I anymore because we ripped her off. She claims we continued to run our clubs in her company name and stole money from her. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this is possible. Like Gary, she goes to church every Sunday, and lives in her big phat house that I paid for.

  If you respond, don't be mean. I'm already in therapy.

• Dear victim2,

  No this is not the standard way that most clubs operate although I have heard of it in some cases. I was sorry to read about all the problems you have been put through and that you are in therapy. Just because they go to church every Sunday does not mean they are christian by any means. I hope things get better for you real soon and I will add you to our prayer list. God Bless you and your family. Oh and try to remember the song The sun will come out tomorrow , because it will and I hope it shines on you!!!!

• Dear Unhappy,
  You made me smile.
  Thank you!!

• I too bought two Curves based on the membership numbers given to me by the previous owner (which were filled with former members we found out). We went to court and got a small reduction in the purchase price (not nearly enough). We had to close one of them and Curves tried to charge the $10,000 closing fee. We negotiated it down to $1500, so don't take the first offer. We are working to build the remaining business up so I don't have to subsidize it each month. I'd love to sell it, but (as a Christian by the way), I will not lie with the numbers, so I don't have buyers lining up at the door. It is a tough business in this economy, but the women we have are faithful members, workout at their own pace and love the social aspect. They are the reason I won't close the doors.

• victim 3 you should have sued curves international as they helped to perpetuate the fraud also as you know by you sending in your monthly reports curves knew exactly how many members you had when you bought the club and had to ok the sale knowing you were being ripped off

• to Unhappy: Just for your information, in a recent case in Arkansas, where a franchisee won a lawsuit for fraud in the lower court against a franchised brokerage who sold them a couple of Subways and misrepresented facts to them, the Arkansas Appeals Court OVERRULED the lower court, and said the franchisees weren't justified in RELYING on the misrepresentations because they were sophisticated and should have known better?

  The Arkansas Appeals Court Judge used his discretion to overturn the substantial award -- and what do the defrauded franchisees do now? Who can afford to appeal to The Supreme Court and would they even hear it?

  Subway, of course, approved the sale and the new franchisees. The protection against fraud for franchisors and their "stranding and thriving" franchisees embodied in the FTC Rule and State FDD's appears to extend to the sellers and their brokers when franchises are sold by franchisees directly or through a brokerage firm.

  Read the BLOG "It aint fraud in you know better -- Arkansas Law & Business" for more details.

  http://thegreatfranchisingrobbery.blogspot.com/

• Curves 2009 national convention is the first weekend of November at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. Hopefully, the Curves owners in Nashville and surrounding areas who have lost everything stage a nice, LOUD protest outside!

• Haven't heard anything about the convention as of yet but I will let you know when I do. Have heard that Curves International has begun selling merchandise to Big Lots and many owners are quite upset over it.