Dirty Secrets of Joining Gyms
January 22nd 2008 10:28
It's not too much of a secret; almost everyone knows that the gym is there to try and screw you out of your money.
According to ABC News:
" A brand new Better Business Bureau analysis found that consumer complaints about gyms are up more than 90 percent in the last five years.
The BBB analysis found that 73 percent of customer complaints involved contract or billing disputes, including people who were upset that they were still being billed after they thought their contract was over."
This is a good reason not to join a gym. The gym doesn't really care if you work out or not - in fact, they'd probably prefer it if you never came... that'd free up all the free weights for the inside workout regulars, and they could have their own, privately-funded gym. Then comes the power, then the women.
I've heard horror stories about gyms here, but the ABC article is pretty lightweight:
Read the full story!
I once asked about a membership to a gym in China, and they tried to fleece me out of a one-year contract almost immediately. They wanted to charge 6 000 RMB, which is a lot of money in China, and I laughed and laughed as I left the building. The pool wasn't finished yet, and it didn't look like it'd be very popular.
But go ahead. Join the gym. Wrestle with their ironclad, automatic deduction contract.
According to ABC News:
" A brand new Better Business Bureau analysis found that consumer complaints about gyms are up more than 90 percent in the last five years.
The BBB analysis found that 73 percent of customer complaints involved contract or billing disputes, including people who were upset that they were still being billed after they thought their contract was over."
This is a good reason not to join a gym. The gym doesn't really care if you work out or not - in fact, they'd probably prefer it if you never came... that'd free up all the free weights for the inside workout regulars, and they could have their own, privately-funded gym. Then comes the power, then the women.
I've heard horror stories about gyms here, but the ABC article is pretty lightweight:
Read the full story!
"Some gyms have been known to sell memberships before they're open and then fail to open for months. Others have gone out of business, leaving prepaid members in the lurch. Once again, the BBB numbers are enlightening. A hefty 15 percent of complaints concerned gyms that went out of business soon after opening, leaving customers in the lurch who had paid expensive initiation fees."
I once asked about a membership to a gym in China, and they tried to fleece me out of a one-year contract almost immediately. They wanted to charge 6 000 RMB, which is a lot of money in China, and I laughed and laughed as I left the building. The pool wasn't finished yet, and it didn't look like it'd be very popular.
But go ahead. Join the gym. Wrestle with their ironclad, automatic deduction contract.
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Comment by D. Armenta
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I wonder what the market analysts are coming up with for their main demographic? Attention-deficient, mindless morons with lots of money?
Comment by James Rickard
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Comment by AmyHuang
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I am going to stick to running around the block!
Comment by Joanne Fedler
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Much better to pound the streets, swim the oceans and climb the stairs to work.
Though have to confess to a mild love affair with Ian Thorpes' new aquatic centre in Harris Street, Sydney. Ah the clean steam bath. Oh the sweet fresh wood of the sauna. The light. The air. But in six months time it will probably succumb to the same fate as all public places where people go to sweat and will become grubby and nasty. Pity.
Jo
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Comment by Stephen Erickson
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