Best way to get out of a gym membership?

[BuzzardsWife]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Honestly dude, you should be encouraging her to stay at the gym. It's healthy to work out.

ha...try telling her that! do u have a woman??? id love to hear her reaction to this brilliant suggestion

[4X4]

Originally Posted by HOOT

They do contracts because they know 90% of the people that sign up won't last more than a month or so. In most gyms if all members actually came to the gym they would be over crowded.

I understand the concept behind a contract. What I don't understand is why they're so bloody difficult and expensive to get out of. If I want to cancel my cell phone, I can pay a cancellation fee. If I want out of a mortgage, I can pay the bank a predetermined fee based on the remainder of the term. If I want out of a car lease, I can do that too. Seems like gyms are the only ones that refuse to let you out of a contract. Like you've signed it for life.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I understand the concept behind a contract. What I don't understand is why they're so bloody difficult and expensive to get out of.

They want to make money.

More people quit gyms than cut mortgages, drop leases and break cell phone contracts all combined. I bet it's the only industry that makes more money in January than in December.

I bought a membership to the gym at work and haven't been there in two months. Not because I'm not working out, but because I bought some equipment for here at home. I prefer to eat breakfast AFTER working out and if I do that at work, they don't serve Special K and strawberries in our cafeteria. I looked at my 1 year contract and no loopholes to get out other than medical. Not to bothered by it. It was only $200 and it gives me a place to go at lunchtime if my euchre group is busy.

[Dion]

I don't understand these contracts gyms are requiring people to pay. Here in High River I pay $90 every 3 months and am free to drop out and rejoin whenever I please. I usually take the summers off to concentrate on golf.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

They want to make money.

More people quit gyms than cut mortgages, drop leases and break cell phone contracts all combined. I bet it's the only industry that makes more money in January than in December.

I bought a membership to the gym at work and haven't been there in two months. Not because I'm not working out, but because I bought some equipment for here at home. I prefer to eat breakfast AFTER working out and if I do that at work, they don't serve Special K and strawberries in our cafeteria. I looked at my 1 year contract and no loopholes to get out other than medical. Not to bothered by it. It was only $200 and it gives me a place to go at lunchtime if my euchre group is busy.

They want to make money? And here I thought they were providing a free public service...

Not sure what's so hard about the question I asked. Why is it that gym contracts are impossible to get out of, when all the other contracts of the world aren't? All other contracts have early cancellation fees or some kind of contingency, but gym memberships are some kind of soul-to-devil deal that is irreversible.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Not sure what's so hard about the question I asked. Why is it that gym contracts are impossible to get out of, when all the other contracts of the world aren't? All other contracts have early cancellation fees or some kind of contingency, but gym memberships are some kind of soul-to-devil deal that is irreversible.

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

More people quit gyms than cut mortgages, drop leases and break cell phone contracts all combined. I bet it's the only industry that makes more money in January than in December.

I think DA already answered your question.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

They want to make money.

More people quit gyms than cut mortgages, drop leases and break cell phone contracts all combined. I bet it's the only industry that makes more money in January than in December.

In Jan the gym I belong to the membership shoots up until the end of Feb when people stop coming and attendance returns to normal. People join with thier new years resolutions of losing weight but quickly lose interest after a few months.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I think DA already answered your question.

I don't think he did. I'm wiling to bet that his statement is wrong, first of all. People cancel cell phones and remortgage all the time. I bet there's more people with both those contracts than with gym cortracts.
But even if it were true, that more people combined cancel all those things... Still doesn't explain why gym memberships are such a racket. I once put my name in a "win a free" box at subway and won a "free" membership to WHC. Right. When I wen tthere, I signed a disclaimer that if I was injured, that I couldn't sue. Really? Next thing I knw, I had a collection agency after me for not paying my gym dues. Turned out that the "disclaimer" was an agreement to sign up.

Yeah, my fault. I know. My point is that no other industry relies on that kind of coersion the way the gym industry does. They're the lowest of the low. They tell you you're signing one thing, but you're signing another. It reminds me of all the stories I hear about people signing deregulation contracts.

At the end of the day, I'm gun shy about signing up at a gym. Their contracts seem to have no end and no escape clause. I bet that their contracts are borderline illegal.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I don't think he did. I'm wiling to bet that his statement is wrong, first of all. People cancel cell phones and remortgage all the time. I bet there's more people with both those contracts than with gym cortracts.

Possibly, but how many people try to cancel cell plans or mortgages without paying the penalty? And is it really in either of those examples' best interest to keep that customer?

Cell penalties are $20 per month- not bad considering I currently pay $37 before tax to Telus, I'm sure they would rather get $20 for doing nothing.

Mortgages- they would definitely rather you cancel and pay the penalty. Currently most mortgages require full interest as a payout to cancel; so they would rather you pay 5% of $200K and not actually have to lend out that money.

The other key for me is that when a person cancels a gym membership; it is rarely to join another gym. It is more likely that they plan on no longer going. Cancelling a mortgage or a cell plan is more likely to be to go join another company.

Perhaps the wording may have been that more people try to skip out on gym memberships than cell and mortgages combined.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Possibly, but how many people try to cancel cell plans or mortgages without paying the penalty? And is it really in either of those examples' best interest to keep that customer?

Cell penalties are $20 per month- not bad considering I currently pay $37 before tax to Telus, I'm sure they would rather get $20 for doing nothing.

Mortgages- they would definitely rather you cancel and pay the penalty. Currently most mortgages require full interest as a payout to cancel; so they would rather you pay 5% of $200K and not actually have to lend out that money.

The other key for me is that when a person cancels a gym membership; it is rarely to join another gym. It is more likely that they plan on no longer going. Cancelling a mortgage or a cell plan is more likely to be to go join another company.

Perhaps the wording may have been that more people try to skip out on gym memberships than cell and mortgages combined.

I dont care how many people cancel cells or remortgage. The point is that there's a penalty for it, and there's a remedy for whatever your situation is. This is not the case with a gym. In my experience, gyms make it a f'n nightmare to stop doing business with them. Offer to pay for the year... I dare you... They'll still hit up your credit bureau after that year is done. Not a chance they stop charging your account at the end of the year.

[Devils'Advocate]

Actually, I was thinking more in percentages. The percentage of people that sign up for gyms and then want to cancel is extremely high.

Obviously gyms believe that they can charge a very high cancellation fee as very few people (a) read that section of the contract and (b) don't think they are going to quit. On the flip side, people do consider buying out their mortgage early so they may ask about penalties up front. They are already considering quitting even before they start. So it would earn the banks LESS money if they charged a higher cancellation fee as people would put their mortgage elsewhere. Same thing with cell phones. People want the flexibility of moving providers, don't want to be on contract and therefore are already thinking about canceling even when they are just getting the contract. But when joining a gym people want to think that they are going to this gym for years and they are not going to quit.

It's a delicate balance. Companies want to have contracts, have cancellation fees, but not have them so high to drive away business. Gyms have found that excessively high cancellation fees do not drive away business. If it did, money would talk and they would lower the cancellation fees.