2008
Membership of a fitness club might be good for your health, but it could be bad for your wealth, advises Consumer Direct East Midlands. Signing up for a gym membership can be a big commitment, so it is important to know exactly what you want so you shed pounds from your waistline, rather than your pockets.
4th January 2008
January will see a rise in new gym membership contracts, but credit agreements buried in the small print could trip up thousands of people who rush to join a gym as part of their new year resolutions. Unless you have the discipline to stay committed and maximise use of that membership, Consumer Direct East Midlands cautions that financial fitness could be compromised if the novelty of a work out regime wears off.
Many people don’t realise that if they want to end their gym membership early they could still be liable for the full cost of the monthly fees for the remainder of the contract term. This means that you cannot just cancel your payments if you change your mind, lose interest or if your personal circumstances change. The advice from Consumer Direct East Midlands is to always check the terms and conditions before you sign up to anything and think about what you are committing yourself to.
Sara Barry, Consumer Direct East Midlands Manager said:
'Don’t put your financial fitness at risk in pursuit of physical fitness. If you’re joining a gym make sure you know what you are signing up to and always check the small print. Consider the total cost of joining fees, your monthly membership and any cancellation fees - in addition to how close the gym is to your work or home and what it offers - so you don’t waste your money in 2008.'
'A contract cannot always be cancelled simply because the member has a change of heart. Even life changing events like moving home, changing job or starting a family may not affect your contract.'
Sara Barry continued:
'The best advice I can give someone who is tied into gym membership and wants to cancel is to read the terms and conditions of the contract before stopping their direct debit.
'If you’re not sure where you stand and you’d like further advice, Consumer Direct is on hand.'
Consumer Direct East Midlands has this advice for anyone thinking of joining a gym:
- Read the terms and conditions of the membership contract carefully. You may be required to sign up for a year’s membership. Think carefully about your commitment and personal circumstances.
- Don’t be pressured into signing the contract immediately – take it away and read it carefully first.
- Check the terms of the contract for rights to suspend or terminate membership.
- If you want to terminate your membership put it in writing, rather than over the phone or in person, to avoid any potential dispute in the future. Remember to keep copies of all correspondence.
- Don’t stop paying monthly direct debits to your gym until your membership has concluded. If you do the gym can claim outstanding arrears or pass these debts to a debt collection agency.
- You may be able to stop your gym membership within the contract period if the gym fails to provide a satisfactory quality service. You would still need to continue paying membership fees until you notify the gym in writing, with the reasons for terminating the contract.
- If you have a dispute and you are still tied into the contract it is best to keep paying, but inform your bank and gym that you are paying ‘under protest’ until the dispute is resolved.
- Even if your contract is coming to an end, you should still notify your gym in writing if you do not want to renew your membership as some gym memberships renew automatically and you could find yourself tied in to another 12 month contract.
To check your rights before joining a gym or if you think the terms and conditions of your membership are unfair call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
-ends-
MEDIA enquiries:
Georgina Barton
Tel: 01522 535792
Mobile: 07768 840239
Email: georgina.barton@consumerdirect-eastmidlands.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
3. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
4. A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
5. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
6. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct. Visit the ConsumerLine website.
