Fitness First, virtually impossible to cancel the membership

[Hermit]

We've come to an amenable truce, Hermit. He pleads "Spank me! Spank me", and I obligingly demur...

Cool. In case you feel the urge to spank me instead, though, you'll just have to join a queue.

[walli]

I'm just about to join a gym properly and was shopping around. Now I'll avoid all those gimmicky ones and go straight to the local council-operated one I was originally going to go with, they don't have ANY "joining fee" and the 12-month membership is only $12 more than if you pay direct debit by the month - so I'll see about doing the upfront payment one now because the direct debit option is definitely staring to sound dodgy..based on this thread.

[Diabolical]

Cool. In case you feel the urge to spank me instead, though, you'll just have to join a queue.

*spank* Next!

I'm just about to join a gym properly and was shopping around. Now I'll avoid all those gimmicky ones and go straight to the local council-operated one I was originally going to go with, they don't have ANY "joining fee" and the 12-month membership is only $12 more than if you pay direct debit by the month - so I'll see about doing the upfront payment one now because the direct debit option is definitely staring to sound dodgy..based on this thread.

Just make sure you take the time to read anything you sign. The gym I was with wasn't Fitness First, but they did the same thing. Essentially once you give them the power of direct debit they will continue to deduct the payments long after your great great great great grandchildren are long buried, if you don't ask them to stop. I made the assumption that once my contract expired the payments would stop, but that is where the profitable little clause they put on the end of the contract came in. Until you notify them in writing the payments continue, regardless of whether you've used gym in the last century or not.

[walli]

*spank* Next!



Just make sure you take the time to read anything you sign. The gym I was with wasn't Fitness First, but they did the same thing. Essentially once you give them the power of direct debit they will continue to deduct the payments long after your great great great great grandchildren are long buried, if you don't ask them to stop. I made the assumption that once my contract expired the payments would stop, but that is where the profitable little clause they put on the end of the contract came in. Until you notify them in writing the payments continue, regardless of whether you've used gym in the last century or not.

Okay. Definitely paying up-front!

[snapper]

Okay. Definitely paying up-front!

I'm also going to strongly recommend NO direct debit under any circumstances.

I too wanted to join a gym recently but each one only had direct debit method or pay 1 big lump payment which I couldn't afford. I told them no direct debit, they said they cant do any other method.
I decided to walk out and literally kept on walking as I instantly decided I didn't need them.

I now walk every day at least 30min a day NO exceptions (ie. rain, hail or shine) and have lost quiet a bit of weight already.

It takes bucket loads of motivation to keep going back to the gym so make sure you have it before you put down your hard earned cash. I have tried on and off for like 5 years with various levels of success and have joined about 4 gyms so I know the pain of leaving one.

See if they have a 3 month pre-paid offer and if you go at least 4 times a week EVERY week, no exceptions in that 3 months then I say get a years membership.

Also ring around and get all info on 1 year plans. Then play them all against each other, tell them this gym is offering me this, can you better it? then go to another one and say that gym is offering me this can you better it? keep going till you know the best price then go back to the gym you want and say I want 1 year at this price $XX take it or leave it.

You will be surprised how much extra value you can get like this, all it takes is a few phone calls all of which can be done on a Sat.
Remember you have the cash and there are lots of gyms and options so you have the power not them, use it.

Good luck.

[debs]

This reminds me a lot of an episode of Friends...

You would be correct that same episode was repeated on Channel 10 just recently ... One of the guys joined a gym and then decided he no longer wanted to go but the gym kept taking money from his bank account, he spoke about closing his account to stop the payments, that's about when I had something else to do so I forget how it ended

[walli]

I've arranged to pay upfront. Thanks for the advice!

[polarwarp]

Does FF allow upfront or only DD? All this discussion makes me nervous about going on DD (but nice to read leaving rules/process that you should be able to follow - eg. the registered mail thing, etc..)

I'm looking to join simply because it would be convenient to go to round the corner from work at lunchtimes.. and then near home on the weekend. I'm a member of my local gym but hardly go because I struggle to get there after work. They also don't have the les mills exercise classes, etc..

In regards to just go running - I get home too late to do a run in the evening.. and I'm not going to run at lunchtimes with no shower, etc.. and the city crowds to deal with.. so I think I'll fare better with exercise classes I used to work for a gym so would go there at lunch times religiously.. so I'm hoping I could get back to that sorta pattern!!

[howsit_goin]

I joined FF centre in January 2009 on what I was lead to believe was a 3 month contact. I was assured it was a 3 month contract and a training plan was made. 1st month Introduction, 2nd month short term goal and the 3rd being my long term goal. Being disabled on a pension, not knowing what or how my medical condition would be affected. 3 month membership seemed appropriate, the offer was also for 2 free trainer assisted sessions.IT HAS BECOME A NIGHTMARE. Even after the assurance by the person who joined me up for only 3 months I am now being forced into 12 month contract which I can not use because of my medical condition. The options, sucker someone into finishing the contract, (that is not acceptable) or supply a doctors certificate and pay $200. I can not refer to the person who joined me up, to back up the 3 month claim as he quit from fitness first. His reason for leaving was that the "Job was not for him". To me that showed that he knowingly joined me and others up on a false 3 month contract at the direction of FF management knowing that 3 month contracts did not exist. The worse thing I did was do Direct Debit as the amounts suppose to be deducted exceeded the subscribed payment schedule, leaving me out of pocket due to bank dishonour fee charges. STAY AWAY FROM FITNESS FIRST GYMS, THEY WILL MISLEAD YOU, CHARGE EXORBITANT FEES.

[giilby]

wat a horrible situation i feel so sorry for u howsit
After all these horror stories i'm even more convinced that my Wii Fit and rowing machine will do fine helping me lose my 20kgs.