The local health club has a special going on. They always have specials; at least the ones I worked at in the past did. They often waive the initiation fee. My first boss told me to buy walk-ins a drink when they come in so they feel like they owe you something – a year’s membership in return for a drink? You sign for a year to get special rate, and the automatic bank draft begins.
You faithfully go each week for the first couple of weeks. At the beginning of each year people make New Year’s resolutions. I have always called it the Two Week resolution because typically that is how long it lasts.
Shortly after the initial two weeks, attendance becomes sporadic. You miss a couple of weeks or more then make another unsuccessful stab a regular attendance. Then you miss a couple of months and return with the intention of really buckling down. For most that never happens.
Finally, you admit defeat so you try to cancel, and that becomes a hassle and expensive because there is a processing fee. You realize that there are just a few months left, and you rationalize that it is not worth the hassle of trying to terminate the contract. You ride it out cringing when you look at your monthly credit card bill and see the card charged for the service you did not use.
It does not necessarily stop there. You read the fine print and realize you are not going to get out of the contract unless you take certain steps. One clause states 인계동셔츠룸 that the contract will be renewed automatically unless an official letter requesting termination is received. You send the letter by certified mail content with the thought that the bank drafts will finally stop. You notice a few months after the yearly contract was up that the bank drafts have continued.
You call the health club to inquire and you are informed the following, “When you gave us written notice that you did not want to renew your contract we automatically switched you to a month-to-month membership”. Now you decide to pay the processing fee.
At the end of year the only thing lighter is your wallet. This is not rare scenario. The renewal rate at health clubs in 30 percent. Of that 30% many of those did not use the facility regularly. 70 percent is a lot of dissatisfied customers. No wonder that there more former members of health clubs than there are presently members.
Add to monthly membership dues the personal training package health clubs offer you. It is very expensive for a single personal training session unless you buy a very large package. You buy the package. If you are lucky you will get a personal trainer and a program suited for you. Often that is not the case. The average stay with a personal trainer is less than six months. That is not a good track record. It appears to be a revolving door.
We don’t mean to imply that health clubs offering yearly contracts are bad. There are some really great health clubs out there that offer yearly memberships. The fault lies not with the health club but with those who set themselves up with high expectations of regular attendance that, for most, is not going to happen. It might be better to try a personal training studio with no membership contracts first to see if you can stick to a consistent exercise regime.