Its only a problem with certain large chains, but they are often set up so that they automatically charge you every month and it is very hard to cancel. If a gym doesn't accept cash and demands you pay by credit card, that's a huge red flag. Also check reviews of the gym before you sign up. And of course, actually read the contract before signing. They can waive certain clauses if you confront them. And if they don't, there are plenty of small gyms to chose from.
A mate of mine was paying, say, $50/month for his gym, and had been doing so for a few years.
When he cancelled he was informed he’d actually been on a reduced rate based on an expected 10 year subscription, and as he hadn’t stayed 10 years, the price had actually been $60/month, so he now to pay a one-time fee of $10/month for every month he’d been with them, in order to be able to cancel.
Or, if he couldn’t afford that or didn’t want to pay, of course he could withdraw his cancellation and keep on paying his $50/month fee.
I thought "gym contract" in the article was an euphemism for specific types of employment contracts and was confused when nowhere else in the article mentioned anything about gyms.
Also, at least in many areas in the U.S., gyms - or more likely gym chains - are among the fastest to resort to debt/collection agencies....which in the U.S. tend to act very predatory. I don't blame orgs for resorting to collection agencies for legitimate folks who want to get out of paying, but i know far too many people who have been "accidentally" put in the sights of these collection agencies, and have had their credit negatively impacted. It sucks that businesses have such power over citizens and their financial reputation - without as much recourse.
Depends on the type of gym. The cheap ones only can pay the bills if most people are paying but not actually going. So they have to make it hard to end the contract.
There are a few gyms that don't, but these tend to be based on personal training or snall group classes. That personal attention means they are more likely to end your contract for you if you are not attending as they need a good reputation to justify the high price they have to charge everyone.
If you know what your are doing in the gym you don't need the services of the more expensive ones, so canceling will be hard.
