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COPYRIGHT 2004 Australian Consumers' Association
Earlier this year, the Victorian Minister of Consumer Affairs issued a warning to examine gym contracts carefully before signing up. This was a response to a 32% increase in the number of complaints received by Consumer Affairs Victoria about gyms and the fitness industry.
Interested in discovering the scope and prevalence of consumer issues with regard to gyms, CHOICE conducted an Australia-wide online survey (see Touching a nerve?, far right), We wanted to see if there were any areas of gym membership where particularly good or bad practices were prevalent, and to alert consumers to what to look for when joining.
Of the 948 survey respondents, the majority were happy with their gym and hadn't had any problems. However, a significant minority reported negative experiences, in particular high-pressure sales tactics, staff more interested in making money than providing instruction and advice, and neglect of medical risk responsibilities.
Here are the highlights of our findings, and tips on how to get the most out of your gym membership.
JOINING UP
* "They gave me a tour and all the information and left it to me to make a decision whenever I was ready. I was welcome to ask any questions at any time, and to inspect facilities again if I needed to. It was all very relaxed."
In an ideal world--one where all gyms follow the guidelines in their state's code of practice (see page 12)--all signing-up experiences would be like this. However, our survey findings suggest the real world's very different.
A common complaint (14% of members in our survey) was that they were induced by special offers and an invitation to inspect facilities, then felt pressured to sign up. This figure increased to over 30% among members of two gym chains, FITNESS FIRST and FERNWOOD (see Gym chains, page 13, for more on FITNESS FIRST and FERNWOOD).
Most codes of practice say gyms shouldn't use high-pressure tactics, harassment or coercion to get people to join up. However, exactly what constitutes 'high pressure', etc, may largely be a matter of interpretation.
Not being offered a monthly payment option (8%) and being offered a chance to pay upfront fees for a membership longer than one year (7%) are also potential breaches of the codes of practice.
Other complaints included not being made aware of the full price of services offered (8%), feeling misled about the services and facilities on offer (6%) and feeling misled by special offers as to the true cost of membership (5%).
All in all, 31% of gym members in our survey felt they had experienced some form of unfair or high-pressure sales tactics when signing up.
What to look out for
* Don't succumb to high-pressure sales tactics. Take your time to look around, consider the membership options on offer, and check out other gyms.
* Don't be swayed by special offers available for 'today only'. Chances are, if you go back after you've thought about it, the offer will still stand.
* Ask questions before you sign anything. If they're not interested in helping you during the money-extraction phase, they're even less likely to want to help you achieve your health and fitness goals after you've joined.
Know your rights--familiarise yourself with your state's code of practice before joining (see How fit's the industry?, page 12).
MEDICAL MATTERS
* "During my medical screening my blood pressure was taken and was very high. The gym wouldn't proceed with my membership until I'd sought advice from a doctor. After taking medication, it was low enough to satisfy the gym's requirements, and so my membership started. If I hadn't done the medical, I probably wouldn't have found out about my condition for some time."
All codes of practice require gyms to screen...
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