Gym membership pricing

oneweb

What's the deal with trying to get prices? I've tried calling a few and they're very hesitant to give a figure over the phone :dunno:

What gym are ppl here in, what do ya pay, and how do you find the facilities?

uberwolf

UCD crunch fitness. Apparently other universities have crunch fitnesses and we're the only ones to pay for membership No idea why. My mebership is up soon and even though I'm using it frequently the €190 seems steep IMO

tba

Its to do with the way you look they want you to come into the gym and check you out before giving a price.

If you look fit they will drop the price as they dont want flakes in the gym.

uberwolf

Originally posted by tba
Its to do with the way you look they want you to come into the gym and check you out before giving a price.

If you look fit they will drop the price as they dont want flakes in the gym.

really?

tba

no Im only extracting the urine

It would explain a lot though

oneweb

Originally posted by tba
Its to do with the way you look they want you to come into the gym and check you out before giving a price.

If you look fit they will drop the price as they dont want flakes in the gym.

You may be takin' tha pi$$, but actually it wouldn't surprise me if it was true!! OK, anyone short and overweight (complete opposite of me) willing to take a challenge? Haha, I was just on the phone to more and they ask when I'd be able to pay a visit. ME: ahhhhh, um, maybe next week sometime (lazy lazy)

sceptre

Originally posted by uberwolf
UCD crunch fitness. Apparently other universities have crunch fitnesses and we're the only ones to pay for membership No idea why.

NUIG crunch has membership (GF joined). No idea if they have a casual rate as well.

uberwolf

one of our college papers ran a story on the fact recently, its not to hand but I'll dig it up and check it out. AFAIK tis substantially more expensive than other places and that at least one coll has it for free.

daveirl

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Johnny Versace

Gym membership fees annoy me. Seriously.

smiaras

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asmith

The reason they don't tell you the price over the phone is because they want to call in and see their "wonderful facilities". If they tell you over the phone that it's 800 yoyos a year you'll just say "no thanks joe" and hang up. Hoever, if you call in and they show you around you'd probably be more inclined to go "hmmmm maybe; I do like the look of that pool".

usualsuspect

It's standard sales tactic - you don't show someone the cost until they have seen the value.

It is probably very unlikely they ever get a sale unless the person is in the gym, so when you ring up their sole aim is to get you into the gym. Then they can show you around, and give you a choice of membership options and payment plans.

I very much doubt they only want fit people in there. Money is money...it is all about the money. If you look good they might give you an incentive to join...but they would never turn away the money...

Genghis

Yeah, that sort of stuff drives me nuts - whether it happens with gym membership or anything else.

The other thing I can't stand is the 'joining fee'. I am guessing that this came originally came about when gyms where more like real 'clubs', which might've been funded along community centre lines etc. The idea presumably being that you paid a contribution towards the significant capital investment for the equipment, plus an ongoing subscription for the running of the club etc.

However, nowadays you get nothing in return for your joining fee - you don't get to own a share in the equipment you have 'subsidised', you have no voting rights, no say in how your 'club' is run, and if you leave you have no entitlement to 'sell' your subsidy to a new member (or in any other way transfer this fee). If the club makes a surplus in any year, you get no say how this might be invested. Indeed if you let your membership lapse at any point you will have to pay it a second time.

Lets face it - Gyms are not clubs. They make profits (not surpluses). Profits are retained for shareholders (not members). Investment is made by shareholders (not members). The club is owned by shareholders (not members). Gyms, like the rest of the leisure industry, is a serious and profitable business nowadays.

Forget about 'club notions', start calling us members. And lose the Joining Fee!

eth0_

Generally gyms are around 50-60 euro.
The reason they don't give prices out over the phone is because they want to get you in, show you round and give you the hard sell. They also have promotions running all the time, so there's rarely a fixed price.

Best gym I was in was westpoint in Blanch, it cost about that, I think it's gone downhill now because there's too many members in it...

trotter_inc

Im paying 560 euro for the UL Arena in Limerick - excellent gym and facilities - includes the pool as well but is still a bit steep.

eirebhoy

My parents paid a few hundred yoyo's for a membership to Sportsco beside Shelbourne Park and they still have to still have to pay for the pool, gym and leasure seperately. Total rip off, but if they're happy. :rolleyes:

Mr E

I'm in the Castletroy Park Hotel gym in Limerick. Spacious, pool, good changing rooms and power showers....

They recently got rid of their joining fee (I think it was €350!) if you pay for the year up front, otherwise the joining fee is a month in advance. One month is €60 (€600 for the year, I think). Not too bad at all. There is also a €5 discount per month for anyone who works in the tech park, so its costing me €55 a month by DD.

I go about 4 times a week, so its costing me about €3.40 per session. Pretty affordable....

- Dave.

daveirl

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