Watch out for the fine print with Gym Membership

posullivan38

I would like to let you know about a bad experience I recently had with Jackie Skelly. I have since learned of other bad experiences from other lost customers of Jackie Skelly

Basically, I thought i joined for 12 months which for me was a big financial commitment given how hard it was going to be to go to the gym couple of times a week. Anyway, alas, my job made it difficult to go so at 12 months I cancelled my direct debit.

Then I found Jackie Skelly sold me a 14th month contract. It’s an open contract with 2 months notice i.e. 14 month contract. My single bone of contention is simply that had I known that the contract was greater than the 12 months, I would have reconsidered. With many potential customers who are considering getting into the habit of the gym, the question of 12 months is a lot of money when you are unsure. If you knew what I know now, you would not sign up. I have no issue with this open contract approach but rather how this was presented to me upfront. My advice for potential customers of Jackie Skelly, consider your financial commitment and if you are unsure check other gyms which will be more transparent and where you know what you are getting into!

jimmycrackcorm

I read that Jackie skelly sends in the debt collectors if you don't keep up your monthly payments. I must ring up enquiring about membership and then pop that question in at the end.

Lousy business practice.

Newaglish

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I read that Jackie skelly sends in the debt collectors if you don't keep up your monthly payments. I must ring up enquiring about membership and then pop that question in at the end.

Lousy business practice.

I thought that would be expected, no? If you're using the gym, you gotta pay for it!

faceman

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I read that Jackie skelly sends in the debt collectors if you don't keep up your monthly payments. I must ring up enquiring about membership and then pop that question in at the end.

Lousy business practice.

yeah shame on them for not accepting customers not paying their bills. :rolleyes:

OP the contract you have with jackie skelly is a 12 month contract with a 60 day cancellatin term. You can cancel at any time giving 60 days notice. If you cancel within the first 10 months, you must pay for the first 12 months regardless. However after that its 60 days notice.

at what point in your contract are you trying to cancel? If its within the first 10 months then they should not be charging you for more than 12 months.

Oh yeah and make sure you cancel in writing. 60 day notice period is crazy for gym membership

mcaul

National Consumer Agency is working on these outdated & unfair contacts -

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=24817-qqqx=1.asp

The NCA is in contact with other gyms due to concerns over membership contracts.

‘‘We have contacted another major gym and outlined our concerns with their terms,” said Catherine Lenihan, assistant director with the NCA.

In this case, one of the concerns relates to contracts which automatically roll over after a year, which means the member continues to pay monthly gym fees after a year and has to give a certain amount of notice to cancel the contract.

Lenihan said the NCA was preparing guidelines for gyms on how they should draw up membership contracts.

satellite07

posullivan38 wrote:

I would like to let you know about a bad experience I recently had with Jackie Skelly. I have since learned of other bad experiences from other lost customers of Jackie Skelly

Basically, I thought i joined for 12 months which for me was a big financial commitment given how hard it was going to be to go to the gym couple of times a week. Anyway, alas, my job made it difficult to go so at 12 months I cancelled my direct debit.

Then I found Jackie Skelly sold me a 14th month contract. It’s an open contract with 2 months notice i.e. 14 month contract. My single bone of contention is simply that had I known that the contract was greater than the 12 months, I would have reconsidered. With many potential customers who are considering getting into the habit of the gym, the question of 12 months is a lot of money when you are unsure. If you knew what I know now, you would not sign up. I have no issue with this open contract approach but rather how this was presented to me upfront. My advice for potential customers of Jackie Skelly, consider your financial commitment and if you are unsure check other gyms which will be more transparent and where you know what you are getting into!

i too recently found this issue, when i signed up i was told by sales person
that it is a 12 month contract, they use loads of pressue, like " this offer is only available for two days etc"... anyways they didnt explain the fine details of the contract to me.... had i known too that with jackie skellys 12 months does not mean 12 months but 14 months then i would have run a mile.

i use the facilities but i hate companies that slip in sly conditions like that.


as other posters have said, you are considering joining, at the slightest bit of pressure from the sales persons, walk away.. and definately read the small print... take a copy of a blank contract away with you to read, before you sign anything...


is it possible to cancel after 10 months, ie on month 10 , send in 2 months written notice , that brings you up to the "initial minimum membership period" of 12 months?

axer

satellite07 wrote:

is it possible to cancel after 10 months, ie on month 10 , send in 2 months written notice , that brings you up to the "initial minimum membership period" of 12 months?

If it is a 12 month contract then of course you could have cancelled after at the 10th month or give notice even earlier but still complete the 12 months.

Ginny

I know this is an old thread but anyways...
I have had a rough experience with JS.
I was/am a member for a year and a half, when I joined I was over one side of the city and my other half was over the other side.
I joined branch A, a year later I move in with my other half and enquire about transferring my membership to branch B.
I was told this can't be done but I can upgrade to a platinum membership, and the front desk girl askes how much I'm paying monthly, (€73), she was visably shocked by this and rang upstairs, when she got off the phone she was all sweetness and light and said they'd upgrade me for free.
Alarm bells went off, JS doing something for free...
turns out they had me signed up for platinum membership from the start, I distintly remember telling her I wasn't interested in it when I joined up, and had been paying addidtional costs for towels etc throughtout my time in branch A.
So I look into it, turns out everyone I know is paying different fees for the gym.
I enquired about my contract and they swear blind I ticked the platinum membership box, I know I didn't.
I can't find my copy of it and even though I've enquired they haven't produced it.
There in follows a lot of back and forth and eventually I asked to cancel my contract, they say I have to come in, I said I can't get back over to cancel it plus I want to cancel it from this moment on.
So she says yes ok we will do it from now by phone, to be sure I cancell my DD.
3 months later I get a phonecall asking me why I cancelled my DD.

Where do I stand will JS mess up my credit rating now?

axer

GinnyJo wrote: »

I know this is an old thread but anyways...
I have had a rough experience with JS.
I was/am a member for a year and a half, when I joined I was over one side of the city and my other half was over the other side.
I joined branch A, a year later I move in with my other half and enquire about transferring my membership to branch B.
I was told this can't be done but I can upgrade to a platinum membership, and the front desk girl askes how much I'm paying monthly, (€73), she was visably shocked by this and rang upstairs, when she got off the phone she was all sweetness and light and said they'd upgrade me for free.
Alarm bells went off, JS doing something for free...
turns out they had me signed up for platinum membership from the start, I distintly remember telling her I wasn't interested in it when I joined up, and had been paying addidtional costs for towels etc throughtout my time in branch A.
So I look into it, turns out everyone I know is paying different fees for the gym.
I enquired about my contract and they swear blind I ticked the platinum membership box, I know I didn't.
I can't find my copy of it and even though I've enquired they haven't produced it.
There in follows a lot of back and forth and eventually I asked to cancel my contract, they say I have to come in, I said I can't get back over to cancel it plus I want to cancel it from this moment on.
So she says yes ok we will do it from now by phone, to be sure I cancell my DD.
3 months later I get a phonecall asking me why I cancelled my DD.

Where do I stand will JS mess up my credit rating now?

They cannot affect your credit rating unless they are a member of the ICB (Irish Credit Bureau). The best way to cancel anything is by letter. Forget about phone etc - they have no record. Email can be a bit dodgy sometimes. You cannot beat the good 'ol reliable letter. Send a letter to them now and let them know when you cancelled your membership 3 months ago and why too. You could tell them that you want a refund for the difference in price between platinum and non-platinum - they would have to prove that you ticked the box etc. and show you your application.

Ginny

I know I know, should have done in in person or at least in letter but I was all over the place at the time.
I just wanted to make sure before they ring back and start threating me:D
I'm just going for a house and don't need anything to ruin it.
As for the platinum and non-platinum membership, I've written that off it's about €150, they swear blind they have the form and I'd ticked the box, and I wouldn't put it past them to do it now.
Cheers for that.

philcsl

I joined Carlisle in Terenure a couple of weeks ago and they were doing a special offer of 2 people join for €700 and a 3rd person joins for free.

It was the 2nd or 3rd of December and the membership covers up until 31st Jan 2009 so it was 13 full months. It worked out at €700 for 3 people for 13 months each which is only €233 each or €18 a month.

I didn't know who was going to take the 3rd membership so they gave me a voucher for the 3rd person!

Anyways, I thought it was a great deal, the place can get fairly packed in the evenings but I go during the day so suits me perfectly! Nice staff too...

I've no affiliation at all with them but was just impressed by the place and price... I'm sure Ben is on the radio all day every day advertising it anyway!