Cancelling Membership in Total Fitness

andyred

I recently joined Total Fitness on the Malahide road as it was just around the corner from where I live. I am now moving and wont be able to go to the gym. Does anybody know if it is possible to cancel your membership and get some money back? I paid up in full about 3-4 weeks ago and it is a waste of a lot of money!

kirving

Thats a pity, I wonder if you could have the member ship transferred and then sell the remainder to somebody so you'd get at least some money back.

devineamydevine

I think you can freeze your membership for 6 months but not sure if they will refund you the 6 months of fees or just add it on to the end of your membership year.

I'd say that they will have some form of penalty to pay if you cancel and look for a refund. Good luck

Random

If they don't have a cooling off period or an option to transfer the membership, then I'd take whatever they're willing to offer.

Hanley

You can get a freeze on your membership, not sure how long. 3 or 6 months I think.

If you're moving within Dublin you should be near enoguh to SOME TF.

TheOak

most gyms allow a membership freeze but only with a docs not, but either way what good is a freeze unless your moving back.....

i cant imagine they will return any cash, i know any gym i have worked for or trained in never gave back money, basically they view point is thst its not their fault your moving. plus none of the gyms ever allowed another person to take over the membership. and you wont be able to just do it and not mention it to them cause all your details and pic are more than likely popping up on screen each time you swipe into the the gym.

Hanley

manhattan wrote: »

tell them to issue you a refund of the unused portion of your membership or you are going to bring the issue up with the consumer affairs dept or even better the small claims court.

would you get away with drinking half a bottle of 7up and bringining it back to the shop and demanding a refund of the unused portion?

g'em

Hanley wrote: »

would you get away with drinking half a bottle of 7up and bringining it back to the shop and demanding a refund of the unused portion?

Hardly the same. A half-full (or empty for the pessimists among us ) is not resalable, the gym membership is.

Diamondmaker

manhattan wrote: »

tell them to issue you a refund of the unused portion of your membership or you are going to bring the issue up with the consumer affairs dept or even better the small claims court.

You have no leg to stand on, the OP signed a 1 year contract and paid. The gym in turn provides the OP with a service for 1 year. The OP now, thro no fault of the gym has changed their mind and does not want the mebership.

If that was a new T shirt that was bought the shop may at its own discretion tell ya to feck off as you entered a contract, if they are really nice they may give a credit note.

In this case( as a gyms business model is based on just this scenaro - people joining, paying and eventually never going or rarely going, otherwise it would burst at the seames ) a refund is unlikely.

The OP broke an agreement for 1 years service.

Hanley

Diamondmaker wrote: »

You have no leg to stand on, the OP signed a 1 year contract and paid. The gym in turn provides the OP with a service for 1 year. The OP now, thro no fault of the gym has changed their mind and does not want the mebership.

If that was a new T shirt that was bought the shop may at its own discretion tell ya to feck off as you entered a contract, if they are really nice they may give a credit note.

In this case( as a gyms business model is based on just this scenaro - people joining, paying and eventually never going or rarely going, otherwise it would burst at the seames ) a refund is unlikely.

The OP broke an agreement for 1 years service.

THANK YOU. At least some people realise you can't just stomp your feet when something doesn't go your way and demand they do something to suit you. You're obligated by your prior actions and all that.

As for a gym membership being "resalable". It's not a scarce resource and I would imagine they can issue an near infinate number of them, so what they have to gain from "reselling" a contract to somebody else when they can just issue a new one and not have to refund money to anybody?

g'em

Hanley wrote: »

THANK YOU. At least some people realise you can't just stomp your feet when something doesn't go your way and demand they do something to suit you. You're obligated by your prior actions and all that.

Ah jeebus, the poor OP is moving!! Hardly a change-your-mind situation? I wonder will the OP be able to find another TF to switch to as has been suggested? 'tis a lot of money to say goodbye to after all.

Diamondmaker

g'em wrote: »

Ah jeebus, the poor OP is moving!! Hardly a change-your-mind situation? I wonder will the OP be able to find another TF to switch to as has been suggested? 'tis a lot of money to say goodbye to after all.

I read your rant on the state of Irish health , I could write an equal one on people who enter into contracts and then expect the other part,y who has done no wrong, to have to suffer.

Yes it is unfortunate change of circumsyances but not the gyms problem.

Yes a change of membership to another nearby TF would be nice but in no way would they be obliged. The OP will also find that the membership is non transferable ( to anothert TF maybe and certyainly means that a refund cannot be sought by "selling" the "balance" to another person )

mikemac

Any gym I've been in has allowed you to let another member take over your membership. I suppose they still get the monthly income plus they don't need to advertise for new members as much.
So ideally they want to sell as many memberships as possible way over the capacity of the gym but it's not such a big deal to allow members transfer between themselves.

As others have stated OP, you have no rights here so you have to fufill the contract.
Much the same way if you have a Vodafone bill phone and you move to the UK, you still need to buy out your contract.

Suck it up, I'm afraid

Hanley

FTR, Total Fitness memberships are universal. You can use them in any of the gyms in Ireland or England. You're not just limited to your "home" gym.

g'em

Diamondmaker wrote: »

I read your rant on the state of Irish health , I could write an equal one on people who enter into contracts and then expect the other part,y who has done no wrong, to have to suffer.

You could, but I'd move it to consumer issues. I'm not entirely sure what my thread has to do with the OP's issues though so try and stay OT and less trying to provoke a Mod eh?

Cadrach

Hanley wrote: »

THANK YOU. At least some people realise you can't just stomp your feet when something doesn't go your way and demand they do something to suit you. You're obligated by your prior actions and all that.

As for a gym membership being "resalable". It's not a scarce resource and I would imagine they can issue an near infinate number of them, so what they have to gain from "reselling" a contract to somebody else when they can just issue a new one and not have to refund money to anybody?

In general, it is pretty common to have break options in contracts like this, usually there is a penalty amounting to less than the value of the remainder of the contract. If a gym gives no money back in a case like this, then in my opinion it is very bad customer service. I've heard some shocking stories about the way gyms in Dublin operate their memberships.

You don't see what they would gain from "reselling" a contract? This is such an Irish attitude. It would be the decent thing to do. Despite what you might think, this can make good business sense, because building a positive reputation as being a decent place can lead to extra customers.

Diamondmaker

g'em wrote: »

You could, but I'd move it to consumer issues. I'm not entirely sure what my thread has to do with the OP's issues though so try and stay OT and less trying to provoke a Mod eh?

I did not mean for you to take offence.

I dont know do I deserve an infraction for that comment ?!?! :eek:

1000 posts and never a complaint about me !!

I think people should be aware that if they enter into a contract they should assume they have to finish, it unless some special circumstances.

To illustarte it further the OP ( if paying by DD had canceled the DD ) could be sued for breach of contract. Gyms often persue this way thro Debt collecting agencies.

My comparison was made so that people would not take entering into a contract lightly.

How do I appeal that infraction thingy?!?

Diamondmaker

Cadrach wrote: »

In general, it is pretty common to have break options in contracts like this, usually there is a penalty amounting to less than the value of the remainder of the contract. If a gym gives no money back in a case like this, then in my opinion it is very bad customer service. I've heard some shocking stories about the way gyms in Dublin operate their memberships.

You don't see what they would gain from "reselling" a contract? This is such an Irish attitude. It would be the decent thing to do. Despite what you might think, this can make good business sense, because building a positive reputation as being a decent place can lead to extra customers.

Jackie Skelly are extremely aggressive at chaisng "defaulters" and often pass on the debt to an agency.

Crunch will give you no refund Ben Dunne like wise and I can only imagine TF are the same. Its the business model its how ( with exception of JS )they keep costs competitive and profits high.


http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=39610&highlight=cancelling+gym+membership

see here for more appropriate discussion from a financial based forum.

Hanley

Cadrach wrote: »

In general, it is pretty common to have break options in contracts like this, usually there is a penalty amounting to less than the value of the remainder of the contract. If a gym gives no money back in a case like this, then in my opinion it is very bad customer service. I've heard some shocking stories about the way gyms in Dublin operate their memberships.

You don't see what they would gain from "reselling" a contract? This is such an Irish attitude. It would be the decent thing to do. Despite what you might think, this can make good business sense, because building a positive reputation as being a decent place can lead to extra customers.

Yes, they could gain goodwill, and yes it would be the "decent" thing to do but to what end? (FTR, I don't think it's the right way to conduct a business, but as Diamondmaker said, it's how their business model is constructed and people are fully aware of gyms reputations for their inflexability in situations like this. caveat emptor)

Total Fitness probably have the more serious weight enthusiast section of the market covered already, they're known for their great pools and sheer scale too.

I know alot of people who have moved from the Ben Dunne group to them because Westpoint and the likes have become over run due to the cheap membership schemes.

Every major chain gym in Dublin has people complaining about it. Unfortunately options are severly limited. That's why they can do it and get away with it.

When it comes down to it, they're a business. They're concerned about their bottom line, I highly doubt any amount of negative vibes caused by the situation the OP ended up will affect them getting prospective members.

Cadrach

Hanley wrote: »

When it comes down to it, they're a business. They're concerned about their bottom line, I highly doubt any amount of negative vibes caused by the situation the OP ended up will affect them getting prospective members.

Being a business is no excuse, as I already mentioned, some business concepts concepts amount to more than cold cash figures, e.g., corporate social responsibility, or basic customer service, as is relevant in this case. You are right about the negative vibes not stopping them from getting prospective members, and this is something we see in Irish hotels, airlines, car salesmen, etc.. If you pay up for 5 nights in an Irish hotel, and have to leave on day 3 because a relative dies, chances are you are stuck with the bill for the remaining two nights. Then you've got to cancel your trip to France with Aer Lingus, but it is non-refundable. They will only accommodate you if you have a death cert. But it is only your cousin, so it is not major enough. It is so stressful that you vow never to fly with Aer Lingus again, and you vow never to stay in that hotel again. The corporates are so fat that they don't care about losing a customer these days, plenty of more fodder among the suckers and unfamiliar foreigners.

Without turning this into too much of a consumer affairs thread, this is not the only way of doing business. Why is it that if you go to America, for example, things are different? Because they value customer service. A conscious effort to give a positive experience to the customer does make business sense. Sometimes businesses do things which do not have an immediately apparent benefit to themselves, such as donating money to charity. That is such an extreme example, effectively giving away free money. The example in this thread is much more grounded in obvious, direct business sense: avoiding leaving irate former customers badmouthing you, and creating a positive image as being "one of the decent gyms".

I disagree that options are severely limited. Here is one theoretical option:

Cadrach's Decent Gym
Membership Fees:
1 year: €600
6 months: €400
3 months: €250

Option 1: If you sign up for 1 year contract, but have to leave after 4 months, that's OK. We will let you off €200, retroactively downgrading your contract to a 6 month term. => effectively resulting in the customer paying €400 for 4 months.

Option 2: If you sign up for a 1 year contract, but have to leave after 4 months, that's OK. We allow you to break your contract at any time, subject to a penalty of €200 euro. Meaning after 4 months on a 1 year contract, you fees are retroactively calculated to amount to €267. Effectively, you pay €467 for 4 months.

Option 3: If you sign up for a 1 year contract but have to leave, I apologise, but we do not allow you to break your contract. Except in one circumstance: you find someone else to take your place.

These are just 3 options I took off the top of my head, so it is not worth nitpicking them, because you get the idea - there are other options. There are different business paradigms, one is the helpful American way of doing business, the other is the Irish way of being unable to see past the coffer. Which will result in the more successful business? It is hard to say, depends on how it is executed, but both are valid business models. If I moved back to Dublin, the first thing I would do before joining a gym is check which gyms are the ones that send goons out to break your fingers if you're late paying, and then I would not join those ones.

I don't have a problem with gyms taking the hard line, my problem, Hanley, is with you and other consumers actually defending it. If the responses in this thread had been "hey andyred, ya it sucks, unfortunately there is no way to get that money back. That's what gyms in Dublin are like!" then I would have no problem. Part of the reason why Irish businesses do not value customer service is because the public does not make a big enough issue of it, aside from the odd phone call to Joe Duffy.

What worries me is that in this thread, we are seeing the opposite instead. Consumers opting to take the hardline on behalf of the business, and slighting the OP with emotive language. I just don't get it.

andyred

Thanks for the replies guys. I am actually moving to a different country to take up a new job and wont be able to use any Total Fitness so my membership will be useless. 660 euro or whatever it was is alot of money to waste for something I cant use and have only used for about 3 weeks. I have been informed by Total Fitness that I wont get my money back and all I can do is freeze my account for 6 months. I know I signed a contract and its not their fault that I have negated on it but they could do the right thing and give me at least some money back. Cadrach made a couple of good points above and like he said I have already stopped 6 people from joining Total Fitness in the last week because of this and they have since joined other gyms. I know people who have paid by dd and left after a couple of months and not been persued for the remainder of their fee but people who pay up front get punished! I have been a member of several gyms in the past and was also a previous member of Total Fitness and can say that they have the worst customer service of the lot....they dont care about the customer, just about your money!

william

We wrote a letter to the Customer Service dept of Total Fitness complaining about poor customer service at the Malahide road. That was 3 months ago and we never even got a reply. 7 of us in the family would have joined if there was even a slight acknowledgement of our experience. Needlesstosay, we didn't renew our membership. Their loss. When the economic downturn comes, gyms take the first hit usually and I won't be sorry when they feel the pain.

groovyg

does anybody know the types of memberships total fitness offer, am just looking to join a gym for three months. Do they offer this ? and also do they charge a joining fee?