Crunch Fitness Dun Laoghaire = Scam?

IseeItNow

I went to have a tour of the gym the other day and noticed that they have a pretty weird way of treating customers. Firstly, some employee guy came over and started asking loads of questions about specific gyms I'd been to in the past and if I'd looked at any in Ireland recently. Then he asked a bit about my job and seemed like he was basically trying to find out my pay grade.

After the gym tour, he tells me the price to join their gym...it was 375 EUR for just the joining fee - what the hell?! I looked at him with a face of utter disgust. I could see his mind racing and he quickly blurted out this "exclusive deal" he was going to give me. He tells me how this woman had just applied for a membership about 30 mins before me. He said he could fetch her and try and get us to join as a couples membership. He said it wouldn't mean we would have to go together or even meet each other, it would just mean that the price was cheaper for me. The couples deal was apparently only a 70 EUR joining fee. At this point I was a bit taken aback, but considering I really needed to join the gym, I just took the bizarre "couples offer" of 70 EUR and agreed on about 65 EUR a month (I think) to use the gym.

So basically, Crunch Fitness will try and con their customers into paying 375 EUR to join their (frankly average) gym. Then when about 99.9% turn that down, they make up some other BS deal which is only 70 EUR and people see that as a really good deal in comparison, so they take it. I know for a fact that there are plenty of gyms which are more than willing to give you a free trial or a few days free to entice you to join, so even the idea of a joining fee seems pretty strange.

Anyway, has anyone here joined Crunch Fitness (Dun Laoghaire) and if so, what offer did you get? Also, is it legal to offer loads of different prices for essentially the same service?

ted1

Sounds like the staff were trained I in Westwood. I always walk away from sales guys who trythst rubbish

Transform

ted1 wrote: »

Sounds like the staff were trained I in Westwood. I always walk away from sales guys who trythst rubbish

well seeing as crunch was recently bought by the owner of westwood then you're going to see more of that in person and their preposterous mail shots sales team in westwood do.

via4

Try not to let it bug you a lot of gyms try and squeeze the euros out as much as they can they are a business after all. The one I joined she gave me a price of 500 for the year and it wasnt bad as I worked out I would have been paying about that in the old gym without a pool or free classes and better opening hours and more equipment and space so I felt I was getting value for money so I said I would go get money from my savings and pay cash to save the bank fees on the direct debit and when I went back a few days later it was a diff girl and she did the prices again and said it would be 416 for the year so I was delighted I said nothing felt like I made a saving in the end. You did the right thing made a face instead of handing over the money. I feel bad for gym staff they study to become trainers and end up as sales people.

Zillah

It's not so much a scam as it is hard-sell tactics. They can tell you it costs a million euro if they want; you decide if you're willing to pay it. Personally I loathe this aspect of the gym business, and there is something very creepy and predatory about scoping out a person's pay-grade, and seeing how many other gyms they've investigated so that they'll know how much they can take advantage of you.

For this reason Flyefit has my heart and I recommend it to anyone who will listen. Minimal joining fee, same prices for everyone. Look, they just list them on their website for all the world to see.

If I did end up having to do the dance with some sales jerk I would tell him I'm on the dole, have checked out every gym nearby, and will go with whoever can give me the best price, and won't commit to anything until I'm practically walking about the door asking them if that's their absolute best offer.

ballyargus

If they have a joining fee, then tell them to f**k off. A month or two in advance is fine. Joining fees are complete bulls**t. Walk away from them.

Hanley

The reason gyms get away with **** like that is because even tho people piss and moan about it, they still pay it.

matrim

Zillah wrote: »

It's not so much a scam as it is hard-sell tactics. They can tell you it costs a million euro if they want; you decide if you're willing to pay it. Personally I loathe this aspect of the gym business, and there is something very creepy and predatory about scoping out a person's pay-grade, and seeing how many other gyms they've investigated so that they'll know how much they can take advantage of you.

For this reason Flyefit has my heart and I recommend it to anyone who will listen. Minimal joining fee, same prices for everyone. Look, they just list them on their website for all the world to see.

If I did end up having to do the dance with some sales jerk I would tell him I'm on the dole, have checked out every gym nearby, and will go with whoever can give me the best price, and won't commit to anything until I'm practically walking about the door asking them if that's their absolute best offer.

The FlyeFit joining process was such a breeze. Look at their website, sign up with a credit card for the stated fees and then head down to the gym 5 minutes later.

Transform

ballyargus wrote: »

If they have a joining fee, then tell them to f**k off. A month or two in advance is fine. Joining fees are complete bulls**t. Walk away from them.

golf clubs and tennis clubs who started all of that joining fee BS often dont charge them any more because they're crying out for members, the likes of crunch and westwood are in slow decline and they dont even know it

sound like marketing contrast rule 101 to me. show the really overpriced car first then offer the actual car you want to sell them. The contrast makes the lesser figure seem like a good deal and hands are shaken. what I'd be asking is why are they charging a "joining for anyway"? it's a joke in itself.

Also that "couples deal" is discriminatory if that's what they call it!! change that to 2 for 1 or something!

adocholiday

Transform wrote: »

the likes of crunch and westwood are in slow decline and they dont even know it

They've survived through the worst of the downturn so I'd say they haven't much to worry about. I was going to sign up with Westwood a few years ago and had the same bull to deal with. Exclusive offer for 5 days... I still get a text with this exclusive offer regularly!

OP is there a reason you are looking at Crunch specifically? There are likely cheaper, less fancy gyms in the area that could serve your needs equally well

Zillah

rusty cole wrote: »

what I'd be asking is why are they charging a "joining for anyway"? it's a joke in itself.

I think there is a fair argument for something small, actually. They want dependable income. They don't want people to be too flippant about cancelling their membership, planning to rejoin whenever they feel like it. By charging a joining fee there is an incentive to commit rather than casually coming and going. Less of an issue with a self-service place like Flyefit, but anywhere that has a salesteam and paperwork to be done every time someone leaves or joins that could be a headache.

And also a chance to chisel them for more money, obviously.

Zillah

Zillah wrote: »

I think there is a fair argument for something small, actually. They want dependable income. They don't want people to be too flippant about cancelling their membership, planning to rejoin whenever they feel like it. By charging a joining fee there is an incentive to commit rather than casually coming and going. Less of an issue with a self-service place like Flyefit, but anywhere that has a salesteam and paperwork to be done every time someone leaves or joins that could be a headache.

And also a chance to chisel them for more money, obviously.

but don't they require you pay the joining fee on top of the annual fee.
so if the joining fee were say 300 and then 45 per month thereafter, your total on the day if you pay upfront is 300 + 12 x 45 = 840.00!! so as your paying up front why isn't it just 540??

I see what you're saying and it would make sense if it was a pay by month only gym maybe... but that whole westwood Fairview / crunch crowd are mental with their prices!

Zillah

Oh yeah, that's just blatant profiteering. Thankfully there are alternatives.

Transform

rusty cole wrote: »

but don't they require you pay the joining fee on top of the annual fee.
so if the joining fee were say 300 and then 45 per month thereafter, your total on the day if you pay upfront is 300 + 12 x 45 = 840.00!! so as your paying up front why isn't it just 540??

I see what you're saying and it would make sense if it was a pay by month only gym maybe... but that whole westwood Fairview / crunch crowd are mental with their prices!

plus in general the quality of service in most high end commercial gyms is far less than in smaller S & C gyms or crossfit boxes (in general).

Ive found all the staff in northwood to be sound but id rather they were all scorpy and enforced the rules, than sound buddies in favour of a bohemian style
laissez faire type gym

qb123

Member of Crunch for a few years now. Not a gym fanatic, would only do a workout once a week but also go one or two other days to use pool, the odd class, jacuzzi, sauna etc. Have always found the gym to be really well run and staff very helpful. Thankfully joining in the recession meant no joining fee then. There's been a couple of new staff added in the last couple of weeks who seem to have had McDonald's style customer service training - where previously staff used to wish a nice good evening etc., now I'm being asked "did you have a good workout" bs. Not sure why it's happened or if they think it works but annoys me no end. I would guess it was one of these asked for the fee. Regardless, I would say joining fee could be drastically reduced by a commitment to pay by DD. Can't imagine there's too many people suckered into paying it; hope so anyway.