Any Gym membership offers?

jenniewb

OK, I hope this is in the correct thread!

I wanted to post this to see if anyone knew of any offers for any gyms. In the London area- but incase anyone else is interested, please feel free to add in other gyms in other areas of the UK.

I am a self confessed gym junkie- I go several days a week without fail (a losing weight obsession!) I am now looking to change gyms, as my current gym use (two gyms) comes to £100 a month!!:eek: Ouch! Can't afford to do that anymore! (Lost job earlier this year, was able to afford it when I was working)

So. Come February when my contract runs out, I will need a new gym and am looking out for any offers anyone knows of.

A few suggestions for any posts or ideas- you don't have to know the answers, it just helps if you do:

• I am wary that many run out soon- like the end of december- is it worth hanging on? do you know if certain gyms do the same sorts of offers year in year out at certain months of the year?

• Also, how hard is it to get out of a contract? is there a minimum sign up? is there any sort of a get out clause? (don't think I will be using it as I have been going to gyms for years and years, but could be of help to others looking)

• Classes: how are they? well organised? interesting? dull? poorly attended?

• Gym facilities? clean? tidy? any freebies? or could it do with a good clean and new air conditioning?

• Machines- many or not enough? do you have to que? or is it fairly easy to use what you want to use?

• And (most importantly!) Price! how much a month! any hidden extras? any scary fees for losing cards or locker keys? food or water, is it expensive there?

Thankyou in advance for any posts on this!

sheilanick

Wow a lot of questions.:D

Gym membership is nearly alwaysfor a 12 month minimum period. A few do have monthly usage contracts, but they may not be the best place to train.,

I am a member at Esporta, we have a minimum 12 month contract with a 3 month notice period. Terms & conditions are strictly enforced, as thay are at most gyms, so don't sign if you don't want a 12 month commitment.

Visit the gyms that you are interested in and then ask about a complimetary day pass before you sign up. That way you can try all the facilities at your favoured training times.

Our gym has special offer most months, usually the monthly rate stays the same, but the joing fee may be waived, or you get 13 for the price of 12, or a free bag or whatever. Try negotiating as most gyms are losing members and the sales guys have flexibility

pixelchick10

I'm on an annual membership and pay £300 per year. There's no notice period to leave, even if you're on the monthly direct debits. It's a small local gym (not one of the chains), but new, with new but limited equipment (no climber ) and overlooks a swimming pool. I'm sure they're losing members too (despite what the trainer claims) as they had a 'try for 12 days free' sign on the noticeboard. I too have been a member of several gyms -- in Greenwich I used the local authority chain (Wellness) which had been farmed out to private contract. And for £33 odd pounds a month, it was an excellent deal, with spacious, well-equipped gyms and no nasty restrictions or notice periods. That was my favourite gym chain. When I moved here, I tried Fitness First -- not friendly, they didn't clean it enough and when I wanted to leave, it wasn't easy. I haven't been able to use the gym for a couple of months after an op, and have realised that there are so many other and cheaper/free ways to keep fit - walking/cycling/exercise DVDs/parkgyms (yes we have some of those here in the open!). But, like you, I've always used them. Now I'd never join a gym with a long contract or more than a month getout clause - if it's that good why do they want to force you to stay? Sorry this has turned into an essay ...

pixelchick10

Jennie - one other thing, come February, make sure you give your notice in writing for your gyms and get a signed receipt or send it recorded delivery. That way they can't try to wiggle out and pretend they haven't received it (as happened to me).

silkcutblue

No, not all memberships are for 12months. Fitness First do a one month membership but you pay for it.

However, most gyms will have local offers and specials, so, while we can say, "Gym XY is awesome", as we don't know which branch you will go to then it's a bit moot.

Same with classes, lockers rooms, cafes - specific to each location and as you are talking about ALL of London then...well, bit of a problem.

Narrow the criteria down a bit?

jenniewb

Thnaks for the heads up on the contract info pixelchick10- small world- I live in Greenwich! I currently use the Wellness/arches as one of my gyms- I pay per useage (use it twice a week, pay just around £30 a month, sometimes more if I do more classes as I pay per visit). But Arches changing rooms need to change -they are always full of mould, rarely clean... it is not nice when you have beed sweatting it out in a gym to find a mouldy, hairy, littered changing room. But the classes are great- when the rooms are air conditioned and the music works!! Its also been about 7 years and I need a change I think. The waterfront is ok, but too small. The showers are also too faint and cold for me.

Thanks for the info in fitness first- had been to them about 2 years ago for a free 3 day trial- they haven't changed thier ways it seems!

I currently go to the Reebok at the weekends (£55 a month) VERY friendly, tonnes of freebies: use of free towels, hair straighteners, steam room, iron, power plates, teaching is second to none and the machines facities are in surplus supply- oh and its the cleanest place I have seen on the earth! Will be sorely missed- am aware I will never match this!!

I had been looking into going to LA fitness- I have seen there is one contract which is free for 6 months on a 12 month contract- meaning I would pay £47 a month. I do travel about the center, the west, the east and the south of London quite a bit so the idea of being able to visit any LA fitness gym in London is a huge plus for me. Not so clear how they are with their facilities though. I have a 5 day pass I will be trying out and will feed back here to anyone else who is looking for advice/point of view.

Thanks again.

Fire_Fox

I have worked in a good few gyms so can answer general questions ....

All gyms do a big push on advertising in January, and in less well off areas this can run right through February (in a cash economy people wait to get paid before they join). You don't necessarily get the best deals then, as the world and his dog will join as a result of new year's resolutions. Gyms just try to make their offering appear to be a better deal than immediate competitors (this can be added value, or pretending to give you a special deal).

Most gyms do another push on advertising around Easter - 'shape up for summer' or similar. However the best deals are often to be had when business is slow - all summer and December are times that more members quit than newbies join. The reason you will see free trials offered in December is that very few members train then, so it's the perfect time to drum up new business.

Most chains employ sales staff, and sales staff have targets to meet. You may therefore get the best deals a week before the end of the month when the sales team are short of their target. Usually the best deal a chain can offer you is set by head office, but there is generally wiggle room. Ask, ask and ask again. Use the broken record technique and don't ever apologise for asking.

Don't join a gym when you first have a look round and give your contact details: wait for the sales staff to telephone you to follow up. Never tell them the gym has been recommended as they will know you are keen. Always say you are looking around their competitors (name them) and are looking for the best price. If you have been offered a better price elsewhere - say so. Make sure you visit at the time of day you are going to use the gym and specially look for hygiene issues.

If you like group exercise ask if the classes still run when only a few people book into the class (some cancel if less than three, this often happens in the daytime or early morning). Get them to write anything they promise down, even if it's a squiggle on the back of a timetable as you can cancel for breach of contract if needs be.

Any gym with a pool will be expensive - they are a loss leader due to the amount of electricity they use, and upkeep required. If the pool stinks of chlorine or the jacuzzi has foamy stuff in, that is a dirty gym so walk away.

In terms of cancellation most gyms ask for a months notice; this may be a calendar month i.e. 1st to 1st (Esporta). This is bad if you join 2nd January .... if you default some gyms are worse than others at hassling you if you miss a payment, again sales and reception staff are given targets of defaulters to get money out of (Esporta again). Some gyms don't charge you as much for monthly membership, but each person is calculated on extra revenue per year (LA Fitness). Many chains now have freelance personal trainers who will come round and try to hassle you into using their services (Fitness First, Virgin Active).

Remember this is a business NOT a service. Best way to get a fair deal? Join your local authority gym, or get a part-time/ casual job cleaning or on reception. Best people to ask which local gym provides a good or poor service? Make friends with the gym staff, we hear all the moans from disgruntled ex-customers and some gripes come up again and again.

jenniewb

Thankyou so much for that Fire Fox- its really helpful stuff! I am planning on visiting a few gyms this next week- will see if I can haggle a deal!

wolfie007

hi, hope someone is still out there on this one.... Nuffield/cannons are doing an offer til 9pm tonight of rest Dec free (but that's hardly worth it, may make 1 trip!!) and no joining fee.... anyone have any inside info on whether there is a better deal than this or if there is likely to be in January?! Should I go for it now or hold my horses?! Help!

Always_Harassed

Check out your local colleges. Many of them will have a gym and if you sign up for a part time course you can get the student price. Check opening times as some close over holidays and some have short days at weekend but others are open as long as private ones.

blue_monkey_2

I am not sure if there is one where you live but I am with David Lloyd which are pretty good. I pay £40 (I think going up to £41 in Jan) and it is full use of the Gym and Pool - kids under 6 get free membership with you and there are loads of classes you can go to too.

You have to sign up for 3 months and then after that you can cancel anytime. This is what appealed to me. They have a 'Refer a Friend' programme running where you can get a free gift like trainers or an Ipod too.