Your gym - has it passed on the VAT reduction?

System

Our gym passed on the VAT reduction :j and then a couple of weeks later put their prices up :rolleyes:

Fire_Fox

I thought I might comment on some of the complaints raised in this thread, as I have worked in several gyms (family-run, attached to hotel and within hospital) and had good friends who work(ed) in council-run facilities and big chains.

Firstly there is no excuse for an ongoing lack of hygeine. You must e-mail Head Office or bring it to the attention of the Duty Manager: telling the receptionist or other members is ineffective. However, I would note that it is very difficult to keep a gym clean due to the sheer volume of people using them, lack of personal hygeine of members and the hours that gyms are open. I have been shouted at on many occasions for deep cleaning poolside when just one person was having a swim. Ditto the changing rooms - members rightly want the facilities clean, but not when they are in the club!! :rolleyes:

Secondly I would totally agree that some of the sales and retention practices are highly dubious: or this reason I don't work for big chains. However, there are good reasons for contracts - a gym will actually make a loss on the person who attends regularly, the profit comes from the 90% of members that don't go after the first month. :rotfl:

Gyms also make a loss on running a swimming pool, unless they charge huge fees. You honestly wouldn't believe the annual energy bills for an average-sized club with no pool; add in swimming and you are talking mega bucks as the filters and heaters run 24/7. The water has to be tested every four hours plus lifeguarding plus deep cleans which adds to your staffing and training budgets. :eek:

Bearing this in mind it is unfair to say that any council-run facility should pass on the VAT reduction. They are usually heavily subsidised anyway, or run as a charitable/ non profit-making organisation. The extra 2.5% you shouldn't miss cos you signed up for the total price package anyway, and it can be spent on improving other areas of the service ... such as cleaning.

Nomad25

David Lloyd in [strike]Cambridge[/strike] Belfast are useless

No vat cuts, only membership fees increased

chickalittle

bumblebeebecky23 wrote: »

Hi

Can anyone offer advice please?

I am currently a member of virgin gym and have diamond membership (which means it wont ever go up) so therefore I should never be affected by a price rise anyway but when I contacted them to see if they are going to reflect the new 15% vat rate in there monthly charges they said that the diamond membership wont go up or down so basically no.

Is this legal? Technically the monthly payment has gone up if they are only taking 15% for VAT and keeping any difference themselves? surely no-one but the government are entitled to vat money??

I'm in the same position and asked the same Q. I was told that Diamond membership price never changes and so when the VAT rate goes up - I will still pay the same as I am now. I must say I'm not 100% convinced ....
I'll not be a happy bunny if my monthly fee does go up when the VAT rate increases.

prowla

My local council sports centre hasn't.