Gym Membership Cost Cutting: Official MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

simbalou

Would appreciate anyones advice on this one please.

I wanted to join a gym and chose LA fitness because they are close to me, have a swimming pool (which I can take my kids to at set times) and is open till 11pm which means I can go when OH is watching tv and kids are in bed!

They gave me a corporate rate for £29.75 a month but wanted a £35 joining fee. This basically equals a normal membership rate which doesn't charge a joining fee at the moment.

Sales bloke rang me today and I said I would sign up today if they dropped the joining fee. He reckons they can't do this but I think they can. Does anyone think they'll come back to me with an offer or am I just best cutting my losses and joining at the rate they originally said and paying the joining fee?

Thanks for reading

Savvy_Sue

Suggest you look at the gym cost cutting thread and article, which I shall merge this into.

geojay

I'm a member of Fitness First and pay £45 for membership. I want to reduce this, I'd be happy if I could get it down to £30 and ecstatic for £25!

I'm currently on a three month contract but am now in a position to move to a 12 month contract so that's an instant way to reduce the monthly amount. I use the gym in the evenings so an off-peak membership isn't appropriate. It's a 'platinum' level gym within Fitness First so I think that attracts a premium.

I've called them and explained that I'm considering leaving them and moving to the £160/year deal that my workplace has with the council gym. This is actually an empty threat (unbeknown to them) as the council gym is on the other side of town as opposed to FF being virtually next door! £160/year isn't a bargain if I don't actually go... All FF offered in response to my threat to leave is a reduction to £39/month if I increase my contract to 12 months. I don't think this represents any discount as I'm pretty sure that's about the rate for a 12 month contract anyway! She 'gave' me two days to get back to her in order to get it processed in time for the next direct debit. I assume that's just to get me to rush the decision...

Can anyone suggest how I can achieve my £30/month target with them? I'm tempted to call and actually ask her to initiate my cancellation but am worried she'll call my bluff. I don't actually want to be without a gym membership!

A friend did suggest it's a bad time of year to get a gym discount as January is when they have an influx of new customers on New Year's resolutions. I'm not sure how true this is in the current climate?

Thanks in advance!

top_drawer_2

hi,

I'm with Total Fitness and managed to get a £249 deal as I told them I was a student, which I am .... but they never checked this ....


Jen

Savvy_Sue

I'll merge you into our existing discussion on gym memberships, which is also linked to an article about it.

Miles16v

The article talks about using friends memberships to get 'guest passes', whilst this is a good idea, its not the only one.

If you can add yourself onto their membership to make it a joint membership, or even find a friend to join with you at the same time as a joint member, then you can save loads.

You can have a joint membership with anyone, you shouldn't have to be a couple or live at the same address.

My local council gym was £29 for a single member, or £45 for a joint membership - saving £156 a year.

Miles16v

geojay wrote: »

I'm a member of Fitness First and pay £45 for membership. I want to reduce this, I'd be happy if I could get it down to £30 and ecstatic for £25!

I'm currently on a three month contract but am now in a position to move to a 12 month contract so that's an instant way to reduce the monthly amount. I use the gym in the evenings so an off-peak membership isn't appropriate. It's a 'platinum' level gym within Fitness First so I think that attracts a premium.

I've called them and explained that I'm considering leaving them and moving to the £160/year deal that my workplace has with the council gym. This is actually an empty threat (unbeknown to them) as the council gym is on the other side of town as opposed to FF being virtually next door! £160/year isn't a bargain if I don't actually go... All FF offered in response to my threat to leave is a reduction to £39/month if I increase my contract to 12 months. I don't think this represents any discount as I'm pretty sure that's about the rate for a 12 month contract anyway! She 'gave' me two days to get back to her in order to get it processed in time for the next direct debit. I assume that's just to get me to rush the decision...

Can anyone suggest how I can achieve my £30/month target with them? I'm tempted to call and actually ask her to initiate my cancellation but am worried she'll call my bluff. I don't actually want to be without a gym membership!

A friend did suggest it's a bad time of year to get a gym discount as January is when they have an influx of new customers on New Year's resolutions. I'm not sure how true this is in the current climate?

Thanks in advance!

Never worry about them taking your cancellation. You can always phone back and say you changed your mind.

Your friend is probably right because new applications will be at their highest this month and they know your at your most vulnerable. However it is competitive out there, and if we believe this recession talk then maybe applications might be down.

Maybe try telling them that you can only afford £30 and see if they'll do you a deal? Or recruit someone else to join you with a joint membership.

simbalou

Just wanted to let everyone know that it is best to haggle over your gym price. I was offered £29.75 a month with £35 joining fee. I didn't want to pay the joining fee and told them that. At the time I was told this was non-negotiable. I've now just had a phonecall from them to say that this weekend only (yeah,right) they aren't charging a joining fee. So for under £30 a month I am getting full membership of a very nice gym, with pool and fitness classes included.

I wouldn't have haggled before joining this site but I'm very grateful I have now.

matmatmat

Whatever you do, DO NOT join DAVID LLYOD leisure centres. We were duped into signing up for gold account and later found out the woman signing us up had told us all sorts of lies to get us to sign. We were promised personal trainers, I saw one on the 1st visit during our introduction and never saw one again. tried to cancel, sent recorded delivery, they never got it but would not accept the royal mail recorded delivery ticket showing I had posted it, although they tell you do send it via this method. I then injured myself, took 2 doctors notes before they accepted but still charged me for the next month and my partner for the next 3, even though we had been told as it would be a joint membership if one of us injured ourselves and had to cancel without notice (like what had heppened) this would be applied to both accounts. This turned out to be a complete lie. bottom line, it cost over £350 for 4 trips to the gym and has been passed between 2 debt collection companies, both trying to take installments adding to £700, work that one out! Stay well clear. Also the staff do not want to know you unless you pull up in a car worth over £40000! The place, service and lies they tell to get you to sign up are a joke! stay well clear!

longie

Are there any deals through Bupa ? I am currently with Bupa, do they provide any discounts with any Gym chains ?