Beware the ZEST free month at the gym offer

Caterina

Hi all

I thought it would be useful to others here to report what happened when I attempted to redeem this month's Zest offer for a free month to a gym. See the letter of complaint I am sending to the organisers, it explains what happened to me.

I shall keep you updated on the results!

Caterina

Dear Customer Service Manager,

I took up the current Zest Magazine 1 month free gym offer, innocently believing that it is a no-catch genuine free month gym attendance offer, as specified on your website.

I have been very clear about the fact that I might not subsequently join any of the clubs because they are all too far from my home, and to make certain that I was able to still take advantage of this offer, I called the helpline number given on www.thegymwebsite.co.uk. The person I spoke with confirmed that this is a no-catch, 1 month free offer with no need to join at the end of the free month.

So I printed my voucher and made an appointment with the Otium Barbican leisure centre for Friday 26.3.09. When I turned up and explained that I wished to take only the initial offer and not set up a direct debit, I was told by the manager, xxx, that, unless I entered in a three months direct debit contract, I would be unable to take advantage of the free month. Mr xxx was most polite and pleasant in dealing with me but adamant that the offer is to the discretion of the centre management and that unless I joined and paid for three months the offer would not be valid.

I would like to complain about the fact that, if this is the case, this is not made clear at any point in the process, not on the Zest magazine, nor on the Thegymwebsite web pages, nor on the Otium (Thistle Hotels) webpage. I should be grateful if you would investigate this issue and give me some feedback. Thank you very much,

Best regards,

brightonman123

seems fair- might be worth adding that you are not in a position to commit to 3month+ deal, not had expected to.

these gyms, what are they like? wannabe estate agents, i reckon.

jenniewb

Thanks for the heads up on that "offer"! Hope no one has gotten themselves caught out and hope Zest get something sorted for you- even if its just the refund of the mag!

Caterina

Just a quick update, I had an email from the manager of this promotion saying that they do not understand why Otium Barbican changed the rules which had been agreed with Otium Head Office. He assured me that he is investigating and will let me know.

I thanked him for prompt reply (am always careful to maintain courteous relationships when complaining!) and will wait for further news.

Will let you know more when I get more!

BTW: for the moderators, could you move this thread to the consumer rights please, if you think it might be more appropriate there. Thanks!

Caterina

Dear all,

RESULT!
Here is the reply from the service manager:

Caterina

I have just spoken to xxx who includes his very popular club the promotion so that people can try out the facilities.
I think he was a little taken aback that you had already decided you would not join the club before you had even used the club.
xxx is happy for you to take your free trial but wants you to know the club is very busy after 5pm early in the week.

Kind regards

and my reply to him:

Dear Mr xxx

Thank you for helping me with this happy resolution.

Please let me explain: I knew in advance that any of the clubs in the offer would be much too far from my home to make them financially worthwhile in the long run, but that the Barbican one would be useful for when I go to North London for occasional meetings, to relax in the sauna after a stressful work meeting.

In order to be sure that the month offer was truly a one-off I called the customer service of the Gym Website before taking up the offer and was 100% honest and upfront about wanting to use only the free month. They agreed that this was possible.

As a result of this conversation I made an appointment and the next day went to the Barbican club where, not wishing to be deceitful, I explained my situation to Mr xxx. I felt that it would be an unnecessary waste of time for both me and him to fill a direct debit that I might not want to continue. This does not reflect at all on the quality of the club facilities, which is truly lovely, but it was a decision based solely on the practicalities of traveling so far for sauna and steam room usage.

Please let me point out that Mr xxx was very pleasant with me at all times and in fact offered me a free sauna session on the day to compensate for the journey I had made (unsuccessfully), which I took advantage of. I told him afterwards that if the club had been any nearer I would have been delighted to join it. Mr xxx also offered me some very reasonable pricing packages as incentives to join, which I might consider once I have used the free month, depending on my work commitments in North London.

I hope you will pass my comments about Mr xxx's impeccable customer service skills and pleasantness to the Otium Headquarters.

Best regards

3plus1

I can understand fully why you didn't want to sign up for a 3 month DD, especially given that the offer did not require this. But why would anyone ask for a free trial and say, "by the way, it doesn't matter how good your service is, I don't want to pay for it and there's nothing you can do to convince me"?

soolin

3plus1 wrote: »

I can understand fully why you didn't want to sign up for a 3 month DD, especially given that the offer did not require this. But why would anyone ask for a free trial and say, "by the way, it doesn't matter how good your service is, I don't want to pay for it and there's nothing you can do to convince me"?

Easy, why should anyone pay for 3 months usage of a free trial? Surely free trial shouldn't have required any payment that was not clearly indicated in the offer ?

I totally agree with the OP here, If I want to pay for gym membership I will, if I don't then I am not prepared to sign up for 3 months just to get a freebie that my voucher suggests I am entitled to.

This is how people get conned all the time, they just 'enter card details' or give personal info before they get a freebie and the first we know is when they post on MSE saying they have been charged xxx on a free deal and we all say they were foolish to give their card details in the first place. OP has acted very wisely in this case.

bookworm1363

Yep, with OP and Soolin on this one.

Ask yourselves why they so badly want to start a DD in the first place.

Caterina

3plus1 wrote: »

I can understand fully why you didn't want to sign up for a 3 month DD, especially given that the offer did not require this. But why would anyone ask for a free trial and say, "by the way, it doesn't matter how good your service is, I don't want to pay for it and there's nothing you can do to convince me"?

Because it was offered as a bona fide, guaranteed 1 month free offer "for Zest magazine readers", so I chose to take it up and also to remain honest and not waste anyone's time under pretence. Does it answer your question?

missymugwump

The terms are clear to read on the website you say they are not on ?
Maybe a trip to specsavers ?



1 MONTH FREE worth up to £55.00

Welcome to our promotional area.
Get 1 month FREE at Kinetika, Otium and Quality Living health clubs. And after your free month trial you may qualify for special deals.
How to get your free month

1. Find a club near you by entering your postcode in to the search engine below or just scroll down the club list.
2. Click the on to the club you want. Then just chose the membership that best suits your needs and click on the "Apply Now" button. Your free trial will be for the membership category you chose.
3. Complete the form and then you will be able to print off a voucher for your free trial. Your free trial will be for the type of membership you have chosen.
4. Print your voucher and go to your club for an induction.

Tip!

Click on the "the deal" button on the club page for an explanation of the membership and any restrictions that may apply.
The deal

You get a free month at any of our gyms AND if you decide to stay on as a member you get a special deal. The deals vary from club to club and include discounts of up to 20% on monthly subscriptions or savings on joining and admin fees.
To get your free trial you will be asked complete an application form or enter credit card details and nominate the membership category you want if you chose to continue membership after your free trial. We take this information now so that you don’t need to contact us again if you decide to buy a membership at the end of your free month.

How to Cancel

If you don’t want to continue your membership after your free trial you must cancel your membership by midnight on April 17th - to cancel just click on the link we will email you. Do not cancel your direct debit at your bank or at the club. If you decide you don’t want to continue membership beyond your free trial that’s absolutely fine – this is a genuine FREE month offer – but only cancel by clicking on the link we will email you.

Caterina

Sorry what bit of the terms and conditions do you refer to? You got me confused there!