Cheap gyms deals discussion

J3OEF

Pete*G wrote: »

I can get half price membership for anyone who's interested at Greens, or DeVere Hotel & Resort Leisure Clubs.

Can you still get this ??????

anyone take him up on this offer

moon786_2

:rotfl:12MDDAA HAVE A LOOK ON ACTIV8GYM.COM

:beer:MY 2 MATES JUST SAVED £20 EACH ON THE NO JOINING FEE USING THIS CODE OVER THE NET - (TYHEY DONT OFFER IT OVER THE COUNTER)

;)THEYRE THE BEST HEAVY DUTY GYM IN BUCKS/BERKS AND THEYVE GOT ALL THE LATEST EQUIPMENT BRAN SPANKING NEW. 600 SQ FT OF HAMMERSTRENGTH AND LIFE FITNESS ETC ETC

:oTHEY ALSO GOT THERE OWN SEPERATE LADIES AREA WITH ITS POWER PLATE AND INFRA RED SAUNA TO BUST THAT CELLULITE.
AWESOME

kalifire

I visited David Lloyds in Fulham for a tour yesterday. The gym looks fine - nothing especially amazing although I was told it was going to have a multi-million pound refurbishment starting later this month and completed the end of next month.

Price-wise, I was quoted £81 per month on a rolling monthly contract with three month cancellation notice period. There was a set up charge of £30 ("to set up direct debits"!!!).

This is obviously very expensive, so I mentioned I'd had a cheaper quote elsewhere and are the prices negotiable. The lady said no.

Should I push harder for a discount?

jenniewb

kalifire wrote: »

I visited David Lloyds in Fulham for a tour yesterday. The gym looks fine - nothing especially amazing although I was told it was going to have a multi-million pound refurbishment starting later this month and completed the end of next month.

Price-wise, I was quoted £81 per month on a rolling monthly contract with three month cancellation notice period. There was a set up charge of £30 ("to set up direct debits"!!!).

This is obviously very expensive, so I mentioned I'd had a cheaper quote elsewhere and are the prices negotiable. The lady said no.

Should I push harder for a discount?

Weather or not they do it, I would, £81 is expensive and I know I get alot of DL mailings sent to me for the odd free day/week/month when joining so its not as if they don't give out freebies. Maybe its a matter of trying to talk them down then walking away and seeing what turns up in the post.

Even if you are wanting to join ASAP, what have you got to lose by haggling? I try at every gym I have visited, (even though most wont barter!) Makes me feel I tried my upmost to reduce the cost which matters alot when I am cursing the fact I have no money left at the end of the month!

Rick_E

Somewhat disappointed with the advice on this article, as I'm not sure whether it really works in practice.

My Brother has been a member at our local Fitness First for a year now, it's a little run down looking but is fully functional as a gym. I wanted membership, so waited until summer, when the best deals are supposed to be on and went on the last day of August. That same day, they also had people outside the front on the street asking people if they wanted to try it, so they clearly were making the final sales push for the month, which as Martin's article suggests, is the best time to apply.

I went in the gym, where staff initially ignored me for about 30 seconds, when they noticed I was waiting they asked what I wanted, and when I explained I was after Gym membership, they turned me over to another guy who was wearing a shirt who didn't introduce himself. He told me to fill in a form and he would be over in a few minutes.

I had done about half the form when he came over and took over, however the whole thing I found pretty bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, as I said before, he was wearing no name badge and never introduced himself. Secondly, he didn't really listen to me properly, I'd already explained to him that I had a gym membership at an independent gym where I used to live before moving to London. He treated me as though I'd never had a gym membership before and told me I wasn't doing enough exercise! Yeah, well spotted, that's why I'm here applying for a new gym membership! :mad:

He tried the hard sale, going through all the packages with their pointless benefits. He made it deliberately quite confusing with what was clearly a joining fee disguised as something else. I gave him my brothers card for a referral, so he went away to check that out.

Now, my brother only pays about £33 a month, for membership at only that Fitness First gym, which is exactly what I wanted. So after basically ruling out any of the more expensive packages, he tells me that the price for the basic one is £48 a month.

I explain that this is far more than what my Brother pays, so he says "I'll go speak to my manager and see what I can do." He comes back a minute later and says that he can do it for £43 a month. I point out that this again is far more than my Brother pays!

He then trys to fob off what my Brother pays based on the fact that he has been a member a year, which I point out doesn't matter because that's what the price he paid when he started was! He then tells me that they were stupid to offer such a cheap deal. He then says that I will get so much more with my package, the only item he can think of is access to their other gyms. I again point out that I'm not interested in other gyms, I want gym membership to there only at the same price my Brother pays.

He had to go speak to his manager again and came back with a price of £37 a month which was a today only offer, that I couldn't have again. I once more pointed out that it was more than my Brother paid and made no sense to me, nor could he give me a valid reason why I should be paying so much more!

So at that point, having read the MoneySavingExpert advice on haggling, I knew that there are a few other gyms in the area, albeit not quite as close as this one, so I mentioned that if he couldn't match my Brother's price, that I'd probably look at what the other gyms could do. He wasn't budging, so I said again "I think I'll have to see what the other gyms nearby can offer if you can't match the price". He then said 'Thanks for coming in" and that was that!

The only thing was, that he did tell me he was keeping the card with all my details on, which I thought would possibly mean I might get a call back, however it's been nearly a month, so I'm doubting that!

I realize this has been a bit of a long ranting post, but I'd still like membership there and don't see what I should pay so much more than my Brother.

I'm wondering how other people have gotten on with Fitness First and what the best course of action is?

Should I go back in and ask to speak directly to the Manager? Perhaps since this guy had to twice consult his manager last time, I would have been best speaking to him in the first place.

Pete*G_4

firstly - apologies to anyone who's been trying to get hold of me regarding the half price devere/greens offers. I don't come on here too often as I just don';t have time these days - but I do make sure I get on here to tell you when it's open again At the moment the offer is closed, however there is a 6 week trial for £29 being run at the De Vere clubs until the end of this month which would take you up to mid-November, when I expect the half price (staff referral offer) is likely to be up and running again. Big thing with the trial offer though - make sure you notify the club in writing before their direct debit deadline that you do NOT want to carry on into the 12 month contract, or else it will become a standard membership, usually between £35 and £55 per month depending on the location.

I will update when the staff referral offer comes back online, and will keep coming on here to sort people out with it. I do only get a handful of referrals each time, however my referral also gets you access to cheap room rates at all the AHG brands (De Vere, Village, Malmaison, and Hotel Du Vin) and more so well worth getting in for! (before anyone asks, no I'm not on commission or anything, in fact it would probably jeopardise my job if they found me offering it out to the public).

Pete*G_4

Rick_E wrote: »

Somewhat disappointed with the advice on this article, as I'm not sure whether it really works in practice.

My Brother has been a member at our local Fitness First for a year now, it's a little run down looking but is fully functional as a gym. I wanted membership, so waited until summer, when the best deals are supposed to be on and went on the last day of August. That same day, they also had people outside the front on the street asking people if they wanted to try it, so they clearly were making the final sales push for the month, which as Martin's article suggests, is the best time to apply.

I went in the gym, where staff initially ignored me for about 30 seconds, when they noticed I was waiting they asked what I wanted, and when I explained I was after Gym membership, they turned me over to another guy who was wearing a shirt who didn't introduce himself. He told me to fill in a form and he would be over in a few minutes.

I had done about half the form when he came over and took over, however the whole thing I found pretty bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, as I said before, he was wearing no name badge and never introduced himself. Secondly, he didn't really listen to me properly, I'd already explained to him that I had a gym membership at an independent gym where I used to live before moving to London. He treated me as though I'd never had a gym membership before and told me I wasn't doing enough exercise! Yeah, well spotted, that's why I'm here applying for a new gym membership! :mad:

He tried the hard sale, going through all the packages with their pointless benefits. He made it deliberately quite confusing with what was clearly a joining fee disguised as something else. I gave him my brothers card for a referral, so he went away to check that out.

Now, my brother only pays about £33 a month, for membership at only that Fitness First gym, which is exactly what I wanted. So after basically ruling out any of the more expensive packages, he tells me that the price for the basic one is £48 a month.

I explain that this is far more than what my Brother pays, so he says "I'll go speak to my manager and see what I can do." He comes back a minute later and says that he can do it for £43 a month. I point out that this again is far more than my Brother pays!

He then trys to fob off what my Brother pays based on the fact that he has been a member a year, which I point out doesn't matter because that's what the price he paid when he started was! He then tells me that they were stupid to offer such a cheap deal. He then says that I will get so much more with my package, the only item he can think of is access to their other gyms. I again point out that I'm not interested in other gyms, I want gym membership to there only at the same price my Brother pays.

He had to go speak to his manager again and came back with a price of £37 a month which was a today only offer, that I couldn't have again. I once more pointed out that it was more than my Brother paid and made no sense to me, nor could he give me a valid reason why I should be paying so much more!

So at that point, having read the MoneySavingExpert advice on haggling, I knew that there are a few other gyms in the area, albeit not quite as close as this one, so I mentioned that if he couldn't match my Brother's price, that I'd probably look at what the other gyms could do. He wasn't budging, so I said again "I think I'll have to see what the other gyms nearby can offer if you can't match the price". He then said 'Thanks for coming in" and that was that!

The only thing was, that he did tell me he was keeping the card with all my details on, which I thought would possibly mean I might get a call back, however it's been nearly a month, so I'm doubting that!

I realize this has been a bit of a long ranting post, but I'd still like membership there and don't see what I should pay so much more than my Brother.

I'm wondering how other people have gotten on with Fitness First and what the best course of action is?

Should I go back in and ask to speak directly to the Manager? Perhaps since this guy had to twice consult his manager last time, I would have been best speaking to him in the first place.

TBH I would walk away from Fitness First if that is how they treat you. Sadly a lot of places are using hard sell tactics as it's so competitive these days.

Where I work we don't have a memberships advisor, and so we do things a bit differently. What sells our leisure club is the atmosphere and the knowledge of the instructors, so that is how we do things - let people have a free day or two and then show them what we can offer them. we're pretty successful at it too. Obviously we are tracked as well, we are given monthly targets by head office for new joiners and for leavers, with serious questions being asked if we don't hit them. We also have to track ALL enquiries, walk-ins, even telephone conversations with existing members, and are asked questions of if we don't have a signup rate of 80% of the enquiries etc. Sadly thats just how the industry has gone. There is no hard sell though, because we deliberately stay away from those tactics and actively get feedback from joiners saying that this is why they have joined us compared to our near-identical competitors (we have 10 realistic competitors within 8 miles!).

Try to visit the club at it's busiest time, and make sure you take notes - you'll see if you have to queue for machines, you'll see how the staff react during busy times (ie whether customer service suffers) and you'll also probably get to see/hear the instructors doing their jobs and get a feel for their individual ability. If the membership advisor goes into the hard sell, then tell them you work in the industry and don't need the sales pitch - they'll lose interest in you a little but you can then get a word in edgeways to ask your own questions. If they ask where you work, just tell them you're a freelance leisure management consultant and they'll think you're auditing them (as said above, take notes - this will put them off their stride).

When it comes to signing up, most will offer a "today only" deal. Many will also say "I'll check with my manager". These are tactics to make you think they're doing you a favour - they're usually not. I know we have to seek manager approval for special term memberships (i.e. less than 12 months, or approval for a deal on offpeak hours + weekends), but rarely will any be able to negotiate on price like that - they'll have their boundaries set out for them already.

best tactic you can do is walk away if you're ever unsure. if they have your details they'll contact you, and if they don't contact you then they don't value you as a (potential) customer so they're not worth going back to.

HTH

razam

I've given my 30 days cancellation notice in to my gym today (a council run one), mainly due to it being very cramped/overcrowded most of the time. The problem is where I live (E.London) there are no 'proper' gyms, other than 2 Fitness First's in Leyton & Ilford! All the rest are council gyms - given that the Olympics will be held here soon, to doesn't really bode well.

Why don't any of the budget gyms open up in Newham/Redbridge or Waltham Forest Area (I am on the edge of all 3 boroughs lol), there are plenty of empty building large enough to accomodate in busy areas - they'd make a killing!

I am considering joining up to British Military Fitness under their corporate scheme, as their Wanstead Flats meeting point is right round the corner. Does anyone have any experience with BMF, specifically @ Wanstead? Also what happens with BMF over the winter are you still expected to pay?

Thanks in advance.

jenniewb

razam wrote: »

I've given my 30 days cancellation notice in to my gym today (a council run one), mainly due to it being very cramped/overcrowded most of the time. The problem is where I live (E.London) there are no 'proper' gyms, other than 2 Fitness First's in Leyton & Ilford! All the rest are council gyms - given that the Olympics will be held here soon, to doesn't really bode well.

Why don't any of the budget gyms open up in Newham/Redbridge or Waltham Forest Area (I am on the edge of all 3 boroughs lol), there are plenty of empty building large enough to accomodate in busy areas - they'd make a killing!

I am considering joining up to British Military Fitness under their corporate scheme, as their Wanstead Flats meeting point is right round the corner. Does anyone have any experience with BMF, specifically @ Wanstead? Also what happens with BMF over the winter are you still expected to pay?

Thanks in advance.

I have a similar problem with finding good gyms, I am South London, it appears the only chain/decent gyms are in Central and West London (where the wealthy people live...) I left my local council run gym a while ago for similar problems (but mainly hygiene issues- funny how when I wrote a letter to the council, they closed for 2 weeks to refurbish!- I went back 2 years later to see if had not realy ever been cleaned, just as it was before, mould, unworking fans/hairdryer (there is only one) people not using bins and kids allowed to run mayhem in the gym). But anyhow!

With the BMF, although I have never used them, I thought there was a subscription where you could join and pay for the month one at a time and cancel whenever you wanted to. I was considering doing this in the summer for a month (before I got shin spints!) which is why I was under that impression.

I do know though that they do still train in the winter months too so there really is no excuse to not exercise if you are thinking of joining them! (I have no idea if its all outside or if they rent inside somewhere though or if its just certain branches- maybe its best to ask them via email.)

OnTheUp_2-2

captnjamest wrote: »

I save by using a budget gym (Nuyuu) and getting my instruction and motivation form Pocket PT (online Personal training) basically having an online relationship with a PT, a real one though who plans a workout for you and regularly updates it - I have a paid 'silver' membership so I can download my exercise videos and use the iPhone App with it. Costs me £4.99 per month. There's a free membership to get a feel of the service though and you still get a sort of personalised workout but unless you have at least the bronze membership you don't get the help and interactivity with the PTs and you can only watch the video online. It's very good but without the bronze or silver membership it's a bit of a one way conversation. My girlfriend told me about it, her PT is one of the fitness team.

Total cost £25 Gym and PT (Online) included!

Nuyuu has gone into liquidation and has been taken over by the ultra budget and contradictory chain "Energie".

On their website they say its really basic blah blah blah no saunas, no pools no classes and then describes one of the gyms as having a sauna and classes.

Weird


OH and Nuyuu clearly cnt afford the paper or stamps to write and inform their members of this major change (and apparently forgot to tell staff) and have therefore left it for people to find out on the net. Nice.