Gym sending out email addresses

p1an0player

Just had an email from a gym I once joined for a short trial. They're offering no joining fee if I join now...

They've emailed about 500 people, the email address of each person is showing in the "to" box on the email!

How slack is that?

go4it

Who is it?

Can I guess Fitness First?

They may be offering 'no joining fee' but in the small print there is a £30 admin fee.

I used to work in the industry and know most tactics. The Fitness First near me last week resorted to having sales staff stand in the middle of the road (gym is next to Sainsbury's) next to traffic lights, asking drivers to wind down their windows so that they could given them a leaflet.

If it's not FF, then it could easily be the others who are all just as bad.

If you want to join a gym join a local sports club or use your council's facilities. Never ever pay a joining fee unless it is justified by a suitabble service. For example, my local sports club charges a joining fee - but that fee allows the members to all the club socials, discount in shop etc. These private clubs charge a fee solely to get as much money out of you as possible.

Hoddie_2

It would appear that the gym doesn't take the Data Protection Act seriously. By disclosing your personal details (email address does count) without your permission, I believe they are in breach of the act.

shellsuit

Al_Mac wrote:

Very, I hate it when people send me something along with everyone else in their address book:mad:

Ditto, I get more annoyed with it from a company though rather than just spam cos they should know better. :rolleyes:

p1an0player

Hoddie wrote:

It would appear that the gym doesn't take the Data Protection Act seriously. By disclosing your personal details (email address does count) without your permission, I believe they are in breach of the act.

Absolutely. The email address I used is not my main one and it doesn't show my real name so it doesn't affect me too much.

But many of the other addresses are

firstname.lastname@employername

ie information that could be used to identify them.

p1an0player

go4it wrote:

Who is it?

Can I guess Fitness First?

They may be offering 'no joining fee' but in the small print there is a £30 admin fee.

I used to work in the industry and know most tactics. The Fitness First near me last week resorted to having sales staff stand in the middle of the road (gym is next to Sainsbury's) next to traffic lights, asking drivers to wind down their windows so that they could given them a leaflet.

If it's not FF, then it could easily be the others who are all just as bad.

If you want to join a gym join a local sports club or use your council's facilities. Never ever pay a joining fee unless it is justified by a suitabble service. For example, my local sports club charges a joining fee - but that fee allows the members to all the club socials, discount in shop etc. These private clubs charge a fee solely to get as much money out of you as possible.

It's the gym which has featured on this site quite a lot due to a link with Pruhealth..

I appreciate your advice about joining/admin fees. I've heard bad stories about people struggling to leave contracts as well, including Fitness first.

Darksun

I've had this problem before with the mailing list of a nightclub. I sent them an email back explaining how bcc works, and reminding them of the Data Protection Act and their obligations under it.

netally

Report them to the Advertising Standards Authority. They deal with mailing list complaints and breaches of data protection like this. You can fill in an online form at http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/contact/

Some idiot at my uni sent an email to everyone (staff and students) and forgot to mask the email addresses from other users. Now i'm being spammed by every local nightclub in Brighton!

uktim29

They need www.aweber.com!