Warning - Fitness First Do Not Care!

Julia_Me

I just wanted to have a rant about Fitness First. I have been paying for the whole of this year (2011) and have not been attending the gym. I had to have an op in Jan and was not able to exercise for some time. At no point did FF try and contact me to see why I was not using the gym, I know that I should not expect anything less!

Then I cancelled my membership on 1st June. I am pregnant and have been advised not to exercise apart from swimming. I was kept waiting for over 15 minutes before I even got through to the right department and then they tried to persuade me to stay or freeze my membership. They then said that because I rang on 1st June and not the 31st May, I had to pay July's membership too. I promptly cancelled my Direct Debit and am now being chased daily by FF with letters becoming more and more threatening. I have been signed off from work with severe morning sickness and am very ill but they still continue to harass me despite me revealing my circumstances! Today I received a letter saying that they were passing my debt onto a debt collector! They have already had over 6 months money from me but refuse to let the last month go despite me only missing the notice period by 1 day.

I just want to warn anyone thinking of joining Fitness First of their unscrupulous practices and the fact that they will chase a pregnant, ill woman for a small sum of money. I would advise anyone to avoid joining this gym at all costs and would never ever be persuaded to joining a FF gym ever again. Be warned, there is no human being at Fitness First.

Gingernutty

That one month notice thing is in their written terms and conditions which you signed up to when you joined.

It caught me out too when I lost my job. However, there is no point getting worked up with them, they are in it for the money, after all.

Pay the money and put it down to experience - it's what you agreed to and it's their right to stick to the letter of the contract regardless of your circumstances.

No gym will be unhappy about people paying money and not showing up, in fact, they count on that providing a large portion of their income. It saves wear and tear on their equipment for a start.

If everyone was realistic about their usage of the gym and cancelled their memberships, I doubt many companies would survive.

McKneff

There is no reason on earth why you think they would contact you to ask why you arent using the gym, they are being paid, so why should they.

Sorry but there is only one person to blame for all of this.

You, because you didnt read the terms and conditions correctly.

They arent being unscrupuous, they are a business, they want the money that you agreed to pay them, that's all.

Being pregnant (and congratulations by the way) is irrelevant.

nickyhutch

I'm afraid being pregnant and ill aren't valid reasons for getting out of a contract - and why should they be? If you read the Ts and Cs, you'll find they are well within their rights to chase for what you owe them. You signed and agreed .

Why on earth would they contact to you to ask why you aren't going? That's down to you. They're getting their money and you're not even using their services, so why should they bother? They're quids in!

fozmcfc

I have to say OP, you really could have saved yourself a lot of hassle by just paying.

Anyone considering joining a gym, should think very carefully if they are

A/ Really committed to getting fit and going for the whole contract length.

B/ Prepared to accept that whatever happens that prevents them from going, will still mean paying the monthly cost until the contract is finished.

Personally if I was to join one of the bigger gym chains again such as FF, DL etc..I would now seriously consider signing up for monthly or 3 monthly contracts.

Even though the cost is higher then committing for a whole year, it does mean holidays and other events that prevent you from going are not going to cost you more in the long run.

When I left David Lloyds they required 3 months notice.

I have now joined Fitspace, not many of them around, but the cost is £19.99 for a rolling 1 months contract. It can be as little as £12.99 a month if you are willing to commit, and if you miss a few months, it isn't going to cost the earth.

Ok it may not have all the bells and whistles of DL for instance but the cost is hugely different and the equipment is enough to help you lose weight, get fit and beef up your muscles.

If I want a swim I go to a local much cheaper pool and likewise I go elsewhere for much cheaper, if I want to play Tennis, Squash or have something to eat/drink a few times a month.

Mupette

just pay that final month and all of it will stop

mrcow

Be careful.

A question....are these agreements with FF classed as credit agreements? If so, you are affecting your credit rating by not paying. You are going to have late/missed payments on your credit reports which could affect future credit applications. These will stay there for 6 years

Also - once it is passed onto a debt collector, they will also pursue you for their fees too which won't be cheap.

This could be a very expensive lesson.

By the feedback on the forums over the years, Fitness First are indeed a useless company to deal with, but I don't think that you are doing yourself any favours by proceeding down this road. If they take you to court, you will lose. There is no winning end game for you here.

bluenoseam

T&C's work when you read them, when you don't - this happens. The gym don't need to know if you're using them, as far as they're concerned so long as you're paying it's none of their concern if you're using it or not, end of story.

I know it sounds harsh and i'm not meaning to get on at you, but ultimately you're not the first person to make the mistake of thinking that gyms are a good idea and shock horror, you won't be the last either - pay the money & understand that next time you feel the need to exercise there are cheaper & better ways to do it.

RichGold

You have to ask yourself, what kind of paying customer would Fitness First really prefer to have?
a) One who pays every month, comes to the Gym 5 times a week and uses all the equipment
or
b) Ones who pays every month but never comes to the Gym, therefore causing absolutely no wear and tear to the machines.

If I owned a gym, I'd be happy with a few of the latter. Fitness First are a business like any other, they aren't in it to help you personally, all they want is to provide the minimum service to you for your money.

SandC

In fairness they did give you the option of freezing your membership. They do have alternatives in place if you know you can't go for a period of time.

It's very easy to get caught out by the notice period in that you cancelled on 1st June instead of 30th May.

There are lots of threads on here about gym cancellations and they all work in pretty much the same way. I was at Fitness First and I looked up their T&Cs about cancellation online before ending mine and I had no problems with it.