Virgin Active and MET

dwforum

For some months now my regular gym has had MET signs telling me that if I want to stay more than 4hours then I need to enter my registration number (every time) into a system they have installed at reception otherwise they'll be trying to impose the usual pile of bogus charges on me.

Which option would you take?

1) jump through their hoops and enter my reg when i'll be staying more than 4 hours in the interest of avoiding conflict

2) ignore this hoop jumping nonsense and deal with the ensuing toilet paper in the usual fashion?

Coupon-mad

Well seeing as 'the usual fashion' means a challenge and then a slightly complicated POPLA appeal situation every time, of course you'd jump through the hoops, IMHO.

Ignore was the old advice about 6 months ago and longer, in case you were wondering.

Guys_Dad

or (c) change your gym.

bazster

Guys_Dad wrote: »

or (c) change your gym.

That's often not easy. Gyms are as bad as PPC's when it comes to screwing money out of you, they lock you in to long contracts and make it difficult/expensive to escape them. A threat to go elsewhere once the current contract is finished should be made, but even that might require good timing to stop the contract simply rolling over with DD payments.

dwforum

Changing gym isn't an option for reasons I won't go into as that's just straying from the point.

I ought to have explained that my dilemma arises because it could be argued that typing in a registration number constitutes an essential element of a contract. The sign can be viewed as an offer, the submission of a reg number is acceptance (and the inconvenience of doing so provides consideration).

Doesn't this therefore give an outcome that the person who provides a reg. number has formed a contract, whereas the one who doesn't, hasn't?

Guys_Dad

It seems pretty clear to me, if changing gym is not an option, that you either go along with the gym's requirements or you face the potential parking charges from the gym/PPC.

Now if you do the latter and cause hassle, then the decision to change gyms may not be in your court if you p**s them off.

Seems a pretty pointless thread now.

bazster

Crikey, aren't you over-thinking this a bit? (Not you G.D., the OP)

Coupon-mad

dwforum wrote: »

Changing gym isn't an option for reasons I won't go into as that's just straying from the point.

I ought to have explained that my dilemma arises because it could be argued that typing in a registration number constitutes an essential element of a contract. The sign can be viewed as an offer, the submission of a reg number is acceptance (and the inconvenience of doing so provides consideration).

Doesn't this therefore give an outcome that the person who provides a reg. number has formed a contract, whereas the one who doesn't, hasn't?

Nope, it's a contract of sorts but only between you and the gym, in order for you to show you are a gym member each time. Doesn't extend to acceptance of a parking charge, doesn't mean their signs wouldn't fail to comply nor that any fake PCN amount would represent a loss (it wouldn't).

Doesn't mean you wouldn't win at POPLA if ever you got a fake PCN for typing the car reg in a bit wrong one day, or parking on a crack in the pavement!

dwforum

bazster wrote: »

Crikey, aren't you over-thinking this a bit? (Not you G.D., the OP)

I'm just asking the most basic legal question - whether a contract is formed. That's hardly an analysis of jurisprudence to the depth of the Scopes trial is it?

I'm most curious as to why my IP address has just been banned, by whom, and why that person should think that such petty action is necessary or would indeed deter someone freely asking questions if they want to?

bazster

I just had the same thing briefly (re the IP address), I think they are having some technical problems.

nigelbb

bazster wrote: »

I just had the same thing briefly (re the IP address), I think they are having some technical problems.

Me too. So I am glad that others got banned too as at least it wasn't something I wrote.