Money Moral Dilemma: I'm using my gym for free - should I own up?

gaving7095

LOL at the gym not deactivating your card - that's really poor admin on their part.

Bigger LOL, I'm afraid, if it turns out that you using it reactivates your Direct Debit as one poster says it probably will!

I guess you could argue that you threw the card away when you quit & "somebody else" must have taken it from the trash & started using it... Although I have no doubt you'll be on CCTV too...

If it was me, I wouldn't use it - although gym fees are often extortionate & it would be lovely to get suck a thing "for free"...

Likisma_Angel

The question is a DILEMMA - it's meant to provoke debate, not be black and white.

Simply put, this is theft, and therefore is wrong.

But the OP is just helping herself to something that is available, she's not hurting anyone or affecting the profit of the organisation by using the facilities (well, maybe slightly by the cost of a shower), but is she really doing any harm.

Thats the question here.

Taking money from someones purse is harmful, taking someones car deprives them of their car and is harmful.

Is helping yourself to a bit of gym time harmful to the gym owner? Is it not their fault that you can get in even though you've cancelled your membership?

Personally, I wouldn't be doing this, I agree that it is theft, but I can see the other side and why the OP asked the question.

velissaria

It's not really a moral dilemma. The answer is simple: it's fraud.

Fraud is a crime where often the excuse is 'no harm is done' or 'it's a victimless crime'. Bull**t. Fraud IS a harmful crime and it often has loads of negative financial implications.

As for the excuse that we're talking about big corporations, did you know e.g. that supermarkets and big stores make room in their profits for losses though shoplifting? So, who's paying for the immorality and the crimes of the few? The rest of us!

forzaitalia

What a stupid question - of course you are a thief!

clippy_girl

fraud does't need to have anything to do with causing a loss (to the gym)- it can just be about a gain to yourself (free gym). it would be easy for them to show dishonesty as well as obv you knew it had been cancelled as you had requested it was!

drusy_2

The offence is covered under the Theft Act, and is called obtaining a service by deception. All the elements of the offence are covered here, the service obtained are the facilities provided by the gym, the deception practised by the perpetrator, is his/her acting as a member, when in fact he/she is no longer a member of a gym. If an invalid membership card is being used to carry out the deception, the mere possession of it, constitutes the offence of being equipped to carry out a fraud. Each offence has a possible sentence of up to 7 years. Pretty serious stuff, don't you think? The eyes of the law, don't differentiate between the theft of a small amount and the theft of the crown jewels, theft is theft.

Regards Drusyhttp://static.moneysavingexpert.com/images/forum_smilies/angel-smiley-002.gif

Sheepster

Oh come on, surely this is a little bit of a wind up?

Of course you should stop going, in fact why on earth even try get in after you cancelled your membership.

It's not a matter of if, but when they notice, and isn't that going to be embarrassing, especially if they send a staff member of to ask you when you're in the showers (and that's what I'd probably do if I thought someone was taking away my livelihood if I owned the gym)

Wonder though, fraud is fraud, but how any of us would keep quiet if we found satellite tv had all the channels available when we were only paying minimum. Hmmmm

Likisma_Angel

Yay! Some proper answers.

Thanks for responding.

*Twinkle*

at my gym, I paid 2 months upfront upon joining, so if I ever do cancel it, I have an extra month to use it, if that makes sense, could you have done that?

happyinflorida

How many people pay for the gym and never use it - many do this.

How many gyms refuse to cancel membership for months or a year - loads, even when the person can prove they've got a serious illness and cannot go to the gym, loads more.

So I would say use it and gain as so many others lose.