The case of LA Fitness refusing to allow a couple in reduced circumstances to cancel their gym membership has highlighted the importance of checking the small print on gym contracts.
To help you avoid a nasty run-in with gym club staff who insist on keeping you shackled to an unsuitable and costly deal, here are our top tips on getting the best out of your gym membership:
Finding a gym
• Before you go, use a free trial to make sure the facilities are right for you. For example, if you enjoy rowing it's helpful to know before you sign a contract if the gym only has one rowing machine.
• If you do use a free trial, try and visit the gym at its busiest time, or at least at the time you will regularly be using it should you sign up. Otherwise you might enjoy a relaxing experience during an off-peak trial only to find the place heaving when you turn up to use it more regularly.
• Pay attention to little things. One reader told the Guardian they cancelled their gym membership because they couldn't use their own earphones on the "in-house kit" and instead had to buy branded ones with a plug that was "ever so slightly smaller".
Special offers and pricing
• January deals introduced by gyms eager to attract those feeling guilty over their festive excess are still around. David Lloyd is offering a "free new member package" which it claims is worth up to £175, including a 30-minute personal trainer session and personalised gym programme; Virgin Active is offering 12 months for the price of 10; while Nuffield Health (formerly Cannons Health Clubs) offers one month's free membership, free personal training sessions and free guest passes.
• Always check the total cost regardless of any deal. If the club you join offers two free months but then charges £150 a month, you'll still pay £1,500 for the year.
• Short-term contracts are a great option for the cash-strapped. Fitness First allows consumers to buy (or gift) a four-week "Jump Start" membership; Harpers Fitness offers two-week memberships at some of its clubs; while local council gyms often have pay-as-you-go tariffs.
• No-frills gyms are growing in number. Although they do not tend towards luxurious facilities, steam rooms and saunas, they do offer big discounts. Klick Fitness, for example, starts at £12.99 a month for full membership, although there is a £20 joining fee and it only has 10 clubs. But it also offers contract-free memberships starting from £15.99 a month. Other no-frills chains include Fitspace and Pure Gym.
• Local council gyms are often cheaper than the chains – in some parts of the country you can sign up for as little as £20 a month, though London is more expensive.
• Haggle. MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis says most gyms employ a commission-driven sales team to sign you up, so "with a bit of chutzpah you should be able to slice a wedge off the cost, especially towards the end of the month when sales staff need to meet targets."
The contract
• Read the contract in full before signing it, even if you are under pressure from staff to read it quickly and put pen to paper.
• Pay attention to the T&Cs regarding relocation and loss of earnings. Many clubs will refuse to allow you to break a contract unless you have moved a certain distance away from your nearest club, while someone who loses their job might want to be able to cease their membership fully rather than merely freeze it.
• Following a high court ruling against Ashbourne Management Services, gyms should no longer lock people into a contract of more than a year, although gym-goers who have been given a discount for agreeing to a longer deal may find it harder to break their contract. The OFT says that where a term in a contract is unfair, it is not binding on the consumer and the trader is not allowed to enforce it or otherwise rely on it in existing contracts, or include it in future contracts.
• If you don't understand anything, ask. If you still don't understand, take the contract away and get someone else to look at it for you. Don't just believe what a member of staff tells you – unless it is in the contract it's unlikely to be true.
• Check the notice period for cancelling your membership, and ask if you can sell your membership to a friend if you don't want it anymore.
After you've joined
• Monitor how often you use your gym to see if it is value for money – at renewal time you will know if it is worth signing up again or looking for a different kind of deal.
• Check how the gym will treat you at the end of your contract – some clubs will automatically renew your membership without even asking for your permission, so be vigilant.
• If you do wish to exit your membership, don't just cancel your direct debit. Give notice in writing and check to see they have received it and, crucially, if they have a problem with it.
