Reasons to Never Ever Join a Gym
- 4
- Add a Comment
I have just finished finally ending my gym membership. It was a chore. I didn’t learn my lesson the first time. There were a number of reasons why I should’ve never joined a gym again. Unless you are obsessed with keeping your body in tip top shape, you probably should never join a gym either. Here are the reasons why.
You’ll never use it
2 months after you join, chances are that you will never use the membership again. OK, maybe that one time you get in the mood, you’ll go back for a week, but then you’ll stop using it again.
Crowds
It’s 5:30 on a Wednesday. For once you’re really feeling like hitting the gym. You get there and have a problem parking. Finally you make it inside the gym and wouldn’t you know… all of the treadmills are in use. Not a pleasant experience to be paying $30 a month for.
Hard to cancel
Let’s say the day comes when you want to cancel for whatever reason. You will not be able to simply call and cancel. No, you will have to come into the gym. Then you will be sat down at a desk where somebody will try to learn more about why you are canceling. Next think you know, you’ve bought the package with the spa and tanning options. It’s a royal pain to try to get out of a membership. Kind of like trying to get out of the mob.
You can workout at home
Yeah, you know those things you do at the gym? You can do most of the exercises at home. There’s no need to buy a fancy machine for your basement either. You can work any of the muscles in your body with just a few items you can pick up at any sports place.
4 Comments
Pete
August 6th, 2008
at 11:16am
@ oztech , You’re so right about the parking,not being able to use the machines and the cancellation.
Also,my experience was that the machines were sweaty and dirty once you had the chance to use one.
Very often the place smelled like a lockerroom right after a game.
Canceling the contract was a nightmare.The “scum” just wouldn’t even honor a written cancellation.It took pressure from me on the credit card company to refuse the automatic withdrawal which was continued well after the notice was given and the contract expired.
BTW,the notice to cancel was given well in advance of the contract expiry date.
Never again.
Frank Schnyder
August 13th, 2008
at 2:29pm
#1 You usually can’t cancel. You signed a contract for a year or whatever.
#2 If you are month-to-month then, yes, you have to go in if it’s their policy not to do it over the phone. So you go in and make one more trip to get out of the contract! As for why you’re cancelling, it’s really none of their business. That kind of information is valuable to them. Tell them that if you were in a focus group, you’d be given $50 for that answer.
#3 Tried working out at home. It was hard to keep up. I personally find that I need a place to go to get things done.
I agree when it comes to the crowds, though. Hate crowds. Stupid city life. Everybody wanting everything everywhere!
Ian West
August 18th, 2009
at 5:47pm
I am tired of excuses. I think this person is butt hurt cause they basically are / were incapable of attaining results. I have worked in gyms for years and there are a number of people that have so much potential but they don’t put forth the effort. They want to look good and feel good but they give up. I also see people that are months and even years away from achieving their goals and they still come in and give 100% effort. I love those people. The writer of this article states that “you’ll probably never use it.” It is true that a good number of people give up after a few months but that is their fault. If you can’t commit to showing up to a gym a few days a week then that is your problem. You are not winning sympathy points. I don’t feel bad for you. Most likely you are trying to “fit” a healthy lifestyle into an already busy life. You should make that a priority and allow the less important things to fizzle out. Just stay home or stick with your other pointless activities and watch others achieve their fitness goals as you stay up to date on the latest “American Idol” season.
oztech
August 18th, 2009
at 7:36pm
Be honest here Ian. I’d say about 90% of people wouldn’t join a gym if they didn’t have high pressure salespeople along with a friend that got them to join. I might be for keeping the gym thing up, but it’s not worth it if I want to cancel to deal with cancelling.
Bally’s is a perfect example of why people shouldn’t get involved with gyms. Do a search on their company history and tactics with customers.
Anything you can do at a gym can be done at home for less than half the price. I got a Wii Fit and that’s just fine for me.