{"id":7856,"date":"2024-11-14T02:04:51","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T02:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/dont-become-trapped-by-unfair-gym-contracts\/"},"modified":"2024-11-14T02:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T02:04:51","slug":"dont-become-trapped-by-unfair-gym-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=7856","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Become Trapped By Unfair Gym Contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\tJasmine Birtles<\/small><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t<\/i> 3rd Nov 2024<\/small>
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\t\t\t\t\t\tReading Time:<\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

One of the six most common problems that consumer lawyers at the Citizens Advice Bureau have to deal with is that of unfair gym contracts.<\/p>\n

Things have improved over the last few years (see the section below about a landmark case in 2011 that helped this) but you still have to be careful with potentially unfair gym contracts. Gyms are businesses and, particularly in January and the run-up to the summer, they have lots of people trying to get in, so there is still the possibility of sharp practices going on.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Cancelling a gym membership<\/h2>\n

\"unfair\"unfairIt used to be a major problem for consumer organisations, but cancelling gym memberships has become a more transparent and somewhat less-fraught operation than it used to be.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s good advice on the Citizens\u2019 Advice Service <\/a>website about how to cancel your membership, and also on the Which website<\/a>, so check those out.<\/p>\n

Also, if you have taken out a gym membership and realise a couple of months\u2019 in that there\u2019s a problem with the gym, or the contract, or your situation, read on!<\/p>\n

<\/a>Is your gym fit to join?<\/h2>\n
\"unfair\"unfair<\/p>\n

Photo by: www.localfitness.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Thanks to new(ish) guidelines from the Office of Fair Trading, gyms and fitness centres now have to have fairer terms in their contracts so that people are not trapped for years paying for overpriced and under-performing gym memberships.<\/p>\n

With many gyms, you can now even cancel if you have moved away and cannot visit their premises regularly. You can also cancel if you get ill and are not able to do the movements you used to be able to.<\/p>\n

The Office of Fair Trading has some guidelines here to show you if the gym you\u2019re thinking of visiting is \u2018fit to join\u2019 \u2013 i.e. what to look out for in their membership contract. Take a look at it here.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>How to cancel unfair gym contracts<\/h2>\n

Sadly, as with other contracts, if you decide you don\u2019t want to go back to your gym after a few months, you are likely to have to pay a fee, usually equal to the amount you would have paid for the remaining months.<\/p>\n

\"Unfair\"UnfairSo, if it costs you \u00a3100 a month and you cancel after four months, they will probably expect about \u00a3800 from you. Contracts vary of course so check yours. But be prepared.<\/p>\n

In some cases, gyms allow you to transfer your membership (for a fee) to someone else. Again, it depends on the contract, but if you want to offload it to a friend, or you find someone on Facebook or Gumtree perhaps who wants your membership for cheaper, then speak to your gym about it.<\/p>\n

However, if your gym contract is worded unfairly then you can cancel it without penalty.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Is your contract unfair?<\/h2>\n

There are various things that could make your gym contract unfair \u2013 and therefore void. For example the contract could include one of the following:<\/p>\n