A fitness center is not only a place for training and outdoor activities, but also a lucrative business. To increase income, the owners and administrators of such clubs often go for not entirely honest tricks.
Fitness club owners are interested in selling as many services as possible. This often prompts them to act not quite correctly and honestly. Customers need to be aware of the most common tricks to avoid being fooled.
Special conditions of the contract
When making a contract, you need to carefully study it. Particular attention should be paid to the item on refunds. By law, you only need to pay for the services rendered. If for some reason a person no longer wants to go to the club, they are obliged to return the money for those classes that he did not have time to attend. But the management of some fitness centers is tricky. In the contracts, they prescribe that if the client refuses to visit the club, only a percentage of the unused funds will be returned to him. The rest is written off as a forfeit. It is better not to sign such agreements, but to look for another place for training. Also noteworthy are the points where it is agreed to extend the validity of the subscription if classes were missed for valid reasons. If this is not provided, you can lose a lot of money in case of illness or injury.
Annual subscription
A brilliant gym management trick is the overpriced monthly membership. With the price tag so high, the discounted annual passes seem like a gift. People buy them, but in the end they lose a lot. It seems to them that there is a lot of time ahead, so they are in no hurry to attend all classes. Sometimes circumstances change, it becomes not very convenient to go to the club. In this case, the money has already been deposited. Considering all these factors, buying a monthly subscription is sometimes more profitable.
All inclusive and limited access pass
Subscriptions for which visits are provided only early in the morning or late in the evening are 20-30% cheaper than usual. Many people buy them with pleasure and then get disappointed. In such uncomfortable hours it is difficult to force yourself to go to workout. Skips begin. If everything is calculated well, the benefits of the acquisition are dubious.
Several fitness clubs offer their clients a group gym, several swimming pools, a spa area, a tennis court, gyms and many other all-inclusive facilities. It attracts people. They find it very tempting to have a choice. The cost of a subscription, in comparison with all the opportunities that a visitor gets, does not seem too high. But in fact, this is one of the gimmicks of business owners and administration. The time for visiting the club is still limited, so you won't be able to visit many venues at once. Often this package does not include the ability to train with a mentor. The coach approaches the client only during the first visit, and then the person has to master everything on their own or pay extra money.
Sale of counterfeit drugs
In the bars of many fitness centers, they offer not entirely high-quality or even fake preparations for building muscle mass, for weight loss. The cost of cocktails in them is also greatly overpriced. All this leads to the fact that visitors are wasting money. In the club bar, you don't have to ask if it is possible to lose weight from any product from their range. Of course, they will answer in the affirmative. In fact, none of these products will help you lose those extra pounds.
Imposing additional services
Many fitness clubs have dummy actors. It can be a heavily muscled man or a woman with an ideal figure. They strike up conversations with visitors. When asked how they managed to achieve these results, they start promoting protein supplements, diet pills, or a certain personal trainer. All this is done with the aim of generating additional profit from clients.
Invalid coaching staff information
The management of many sports clubs is not responsible enough in the choice of coaches. They invite ordinary athletes to work, who simply do not know physiology and anatomy. At the same time, administrators position them as professionals. With such trainers, it is not always possible to achieve the desired results. A person can be a gold medalist in a competition, but a poor instructor.
Sale of season tickets by installments
Many fitness clubs offer their customers subscriptions in installments or loans. At the same time, they declare that potential visitors will not incur any additional costs. In fact, this is just a gimmick. Everything is already included in the cost. Some clubs work with banks. You need to carefully study the documents. Most often, customers are offered to conclude an agreement with a bank. At the same time, the management of the fitness center sells more subscriptions, and visitors pay off loans.
