Do you agree with Gyms charging people that don't turn up

[terley]

Speaking with a couple of friends of mine that manage gyms, they say that at least 70% of their income comes from members that don't turn up..

As far as i see this causes a few problems

1) No incentive for the Gym to advertise the benefits of why they joined
2) Technically having too many members on the books than the gym could handle if all turned up regularly
3) Taking money out of peoples pockets for a service they are not receiving


Now i understand that if you sign up to a service and decide not to use it, then it is your fault.. You will continue to be charged regardless..

But are we creating a system of gym's that don't care about public health, one that does what it can to attract new members but not retain the continued return of its current members? Should a system not be put in to place to automatically start a withdrawal process of a member if they are absent for say 2-3 months, in that process a customer retention agent with the gym contacts the member to ask if they wish to cancel?

Give them offers for returning if they do choose to cancel, and if not tell them the benefits of being a member, and try and convince them to come back?

I just believe the current system is seriously flawed.. Any thoughts?

 

[terley]

do you agree you pay for TV licence if you dont watch the telly for a day?

its called business

Gyms are not a Public Health Service. It's a business. They need to make money.

Hence why i said

Now i understand that if you sign up to a service and decide not to use it, then it is your fault.. You will continue to be charged regardless..

 

[terley]

Gyms are not a Public Health Service. It's a business. They need to make money.

And most Gyms are owned by the local council.

 

[terley]

Obviously i agree with everything you guys are saying, I'm not stupid, i recognise that a business is a business and they are in it for profit first and foremost.. But they could be run to better serve their community.

Netflex/TV license is not concerned with public health, most gyms in the cities/towns i have lived in throughout the years are owned by the local council, and charge very heavy fees, somewhere in the region of £20-40 per month for a membership that they openly admit 70%+ of their members don't use. TV license is £100ish a year, netflix is what £5-8 per month?

We are facing an obesity crisis in the UK, and i think gyms should do more to contact their members to return and use the service..

On the face of it, it seems illogical and if people are stupid enough to sign up and pay for months on end without using it, it is their fault.. But people a lot of people are stupid, or have things happen in their lives that may affect their motivation.

 

[terley]

No they're not.

From my experience, they are.

 

[terley]

An interesting point i made at my previouis Gym, why do all gyms insist on open changing rooms and showers?

It's 2017, not 1970.. It is weird to be showering with other naked men in today's day and age.. Not a PC thing, rather a cultural change.. Why can't they just make solid cubicles? Most people i know end up having to go home after the Gym to shower to then go to work, which subsequently forces them to go in peak hours as it creates too much of a morning..

 

[terley]

They don't. The two I go to have individual showers and changing areas.

You are very misinformed about gyms.

First you say that most of them are council run. They're not.
Now you say that they all insist on open changing rooms and showers. They don't.

How am i misinformed?

Man give me a break.. I've lived in 4 major cities, im pushing 30 and have been to plenty of gyms throughout my life.. you can't just assume that somebody has no idea what they are talking about because it doesn't conform to what you have experienced.. If you don't share the same experiences then whatever, it doesn't change mine..

Why is it weird to shower with other men? It's not like you're all helping each other wash is it .

I ended up in a changing room once, with my old headteacher walking past, with his manhood happily swinging as he tried to talk to me when getting changed.. That **** just isn't right man. Times change

 

[terley]

Spoiler

Correct. The incentivisation was the stimulus to make them join in the first place. I'm sure most have a mailing list that will tell you how amazing you can be if you continue to go to the gym. As do the inordinate number of fitness apps they'll subsequently download.



But if they don't turn up then it isn't a problem to solve.



No, a service they're choosing not to use.



Correct.



Existing regular users of gyms would be frustrated at having to pay higher fees to employ all your new customer retention agents who would end up making calls, 90% of which would result in cancellations.

We are assuming that Gyms are only just viable in terms of profitability, and the prices are in any way justified. I would like to hear from somebody who runs or has knowledge on the rates & costs of running a gym and how profitable the business is before i can agree that implementing such strategies would force the burden of cost on loyal members.