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?
They don't. The two I go to have individual showers and changing areas.An interesting point i made at my previouis Gym, why do all gyms insist on open changing rooms and showers?
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.
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
I demanded a refund or compensation from my gym.
I've been a member there now for 8 months and have not got any fitter. In fact I've gained about 7kg.
They refused my demands saying something ridiculous like I had to actually attend and do exercise. The whole things a con if you ask me
Sadly I see stuff along those lines said on facebook completely seriously quite often
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
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?
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.
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..
And most Gyms are owned by the local council.