You would think that in this tough economic crisis that we are under going right now that people might be a little more understanding of the delicate nature of people's finance. Well not Brenda Athletic Clubs and more specifically Turlock Racquet Club. You see a little over a year ago April of 2008 to be exact I was in the market for a new athletic club. I was a member of the In-Shape brand and I didn't like the fact that it was always super crowded and that the staff wasn't too friendly, so I shopped around. I had always admired the look of the Turlock Racquet Club and I thought it would be cool to belong to a gym that had a racquet ball court and tennis courts. They also had a juice bar and heavy bag and hey I like to hit a heavy bag it was the one thing that really won me over; well that and the fact that each treadmill had its own cable TV hooked up to it as opposed to the 5 big screens at ISC. The guy told me it would be 54 dollars a month for me and my dad which was about 16 dollars cheaper than I was paying so I was pretty much sold. However when I went to fill out the paperwork the next day at the recruitment day at Stan State the guy told me it was only 54 dollars if I signed a 3 year contract. I was very apprehensive of a 3 year commitment to a gym; I didn't know in 3 years whether or not I'd be in California, or if I would be disgruntled with the racquet club the way I had with In Shape. So the first words out of my mouth before I signed the contract were "what if I want to leave the gym before my 3 years is up?" The guy replied that all I would have to do to leave is tell them that I wanted to quit, and if they asked for a reason just tell them I was moving out of state that they didn't require any proof and that it would be a done deal"
Today I decided that I would leave the gym. Honestly I might move away, it is hard to find and maintain a decent paying job as a 20 something college graduate here in California. It is also a waste of money since I started the University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team medicine ball 400 workout plan. I could use that money to take out my beautiful girlfriend a couple more times a month. Plus with my busy schedule I do not have that much time to go to the gym. So I called the gym to find out exactly what I would need to do to cancel my membership and I was quite shocked at what I was told. There is only 3 ways to terminate my contract:
1) Provide a written note from my doctor saying that I am physically unable to use the equipment at the gym
2) Provide a completed change of address form that puts me outside a reasonable driving distance to any of their clubs
3) Pay 600 dollars.
Granted I am sure that if I read the fine print of the contract that was in there somewhere but I also trusted the guy and girl that signed me up to be honest with me when I asked what would happen if I wanted to cancel my contract before 3 years was up. Had I been properly informed I would not have signed. I crunched the numbers in the mean time. To cancel my contract as stated before would require a 600 dollar termination fee plus paying another month of the gym because they require a 30 day notice and my 30 days would be up the day after they draw out July's payment from my bank. Since I split the cost of the gym at 34 dollars a month for my share the total difference between leaving the gym and staying a member is less than a hundred dollars. Plus the fact that I wouldn’t be paying 600 dollars up front means that it is way more feasible and economically sound to keep the membership even if I don't use it. I suppose that is what they count on when they sign you up in the first place. However I have always been a model gym member. I don't use any of the extra stuff like free towels or the sauna or the pool or take any of the free classes. You can guarantee that is going to change give me a towel give me a free juice, I will definitely be splashing around the pool and taking full advantage to point of almost obnoxiousness from here on. So thanks Brenda Athletic Clubs for lying to me I appreciate the fact that I have spent over 700 dollars the last 14 months barely using your gym to be told that if I want to leave I will basically have to pay my membership fees for the remainder of my contract whether I go or not. I could see a fee of 100-200 dollars being acceptable like a cell phone bill, but to basically charge me for 18 months of membership fees when I have 20 months left on the contract is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the fact that the fee would be 600 dollars if I only had a year left. It is bad business and as soon as my contract is up in 2011 pending I haven't gotten injured to the point of not being able to work out, or I haven’t moved away I anxiously look forward to quitting Brenda for good.
Until then look for me taking up equipment almost every day not really working out with my free towel drinking juice
Take care of each other
XM
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