Tips and Tricks for Staying Safe in Fitness Clubs....by SCRAPPER

[Spook]

here's my article for the month.. mods please read it over and add a bit if you can, i always miss out on some points... thanks!

Tips And Tricks For Staying Safe in Fitness Clubs

Ok, safe you ask eh?? Well I’m gonna go over a few ways to protect yourself, financially, with regards to joining a gym.

Most gym owners are WEASELS!!! I’m not kidding, they’re very cut throat and fight hard with competition and don’t seem to care about bad word of mouth to get you to sign up. I see this ALL the time.

1. Be Very Prepared when going into a gym for a tour:

Most gyms have over 90% closure rate for first visits. If a sales rep doesn’t close you they’ll probably get in shit. They work off commission and will basically lie to you so you sign up.

Have some excuses why you don’t want to join, and be a PRICK! You can be nice to the staff once you join up, but being a big ass prick on your first appearance will make sales reps avoid you down the road, this is key!!

Excuses like, I don’t know about being able to afford it AIN’T GONNA WORK… they’ll blend payments and stretch them out to make sure you get in, and to top it off they’ll usually upcharge you additional costs to do so.

So my best advice for your first visit is when they first CIRCLE you!! LOL say “Look, I don’t want to hear your bullshit promises, I don’t like gym owners, and don’t try to convince me your club is any better!!” I just want to take my time and look around, I’m NOT giving you ANY of my personal information! If you really want the sale, give me a few free workouts and leave me the hell alone, DON’T approach me when I’m leaving and try to convince me cause then I WON’T sign up even if I like the place. And then check out some other gyms

You may hate being like this, and then some may like to be like this  They’re very pushy.

2. DON’T give any personal information until you are ready to sign. Cause they will HARASS you, and your family members to join. By phone, direct mail, email, whatever. And especially never ever sign up for one of their ballot boxes to win a free membership. All these are, are lead boxes, they will call every single person on that list and say hey you won a “2 week free membership” they get you in and then get you hooked. And until you come in you’ll received phone call after phone call. Sales reps will get fired if they don’t keep calling you and telling them to stop ain’t gonna work! So avoid these at all costs!

3. Ask a lot of questions. Make damn sure the gym isn’t planning on turning into a fitness club (like my gym).

4. Don’t sign a CONTRACT. Hey they want the cash right? Give them a cash up front deal and tell them take it or leave. Here’s why:

-first they will make you sign a 1 year contract that you can’t get out of. You move out of town?? Well tough crap, they still get their moneyl.

-they’ll make you give them a void cheque to automatically take payments out. Which means you can’t bail on that one year contract. AND many big clubs will still take cash out of your account after you quit hoping you “won’t notice” and so forth. Numerous gyms will even take 13 payments out a year, then when you blow a nut they claim it was a mistake.

-remember how they lie? Well buddy who needs 1 more sale to make his commission bonus says “hey no we’re not changing the club within the next year” ya right.. 3 months later the place is a freaking disco and your hooked in to a contract. This way you can bail

5. Join in the summer time (august) or December. Gyms are desperate for new members. So you can negotiate!

6. Most gyms are set up now to sell you personal training, tanning etc. I’ve seen trainers approach people now while they’re working out to keep pushing training sessions etc. Make sure to ask around on your 2 week trial to other members if the staff is pushy at all. But again if you were a prick in the first place they’d stay clear of ya!

7. If you feel your being treated like shit, do what I do. Ask to speak to the manager/owner of the gym in their office, while you walk in, close the door behind you and FREAK on them. I had to do it before due to a weasel taking extra payments out, I got my money back, out of my gym contract, and a few free tans. Most of the owners think they’re cool, but they’re little wimpy weasels 

8. MOST OF ALL make sure the gym is good for you. A two week pass should give you some type of feel for the atmosphere there. If you don’t enjoy the place it’ll be harder to go to. And of course Lift Heavy Or Go Home 

*** "Man. It smells like ass soup in here." ***