Gothamist: When Gym Membership Renewals Attack

wkarma

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:22:49 -0500

Unfortunately, trying to get a membership with these mid scale gyms is like visiting a cheesy used car dealership. If you been going to a gym for 6 months to a year and your membership expires, there is nothing wrong, in fact it is good guest service to let that member in. Perhaps not all of us comes to these gyms with our cash and credit cards to be stolen from their "no security" locker rooms. And to inconvenience an 9 to 5 worker on a Saturday when they are ready to blow off steam and relax, is inexcusable. And anyone on here, who has sided differently, have not a clue about customer service.

Matt

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:07:29 -0500

I am a reporter and am looking for sources who can talk about being ripped off by gyms in NYC. What I am talking about is overbilling, double-billing, shady sales tactics, etc. Please contact me at randomroomie@yahoo.com Thanks

Matt

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:06:00 -0500

I am a reporter looking for sources who want to talk about their bad experiences with gyms in NYC. What I'm referring to is overbilling, double-billing, shady sales tactics, etc. Please contact me at randomroomie@yahoo.com Thanks

Matt

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:02:45 -0500

ryzoo

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:27:44 -0500

i just won a free year's membership at Crunch gym...something smells fishy though.

Bob Highlander

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 19:33:56 -0500

So let me get this straight, Noah. Your membership was expired, (which you had to be aware of unless you're a complete moron), and you wanted them to let you work out for free? Do you go to Bloomingdale's and ask to wear a pair of jeans for a day before buying them? C'mon Noah! You're not that naive! Crunch is a business and you were trying to take advantage of them...They caught you, and you bitched like the queen that you are!

Sean

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 07:07:24 -0500

He should respect the gyms policies. Bisiness arent required to have a "try (for FREE) before you buy" policy and we should not EXPECT them to give us freebies. For God sake, stop whinging, pay the casual fee(the money does go towards wages too, I bet you would not want to work for free), or join. They didn't force you (or any 3 year signing people) to join or sign up. The choice is yours. Business's work hard to provide employment for people and provide a service to satisfy the majority of people. There are always a few people (always loud too) that cant accept there systems. They can have whatever policies they like.

Jon

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 19:35:28 -0500

After reading the series of responses from everyone, I have noticed a few things. I believe this stems back to the guy who had a corporate membership, but doesn't work for the company anymore. Dude, what do you expect (no work, no play). I was once a corporate member with Crunch, and one post had it correct. There was always something wrong in the system but they would always let me work out, and tell me to inform HR about it. Obviously, there is a little more to the story than what is being told. Another thing people, I read another post about how they were suckered into a 3 year membership.......your the sucker that signed the membership. Should teach you to read before you sign anything. oh, and one last thing. If the guy had been working out there for a few months already, then what was there to think about. You got the price....you knew what they had to offer, guess you had no real intentions. Or the intention of working out for FREE! Sucks for people who actually pay to workout!

BSK

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 15:31:37 -0500

Can someone give me an idea of what the initial fee for NYHRC is? We have a corporate discount through my company and the monthly fee is comparable to NYSC, but I would like to know how much I can expect to shell out at the beginning. Thanks

Erin

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 11:28:59 -0500

My old roommate had to cancel her Crunch membership for health reasons, and even after the doctor's note, a series of phone calls, and a letter writing campaign, Crunch would still not cancel the contract. She wound up paying for 3-4 months that she didn't go to the gym.

jenene

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 09:06:56 -0500

i work out at crunch. they totally suckered me into this huge contract when i first signed up for what i thought was 2 years... but then i called trying to figure out exactly how i COULD cancel if i wanted to, and it turns out it's 3 years! and i can't cancel unless i moved or have a doctors note of injury. it's insanity. and of course i, like many others don't have lawyer resources at my fingertips. i think the way gyms behave are downright sleazy

contempt

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 07:11:25 -0500

Well I let my Crunch membership expire (13th St. location). What's surprising about Noah not knowing it was expiring, is that Crunch left me phone messages once a month for six months, 3 months before it was going to expire, and 3 months afterwards, to remind me to renew. It actually became annoying. But at least they made the effort and seriously took interest in re-signing me. Maybe I should renew. But I am tempted by Equinox.

kyle

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 00:44:20 -0500

Newsflash: Crunch is now owned by Bally's. Bally's, as I recall, was lambasted by the NY Post a few years back for some unscrupulous membership policies. Caveat emptor!

Robin Lester

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:58:43 -0500

The 23rd St. NYHRC is fantastic (I am a member there now). The facilities are beautiful and the staff is very friendly. Plus, I got a better deal than an NYSC, PLUS a locker rental thrown in!

m-$

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:33:22 -0500

my corp membership is always acting wacky, and they never give me grief at Crunch...i went like two weeks with the thing saying payment due or something when i swiped in, and not once did they refuse me entry, always very friendly and accomodating...sounds like an isolated incident, or maybe mine is an isolated incident

MT

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:59:43 -0500

OKay, I gotta chime in here and plug Equinox for a good gym-going experience. I went to Crunch for years but decided to try Equinox about 5 years ago for a switch and have never looked back. All the branches are extremely well-equipped and always immaculate and I've always had great experiences with their customer service. The after work crowd can be a bit hectic at times, but all in all, I'd say it has to be one of the better gyms in the city.

tien

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:49:14 -0500

i think the advantage with NYHRC (i was never a member, but my mom was) is they all had pools. also, she was telling me that the member fees are always charged on a yearly basis, which is kind of hard for those living paycheck to paycheck. i think at one point, we figured that she was only paying a little monthly than i was at nysc.

hijiki

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:48:50 -0500

noah, i think you're totally justified in this. you pay crunch a lot of money to manage your membership responsibly including a smooth renewal process. you have every right to expect them to notify you of an impending deadline. how hard can it be to do that once a year... they have the database right there in front of them. that's just how businesses run these days.

Maxine

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:44:01 -0500

I can totally agree with you that NYHRC is great! I have been a member there for almost a year now and have no complaints about anything...they have a friendly staff and have a great facility (I use the one on 56th Street)

BrianVan

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:35:29 -0500

If we're plugging good gyms: NYHRC (Health & Racquet Club) is absolutely fantastic, but expensive. I had a very good experience with them recently, which was all the more reason why it was a heartbreak to make a budgetary decision to let my membership lapse without renewal. They really have much to offer, and I absolutely regret that I didn't explore some of their classes or extra-cardiovascular activities (like the cruises and weekend getaways). Some of their facilities are gorgeous, and most are easily accessible. I went swimming all the time because of them, and it got me in great shape. NYSC is a middle-of-the-pack gym; very reasonable in terms of cost, but there are definitely some quality issues here and there. Most of my problems dealt with crowding and lackluster facilities; while it's far from being a hellhole gym chain, I always felt slightly restricted in their clubs. I'm just picky like that, though. Want a hellhole for cheap? Dolphin on 42nd (between Park/Madison? or in the close vicinity). For $20 a month, you can have your very own prison gym experience. No girls, minimal cardio, and none of the pansy stuff. Just ripped carpets, sketchy locker rooms, and lots of heavy metal. If that's your workout thing, this is the place to go. (Hey, some people dig that. I admit to being a man-flake, making nervous jokes about steroids and sewer rats in any gym where I can't see my reflection in the chrome on the barbells.)

Noah Brier

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:20:22 -0500

I had a corporate membership that had been continued after I left my last job. The membership was not set to expire until June 1, or something to that effect. The company cancelled my membership and this was all unexpected. As I wrote in my response to Roger Harvey, the COO of Crunch, I went in on Saturday expecting to work out. I had been there about two days before and everything had been fine, not even a mention that I might have a cancelled membership. So when they told me that I needed to renew, I just wanted to think it over. I had been paying a corporate rate before and just wanted to decide whether to go with the 1 year, $799 option or the two year, $1199 option (or something to that effect). I was at the gym, with my gym clothes on and I wanted to work out. I wasn't just looking for a freebie, I was just looking to make the best decision about a lot of money. Hope that clears things up a bit.

jt

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:12:56 -0500

One other thing, lest yall think I just like to rag on Crunch. Yes, as Shawn said, this Noah guy is completely failing to be responsible. He wrote on his blog "What is more, I was not informed during my last visit that my membership would be ending. Therefore, I had no way of knowing, when I walked in on Saturday, that I would not be able to work out." Come on! When he joined he joined for a set time. He could have actually kept track of the info himself. Maybe not remembering the exact date, but enough to know "Oh, it's January, I joined last January so my membership is probably up. I shouuld check my records or ask when I go in." These sort of selfish arguments make it harder for merchants to deal with people who have acceptable beefs with them. Finally, I can't resist another opportunity to say why yall should avoid W83rd St Crunch. I twice froze my membership there (totally within their teams of use) and both times I went back to unfreeze they told me they had no record of the freeze and therefore my membership was up or almost up. Both times I had to go home (luckily I live across the street) to bring my copy of the freeze form to be able to use the gym I'd paid for. I've got no problem with people making mistakes and losing things (everyone makes mistakes), but I can't help but think that Crunch actually tries to lose some freeze forms in the hope that the customer will to, and then the customer will have to pay join again. Very bad. Avoid. Avoid!

hijiki

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:08:30 -0500

what a coincidence... just this morning i got to chelsea piers gym and they told me my membership had expired. most gyms will send a notice before your contract ends. the clerk didn't even pause when i asked if i could workout since i was there. if they had refused, i would certainly not renew. cp is a nice gym as should be expected for $1200/year... what are the cheaper options that people are happy with? i never really loved crunch.

Stroganoff

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:04:45 -0500

Crunch is ridiculous. I tried to upgrade my membership from the Noho gym so I could use all the gyms in the city, and it was an ordeal...and I was trying to give them more money! The manager of the Broadway/Houston gym told me I had to call the corporate office in Atlanta. So I did, but the guy never got back to me. I called other people in the office, and they told me that the guy just wasn't at his desk. Finally, he called me a week later and said he had a death in the family. So i felt like a jerk, until I faxed him my credit card info and signed a bunch of forms and he still never put it through. I called their customer service line to complain and the asswipe told me "Well, Bally's (Crunch's daddy) is the most popular fitness company in the world, so I guess we're doing something right". So I quit and joined Printing House. All because I was trying to pay them an extra $10 a day and I guess they didn't want it.

jt

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:03:24 -0500

I live across the street from W83rd St Crunch and can't stand the place. When I joined they gave me some guest passes, and then later when I tried to use them with my wife they wouldn't accept them -- the manager actually ripped them up claiming they could be fakes (photocopies). It's not my problem they were too incompement to make guest passes that easier to copy. This was more than five years ago but the same guy (a tall, fat fark, white with dark hair with a beard and glasses) is still there. The corporate office was apologetic when I wrote to complain, but it was hard enough for me to get my wife to work out in the gym w/o having to deal with arguments and a guy saying I'm probably trying to cheat them. Stay away from Crunch -- at least that one. Most recently I've been with Synergy. I'm not going to say they're the most well-equipped or organized (or even cleanest) gym , but there's not a lot of nonsense with the two I have belonged to. Pumping Iron on the east side was really good too-- they actually had prices posted visibly! Not sure if they are still in business.

Aaron

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:57:34 -0500

I've actually had good luck with Crunch, but maybe because I've just had a membership with them for so long. I've paid month-to-month for at least the last four years and can use any Crunch anywhere in the country (and more importantly, the City). It's gone up a bit over the past couple years, but it's right around $71-72 per month, so something like $850 for the year. I think I was grandfathered in to this deal, and for sure they've made more money off of me than I've actually used the gym over all these years. I guess that's how they've got me -- I figure if I quit and then want to join somewhere else or rejoin there, I'll never get as good a deal. Yeah. Bastards!

Shawn

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:54:33 -0500

It sounds like one detail missing from the telling of this story is how much his old deal cost versus the new one Crunch was asking for. If the increase over his old corporate rate was significant, I can understand why he wanted the gym to give him a day to mull it over. I'm mostly on Noah's side on this one - the stupid gym lost $799 in an argument about one 45-minute workout - but I'm still puzzled about his lack acknowledgement of any sort of personal responsibility. If he had realized a month ago that his membership was about to expire, he might have renewed to guarantee a seamless flow from one contract to the next. Gyms, of course, are notorious for being cagey about renewal or cancellation info, but that doesn't absolve Noah of the responsibility for knowing the terms and exact length of his contract.

Jen

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:51:00 -0500

I think it's a general customer service issue. Granted, Crunch's policy doesn't allow suddenly-non-members to work out, I think the bigger issue is how you feel if you're a steady customer who has been there a couple days a week, every week, and the management didn't say anything during your membership's last active week about renewing.

HR

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:40:17 -0500

I'm glad it's february. About time time for all the new years resolution fatties to have finally quit and given up. Free up space for the rest of us.

Ron Snyder

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:34:41 -0500

What's the problem? The guy's membership was up. Sounds like he was looking for a freebie. I'm no fan of health club employees/management, but I am confused why a health club is being criticised for refusing someone a free workout when he already was a member for six months and should be well acquainted with that the gym has to offer.

Robin Lester

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:25:15 -0500

He should have best kept away from NYSC! That place BLOWS with their renewal policy! You have to pay a $50 fee every time you renew if you pay by the year, where months-to-month pays no such penalty (and there's no discount to paying for the year, either). Plus, don't count on any of the staff to be familiar with this policy.

MT

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:17:31 -0500

Crunch is only $800 for a year?