Work out deals before working out in a gym

PEOPLE hoping for a healthy new start to 2018 are being warned to make sure their finances are not left out of shape after a charity said it has dealt with nearly 3,500 problems around gyms, health clubs and fitness studios in the last year.

Citizens Advice is urging people to do their homework before signing up to fitness memberships this new year, to make sure they do not end up disappointed or out of pocket.

In the 12 months to the end of November 2017, the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline dealt with 2,360 people from across Britain on issues relating to gyms, health clubs and fitness studios - or an average of around 197 cases per month.

In addition to calls to the helpline, Citizens Advice offices across England and Wales provided faceto-face advice to people to help them deal with over 1,000 problems with health, gym and sports club memberships.

And over the same period, 60,000 people looked up the “cancelling a gym membership” advice pages of the charity’s website.

Kate Hobson, consumer expert at Citizens Advice, said: “At this time of year we’re bombarded with offers for health and fitness memberships, which can ask for a lot of money or commitment up front.

“It’s really important to do your homework before you sign up to any gym, health club or fitness stu- dio. Make sure you know how long you’re committing for, how much it will cost you, and think about how often you’ll need to use it for it to make sense on your budget.”

Over a third (35%) of calls to the helpline were complaints about services not being up to scratch - including the gym being closed for long periods of time, classes being shorter than advertised and poor quality facilities.

Here are some tips from Citizens Advice for people looking to spend money on getting fitter in the New Year:

Save the evidence - keep a copy of any adverts or special offers that attract you to that particular gym.

Read the contract so you fully understand what you are committing to, how long for, and whether you can leave before the end of the contract.

Make sure that the contract is reasonable, for example that it is not tying you in for a very long time.

Know your cancellation rights - some gyms might offer a “cooling off” period if you change your mind within 14 days of signing up. If the membership does not work for you or does not offer what you expect you may be able to pay an exit fee if you want to leave before the minimum term is up.

If your gym does not meet your expectations but they will not allow you to cancel, make a complaint to the company in writing.