Discussion
We have an all new £22M leisure centre and it is amazing.
But if I want to join, at £42p/m, I have to pay a fee to do so, or a Joining fee as it is called. It's £25. I asked what I get for £25 and they didn't have an answer.
It just pisses me off that they are just ripping new members off. I told them I'd give it a miss and they said 'They will do 'no joining fee' offers soon anyway so it makes sense to wait'.
Sounds like old school mentality. I want to join but I will not just give them £25 for f
k all.
But if I want to join, at £42p/m, I have to pay a fee to do so, or a Joining fee as it is called. It's £25. I asked what I get for £25 and they didn't have an answer.
It just pisses me off that they are just ripping new members off. I told them I'd give it a miss and they said 'They will do 'no joining fee' offers soon anyway so it makes sense to wait'.
Sounds like old school mentality. I want to join but I will not just give them £25 for f
k all. 
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
OP, would you have been happy to pay £45 per month with no joining fee?
You know what, I probably would but they are clearly just using outdated pricing techniques. When I ask what I am getting for £25 they have no answer, so why should I pay it? I thin they have it just so they can do offers later on that have no joining fee.Frimley111R said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
OP, would you have been happy to pay £45 per month with no joining fee?
You know what, I probably would but they are clearly just using outdated pricing techniques. When I ask what I am getting for £25 they have no answer, so why should I pay it? I thin they have it just so they can do offers later on that have no joining fee.If it's a great place I personally wouldn't worry about the price of five lagers.
Pricing is always a tricky thing.
When I was at Uni, I worked in a well known brand of health club, My job was to show people round the club and sell them a membership.
Whilst there were indeed various promotions at times such as one month free, no joining fee etc, we were also told that we could use our discretion to get people signed up, such as waiving the joining fee.
Getting people signed up to the monthly direct debit was the most important thing by far, because even if people stop attending the club after a few months, most wouldn't cancel their payments for sometimes years afterwards.
If someone wanted to join up right then and there, but dug their heels in over the joining fee, we would often waive it, just to get another sale chalked up on the board. We were paid an absolutely paltry basic wage, but got paid £60 every time someone signed up.
We could run reports on the system which showed how many visits people had made after signing up, and you would be amazed at how many had never actually been back since they signed up. Some people had memberships for years and never once used it.
My advice: Tell them you want to sign up right now if they waive the joining fee, and see if it makes any difference.
Edited to add:
My 'career' in a health club was 20 years ago, but it was exactly the same back then. You would get several people per week who would walk in to join/sign up, but end up not joining because they refused to pay the joining fee out of principle. They always said the same thing, that it was a nonsense, or money for nothing. We were told to tell them it was the cost of processing their new membership and giving them a swipe card/access fob, etc
Given that people have been getting angry over health club joining fees for probably more than 40 years, I don't really understand why they insist on keeping them. If it was thousands of pounds each time then I would fully understand why they don't want to lose the revenue, but it's usually something like £25 as the OP says, and it was £29 all those years ago when I was asking people for it.
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
I guess thats what happens when you put a load of people in lycra and swimwear, make them all sweaty, and then encourage them to socialise in steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis and swimming pools.
Whilst there were indeed various promotions at times such as one month free, no joining fee etc, we were also told that we could use our discretion to get people signed up, such as waiving the joining fee.
Getting people signed up to the monthly direct debit was the most important thing by far, because even if people stop attending the club after a few months, most wouldn't cancel their payments for sometimes years afterwards.
If someone wanted to join up right then and there, but dug their heels in over the joining fee, we would often waive it, just to get another sale chalked up on the board. We were paid an absolutely paltry basic wage, but got paid £60 every time someone signed up.
We could run reports on the system which showed how many visits people had made after signing up, and you would be amazed at how many had never actually been back since they signed up. Some people had memberships for years and never once used it.
My advice: Tell them you want to sign up right now if they waive the joining fee, and see if it makes any difference.
Edited to add:
My 'career' in a health club was 20 years ago, but it was exactly the same back then. You would get several people per week who would walk in to join/sign up, but end up not joining because they refused to pay the joining fee out of principle. They always said the same thing, that it was a nonsense, or money for nothing. We were told to tell them it was the cost of processing their new membership and giving them a swipe card/access fob, etc
Given that people have been getting angry over health club joining fees for probably more than 40 years, I don't really understand why they insist on keeping them. If it was thousands of pounds each time then I would fully understand why they don't want to lose the revenue, but it's usually something like £25 as the OP says, and it was £29 all those years ago when I was asking people for it.
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
I guess thats what happens when you put a load of people in lycra and swimwear, make them all sweaty, and then encourage them to socialise in steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis and swimming pools.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 6th July 18:36
Lord Marylebone said:
When I was at Uni, I worked in a well known brand of health club, My job was to show people round the club and sell them a membership.
Whilst there were indeed various promotions at times such as one month free, no joining fee etc, we were also told that we could use our discretion to get people signed up, such as waiving the joining fee.
Getting people signed up to the monthly direct debit was the most important thing by far, because even if people stop attending the club after a few months, most wouldn't cancel their payments for sometimes years afterwards.
If someone wanted to join up right then and there, but dug their heels in over the joining fee, we would often waive it, just to get another sale chalked up on the board. We were paid an absolutely paltry basic wage, but got paid £60 every time someone signed up.
We could run reports on the system which showed how many visits people had made after signing up, and you would be amazed at how many had never actually been back since they signed up. Some people had memberships for years and never once used it.
My advice: Tell them you want to sign up right now if they waive the joining fee, and see if it makes any difference.
Edited to add:
My 'career' in a health club was 20 years ago, but it was exactly the same back then. You would get several people per week who would walk in to join/sign up, but end up not joining because they refused to pay the joining fee out of principle. They always said the same thing, that it was a nonsense, or money for nothing. We were told to tell them it was the cost of processing their new membership and giving them a swipe card/access fob, etc
Given that people have been getting angry over health club joining fees for probably more than 40 years, I don't really understand why they insist on keeping them. If it was thousands of pounds each time then I would fully understand why they don't want to lose the revenue, but it's usually something like £25 as the OP says, and it was £29 all those years ago when I was asking people for it.
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
I guess thats what happens when you put a load of people in lycra and swimwear, make them all sweaty, and then encourage them to socialise in steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis and swimming pools.
Joining fees make huge sense, since...Whilst there were indeed various promotions at times such as one month free, no joining fee etc, we were also told that we could use our discretion to get people signed up, such as waiving the joining fee.
Getting people signed up to the monthly direct debit was the most important thing by far, because even if people stop attending the club after a few months, most wouldn't cancel their payments for sometimes years afterwards.
If someone wanted to join up right then and there, but dug their heels in over the joining fee, we would often waive it, just to get another sale chalked up on the board. We were paid an absolutely paltry basic wage, but got paid £60 every time someone signed up.
We could run reports on the system which showed how many visits people had made after signing up, and you would be amazed at how many had never actually been back since they signed up. Some people had memberships for years and never once used it.
My advice: Tell them you want to sign up right now if they waive the joining fee, and see if it makes any difference.
Edited to add:
My 'career' in a health club was 20 years ago, but it was exactly the same back then. You would get several people per week who would walk in to join/sign up, but end up not joining because they refused to pay the joining fee out of principle. They always said the same thing, that it was a nonsense, or money for nothing. We were told to tell them it was the cost of processing their new membership and giving them a swipe card/access fob, etc
Given that people have been getting angry over health club joining fees for probably more than 40 years, I don't really understand why they insist on keeping them. If it was thousands of pounds each time then I would fully understand why they don't want to lose the revenue, but it's usually something like £25 as the OP says, and it was £29 all those years ago when I was asking people for it.
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
I guess thats what happens when you put a load of people in lycra and swimwear, make them all sweaty, and then encourage them to socialise in steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis and swimming pools.
1. You actually would have one off costs of setting up a new member as you say.
2. It's a handy little sales tool to persuade people like the OP to join by waiving it.
It only becomes counterproductive if you forget about point 2 and think point 1 is what's important. The reality is that most clubs doubtless build the setup cost into the monthly fees anyway, and view the Joining fee as a nice extra profit where they can get it, or a cheap sales tool to use where they can't. It's an absolutely paltry level of discount to give someone over maybe 5-10 years of membership, but they'll remember that they got one over on you by persuading you to waive the joining fee, even though there wasn't a promo on at the time!
Well everyone shagging each other? Well why didn't you say so! I've joined up! 
I don't hold with the Admin cost to set up. I can do it myself online and via the App. There is no cost to them at all.
The woman in the centre just didn't have an answer and just said 'Ok, well they will do 'No joining fee' offers soon anyway.
I am a member of Puregym but this new one is a quantum leap ahead and it's virtually next door (and within walking distance)
As someone said above, it's like car dealers charging an admin fee, it's just taking the piss, trying to get more money out of people for nothing.
I don't hold with the Admin cost to set up. I can do it myself online and via the App. There is no cost to them at all.
The woman in the centre just didn't have an answer and just said 'Ok, well they will do 'No joining fee' offers soon anyway.
I am a member of Puregym but this new one is a quantum leap ahead and it's virtually next door (and within walking distance)
As someone said above, it's like car dealers charging an admin fee, it's just taking the piss, trying to get more money out of people for nothing.
or perhaps it's a way of saving you money by not rolling it into the monthly fee, that way long termers are rewarded?Kermit power said:
Joining fees make huge sense, since...
1. You actually would have one off costs of setting up a new member as you say.
2. It's a handy little sales tool to persuade people like the OP to join by waiving it.
It only becomes counterproductive if you forget about point 2 and think point 1 is what's important. The reality is that most clubs doubtless build the setup cost into the monthly fees anyway, and view the Joining fee as a nice extra profit where they can get it, or a cheap sales tool to use where they can't. It's an absolutely paltry level of discount to give someone over maybe 5-10 years of membership, but they'll remember that they got one over on you by persuading you to waive the joining fee, even though there wasn't a promo on at the time!
To be honest, the one off costs of setting up a new member were pretty negligible. ‘Back in my day’ it took 10-15 mins to set the new member up on the system while they waited, you then took their photo using a webcam thingy at the front desk, and made therm a swipe card. The swipe cards literally cost pence each.1. You actually would have one off costs of setting up a new member as you say.
2. It's a handy little sales tool to persuade people like the OP to join by waiving it.
It only becomes counterproductive if you forget about point 2 and think point 1 is what's important. The reality is that most clubs doubtless build the setup cost into the monthly fees anyway, and view the Joining fee as a nice extra profit where they can get it, or a cheap sales tool to use where they can't. It's an absolutely paltry level of discount to give someone over maybe 5-10 years of membership, but they'll remember that they got one over on you by persuading you to waive the joining fee, even though there wasn't a promo on at the time!
Took around 40 mins from them saying “I want to join” through to the task being complete.
As the OP says, most places let you set yourself up on their system and enter all your details using their website, so there is even less for them to do now.
There was of course the gym induction, which many people didn’t want anyway, but I guess that has to be paid for somehow.
peterperkins said:
Lord Marylebone said:
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
Now we are getting down to basics.. 
One of the reasons I go 5 times a week to admire the scenery.
markiii said:
peterperkins said:
Lord Marylebone said:
I will say this about health clubs though, as a 21 year old, they are absolutely amazing places to work. A total and utter knocking shop. Everyone was at it with each other. It was unreal. The staff were all banging each other, the staff were banging the club members, the club members were at it with each other. It was almost like everyone was having an affair.
Now we are getting down to basics.. One of the reasons I go 5 times a week to admire the scenery.
They were a pain in the arse to be honest. Like many pensioners, they complained about everything, and then tried to get more than their money’s worth at every opportunity.
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