How True is True Fitness

Firstly, never ever go for a trial session if you don’t mean to sign up. Secondly, never accompany your friend to a trial session as well.

Because in the next moment, you could possibly end up with a year’s worth of gym package that you never intended to bargain for.

This is what happened to me 2 years ago. My friend went for a trial. I accompanied her. We both ended up with 1 year package, pockets less endowed. :_(

Typically, the sales rep will first make us take our weight and height measurements. Next, he'd ask us to do a survey on our ideal weight fitness goals etcetera and our current engagements to achieve our goals. Crunch time comes when he uses the guilt trip treatment on us. He is successful when he makes us feel fat, feel that we’ll never have the motivation to lose weight on our own, feel that we'll never exercise ever again if we don't sign up for the gym membership pronto. Above all these, he promises us that his staff would be hounding us on our cell phones should we start making less trips to the gym(which by the way never happened even when I stopped visiting) He promises that we can lose weight. If not for the fact that I was DESPERATELY trying to lose that 6 kilos I’ve gained, I’d never have succumbed to any gym membership ever.

Next, once he had our interest piqued, he gave us a sky high quotation and rocket registration fee. I rejected immediately. He tried to sweet talk but failed. He asked us to give him a number. Then he said he would speak to his boss to try to get us a sweeter deal. After sometime, he came out, all smiles. Both now agreed to waive the rocket registration fee and the package deal rate is slashed. When worked out, it sets me back by $80 per month by installations. When I said I need to think about it, the boss stepped in to push us to take the deal. They were really good salesmen indeed. We both succumbed to what we thought seemingly a good bargain when in actual fact, was not. I later discovered that the “bargained” deal was the going market rate and some even had cheaper rates. Yes, they charge different prices to different customers and it could also be based on promotional deals. Surprise, surprise. They further tried to psycho us to sign up for gym trainers, which we both rejected.

I started going to the gym around 3 times a week. As I had always loved to exercise, I don’t fall short of deriving motivation to workout. Every trip there requires me to reject as least 2 to 4 trainers hawking their business. It really got on my nerves but I was polite all the same.

One fateful day, a trainer had casual chat with me as usual. However, he first mentioned that he had been seeing me frequently drilling long hours, he asked if I saw any results? Well, a little weight lost but still flabby as a bat! That was when he marketed his knowledge and skills. I was impressed by him as he was by me. I told him I do not need a trainer to motivate me to exercise, I only wished to take the minimal number of sessions and learn techniques from him so that I could execute them on my own. So I signed up for 8 sessions. It cost $90 thereabouts per hourly session.

I truly enjoyed his training. He understood my strengths and weaknesses well. He sculpted a plan which I should master specific techniques for each lesson. He even compiled a guide for me on workout techniques. Sadly speaking, by the 3rd or 4th session, his lesson was suddenly replaced by his cousin (who happens to be a trainer there). When I asked about it, I was informed that he was taken ill. After 2 more sessions with his cousin, I repeatedly asked for him. And he finally told me the truth and asked me to be hush about it. He had an argument with the management and left the company. I was not able to cancel the remaining training sessions as the management refused, citing that they can assign other trainers to me.

After the cousin, his other friend also helped to take up my training sessions, however I was no longer learning any more techniques. Can you imagine that the trainer comes to me and asks me what we should do today? Duhz. Through them, I also had first time experiences on Boxing. I must say it was fun; however not what I have paid for. :(

All in all, do remember that the trainers you see at gyms can leave the company in a blink of an eye. It happened to my friend as well. When you keep changing trainers, they don’t even understand your goals. Money was wasted. Lesson learnt.

I stopped visiting the gym with around 4 to 5 months to spare. I thought I would let it expire once the year contract is up. I kept getting phone calls from them hounding me to extend my membership to 2 years. *Rolls eyes. One day, I heard from outsiders that the gym membership AUTO RENEWS ITSELF when the 1 year contract ends. WOW!!! If so, why not just make it a LIFETIME CONTRACT UNLESS TERMINATED? Hmm... what does 1 year mean to you? It certainly didn’t mean auto renewals to me. That said, it’s completely meaningless to even sign a 1 year contract. Next, the ONLY WAY TO TERMINATE it is to go IN PERSON. Another WOW!!! You’d think they would have the basic courtesy to inform us this LITTLE DETAIL when we were signing the contract or at the very least informed us about the automated service when the contract is about to expire. It’s ABSOLUTELY REPULSIVE to deduct money on the sly.

I waited patiently for the last day and made my trip down. As I sat there filling my termination form, I saw other lambs on the chopping board and I felt sorry for them. Remember, no one should ever make you feel bad about yourself in other to benefit their own pockets. Sales techniques are specially designed to attack the majority’s soft spots. If you ever feel pressured, don’t be afraid to say No firmly and showcase your Speedy Gonzales skills. :D