Gym snotty emails

[GymGecko]

The gym I go to is a relatively cheap 24 hour one, although not one of the big, well known companies. They repeatedly cancel classes at short notice and you can only book a class a few days before. On three occasions I have been unable to attend a class last minute and have received a snotty email from them about this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware most gyms employ this tactic to guilt you in to cancelling your space ahead of time and prevent you from taking a space someone else might have wanted. I think it's 100% fair to send an email if the class was fully booked with a waiting list and you've not turned up.

However, this gym shows how many spaces are available on the class until the class begins. I think that if a class still has say 4 or more spaces (for example) that people could have signed up to, then a snotty email isn't really appropriate as I haven't actually taken a space away from someone else? Equally, there is no polite cancellation email apologising when they cancel classes (quite regularly) however they're quick to send the email when you don't attend.

AIBU to get irritated when I receive an email threatening to "black list" me from classes when in fact this gym repeatedly cancels on me and the class had space for more people to book anyway?

YANBU. I dislike my gym for this. When I went to a Pure Gym, so long as you cancelled before the class, you didn't get a warning and that was fine. My current gym, you have to cancel with 3 hours' notice. If you cancel within 3 hours, it's still a red mark against your name. For this reason, I now no longer book classes until I'm on my way to the gym but of course they can be booked up.

I had to cancel twice, once because my train was stuck on the tracks on the way home from work so I couldn't get to the gym on time, and another because DS was sent home from nursery ill so I couldn't make my lunchtime class. Each time, I cancelled with at least 45-60 minutes' notice but still got a mark against my name.

I wish they'd shorten the cancellation window, similar to Pure Gyms!

You do know the emails will be automatic and there is no one to bother checking how many places are left in the class before sending it.

Have you phoned to cancel your space or just not turned up?

🙄

At my gym, you can do as many classes as you like with a membership but if you don't turn up, you are charged the pay as you go price for the class. It's added to your account and you can'book mt

Posted too soon.
*cant book another class until you pay it.

Yabu for not cancelling your booking if you arent going to go.

The email will come out automatically when you don't attend the class

I think part of the problem is you are reading it as an email from a person when really it's just an automated message. People are flaky and they want to reduce this. It's generic so the fact there were spaces matters, but not really.
I think you have to accept that because people are flaky these emails are sent and they aren't really aimed at you; it happens to us all occasionally that we can't make it and no one is really mad at you.

My gym charges me three quid if I don't cancel several hours ahead. It's not ideal, but I can see they have to manage things. Worse is the cancelation business. Or the not even bothering to cancel from their side.

@sparepantsandtoothbrush on the 3 times I couldn't go it was within 30 mins of the class starting so I couldn't cancel; it's all done on an app which blocks your ability to cancel the class after a certain time. I've always cancelled well ahead if I've wanted to swap which class I do so when I've not turned up it has been when I've genuinely intended to go but last minute been unable (i.e due to children or childcare issue rather than "can't be bothered"). There have always been spaces available though for other people as when I've gone to cancel I could see spaces available to book.

I used to go to a gym that had a policy of banning booking for a period after 3 no-shows but didn't enforce it. It drove me crazy because I'd be booked on, I'd ask in the morning is anyone else booked - oh yes 7 of you, great. Then turn up in the evening and be the only one - well we can't run the class with just one person, we'll have to cancel.

So I understand that other people aren't your problem or responsibility, but I'm on the gym's side...

It’s fair enough - just cancel your class. The staff don’t know that you only didn’t cancel because X, Y or Z. It’s a fair system. If you only knew 30 minutes in advance that you couldn’t go then when the email comes through just suck it up and think to yourself that you know why you didn’t go and couldn’t cancel and move on. The gym are not being unreasonable.

Is it The Gym?

If so I had the same email. It's not snotty, it's perfectly reasonable.

If you had booked for a standalone class/appointment there would be a similar cancellation policy.

Change your email address for them only- say a new googlemail one?

They're just standard automated emails - there's really no reason to be irritated.

YANBU. People have to cancel.at short notice, that's life. I lost money at mine when I cancelled due to having Covid but at least I didn't get a snotty email and it's cheap overall. There was no way I could do Body Attack with severe diarrhoea! By the evening I could barely get out of bed.

@TokenGinger PureGym has a 4 hour cancellation window now, three strikes and you can't book classes for 8 days.

Now I don't understand gyms like this. If you've paid a membership then in my opinion you've paid for a class. My gym will continue with a class even if it's just me there. I mean the instructors are still there aren't they? What difference does it make to them how many are in the class?

YABU. This will be a standard email that's auto generated. As you acknowledged there's a reason gyms do this because it's shitty to book onto classes then not turn up. Some gyms will block you from attending classes if you repeatedly do this.

And that makes a difference how?

Having automated emails doesn't absolve a company from having to make sure they are sent out when relevant and not when they are not.

I agree with the OP. It always makes me laugh how companies charge consumers for no shows, (or send stroppy emails as in this case) but cancel themselves with impunity. Can I have compensation if you cancel my appointment/slot because I've taken day off work or paid for childcare?

For clarity, I do think you should cancel the slot though, not just be a no-show.

Oh really?! To be honest, I can see the logic in it, it's just a real pain when things happen last minute (which happen more times than I care to admit with a toddler 😂).

I haven't been to Pure for a couple of years now so hadn't realised the change 😩

@Whataretheodds no, not The Gym. It's not a large branded company.

@riesenrad I fully agree. This gym doesn't allow you to cancel within 30 minutes of the class starting (fair enough since that's very last minute) so unfortunately on the 3 times I've actually not turned up, I've been unable to notify them anyway.

@secondcoatneeded I think this is what happened to me today again as my class was cancelled by the gym last minute and it had lots of spaces available when I last checked. Surely if the instructor was going to lead it anyway, why can't they just lead it for the one person willing to turn up? It's not like it's a netball match 🤣

If it's David Lloyd, at my club you routinely have to book for some of the classes at 8pm on the dot 9 days ahead. Obviously stuff comes up! I always cancel if I can't attend, but I find it crazy having to book so far ahead.