To think this gym policy makes no sense

[redskylight]

My gym has a policy that if you book a class/activity in advance and don't turn up you get charged a £4 no-show fee.

This makes sense for people on contracts - clearly they don't want people booking up loads of classes and then not coming, and depriving other people of the spaces.

However, I don't have a gym membership, I pay on a PAYG basis. I recently paid online to attend a class and then attended the class. It appears that my attendance wasn't registered because I've been told I have to pay the £4 no-show fee. However, I'm not sure of the validity of this even if I hadn't attended? I paid for a specific service (attending the class) and even if I hadn't turned up the gym still got my money for this. They surely then can't charge me more money for not using the service I'd paid for? If anything, this is great for the gym -if lots of people pay for classes on a PAYG basis and don't turn up, they are raking in money for nothing.

(I should also say, in case it matters, that the class was only about 1/4 full, so in no way did this affect anyone else).

TBF it's probably just a blanket "No show fee" charged to anyone who is registered to a class but doesn't attend because it rarely happens with PAYG customers (why would you come in to specifically pay for a class ahead of time if you weren't sure if you could attend as opposed to just paying on the door, especially for a less popular class?) so they don't often have to apply it to those members.

Having said that, even if you're a PAYG member they still need to have a way of discouraging people from booking classes and then not attending as this may stop others attending classes and they can't discriminate just because one class always has a waiting list and another is only half full. Rather than having different systems for monthly vs PAYG members and different rules for oversubscribed vs undersubscribed classes they just have a blanket "If you book a class and don't attend you will be charged £X amount."

Clearly there are going to be occasional situations where either your presence hasn't been registered correctly in the system or there has been some emergency that prevented you attending but that when you speak to someone at the gym to sort the issue out and they will waive the fee (most places will waive a fee if it's the first time or if there is extenuating circumstances and not a regular occurance)

Is it even legal or just something companies are making up and getting away with? Should I start randomly making up rules to fine people over things that don’t make sense? My postman for walking over my private land or the supermarket delivery for being five minutes over their delivery window? 🤷‍♀️

You paid and attended so the no show fee is a mistake. You did attend. Speak to them.

As you have to book in advance, is it possible that they cancel classes if they don’t hit x% attendance? At some point it’s a net loss for the gym/outside instructor.

I think the policy is fair. Even if you've paid for your space, you booking and not attending deprives someone else of a space (I know this class was mostly empty but some won't be, some won't get figures up especially if people can't book onto them cos lots of spaces are taken) if you haven't let them know you can't attend. So the extra charge is to deter you from booking a space, not bothering to show and not letting them know.

How difficult is it to let them know you won't be attending so your space is now free? Basic courtesty.

But you've paid for your space, regardless of whether you choose to use it or not, so it doesn't really matter whether its depriving someone else of booking it, because its your space. It's like if I book a hotel room, pay for it in advance and then choose not to show up - the hotel have made the same amount of money as if I'd shown up (more in fact, since I won't have used any electricity or water). Sure, in theory I'm then depriving someone else of booking that room, but since nobody is losing out financially, why should that matter? Its my room that I've paid for and I should be able to choose to use it or not without penalty.

Having said that, even if you're a PAYG member they still need to have a way of discouraging people from booking classes and then not attending as this may stop others attending classes and they can't discriminate just because one class always has a waiting list and another is only half full. Rather than having different systems for monthly vs PAYG members and different rules for oversubscribed vs undersubscribed classes they just have a blanket "If you book a class and don't attend you will be charged £X amount."

I agree. It's a fine for not following the rules of booking/cancelling (although I know this was an error on this occasion, and resolved). It's not paying twice for the same thing - one payment is for the class, one is a fine.

I think it's fair enough - it's very unfair for others not to be able to attend a class due to other people booking a space and then not showing up.

Op if you cancel more than 2hrs before do you get a refund?

Do they mean if you cancel will less than two hours you get a refund and a fine?
So effectively you have to pay for the space if you use it or not?

Or do they really mean you pay twice?

Paying twice just doesn't make any logical sense.
Not getting a refund does make sense.

I fully get that gym members should be penalised if they don't cancel.
The amount of times people cancel on the day is crazy. I regularly ask for notifications and most of the time someone will pull out.

Its my room that I've paid for and I should be able to choose to use it or not without penalty

Except for the fact that with a gym, if people regularly try to book a class and can't get in because it's fully booked, they may choose to go elsewhere in the future. So the gym is likely to lose membership if people feel there isn't enough availability. Fines like these are fairly common at gyms, and I can see why. I expect they have a much higher rate of no-shows than hotels do.

I do agreed with you but wanted to add if your class was as empty as you said it might have had loads of no shows rather than not be fully booked!

we have this policy at my gym but it’s not enforced. Loads of times I’ve not been able to book the class I wanted so gone for one after and I can see the class I wanted is half empty!

It's a penalty charge to discourage no-shows without a cancellation. The behaviour they want to discourage is people booking a place and not turning up. If it costs more to no-show than to attend, then in theory, it should discourage people from doing that if they have to pay £4 extra, meaning they are more likely to show up (only pay for the class) or not book at all (if they are likely to no-show), meaning someone else can take that place. It makes perfect sense to me.

Interesting perspectives on this thread. I am thinking of dropping a note to my gym. I go to a couple of classes per week and they are constantly fully booked, with a waiting list. Every time I go, they are not full . Over the weekend, class was fully booked (20) 6 on waiting list, 12 people turned up. Sometimes I can't get in the class but I'm fairly sure there would be no shows ... You can see on the app the numbers booked until the class starts, so these were genuine no shows.

As I see it, I have paid for my slot. Whether I turn up or not is completely irrelevant. The gym is getting their money regardless. I would not join a gym if I was fined on top, thats plainly ridiculous. And saying that other members lose out is equally ridiculous coz I could have turned up!

They're losing out in the long run as people who can't get a space will stop trying, as they perceive it as being impossible/difficult to get onto that class. Whereas the class could be full of people who regularly book and attend and then keep going.

Another option would be to ban people who do this repeatedly from being able to book any classes.

And if members are struggling to get into a class then the gym should be laying more on! (Obviously if it is a yearly membership then that is different)

You get a refund if you cancel more than 2 hours in advance (at least that's the way the booking info reads; I've never tried it).

You have to pay for the space and pay the fine if you cancel less than 2 hours in advance (not sure this is actually possible on the system) or don't turn up.

Not getting a refund if you don't turn up, I would have absolutely no problem with. It's the added fine that is the issue.

I do agreed with you but wanted to add if your class was as empty as you said it might have had loads of no shows rather than not be fully booked!

You can see in the booking app how many people have booked. It roughly tallies (I don't count) with the number of people who turn up. If there are no-shows it can only be the odd one or two.

@redskylight

Absolutely ridiculous 'policy'

id wait until they'd refunded, then email again asking them to clarify their policy.

...if I could be arsed, in all likelihood, if the class is always so empty I'd just pay when I got there if it wasn't too inconvenient.

I think if you hadn’t turned up the fee should still apply (I know you were there). Just because I pay monthly instead of PAYG means I would still be paying twice as a consequence, it is no different. It is to put off people booking and not turning up therefore taking someone else’s spot, your class wasn’t full but other classes will be so they need the policy. I changed gyms due to classes always being fully booked and not getting a spot, that charging extra will cover the loss of revenue from people leaving because the classes are full.

If you don’t like the terms of the contract (the contract you sign to book the PAYG class) then find somewhere else.

I've had the charge removed and I can't be arsed to follow up with them any more, but think I will go to just booking on the door. It's be a minute or two paying via the receptionist vs a minute or two paying via the app so no big deal.

I can always hedge my bets and keep an eye on availability online in case of the remote possibility there is suddenly a rush :)

But if I turned up and used those, those people still wouldn't be able to get a space and would perceive it as being difficult to get on to the class. So regardless of whether I show up or not, the end result is the same surely?

I don't have a problem with gyms putting in place strikes etc btw, - its the additional financial penalty that doesn't sit well with me - since the financial penalty is already that the person has paid for a class that they didn't attend. Those with membership are different, because everyone pays the same membership whether they go to that class or not, and you're not specifically out of pocket if you choose not to go to a class one week.

Obviously this system error is a system error, but there's nothing wrong with the policy.

They surely then can't charge me more money for not using the service I'd paid for?

It's like if you book a hotel, then don't turn up in the end. You would (if you'd not cancelled in time) still have to pay for the hotel.

Also it stops them being able to plan, and if someone's genuinely booked and not turned up, it is messing up the system.

Even my local council gym has something like this- if you regularly don't turn up to classes you've booked, eventually you are banned from using the gym for a week.

If anything, this is great for the gym -if lots of people pay for classes on a PAYG basis and don't turn up, they are raking in money for nothing.

@redskylight Most instructors are self employed. The instructors could be being paid based on how many people turn up.

It's like if you book a hotel, then don't turn up in the end. You would (if you'd not cancelled in time) still have to pay for the hotel.

Well, it's not remotely like that, because the issue isn't paying for the hotel, it's paying for the hotel and an additional fee for non-attendance.

Most instructors are self employed. The instructors could be being paid based on how many people turn up.

But charging a no-show for not showing up doesn't magic any more people into the class. It would only make a difference if the class was full and there was another person that wanted to join and couldn't.
And someone gets this money (I accept it might not be the instructor).