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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think this gym policy makes no sense

94 replies

redskylight · 13/03/2023 09:56

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).

OP posts:

pontipinemum · 13/03/2023 14:28

Iyjd · 13/03/2023 12:39

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.

It does make a difference. It's a while since I was last a member of a gym and I was a student. I paid about €30 per month and could attend as many classes as I wanted. Classes were €8 on a PAYG basis, so for the same money I wouldn't even get 4 classes, I would therefore thing more about the classes I booked and paid for.

I used to go to spin classes 3 times a week and never used the gym so it worked out very well for me. But there was nothing to stop me signing up to do a class every day, so it would make sense to be penalised for not showing up. But if I was PAYG I'd have lost out on my €8 for not showing up as I wouldn't have been refunded.

ancientgran · 13/03/2023 14:32

BellePeppa · 13/03/2023 11:42

Had you already paid for the hygienist then paid a fine on top?

Show quote history

Yes and then had to pay for another appointment. Worked out quite pricey. I assume it is because they are really busy and hard to get appointments so they want to discourage appointments being wasted.

Nuttal · 13/03/2023 14:38

YANBU - what a ridiculous policy. I'm sure if you speak to them then they should waive the fee.

Spidey66 · 13/03/2023 14:39

My gym (council but contracted out) have this. I'm a member but if I don't show up I'm charged. I need to give 4 hours notice. This isn't realistic.. I often go after work and if there are traffic issues, or I'm held up....well that's not my fault. I often politely give my pov and they don't charge me.

DowntownRegret1 · 13/03/2023 15:50

ChristmasKraken · 13/03/2023 12:45

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.

Show quote history

But if you cancelled the space you wouldn't be using then someone else could use it. Even if you don't get your money back, the gym will know there's a space in the class.

It's just basic courtesy, if you've booked something and will no longer be attending you let the place know. You don't just think oh, I've paid so I don't need to let them know I'm not going. Someone could be using that space to enjoy the class, making them more likely to return the next time. I think gyms would just rather have people attending classes they've paid for than not.

DomesticShortHair · 13/03/2023 15:59

I think there are occasions where a payment on top would be appropriate- such as hiring a function room, where the venue could reasonably have been expecting to make profits in the sale of drinks which was then denied to them, for example. But in your case, I agree with you OP. You’ve paid for a service, whether you then partake is up to you. Otherwise, what else could apply- if you didn’t reach a certain quota of press ups, or lunges etc, then you haven’t put enough effort in and added energy to the class, which could have been better contributed to by someone else?

Seashor · 13/03/2023 18:47

My gym started this policy but they included cancelling with less than two hours notice; something I couldn’t do.

However, I had signed a contract with them that didn’t include this and I helpfully pointed it out to them every time I had to cancel. Eventually I changed gym.

OldFan · 14/03/2023 00:04

What is it with all this 'oh but it wasn't my fault' 'oh but they're meanies,' call a waaaaambulance. It's not an unreasonable policy, just the way it goes.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 14/03/2023 00:14

It’s a ridiculous policy.

Charging people more for not showing up than showing up is just daft.

I get it with memberships - it stops people booking a class every day and only showing up once a week.

For pay-go though it’s ridiculous.

Skodacool · 14/03/2023 00:38

My gym has just that policy. If you book and don’t cancel 2 hours before the class you get a strike. 2 strikes and they fine you. It’s to stop the piss takers who book classes and don’t turn up thus depriving others of a place in the class. If you did attend then tell tem.

Skodacool · 14/03/2023 00:39

‘them’ 🙄

GrumpyPanda · 14/03/2023 00:43

In between gyms right now. My last gym didn't charge fees, but once you missed a certain number of classes they'd block new reservations for the rest of the month. Seemed like a good compromise.

Sshiamreading · 14/03/2023 00:53

redskylight · 13/03/2023 10:02

Is the policy fine? I can't think of any other example, where I would pay for something, and then had to pay even more for not using it.

For example, if I booked a party at a soft play centre, paid for it and then didn't turn up, it would be very odd if they'd then expected me to pay even more money for it?

It’s odd but it happens. A photo makeover studio tried to do this to me when I cancelled despite having already paid. I guess they were thinking of the additional money they wanted to get out through selling me more prints etc but I challenged them about it and they backed down

Notenoughtime23 · 14/03/2023 17:56

I’m a member of an everyone active gym and they do the £4 charge but for monthly memberships only. Those who PAYG don’t get charged as far as I’m aware. I have disputed charges before (road closure due to accident and another time having Covid) and they have removed them if the reason is justified. I also never get charged unless the class is full.

NattyNatashia · 14/03/2023 18:24

No if you've paid in full for a class here is no financial reason to pay a penalty if you don't show. It could be argued if the class is half empty then it's not as good so they want to discourage.
As said earlier it feel likes an admin oversight though.

cherish123 · 14/03/2023 22:21

Policy is silly fir PAYG.
Obviously incompetent as they didn't even take a register properly.
I would say you were there and won't be paying the extra. You shouldn't have to prove you were there but it might be useful to have some proof. Ask them to check cctv.

Iamintheatticandproud · 15/03/2023 12:07

I work in gyms - most do a three strikes at not turning up for a booked class and you can’t book for a period of weeks. This is not always that effective though. So whilst the policy you mentioned does seem to be a bit draconian and overly penalising PAYG, this gym seems to have decided to play hard ball.

The side participants don’t see is that:

Participants can get frustrated and vocal; the class is less full and they like the atmosphere of a busy and buzzing class, their friend may not have got in, there are weeks when they haven’t been able to book, they want more classes...
Gyms have a budget for classes and are trying to understand what works best for members and the good gyms want to keep instructors. This is because classes can show persistently fully booked up with a waiting list and then actually tumbleweed-ish
when the class starts. This can make some gyms reluctant to put more classes on. Again the good gyms, look at the eb and flow of cancellation causality; weather, illness, seasonality etc.. and factor that in to decisions made.

I think your policy to take pot luck with not booking as you suggested may work for you best to save a refund. That or find another gym with a less harsh policy.

Iamintheatticandproud · 15/03/2023 12:55

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).

I think (as said previously) this gym is implementing a somewhat draconian policy. In implementing this policy they may have made the decision to possibly worry less about their PAYG members than fully signed up ones and therefore less sympathetic to the potential of charging twice. That’s tough, I agree.

Your response in bold italic above is disingenuous though.

Surely it is unrealistic for any gyms to implement a policy on a class by class basis. There’s a lot of shift workers with little cross-over who are not paid enough to micro manage penalty according to class business. A class can be showing as full really quite close to its start anyway. You cannot judge a policy on a one-class basis. The fact that this class was not busy does not affect the policy. It is a blanket one. They are refunding because they made a mistake and have acknowledged this.

I think the policy is tough, it does not favour PAYG, but you are unrealistic with your arguments.

Original poster

redskylight · 15/03/2023 14:08

Surely it is unrealistic for any gyms to implement a policy on a class by class basis.

We're not talking about class by class basis. We're talking about a full class versus not full class basis.
Which is pretty straightforward to automate (I work in solutions design in IT).

OP posts:

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