By Mavis Toh

It pays to be fit, but some Singaporeans are paying a lot more than they had bargained for when they signed up to be members of the three big gyms in town.

They are also unhappy about the sales tactics employed by True Fitness, California Fitness and Fitness First, from pressure to get personal trainers to being quoted different prices.

Jane (not her real name), a marketing manager, said she joined a gym near Orchard Road last month and has so far paid it a total of $3,049. All she had wanted was a basic membership.

But she was pressured into getting personal training after she paid $400 for two months' fees. Jane, 37, said she ended up paying another $2,568 for a total of 24 sessions of personal training. Her total $3,049 bill included processing fees.

'They had five guys coaxing me to take it up and I couldn't think,' she said. 'It was an elegant way to rob me, to cheat me like a kid.'

She is trying to get part of her money back from the gym, where she is still a member, which is why she did not want to reveal her name.

Engineer Ryan Teo, 32, left his gym in Orchard Road last year after his year-long membership expired. He had found out that he was paying about $90 monthly, $20 more than a colleague.

He was also annoyed that the gym kept pressing him to sign up for personal sessions.

Similar stories about 'unethical' hard-sell tactics used by some fitness centres here have appeared on Internet forums. Some also allege that gym staff reneged on verbal promises like free extensions or low renewal fees. Others were upset that their membership was automatically renewed through credit-card deductions.

Some said they have approached the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) while others are contemplating legal action as a group. A check with Case showed that so far this year, it has received five complaints against Planet Fitness. In August, this gym was taken over by the True group and rebranded True Fitness.

Incidentally, a total of 211 complaints were lodged with Case this year, up from 131 last year, against True Yoga, which is also under the True group.

Most of the complaints were about pressure sales tactics, auto-renewal of contracts without prior notice, falling service standards and verbal promises not kept.

As for California Fitness, Case received 91 complaints last year and 82 so far this year.

Fitness First had three complaints last year and another three this year.

Fitness First has nine clubs in Singapore, California Fitness has four and True Fitness six.

Recalling her experience, Jane said she was first pressured into signing up for 12 sessions of training. But as soon as she agreed, the gym tried to hike it to 24.

The club manager, who had sweetened the first deal by cutting her monthly fee from $500 to $200, even swiped her credit card for 24 sessions before she had a chance to react, Jane claimed.

'I never thought such a thing would happen to me, but I just gave up fighting them,' she said.

Asked about the complaints lodged with Case, California Fitness president Colin Heggie said the company has a standard processing fee, joining fee and monthly fee. But it does run promotions on joining and processing fees. He added that his sales team is passionate about the brand and sometimes 'this enthusiasm is misconstrued'.

(page 1 of 2)Fitness First Singapore's managing director Anthony Tottman said fees may differ for different plans.'It isn't the case at Fitness First that the harder you bargain, the lower our rates get or the more discount you can get,' he said.

True Fitness said its membership consultants have to adhere to fixed membership pricing and are not authorised to offer discounts.

But it added: 'Fixed deviations from the standard pricing do occur if there are any promotions implemented based on negotiations and directions from the management.'

All three gyms insisted they do not engage in hard-sell tactics.

But one trainer from True Fitness told The Sunday Times that consultants have called would-be members so often that tempers have flared.

He admitted that different prices may arise because some consultants cut their own commissions. 'Even trainers are made to hardsell,' he said.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said fitness centres should be more transparent in disclosing their pricing.

He added: 'If they think prices should be negotiated, then state so, so that consumers will not be misled into agreeing to the stated price.'

mavistoh@sph.com.sg

This story was first published in thesundaytimes on Oct 19, 2008.

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