Paying membership fees for closed gyms?

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  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,569 Member
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    24 Hour Fitness is charging everyone, there's chaos on their Facebook page over it. I paid my fee the Friday before the weekend before it closed. They do have an app and are streaming some classes. The YMCA has been the best that I've seen streaming workouts and waiving fees, wish we had one! I've been a member of my gym for so long my fee is only $12 a month for access to all the gyms, if I was paying the current fees I'd be more upset about it but do feel bad for everyone else, I think at least a discount would be great or offer a wider variety of classes to stream.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I belong to 24hr fitness. I'm ok paying my small subsidized fee because I still have income coming in and I'd like to see it reopen. Our climbing gym is a national chain, but a very small one, like 6 locations. They paused everyone's memberships, but asked people to continue to pay as a donation if they could. We will. My son works at a small family owned aerial studio. The couple have a dance studio in addition. Both have had to close and they have no other income. They are still being asked to pay rent, insurance, etc. I don't think they will survive if this lasts much longer. They are asking for personal donations to float the expenses until they can reopen. We donated what we could and my son told them he wouldn't cash his last paycheck. It's these small mom and pop gyms that are going to go under from this. This could totally bankrupt them and it's heartbreaking.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I belong to Club Fitness and they have frozen payments, which I am very happy about. As of now, my paycheck is still coming but I work at a non-profit and we've been told to prepare for the worst JIC. I also attend two pole dance studios which are privately owned and they are both doing online classes through Zoom and asking for donations. I would much prefer to donate my money to these smaller businesses than a chain gym. The aerial arts businesses have been hit extremely hard due to this and I am trying to spread my business as far as I can while taking care of myself.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    My gym suspended membership dues for the time being.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    Planet Fitness says they are not charging until they reopen.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
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    I have four gym memberships. One I pay month to month so I was due about the time this happened so will pay when we start up again. They are offering Zoom and classes at the park but I've only participated in one session. If I were doing more I would feel like I need to contribute. Classpass has frozen the fees. My work gym I don't know if they are charging or not but it's only $12 a month. 24 Hour Fitness members I know are upset with how they are handling it. My membership there is only $12 a month as well but if I were paying current fees and could not get ahold of anyone to cancel or freeze it I would be pissed.

    I think memberships should be frozen. Current circumstances are effecting everyone differently and paying for goods you're not receiving or can't afford does not seem fair.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,454 Member
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    Assuming your income isn't impacted, continue to pay, especially if a local owner operated place.
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 324 Member
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    My wife and I belong to a small CrossFit gym. It’s generally pretty expensive but worth it to us. They offered to suspend/cancel as needed but up until now only 2 people out of about 200 have taken advantage of it. Both are bartenders and out of work completely.

    They lent us equipment, offer workouts with video instruction and do two zoom group workouts per day. This stuff is not worth the membership fees but as long as I’m able to support it- i will. It’s in my best interest that a month from now I have something to go back to. Also I respect that they are trying to keep us all in shape. They even had a “happy hour” on zoom last Saturday to keep spirits up.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,447 Member
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    My yoga studio emailed the day they closed, offering pro rata refunds, or credit. In the SAME email, they generously announced an online schedule of free classes, and asked us to share the schedule. The first few online classes had thousands of views.

    I told them I didn’t want either . I took 44 yoga and Pilates classes in February, and had already completed a “20 in 30 days” challenge, when they shut down on the 14th. I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth. My only prayer is that they will reopen when all this settles down. I miss the wonderful instructors and the tougher classes.

    They started charging for online classes yesterday. I’m anxious to get back to my usual schedule, even if it has to be online, so I’ve already booked ahead.

    I’m most worried about my local barbell gym. The woman that owns it is a superhero who does it for fun. She’s an unusual character, a crazy gorgeous and buff 70 year old former fitness model who tries to keep up with the lifting teams-usually successfully. And her husband is a multiple world champion power lifter, so this is their world. I know she won’t even consider asking us to pay, and there would be shockwaves if they shut down. I think (know!!!) members would pull together before they’d let that happen, we feel so strongly about the owners.


  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
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    Mine is continuing to charge and has stated they will not be extending contract dates or anything. In the meantime they are releasing multiple home workout videos a day, continuing to post accountability and encouragement posts, and providing variety of recipes. They have essentially found electronic way to provide everything you would get in person, except for the equipment.

    Personally I'm ok with this as I have the ability to workout at home without the gym equipment, and i love the trainers and know they are continuing to pay them. They have done everything they can given the weird circumstances, but others are still complaining the accommodations don't exactly fit their lifestyle. Can't please them all...
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I belong to Youfit and I was just thinking about this today. I pay $20 a month. I'd rather pay while they are closed than not pay and have them go out of business and leave that location. On the flipside, I can see if you have lost your job how that $20 would become important.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
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    I am a member of two. Both offered the same options - freeze payments until they reopen or continue paying and get extra time added on when they reopen by paying half price at that point (i.e. if closed for three months you get six free months, by means of paying 12 months at half price)
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
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    Jax2120 wrote: »
    For those of you who belong to gyms that are currently closed are you still being charged your monthly fee or are they offering some sort of compensation? I belong to Youfit and on their FB page members are going crazy because they are upset the gym is closed and they are still being charged. Part of me emphasizes with them and part of me thinks the $10-$20 the membership costs isn’t a huge deal *if* they will only be closed a short time. Because it’s literally out of their control. They obviously would be open if they were allowed to be. But, I also understand so many people have lost their jobs and every penny counts. I don’t know how the gyms will handle the overwhelming amount of people who want to pause or cancel the memberships all together. I just wonder what the proper way to handle this is.

    I am going to keep my membership because my gym is a local gym.

    It would hurt the business if I stopped paying.

    I support my local gym. Pure gym, planet fitness, etc are big gym franchises and will cope but local gyms wont survive.

    So I told the owner to keep everything the same because I want to support him. It is the best gym in my area.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    I belong to two gyms. One is a town community center and most people pay cash monthly, no contract. I have it taken from my checking account. They let me know they won’t take April.
    The other is Gold’s. I paid for a full year. For the few days they were closed in March, they are giving us a free session with a trainer when we go back. They will extend my membership for the time they were closed. I don’t know what they are doing about month to month customers. They also have a ton of online classes available.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Our gym is closed, and member fees are suspended for the duration. They are offering members some online group classes. A central NJ chain of about a dozen sites.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
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    The NYS attorney general is cracking down on NYSC and other gyms who are still charging their members a fee.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,569 Member
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    mom23mangos wrote: »
    I belong to 24hr fitness. I'm ok paying my small subsidized fee because I still have income coming in and I'd like to see it reopen. Our climbing gym is a national chain, but a very small one, like 6 locations. They paused everyone's memberships, but asked people to continue to pay as a donation if they could. We will. My son works at a small family owned aerial studio. The couple have a dance studio in addition. Both have had to close and they have no other income. They are still being asked to pay rent, insurance, etc. I don't think they will survive if this lasts much longer. They are asking for personal donations to float the expenses until they can reopen. We donated what we could and my son told them he wouldn't cash his last paycheck. It's these small mom and pop gyms that are going to go under from this. This could totally bankrupt them and it's heartbreaking.

    I'm a 24 Hour Fitness member too, they're suspending fees and adding the time to the membership. They're streaming classes on 24GO and You Tube.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited April 2020
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    My gym is not charging while they’re closed but honestly I would pay without complaint if they didn’t decide to do that. They still have expenses, and i don’t mind supporting them during this.

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