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BBB: Do Your Research Before Joining A New Gym

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BBB

It’s the New Year.  Time for resolutions and making new commitments. If joining a gym is on your list of resolutions, you are not alone. January sees a huge surge in gym activity. Before you sign on the dotted line, do your research!  The Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan has some tips to consider to make sure you get the most from your membership.

“When people look and try to get a new gym membership, it’s always good to shop around and see if there are any trial periods.”

That’s John Masterson, Director of Marketing for the Better Business Bureau serving Western Michigan.  He says the bureau has a number of tips for those seeking to join a gym now that the New Year is upon us.  People hoping to make good on their New Year’s resolutions are anxious to get started on new workout regimen. The BBB says January sees a huge surge in gym activity… up 50 percent from December. But Masterson says make sure you check it out.

“Just really look into the contracts your signing, make sure you’re understanding what all youre signing for, how long the membership lasts, what stipulations there are and what recourse you have if anything goes wrong.”

Masterson says they recently had some situations they looked into where a gym closed with many people having signed up for a year membership… and the gym closed suddenly. That’s why he says you might want to look for shorter commitments.

“We also advise people look for month to month, which will hedge against any sudden closures or issues where you only pay one month at a time, versus 12 months at a time.”

And finally, Masterson says if anyone tries to pressure you into signing up… that’s could signal a problem.

“Any high pressure sales tactics are usually tell tale of a scam or too good to be true or something you may regret down the road. We advise taking contract home to look at it and making a decision later that day or the next day, just so you know you’re happy with your decision.”

Masterson says you can look up local businesses, including health clubs, their history, reviews and the like with their free research tool at BBB dot org.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.