NORWAY NEWS ANALYSIS THE NORDIC PAGE

Check Conditions Before You Exercise

Nowadays, the training studios in Norway announce their super discount packages. Do their offers sound very appealing? Then, you had better double-check the conditions not to be trapped in binding agreements.

Each year, the Consumer Council receives complaints about service at local gyms, or help inquiry from the people who want out of the training agreement they signed under New Year’s Resolutions pressure. The council therefore warns against a contractual stretch.

“Check the contract carefully when you join a gym,” says Ingeborg Flønes , director of consumer service at the Consumer Council. You only have the right to cancel if you sign the agreement on the streets, or over the Internet. Doing it at the counter, you may be trapped.

Flønes adds that the fitness center is the strong party, and you have little to say most of the time. It is therefore very important to look through the contract before you sign it.

Check the total price

“Although the training fee may not be high, the total price will be high when the entry fee and start-up fees are added. Examine, therefore, what is the total amount you must pay,” says the director.

Price lists shall be posted in the gym, but you can find them on the training center's website. Flønes also notes that some fitness centers require customers to make an automatic payment agreement. In this way, the fitness center gets money automatically from the clients' account.

Lock in period?

“Check if there is a minimum period of membership, and how long it is. Otherwise you may need to pay for a gym membership in another part of the country if you were to move soon after the signing the agreement,” says Ingeborg Flønes.

“Consumers often face binding hours, especially in connection with training facilities, but nothing is free. The guidelines recommended by the Consumer Ombudsman proposes that lock-in period shall not be longer than one year, but it is not illegal to require a longer time, so be careful what you sign on,” adds Flønes.

Also, it is important to check whether you need to do something actively to opt out. Most training contracts will be converted into an ongoing agreement after the lock-in period has expired.

Can agreement be frozen?

It might be nice to be able to freeze the agreement due to injury or some other reason. Freezing means that you do not have to pay for membership, while waiting to get better. It is a fairly common condition to be included in the agreement. Flønes reminds that many gyms may require you to present a sick leave document to freeze membership. In other words, do not come later and require money to be repaid.

Termination rules

“It can often be difficult to cancel a gym contract. It is recommended to have a notice period of one month, but often it is three months,” says the director.

Always check the notice period in your contract, and how to terminate it. Although there is no requirement for written notice, it is wise to send an e-mail as evidence. It may turn out to be a cheap insurance policy for not having to pay extra.

Share this on:

• 
• 
•