As one of the perks of your gym club membership, you can get associate membership for your friends and family. You pass on the good news and sign them up.

Well kindness never goes unpunished - does it?

One well known chain of gyms includes the following term “Primary and Associate Partner Members are jointly and severally responsible for each other’s and any Associate member’s fees”.

Translated from the legalese, this means that you are not only liable for your own subscription but you are also fully liable for your family’s and friends’ fees. If they don’t pay, you have to!

And you thought you were just being kind - but you had no idea how kind you had agreed to be. You have turned into this year's top Santa Claus!

The reference to “and any Associate member’s fees”is also troubling. By “ANY”, do they really mean that they want you to be liable for each and every other associate member’s fees too?

Do read the terms and conditions.

If you think you are being treated like a mug, don’t sign up. There are plenty of other gyms.