With all those great intentions that the New Year brings, you signed up to that gym to work off all of mince pies you munched over Christmas. The person selling the membership was cute. The pitch was persuasive. The monthly subscription was not too daunting.

The only trouble is that you never quite got round to using your membership. The plastic card sat there guiltily as the monthly sub burned a hole in your pocket.

Health clubs and gyms traditionally make their money from the people who sign up to membership and then never get round to visit them.

It is precisely those people who are likely to face an unpleasant surprise when they eventually come to try to end their membership.

The common traps in contracts of this nature relate to the term of the membership.

In short once they have you, they will do their best to ensure that you are caught for good. Knowing that you aren’t likely to spend time reading small print, they will try to chain you in under the terms and conditions as best they can.

When is Three Months Not Three Months?

It is not unusual for the gym to stipulate a requirement that you give them three months' written notice.
This doesn’t sound too unfair, until you consider how it works in practice. Telling the gym that you want to bring the contract to an end won’t trigger the notice period. You have to write them a letter. By the time you work that one out, you will have had to pay for another month’s subscription.

Moreover whilst that three month notice period runs, you still have to pay your monthly subscription even though you have decided that you don’t want to use it.

Did I say "Indefinite"?

And here is an even better one! One gym’s standard terms stipulate that “your club membership will continue indefinitely” and to prevent members from giving written notice, precludes them from doing so until they have been a member for at least a twelve month “commitment period”.

Adding this up, this means even their unhappiest customer is not going to be able to escape until he or she is £1,200 out of pocket.

Much like the Hotel California “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

Read the Small Print!

This is another lesson in "reading the small print". 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.