The Costly Traps in Gym Memberships

It's easy to purchase a gym membership, but not so easy to get out of that relationship if you were to change your mind or eventually decided that you don't have the motivation to go the gym as much as you thought.

If that's the case, the cost of canceling your membership can be impossible or just plain costly.

In 2004, the New York attorney general was able to force Bally Total Fitness to stop any misleading practices such as not letting customers end three-year contracts - even if they had a good enough reason for termination.

Part of the problem is that if you do decide you want to end your membership, gyms make it difficult to do so by requiring proof of insolence or doctors' letters to prove an illness that would not permit someone from going to the gym.

In addition, if your reason for wanting to cancel boils down to something as simple as you moved, you may be required to prove that your new place of residence is at least 25 miles away from any of the company's gym branches.

The rules are enough to make your blood boil, but part of the problem rests with the consumer.

It's easy to get sucked into a gym membership from a pushy fitness center associate who doesn't explain all of the terms and conditions. This is why it is so important to ask before you sign any contracts.

Ask how long the term of the contract is for. Also make sure to ask questions about what would happen and what would be required if you wanted to cancel the membership. Obviously gym employees are required to supply you with this information because you have a right to know. So, make sure you are informing yourself.

If your gym's parent company does allow early cancellations, be prepared to pay anywhere from $150 to $300 to terminate the membership.

If the thought of paying that amount seems ridiculous to you, you may want to inquire about month-to-month memberships. You may have to pay more on a monthly basis, but at least you have the power to walk away from the company after a month versus staying with a gym you don't like for several years simply because you have to.

The month-to-month plans are good for people who know they may not be able to keep up with going to the gym as religiously as they are in the future.

Don't be persuaded into buying a membership just because it seems cheap now. If you end up flaking out on the gym by month three, you will find that paying a relatively cheap monthly payment for something you're not even using, is actually more expensive than what you would have thought.