What is my financial commitment?
1. The start-up payments, the membership type and the associated lump-sum or monthly direct-debit membership fees, minimum payment term and payment dates you have chosen are set out in the ‘My Membership’ box on the application form.
2. If you are paying by direct debit, your signature on the credit-card or debit-card form authorises us to use that card to take the monthly payment if we do not receive your direct-debit payment for any reason. If you fall behind with your membership fees and this is not caused by a bank error, we may charge reasonable administration fees, or suspend or cancel your membership (or both).
3. We may decide to increase our membership fees, but your fees will not increase in your first year of membership. We will give you one month’s notice of any fee change. If you pay your membership fees as a lump-sum payment, we will only review your membership fees when your membership is due for renewal.
What clubs can I use and when?
4. We have three club tiers: blue, platinum and black label. The clubs you can use depend on the tier of club and the type of membership you have chosen (see the ‘My Membership’ box). If you have single-club membership, you can use your home club only. If you have off-peak membership, you can use your home club during limited times only. If you have multiclub membership, you can use several clubs, but you must join the club you will use most often. (If, over a two-month period, you use another club more than your home club, we will transfer your membership to the club you use most often and this may affect your membership fees.) You cannot use your multiclub membership to access the Baker Street and Berkeley Square clubs. Before signing the membership agreement, please make sure you are aware of all of the membership options and which club (or clubs) your membership allows you to use, including club tiers (which may change if we give you one month’s notice). These details are set out in full in our literature, signs and on our website. Please speak to a member of staff if anything is unclear.
What if I want to leave or stop going to my club?
5. If you want to stop going to the club for a while, you can freeze your membership for a reduced fee, for between one month and a year. You cannot freeze your membership within your first two months. If you freeze your membership within your minimum payment term, these ‘frozen months’ do not count towards your minimum contract length.
6. You can cancel your membership within 10 days of joining and we will refund any membership fees you have paid as long as we receive your cancellation notice (see section 7) within this time frame. In that situation, we will also refund any starter programme fees which you may have paid as long as you have not yet used the programme.
7. If you pay your membership fees upfront in one single lump sum, your membership will automatically end at the end of the minimum term unless you choose to renew it. If you pay your membership fees monthly by direct debit, your membership will automatically continue at the end of the minimum term unless you give us one full calendar month’s notice to end it. (Your one month’s notice must end on the last day of the minimum term.) If your contract rolls over after the minimum term, you can end your membership by giving us one full calendar month’s notice. You must pay your full membership rate during your month’s notice. You can give us notice:
- in person at your home club;
- by calling 0844 571 3400; or
- by writing to Fitness First UK Contact Centre, PO Box 7252. Poole, Dorset, BH15 9ES.
Example:
You give notice on any day in April, but your full calendar month’s notice will not start until 1 May and you will leave on 31 May. (Your final payment will be for the month of May.)
8. You can cancel your membership at any time if we seriously break these terms and conditions or if your circumstances change to such an extent that it is not possible for you to continue to use your home club’s facilities (for example, you have an injury, become pregnant, move to a different workplace, move house or are made redundant). We will need to receive documents as proof of the change in your circumstances by the 15th of the month in order to cancel your membership at the end of that month. If we receive documents after the 15th of the month, your final membership fees will be taken the following month and your membership will be cancelled at the end of that month. We will refund any fees you have paid upfront for a membership period that has not yet passed. We can cancel your membership if:
- you have seriously broken the club rules or any terms of this contract;
- you do not pay any fee or charge within seven days of the date it was due, and we have written to you and given you a further 14 days to pay (so the fee or charge is more than 21 days late); or
- your home club permanently closes. (If this happens, we will refund any membership fees you have paid for a period of membership that has not yet passed, if this applies.)
What else should I know?
9. Our staff, agents and subcontractors are not medically qualified so if you have any doubts about your fitness or capability to exercise, we strongly recommend that you get advice from a doctor first. For safety reasons, you are responsible for correctly using all club facilities. If you are not sure how to use any equipment, always ask a member of staff.
10. Personal Trainers at our clubs are self-employed. Any service they provide is a contract between them and you and we cannot accept any responsibility if a Personal Trainer breaks the contract or is negligent, unless the negligence results in injury or death.
11. We will not be liable to you for any loss, damage or theft of any property you bring onto our premises while it is not in a locked locker. The most we will pay you for any loss, damage or theft to property while it is in a locked locker is £500 (for any one incident) if the loss, damage or theft is caused by our (or our employees’, agents’ or subcontractors’) negligence.
12. You must keep to our club rules, which are available in our club and online at fitnessfirst.co.uk/clubrules. We may change our club rules if this is reasonably necessary. We will give you plenty of notice if we decide to do this. We can transfer all or any part of our rights or responsibilities under this contract to another organisation, but this will not affect your rights under the contract.