The Consumer Protection Committee on Sunday offered tips on avoiding disadvantageous gym contracts, after nearly 4,000 complaints were filed against fitness centers last year.
Before signing a membership or training contract, people should make sure that the terms of service are clear, the committee said in a statement.
Included in the contract should be the hours of operation, gym capacity, accident insurance, total payment amount and method, and services provided, it said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Contracts with personal trainers should disclose the number and duration of classes, student-to-trainer ratio, name of the trainer, and payment amount and method, it added.
Loan referrals should be clearly explained, the committee said.
If a gym arranges payments through a third-party lending service, it should inform the client of all relevant information, it said.
If a client wishes to cancel the loan within seven days of signing a contract, they may do so by filing a request in writing with the gym and the lending service provider, it said, adding that gyms that are unable to continue providing their services must apply for loan cancelations.
Consumers also have the right to put their contracts on hold if the Central Epidemic Command Center announces COVID-19 pandemic controls in their area, during which gyms may not collect payment for memberships or classes, the committee said.
Regarding cancelations, the amount paid to the gym must be proportional to the time remaining in the contract, although contracts terminated for reasons attributable to the customer could be subject to a handling fee, it said.
However, if the customer terminates the contract for reasons attributable to the gym, the gym should refund the balance based on the remaining time and number of classes, and it should provide damages equal to the amount of the customer’s termination fee, it added.
Customers also have a three-day contract review period, while operators must provide contract protection equal to half of the down payment as long as the total amount is more than NT$5,000, it said.
The committee also reminded consumers not to feel obliged to sign a contract due to aggressive sales techniques, promises of discounts or personal pressure and to read the terms carefully before signing.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated