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.
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