Jackie Skelly Gym - what are you paying?

Signed up in Drogheda 2 weeks ago for €69 per month which is €828 for the year. They waived the joining on fee. I would not have joined otherwise. In terms of value for money, it can be but only if you go in there 2-3 times a week. I myself use the hefty price as another motivation to go, as well as the obvious other motivations that one should have.
By the way, the Drogheda JS is spotless, well run and the best gym I have been in.
 
My wife joined for us in JS Applewood Swords last year after moving to the area. It is a complete shambles .I have been a member of numerous gyms over the past 10 yars and this definitely is the worst .It is filthy , the trainers are never around and the reception staff are really poor. I decided to terminate after 12 months to be told of the so called 2 month termination notice. My wife argued that the sales person never informed her when she signed up that this was required. She was distinctly told it was a 12 month contract by the salesperson because the SP actually told her she couldn't terminate it within 12 months and was she OK to proceed. They said it was in the terms and conditions so my wife told them to send her a copy of her signed contract to verify. This was never done and we have cancelled the DD. This week we actually received a letter notifying us that we were entitled to a discounted fee if we joined again. I almost laughed until I remember how inept the place was.
 
It goes on! When my wife joined Jackie Skellys there was no mention of any 12-month minimum contract, only the two-month notice requirement. Since she wasn't using her membership she cancelled her direct debit, without giving notice.

Then she got a very aggressive phone call from the club administrator, quoting the contract. This was followed by a letter with a 'contract' stapled to it - the first time my wife ever saw it. I phoned the administrator and pointed out that my wife had initially entered a verbal contract with the sales person which did not include any 12-month minimum term. She then signed the form that was pushed in front of her in good faith, without reading the small print! I pointed out to the administrator that since my wife had never seen or been told about this 'contract' before - much less been given an opportunity to read it - the 'contract' is null and void as far as we are concerned and that any court would most likely agree.

But it was like talking to a stone wall and the administrator is referring it to her regional manager for 'debt collection'. I told her that whatever chance she had of getting two months payments in lieu of notice, there is none whatsoever of our paying for 12 months membership that will not be used, especially after her aggressive phone call to my wife!

So that's where it's at for the moment. I was shocked to learn of the tactics employed by Jackie Skellys, which are outlined at www.jackieskellymembership.com.
 
LibraMan said:
Then she got a very aggressive phone call from the club administrator, quoting the contract. This was followed by a letter with a 'contract' stapled to it - the first time my wife ever saw it. I phoned the administrator and pointed out that my wife had initially entered a verbal contract with the sales person which did not include any 12-month minimum term. She then signed the form that was pushed in front of her in good faith, without reading the small print! I pointed out to the administrator that since my wife had never seen or been told about this 'contract' before - much less been given an opportunity to read it - the 'contract' is null and void as far as we are concerned and that any court would most likely agree.
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Perhaps she should have read the contract before she signed it? Or got a copy at the time of signing?
 
Indeed she should have. But that's the great thing about hindsight.

The point is really that the sales person made no mention of any minimum membership period and my wife believed that what she was signing, in good faith, formalised the verbal contract she had just entered into with the salesperson. The detailed contract she has just received in the post was not mentioned or made available to her at the time to read, let alone keep. It's a very shoddy practise whichever way you look at it.
 
LibraMan said:
Indeed she should have. But that's the great thing about hindsight.

The point is really that the sales person made no mention of any minimum membership period and my wife believed that what she was signing, in good faith, formalised the verbal contract she had just entered into with the salesperson. The detailed contract she has just received in the post was not mentioned or made available to her at the time to read, let alone keep. It's a very shoddy practise whichever way you look at it.
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I have to take your 'hindsight' point with a pinch of salt. Your wife had the contract in her hand, and could have stopped and read the contract before she signed it. Or she could have insisted on getting a copy before she signed it.

I remember buying a car from a garage some years back when the salesman was amazed that I insisted on reading through the terms & conditions on the order form before signing it. He told me I was the only person who had ever done this. Maybe more people need to take responsibility for their actions.
 
RainyDay said:
I have to take your 'hindsight' point with a pinch of salt. Your wife had the contract in her hand, and could have stopped and read the contract before she signed it. Or she could have insisted on getting a copy before she signed it.

I remember buying a car from a garage some years back when the salesman was amazed that I insisted on reading through the terms & conditions on the order form before signing it. He told me I was the only person who had ever done this. Maybe more people need to take responsibility for their actions.
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Alas, most people are not perfect. When I have bought property or taken out bank loans, for example, if I read every word of every document I put a signature on, I'd still be reading them now. And I'd still be scratching my head trying to understand some of them, the language is so obscure.

There is an element of trust involved when you enter into an agreement with somebody, where you take what they have told you in good faith and you, not unreasonably, expect that the document they put in front of you to sign is an accurate representation of what you have already agreed verbally.

As you say yourself, most people don't take the time to read through the small print. It is precisely this part of human nature that some people out there take advantage of. For most people, it takes getting stung by sharp practise to realise it.
 
The comparison to buying property or bank loans isn't really valid. If you buy property, you engage a solicitor to protect your interests. A gym membership is not a bank loan. It should not come as a huge surprise to any adult that many people taking out gym memberships do not keep up active participation and therefore may seek to cancel. There is a responsibility on the consumer to check these things out.

For the record, it does sound like there was sharp practice on the part of the gym. Was there any discussion about cancellation terms before signing the contract at all?
 
RainyDay said:
For the record, it does sound like there was sharp practice on the part of the gym. Was there any discussion about cancellation terms before signing the contract at all?
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Yes there was: "You can cancel any time, with two months notice".

That's what I'm aggrieved about, that the written contract contradicted the verbal contract and was slipped in on the sly. In hindsight, my wife's trust that the written contract reflected what she had just agreed was misplaced. Anyone dealing with Jackie Skellys needs to be very much on the ball and, as you say, read the contract thoroughly before signing it and retain a copy.
 
For the record, here is what Jackie Skellys said in their letter:

"By cancelling your direct debit with the bank you are in breech (sic) of contract and the remaining balance will automatically be passed on to our credit control department to seek the outstanding fees of €594.00"

This is from the first letter from Jackie Skellys and they are already quoting the contract. It is interesting that they cannot even spell 'breach of contract' and that they are demanding payment of fees that are not, in fact, "outstanding", since they refer to future months membership.

The phone call that preceded this letter was aggressive in tone and the club administrator made no attempt to ascertain why my wife wanted to quit the gym, much less to persuade her to continue her membership. It was straight into combat mode over money. While not illegal, it is definitely the kind of treatment of their clients that anyone considering joining Jackie Skellys should be aware of.
 
LibraMan said:
Yes there was: "You can cancel any time, with two months notice".
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This contradiction between the verbal discussion and the written contract wasn't clear to me from your original post. It will be difficult to prove/enforce this. Perhaps you'd consider setting up a 'sting' operation for a new member coming up to join and try recording the conversation?
 
Back on to the topic of what people pay.

I joined mid 2007, got the joining fee and membership card admin fee waived - if you haggle you can get them to drop these things. Sales guys have a range to work in so use it to your advantage.

Since joining I've payed €71pm (includes use of all JS gyms, I passed on the free towel option - rather use my own).
December direct-debit was €72. Two other people I know also reported DD increase of one euro.

I was wondering if anyone else had similar increase?

Consulting the contract I signed (knowing at the time it was one of these "terms and conditions may vary" offers) I looked up the details of the fees....

Direct Debit fees will automatically increase on an annual basis; the amount of this increase will may be variable and relative to membership category and will be applied on a date that the company decides. Notification will be posted in the club up to four weeks prior to the increase; the company will not contact members directly.

I guess they could increase it by €100 if they wanted as the mechanism is legal; the amount is at their choosing.

BTW - "the amount of this increase will may be variable..." is in the contract. Is "will may be" fancy legal talk or they didn't use grammer check in Word?

Interesting how they won’t contact individuals yet they still manage to text me an offer for no joining fee before Jan '08 when I'm already a member.

I can't say I pay enough attention to the notice boards as they are littered with ads for protein bars and personal trainer testimonies. I would have thought that something that affects all members (or maybe it’s just me and my friends) would have been given more prominence. Maybe it was there I just didn't see it.



I'm still quite happy to use the gym (mainly for the pool) and I'm not complaining about the service or facilities. Though the shabby state of the men’s locker rooms in Park West put me off ever going there again.


BTW if anyone knows what the new JS opposite Nutgrove SC is like and if you can park for free I'd appreciate it.

Cheers,
Flaka
 
Morning Ireland this morning carried a piece about gyms and contracts. There are several issues surrounding gyms and their contracts, including contracts containing provisions that allow the gym to increase the fees abritrarily without informing clients.

Some gyms reportedly even include a clause that tries to indemnify them from any injuries you may sustain on their premises. A spokesperson was on from the National Consumer Agency (NCA) and basically said that such clauses are null and void - the gyms in question are just chancing their arms.

The NCA will be publishing a consumers guide to gyms in the coming weeks, such is the level of concern they have about how gyms are being operated. Keep an eye on www.consumerconnect.ie for updates on that.

Bottom line is that there is sharp practise out there in how some gyms operate. So don't sign anything without reading it thoroughly. They will chance their arm so dispute anything that seems unorthodox and don't just take their word for anything. They are not there to help you get in shape - they are there to take your money!
 
RainyDay said:
Perhaps she should have read the contract before she signed it? Or got a copy at the time of signing?
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If people in general were sensible all the time, these boards would be empty !!!

My friend had a very similar issue with Crunch Fitness in Dun Laoghaire, he just paid, and left it at that....

Can gyms keep adding clients, are their laws , guidelines around health and safety in this area ??
 
In fairness I saw a notice in the gym last night about no specific increases to some accounts, directing enquiries to the manager.
 
Why in god's name anyone would join Jackie Skelly Fitness i dont no . The managment are horrible they dont know how to treat people let alone run a gym . The place stink's really bad i mean i could have membership for free in the place but not a hope have a shower in there are you mad the smell is so bad.........it's the sword's branch im talking about one thing i have to say about Ben Dunne's gym's there clean and that matter's so much in a gym plus there for nothing to join ive been in every big gym in Ireland ive seen the way then run them too and Ben come's out top's right you dont get a personal trainer with your membership but you do get what you pay for. Remember when you sign that contract in jackie Skelly's it's not for 12 month's it's ongoing it wont stop 12 month's and the rest.
 
Jackie Skelly is a joke and an absolute ripoff. My friend and I visited one of their gyms last week and were told that if we "availed" of their New Years offer that day we'd get the joining fee at a steal (€35 instead of €150) and would only have to pay €71 each/month. Wow - some deal. That works out to €887 for the year!!! She was all about the free personal training sessions that I'd be getting which were of no interest to me at all. We worked her down to €65/month each and left saying that we'd think about it. She was NOT pleased and came back with this comment "Oh ya - well then come back to me in a month and I'll charge you the €150 joining fee!" We were so insulted and decided then and there that we were most definitely not joining that gym. The salesperson even had the nerve to call us the next day and try to see if we'd changed our minds!!!

At that point we'd already visited one of Ben Dunne's gyms and signed up on the spot. The sales staff there were so helpful and even allowed us to join with a stranger in order to take advantage of an amazing offer - €750 for three people joining for the year - a measly €250 each for a whole 12 mths! No hidden contracts/direct debits nothing. Simply paid the membership fee, was given our free bags and locks and have been enjoying our visits ever since.

Word of advice to you all - Jackie Skelly is not worth the money or the effort.
 
Shingaling said:
At that point we'd already visited one of Ben Dunne's gyms and signed up on the spot. The sales staff there were so helpful and even allowed us to join with a stranger in order to take advantage of an amazing offer - €750 for three people joining for the year - a measly €250 each for a whole 12 mths! No hidden contracts/direct debits nothing. Simply paid the membership fee, was given our free bags and locks and have been enjoying our visits ever since.
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Hmmm, are you sure you don't work for Ben Dunne? Part of your post reads suspiciously like spam.

Having said that, I don't think that people skills are high up on the list when Jackie Skelly is recruiting staff. If you Google 'Jackie Skelly debt collector' you'll find their recruitment ads. The official title of the person who runs the club is "Debt Collector/Administrator". The "ideal candidate" is "target driven" and has "fluent English". There is no mention whatsoever of any background or experience in health and fitness, much less people skills or customer satisfaction. This speaks volumes in itself about Jackie Skelly's attitude and is another good reason to take your business elsewhere.
 
Shingaling said:
Jackie Skelly is a joke and an absolute ripoff. My friend and I visited one of their gyms last week and were told that if we "availed" of their New Years offer that day we'd get the joining fee at a steal (€35 instead of €150) and would only have to pay €71 each/month. Wow - some deal. That works out to €887 for the year!!! She was all about the free personal training sessions that I'd be getting which were of no interest to me at all. We worked her down to €65/month each and left saying that we'd think about it. She was NOT pleased and came back with this comment "Oh ya - well then come back to me in a month and I'll charge you the €150 joining fee!" We were so insulted and decided then and there that we were most definitely not joining that gym. The salesperson even had the nerve to call us the next day and try to see if we'd changed our minds!!!

At that point we'd already visited one of Ben Dunne's gyms and signed up on the spot. The sales staff there were so helpful and even allowed us to join with a stranger in order to take advantage of an amazing offer - €750 for three people joining for the year - a measly €250 each for a whole 12 mths! No hidden contracts/direct debits nothing. Simply paid the membership fee, was given our free bags and locks and have been enjoying our visits ever since.

Word of advice to you all - Jackie Skelly is not worth the money or the effort.
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In line with the can you confirm if you have any association with the Ben Dunne gyms because as LibraMan mentions your post does border on the spam side especially for a first time poster.
 
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