The career of many fitness studio customers sometimes goes like this: They sign long contracts, train for five weeks, suddenly lose motivation and from then on pay completely pointless fees. In the end, in this rut, they often even fail to terminate their tiresome contracts in good time. If the contracts are then automatically extended by a year, the cost trap really snaps shut. “In these situations, people feel really trapped in their contracts,” says Christopher Vernon from the consumer advice center in Lower Saxony.
However, there is good news for those who are vulnerable to such omissions. Since this Tuesday, March 1st, new rules that are significantly more customer-friendly have applied to contracts with fitness studios nationwide. Recreational athletes now have more time to cancel and can exit their contracts more easily, even if they miss deadlines. This makes that possible “Fair Consumer Contracts Act”, which the federal government decided in the summer. It is intended to guarantee citizens more rights and protection in contractual relationships. The new regulations also apply to mobile phone, streaming and Internet contracts as well as magazine subscriptions.
Contracts may not be extended by one year
In the past, most gym contracts were automatically renewed without warning for a year if you didn’t give the three-month notice period. It was usually in small print in the general terms and conditions. The law will now change that. It includes two key benefits for consumers. First: The previous notice period of three months will be reduced to one month. Secondly, if consumers have missed this deadline, contracts can only be extended indefinitely and must be able to be terminated on a monthly basis.
However, the new rules do not apply to old contracts that were concluded before March 1, 2022. These legacy contracts can continue to be tacitly extended by a year if you don’t get out in time. Consumer advocates therefore advise terminating old contracts in good time in order to be able to benefit from the new provisions. When concluding new contracts, however, you should check whether the new rules are really included in the general terms and conditions. “If that’s not the case, you should point this out to the provider and request an adjustment,” says consumer advocate Vernon. In this way, possible legal disputes can be ruled out in advance.
From July there will be a “cancellation button”
From July 1, 2022, customers should also find “cancellation buttons” on all websites where they can conclude long-term contracts, including on the websites of fitness studio chains. The “button” must be easy to find on the pages. If providers do not make it available, the corresponding contracts can be terminated at any time. They are also obliged to immediately confirm cancellations electronically.
In addition, extraordinary termination without notice is still possible in fitness studios in special cases. Reasons for this could be a permanent injury or if the studio moves, changes ownership or changes in essential services. In such cases, the studio should be informed of the reasons within a reasonable period of time (usually two weeks). If you no longer like the studio or you have become unemployed, this is not sufficient as a reason for termination.
For athletes who just want to take a break from training, this is now possible with many providers. Upon request, contracts can be temporarily suspended; the missed months are usually appended to the end of the contract period. This practice has become increasingly established during the pandemic, because many recreational athletes are still suspending their training in order not to become infected with Corona.