Resolution FAIL. I have been there exactly twice so far this year - once right before my monthly membership ended on Jan 4.
Second time was today.
I have an excuse or two - seriously.
I got sick after the New Year - sick enough to keep me in bed the better part of a week. Being in bed is not conducive to exercise. I take that back. But you know what I mean.
And then...a new gym came to town. And as my son said "You should check it out; it has everything you need, it is closer to your apartment, it opens earlier in the morning - you could go before work..."
So I checked - online. It does have everything I want and it is 20 per month cheaper than the monthly non-resident NAT membership - after a $99 enrollment fee. .
Yeah that enrollment fee is a big red flag for me.
$99 + 29.99 per month with the $99 plus 2 x $29.99 down before I can start using the place.
I had already decided I would subscribe to the NAT for a year which would bring my monthly rate down to under $38. With the enrollment fee spread out over a year, I am looking at about the same cost at each gym for the first year.
So I decided to look on online reviews for the owning company. Like most gyms with an enrollment fee, there were a lot of complaints. Not lying - I did not see one good review. Spas and saunas are left dirty/non-working for days at a time. The required two month notice to end your membership more often than not turns into at least 6 months of fees still being withdrawn from your account. There is not an option to pay for a year upfront and have the membership end after the year.
And then there is the issue of employer reimbursement. I can file one voucher per calendar year for gym fees (80% or $240 (whichever is less) of receipt totals, excluding enrollment fees. So I would be eating that $99. And I would need to wait 10 months to have enough receipts to get the maximum reimbursement.
Needless to say, I decided to stick with my original goal and enroll for one-year NAT membership - which just happened to be $100 less than the advertised rate, because this is the first time I have obtained a full year membership. What a nice surprise! I will forward my receipt to my employer this week; and I should reimbursement in one of February's checks.
WIN - WIN!
I do love the NAT.
