Paying For Your Membership

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Prices quoted on our website and elsewhere are in UK Pounds Sterling and are inclusive of VAT at the current standard rate of 20%.

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For all types of membership, your initial card payment covers all joining and administration costs. It also issues you with a membership ID number, and includes the registration of your scanned biometric fingerprint record, allowing you easy access to the gym. Memberships (other than one-day, weekend and Sprint Start + 6 PT Session memberships) also include a 30-minute group induction and 30 minutes of personal training with an experienced in-house gym instructor/personal trainer of your choice.

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There are several membership options and two basic ways to pay:

1) Prepaid Memberships

(One day or weekend pass, Multipass, One-month membership, Three months' membership, Annual Off Peak membership or Annual Peak membership).

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These memberships must all be paid for in advance, as part of your online membership application, by debit or credit card only. They are best suited to those who wish to use the gym for a fixed period or who do not have a bank account that supports direct debits. If you decide to leave before the end of the fixed contract, no refund is due and your membership cannot be transferred to another person.

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2) Monthly membership - paid via Direct Debit

Monthly memberships make paying for your membership more convenient and are very cost-effective. A small interest payment is included in your monthly subscription fee.

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On applying for membership, you are required to make an initial payment which includes your first month's membership subscription, plus a one-off joining fee. The joining fee is a payment entitling you to become a member of the gym. This fee covers our financial and administrative costs, your entry access registration, a group induction and a 30-minute induction with a Personal Trainer. (The joining fee alone does not entitle you to the use of the club facilities, these are covered by the monthly membership fee.)

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For this type of membership, as part of your online application, you must register your bank details, in order to set up a direct debit instruction, so that we can collect your monthly subscriptions to fund your membership after the first month has elapsed.

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Please note - Not all bank accounts support Direct Debits (for example, non-UK accounts and some saving accounts). Welcome Gym is not responsible for any refunds should your account fail to support a direct debit instruction. Please check that your account is of a type that enables you to pay by direct debit before you submit your joining application.

Monthly memberships are available with no commitment and can be cancelled at any time.

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Welcome Gym collects members' direct debit payments on five dates each month - the 1st, 8th, 16th, 21st or 26th, and your collection date will be set on or near whichever of these dates falls approximately four weeks from your join date.

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These dates will vary when the designated collection date falls on a weekend or a Bank Holiday, in which case we will collect your subscription on the next available day when banks are open. Welcome Gym does not guarantee that the collection dates will always fall on the same date each month. Welcome Gym is not responsible for any fees incurred if collection dates vary - it is the member's responsibility to ensure that the required funds are available in his/her account in advance of the collection date or risk the payment defaulting. If a subscription payment is not met, the membership will be terminated with immediate effect and the member will be unable to access the club from that date.

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The system is highly automated, enabling us to charge extremely low fees, and therefore once you have joined, it is not possible to change your collection date.

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After we have received your membership application and you have set up a direct debit mandate, you will receive an email advising you of the date of your next and future monthly payments. Please allow some deviation/leeway for weekends and bank holidays. Sometimes these emails are stopped from reaching your Inbox by anti-virus software or Spam filters. Welcome Gym cannot be held responsible for the non-receipt of these emails.

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Welcome Gym reserves the right to change its fees at any time and undertakes to advise members of this via email, giving 10 working days' notice.

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Joining and Managing Your Membership

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In order to offer our members exceptionally good value for money, we operate a highly automated system and employ minimal administrative staff. Members are therefore required to manage their own accounts, including:

• Joining online and filling in correctly all the required details, such as name, address, valid and current email address and correct date of birth.
• Completing the required Medical Questionnaire.
• Choosing the right club from the drop-down list on the membership application form. Please note, all our clubs operate independently, so each has its own database and our IT system does not permit members to use more than one club unless they are paying for separate memberships at each. Joining fees may vary according to location. If you accidentally choose the wrong club, you will have to apply for a refund and start the joining process again.
• Choosing the correct type of membership required.
• For pre-paid memberships, paying in advance and in full via Sage Pay.
• In the case of monthly memberships, paying the joining fee/first month subscription by debit or credit card via Sage Pay, and setting up a direct debit mandate for subsequent months.
• Ensuring there are sufficient funds in your bank account to enable us to make a monthly collection on the due date.
• If you change banking provider, make sure your Direct Debit mandate is transferred to your new bank in a timely manner and that you do not close your old account prematurely.
• There is no facility for putting pre-paid fixed-term memberships on hold if you are on holiday, working away or in the case of illness or injury.
• If you make a payment using someone else's bank account or credit/debit card, please ensure you have their permission to do so.
• We will only refund payments made due to a legitimate mistake within a period of three months of the payment being made.
• During your membership, you must pay your subscription whether or not you choose to use the gym.
• Sprint Start + 6 PT Session memberships include 6 personal training sessions, valid for the length of your Sprint Start membership only. No refund is eligible for any unused personal training sessions.
• Communicating with the club via email or face-to-face at Reception. We do not offer the facility to deal with queries by telephone.
• Many questions are answered on our website in the FAQs section. Members should quote their name, membership ID number (if known), and direct their email to the specific club via the Contact Us tab or by emailing info@welcomegym.co.uk

Cancelling Your Membership

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Distance selling regulations

Under the Distance Selling Regulations, providing they have not used our facilities, members have the right to apply to cancel their membership within seven working days of their join date (the cooling-off period). In this case, the joining fee/initial payment can be refunded to the account from which it was originally paid. We will not refund bank charges, administration fees or joining fees where a member has used the club facilities.

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Prepaid memberships – paid for in full in advance

You can leave the gym at any time without giving notice and without any financial penalty; no refunds are given on unused portions of your membership, and your membership cannot be downgraded or transferred to another person.

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Monthly No Commitment Memberships – paid for via Direct Debit

To cancel your membership at any time, simply contact your bank and cancel the direct debit mandate that allows us to collect your monthly gym subscriptions. Please be advised that your membership will be terminated as soon as we receive notice from your bank of the direct debit cancellation, and your access to the gym will be prohibited from that day. To get the most out of your last month at the gym, it is advisable to cancel your direct debit about 7 working days before the date when your next subscription is due to be collected.

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Please note that if we are unable to collect your monthly subscription for any reason, your gym membership will expire. If this happens and you wish to continue using the gym, you will need to re-join, paying another joining fee and setting up a new direct debit mandate.

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It is the member's own responsibility to cancel their membership when they wish to leave the gym. We cannot accept requests to cancel your monthly membership by email, post or verbal communication; you must follow the procedure outlined above.

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Health Commitment Statement

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Our commitment to members

1. We will respect your personal decisions about what exercises you carry out, but your health and safety will always be paramount in our minds.
2. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure that our equipment and facilities are in a safe condition for you to use and enjoy.
3. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that our staff are qualified and competent.
4. If you tell us that you have a disability that puts you at a substantial disadvantage in accessing our equipment and facilities, please let us know and we will consider what adjustments, if any, are reasonable for us to make.

Your commitment to us

1. You should not exercise beyond your own abilities.
2. If you know or are concerned that you have a medical condition which may interfere with you exercising safely, you will inform us and should get advice from a relevant medical professional before using our equipment and facilities.
3. You should make yourself aware of any rules and instructions, including warning notices. Exercise carries its own risks. You should not carry out any activities which you have been told are not suitable for you.
4. You should let us know immediately if you feel ill when using our equipment or facilities. Our staff are not qualified doctors, but there will be a person available who has had first-aid training.
5. If you have a disability, you must follow any reasonable instructions to allow you to exercise safely.
6. You should use all the safety features provided and follow all safety instructions when using gym equipment.

Member Code of Conduct

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This code of conduct forms part of the terms and conditions of membership. We want to ensure each visit to one of our gyms is an enjoyable experience, whilst maintaining the highest levels of health and safety for all our members, visitors and employees. Failure to abide by this code may result in the member being asked to leave.

Please do not:

• Actively use a mobile phone or other electronic gadget whilst exercising; making or receiving calls is not permitted.
• Take photographs or videos on the premises or post remarks or imagery to the internet that could identify another member.
• Bring food or drink, whether alcoholic or otherwise, into the club premises, except water or fruit juice in a plastic, shatterproof container.
• Smoke on the club premises.
• Illegally bet or game, get drunk or offer the sale of goods or services.
• Move, alter, modify or use gym equipment in a manner other than that for which it was intended.
• Leave out portable equipment, such as weights, on the gym floor; please use the storage racks.
• Shout, use foul or abusive language or behave in a threatening or intimidating manner towards other members, visitors or staff.

We ask you to:

• Inform reception staff of any changes to your health which may affect your ability to exercise.
• Abide by staff instructions related to health and safety issues.
• Wipe perspiration and any other marks from equipment after use.
• Limit a cardiovascular workout to 20 minutes if people are waiting for equipment.
• Respect other members, visitors and staff.
• Wear clean attire and footwear suitable for exercise activities.

We welcome your feedback on concerns and complaints. More information can be found in our Complaints Policy.

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Gym Entry

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Members' access to our clubs is via Biometric Recognition or Nearfield Technology, which enables our IT system to establish whether the person registering on our turnstile entry system is a paid-up member, and therefore qualified to gain admission to the gym.

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If a member is utilising the Biometric method, a very low-resolution collagen record of the member's fingerprint is converted from analogue to digital form and stored within the turnstile. It is not possible for any third party to access the stored information.

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Any fingerprint data registered is deleted automatically when a member terminates their membership with Welcome Gym.

No personal or financial information relating to the club member is stored on the club turnstiles or anywhere on site. Members' direct debits are administered off-site, and all information is dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

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Gym Induction

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As every gym is different and exercise equipment can differ, we always recommend that new members attend an induction. Please take up the offer of a 30-minute session with one of our fitness instructors. Previous gym users may decide not to have an induction. However, we cannot accept any liability for any claim for negligence if you have not had an induction with one of our qualified gym staff.

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General Terms and Conditions

• You must include a current and valid email address on your application. All membership queries are dealt with by email.
• Adult members must be 18 years old or over.
• 16 to 18-year-olds (Junior Members) may join with written consent from their adult parent or guardian.
• We reserve the right to refuse your application for membership or terminate it if you breach our terms and conditions.
• Opening hours, access, and the free classes we provide as part of our membership offer are subject to change.
• Off-Peak members are entitled to use the facilities during off-peak hours only, as indicated on the website or club notice board.
• Specialist classes, such as pole dancing and Pilates, may be subject to an additional charge, indicated on the timetable with a £ symbol.
• Memberships cannot be transferred to another person.
• Memberships are non-refundable and cannot be downgraded.
• Changing rooms and lockers are provided; members are not permitted to take gym bags and belongings onto the gym floor.
• We are not legally obliged to compensate you for any service, facility or item of equipment that is unavailable for reasons of health and safety, or any class cancelled for reasons beyond our control.
• We will not compensate you for loss, damage or personal injury where no negligence on our part can be proven.
• The club will accept no responsibility for loss or damage to vehicles and their contents parked in the Club Car Park or elsewhere on the premises.
• A member shall not use any facilities while suffering from any infectious or contagious illness or disease or from any physical ailment such as open cuts, abrasions, open sores or minor infections, where there is a risk that such use may be detrimental to the health, safety, comfort or physical condition of other members.
• SMS messages will be used to notify of class cancellations and club news from time to time.
• From time to time, instructors, the club manager, or an employed professional photographer will take photographs or video clips of members in the gym. If you do not wish to appear in any images captured, please tell us so that we can take appropriate steps to ensure you are not included.

Booking and Cancelling Classes

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Welcome Gym aims to make a wide variety of fitness classes available to all members on a fair basis and these can be booked and cancelled online via the Members portal. Most classes are free, i.e. the cost is included in the membership subscription. Some specialist classes are provided by outside agencies and are subject to a small charge.

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Members who do not attend classes which they have booked but failed to cancel will have their online booking privilege withdrawn automatically. They will receive an email advising them that they cannot book classes online until they have paid a fine of £2.50, payable by credit/debit card. The fine cannot be paid in cash at the club. Once paid, the online booking facility will be automatically reinstated.

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Members who have booked classes are requested to turn up 5 minutes before the class starts. People arriving late may be turned away, as people on the waiting list may have filled the class, and because participants must take part in the essential warm-up and stretching session which starts every class.

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Sauna/Steam Room and Swimming Pool Code of Conduct

• In the interests of health and hygiene, all users are requested to shower prior to entering the sauna/steam room and swimming pool.
• Children under the age of 16 are not permitted to use these facilities, with the exception of the swimming pool.
• Users must wear suitable swimwear and bring a towel.
• No running, jumping or diving in the swimming pool area is allowed.

Unauthorised Personal Trainers

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Each Welcome Gym club has a team of experienced, qualified and insured in-house freelance fitness instructors who are permitted to offer personal training to members at the gym.

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It is strictly forbidden for uninsured and unauthorised personal trainers to use Welcome Gym facilities and equipment to conduct their business on the club's premises. Any members found to be contravening this rule will be barred from the club and their gym memberships cancelled with immediate effect. We will not refund any joining fee, starter payment, monthly subscription or prepaid membership fee.

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Website General Terms and Conditions

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Welcome Gym invites you to visit its website. Access to and use of the site is subject to the terms and conditions outlined herein and all applicable laws. Welcome Gym reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions from time to time by updating this notice.

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You acknowledge that, whilst every effort is made to ensure that all information contained in the Welcome Gym website is accurate and up-to-date, Welcome Gym makes no warranty as to its accuracy, and you accept that any and all use of information contained on the Welcome Gym website is at your own risk.

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Welcome Gym shall not be liable for any direct or consequential loss arising from your access to and/or use of the Welcome Gym website or any erroneous or omitted information contained therein.

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You accept that the entire content of the Welcome Gym website is protected by copyright and that Welcome Gym is either the proprietor or licensee of all copyright in the material contained therein.

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Privacy and Cookies Policy

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More details can be found in the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

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