Gym Prices - Farang/local Pricing?

[JCCR6]

I went to check out a couple of my local gyms the other day, True Fitness and California Wow, both on the Asok/Sukhumvit intersection.

The same sales formula applied to both, I got shown around by a Thai who spoke good english. I was then sat down at a table and shown a pricing sheet. For True Fitness, this started off at 8000 baht joining fee, one off processing fee 2000 baht, and a monthly membership cost of 3500 baht. This was then cut by about a half. I thought this was far too much, and was ready to walk. An American manager is then brought out, who cuts the price, 700 baht joining fee, 0 proccessing fee, and 1799 baht a month.

I went accross to California Wow, same formula, Thai showed me round, then an American manger came out to do the hard sell - I found way too pushy. After mentioning I'd had a good price from True was offered a slightly better deal.

My question is, outside the Gyms and plastered around bangkok are posters for California Wow saying 875 baht, and I can read the word month... but my Thai isn't too great, so I'm not sure what the rest of it says. There is a poster for True Fitness which advertises at (from memory) 975 baht.

Can anyone shed any light on whether these posters are for monthly membership fees?

Out of the two gyms, I'd definitely chose True, mainly due to the fact the sales manager at California Wow really got on my nerves with his "I can cut the price but I need some comitment today that you can joing etc etc" hard sell, and the fact that California Wow seemed too busy (ie. waiting to use equiptment).

Any thoughts? Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

[jdinasia]

Yeppers ... you pay what you pay

there are no set prices ... bring an advert or mention it and that is what you will get. But like any sparse matrix sales pitch they will try and get the most possible from everyone

[BKKstan]

Try Caliifornia Fitness,corner of Soi Convent and Silom.

[Weatherhead]

True is new and better, at least within 2 years.

[leftcross]

i joined california in silom about 18 months ago for 1,200 a month, no joining fee and no admin fee.

they tried the sales BS but i just told them what i wanted to pay and made it clear i wasnt interested in hearing any of their stupid lines.

i have spoken to others in the gym and some people are paying 800 a month.

my contract ran out a couple of months ago and so i went to see if i could get it cheaper. there was a thai customer in the office too.

i said i wanted it for 800 baht but the assistant kept saying 'cannot, cannot' with the usual glue-sniffing grin.

i asked the thai customer how much they were paying.

after a nervous glance at the sales rep he said '800 baht'.

i said i wanted the same deal but got the 'cannot' chorus again so i said ok i'm not renewing and walked out.

one thing about california is they have a policy where you pay for two months to go at the end of your year (complete BS).

i guess its to get people to pay first because they know most give up easily. if this is your first gym time then be wary of these kind of traps.

BTW, i now go to a thai weights gym and pay 15 baht a day.

[JCCR6]

i joined california in silom about 18 months ago for 1,200 a month, no joining fee and no admin fee.

they tried the sales BS but i just told them what i wanted to pay and made it clear i wasnt interested in hearing any of their stupid lines.

i have spoken to others in the gym and some people are paying 800 a month.

my contract ran out a couple of months ago and so i went to see if i could get it cheaper. there was a thai customer in the office too.

i said i wanted it for 800 baht but the assistant kept saying 'cannot, cannot' with the usual glue-sniffing grin.

i asked the thai customer how much they were paying.

after a nervous glance at the sales rep he said '800 baht'.

i said i wanted the same deal but got the 'cannot' chorus again so i said ok i'm not renewing and walked out.

one thing about california is they have a policy where you pay for two months to go at the end of your year (complete BS).

i guess its to get people to pay first because they know most give up easily. if this is your first gym time then be wary of these kind of traps.

BTW, i now go to a thai weights gym and pay 15 baht a day.

Think I'll get a Thai friend to go in and see what price they get quoted.... see what happens.

California Wow wanted 2 months at the end of the year, and the first month upfront.

True Fitness just asked for the last month and the first month upftont.

[backflip]

I got a California WOW membership, good at all current and future clubs...for less than 400THB per month. As another TVer posted, you pay what you pay....

[stevemcqueen]

Did anyone ever find out about the price of a lifetime membership,at California????