Is this even legal?

[dakcp2001]

Ok perhaps I am just getting a little too offended here, but I am thinking of joining a local fitness center. It is really pricey, and well, it is a big decision for me. I am a full time student, and a classmate told me they got a student discount. I was offered a group rate of 129 to join, 55 a month with 2 year contract. The student discount is 129 to join and only 30 a month with a 2 year contract. So this would save me 600 bucks over the 2 years. Some students have also been able to talk their way out of the join fee, or have it reduced. (and come on 129 is a lot of money! )

So I went to ask for this student discount, with my student id in hand, and I was told I am "too old" the student discount is only for students under 24. I am 31. I know I am older, but I am still a full time college student, is it ok for this club to discriminate against age of the student? It really hurt my feelings. I am prob just overreacting cuz I got so excited about the discount. Anyhow, I left and still haven't joined. I really want to.

 

[Sparx]

if you're a student, does your campus have a fitness center? typically students are given free admission to on-campus fitness centers.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Did a manager say this or was it a snot-nosed 20 year old who uttered these pearls of age discrimination?

If it was a manager, I'd make every older student on campus aware of the discrimination. If it was a worker bee, I'd call and speak with the manager and make sure he/she is fully aware of her/his employee's age discrimination. And then, if I wasn't happy with the result, I'd make sure every older student on campus was aware of this. I would happily spread the word that XYZ fitness club discriminates against older people.

What can I say? I'm mean that way.

Of course, I also write thank you letters to flight crews when they go above and beyond and am happy to give testimonials for realtors or consultants etc.

 

[dakcp2001]

No fitness center! It is a small community college.

Snarling coyote (love your sn btw! lol) it was a salesperson. He is probably in his early 20's and I despise the fact that everyone pays a different rate at this gym. I think it is very sketchy that some people are paying as much as 99 a month while others are paying 30 a month. It seems as though most of my friends are paying 69.99, so I was happy to get 54.99, until I heard about the student discount, and got called OLD. lol.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Don't know if it is legal or not, but I would put up a fit and ask to see in writing where it says, "24 and Under", and let them KNOW how discriminated against you feel, and if they can't produce it on paper, you feel that the BBB and Attorney General would love to hear all about it. That is ridiculous.

 

[kwelch10377]

I use to work at my local Y and we did have a policy that the student couldn't be over a certain age, however we did have it in writing. There are a lot of colleges in the area and most of the IDs are the same for students as they were for professors, so there was a lot of people who were using their ID to say they were a student.

 

[Imzadi]

Was this Bally's? You should google them, there is horrible reports/stories about them and the way they cheat people left & right and then ruin people's credit rating by continuing to charge them loooong after their membership contract ended. Then when people stopped payment, they'd ruin their credit rating.

Also, they DO change rates on people and charge different rates to different people. (It's like buying a car.) The guy you talked to probably thought he could get more money off of you, so he gave you the lame excuse you got hoping you'd pay the extra.

If it is a major, national fitness center like Bally's, check eBay for auctions in which people will transfer you their "lifetime memberships." For a small transfer fee, you might end up with an even better rate than the one you were quoted.

I looked into this and found a great membership from a guy in AZ,.I told my neighborhood Bally's that I found a great transfer membership and told them the price which was $35/ mo for life + $100 transfer fee. Their previous offer of $65/mo here in NYC, suddenly dropped to $26/mo. for 2 1/2 years with 6 months free.

They need to keep their new membership numbers up for when corporate looks at their records. It was worth it to them to offer me a low, low rate, since they wouldn't make it if I got a transfer membership. I think I must have had the lowest fitness center fee ever, in all the different centers here in NYC.

 

[Stacerita]

Insurance companies are allowed to do that. I was offered a student discount over the phone if I faxed in my school info and proof I was a student, but when they saw how old I was, they called and said they couldn't offer me the discount since I was older than 24.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

Ok perhaps I am just getting a little too offended here, but I am thinking of joining a local fitness center. It is really pricey, and well, it is a big decision for me. I am a full time student, and a classmate told me they got a student discount. I was offered a group rate of 129 to join, 55 a month with 2 year contract. The student discount is 129 to join and only 30 a month with a 2 year contract. So this would save me 600 bucks over the 2 years. Some students have also been able to talk their way out of the join fee, or have it reduced. (and come on 129 is a lot of money! )

So I went to ask for this student discount, with my student id in hand, and I was told I am "too old" the student discount is only for students under 24. I am 31. I know I am older, but I am still a full time college student, is it ok for this club to discriminate against age of the student? It really hurt my feelings. I am prob just overreacting cuz I got so excited about the discount. Anyhow, I left and still haven't joined. I really want to.

yep, this is the same way here where I live. I used to work IN the gym. I luckily got my membership for free. but when I left the job, I could not get the discount.
They do have the age restrictions.

 

[bicker]

It is legal. The only discrimination that is illegal is discrimination against a protected class. While age is one of the conditions for protected classes, the protected class itself, in that case, is generally defined as older people. The laws prohibit discrimination against older people, not against discrimination against younger people. For example, the ADEA prohibits discrimination against "employees 40 years of age or older."

 

[JCJRSmith]

Look for a PlanetFitness in your area. Low cost to join, low monthly fees (ours is $10/month), friendly staff, well maintained equipment, LOTS of workout options.

www.planetfitness.com

 

[FireDancer]

Both of the gyms I go to have an age limit on their student discounts. One is 24 and one is 25. You may be eligible for an other discount through your employer or insurance company though.

 

[agnes!]

Sometimes there are fitness/workout rooms at County/City Rec Centers and Ys often have reasonable rates for memberships. I've even seen some churches that have weight rooms.

Maybe you can find a friend to walk with and/or work-out with. You could buy a lot of weights for all that money you'd pay for the membership.

Or you could walk in with a mixed-group of younger students and maybe some of your 'elderly' friends and see what kind of rates everyone could get. Maybe you could even get a special group rate!

agnes!

 

[CPT Tripss]

No fitness center! It is a small community college.

Snarling coyote (love your sn btw! lol) it was a salesperson. He is probably in his early 20's and I despise the fact that everyone pays a different rate at this gym. I think it is very sketchy that some people are paying as much as 99 a month while others are paying 30 a month. It seems as though most of my friends are paying 69.99, so I was happy to get 54.99, until I heard about the student discount, and got called OLD. lol.

Most gyms have a sticker price and then, like car dealers, negotiate down from there.