So I joined a new gym last year and was pleasantly surprised. They gave me a smart card to get in and out, that’s it, no app, no accounts, no nothing. Well, today I got to the gym and saw the announcement that they are phasing out the access with the smart card and starting to use, you guessed it, an app.
Now, I know this is not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But I’m just tired of this trend of replacing perfectly functioning systems with apps (public transport tickets come to mind). Just more ways to harvest people’s data, I guess…
Ah and by the way, in my previous gym they not only required an app for accessing the place, they also incentivized people to track their workouts, meals and bodyweight using the gym’s app (of course I never used any of these features).
Bring them a dumb phone. Ask them to install the app on it for you. Tell then you are not buying a new phone just to use the gym.
And they will say you can’t go to the gym, then. I agree this is enshittification but this isn’t a magic trick that lets you bypass the app
It’s not, but I pushed back on my gym and they got me a barcode key tag. The app just shows a barcode anyway so I lucked out. I took a picture of the barcode and use that to get into the gym. Doesn’t hurt to try
Doing that makes it so they need to support the old system since some people keep asking for it. All I’m saying is, your actions help so thank you!
Assume they’d let ask you to have staff let you in every time, same as someone whose battery died. Pretty soon they’d recognize you and quickly buzz/wave you along, I figure.
That’s how I play the game, you get on first name basis with people too that way…
This isn’t a magic trick. This is more about pushing and seeing how far they would bend.
Like what you said, if all else it’s a way out of the stupid agreements with gyms.
That isn’t how contracts work
So if you can’t get in a gym because of a technology they added after you signed, they will just continue to charge you?
That’s what you think will happen?
Knowing corporate gyms… Probably.
Yes that’s absolutely what will happen. They likely have language in the contract you signed allowing them to do just that.
You are paying for access to the gym. They don’t have to provide you access via a card or a list or an app - they probably specify that they can refuse access for a variety of reasons, including “safety and privacy” or some shit they can shoehorn an app into. You don’t have a legal right to access a place via the mechanism you choose.
Looking online at similar situations people had their membership canceled by management. Other cases showed bring able to enter by a phone number, by their old tag, or ID verification. Looks like it happened for people whose app kept on crashing or a work phone that wouldn’t allow installs.
Which gym would just keep charging you if you said you can’t get in?
I never said they’d charge you, I said they wouldn’t just let you in.
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Isn’t what illegal? They are allowed to determine how you access their gym.
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They’re not a government institution providing necessary services, so I think it’s legal pretty much everywhere. Same with places accepting payment by card only.
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It’s not like that here. Most accept cash and I think gyms are still “normal”
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My old college dorm did this, I told them I don’t have a smartphone (lie) and they gave me an access card that works 100% of the time without needing a charge. They might do the same at your gym.
I’d speak to management and voice your concerns regarding the app, and ask if there is another method available for entry. If not, I’d cancel my membership and look for another gym that respects my privacy.
probably best to stay with a locally owned gym if poasible
All of my local gyms in my last 3 areas have been super pricy. Like $75-$150 a month. It may not seem high, but when you can get a franchise membership for $10-$30, it’s a hard sale.
I have had luck with specialty stuff though. Yoga is common to have discounts and decent pricing if that’s anyone’s jam.
That sucks. The last gym I was at had the access cards too which was great. I’m fortunate now to be able to have a home gym, so I don’t have to worry about that kind of enshittification.
Join a local sports club, meet new people, volunteer, have fun for cheap.
My gym did that. But it’s not really an app, it’s a QR code you pull up to scan, wrapped in some semblance of trying to be an app. Which means I took a screenshot and just pulled that up. Still stupid.
But you can also just print it out and put it on a card 😎
I’m going to be moving into a van in the next few years full-time, travelling around Australia and using gyms for showers and, well, exercise. I don’t know if it’s already an issue over here or not, but I sure hope it won’t be by the time I can move out in the van full-time, cause this is one of the best ways of accessing showers without building one into the van.
i don’t even take my phone with me when i go out for the gym 🤷
people are stuck to their phones! i see people doing crunches while watching a video on their phones in one of their hands. Hurts to look at their pitiful postures.
aren’t there any laws there for guaranteeing accessibility?
My gym does this. I carry one my old phones in my console with nothing but the gym app on it. I turn it on when I park, it connects to wifi while I’m walking in, I scan the code then turn it off and throw it in my bag.
That’s cool but also a bit dystopian in a way.
For gym next to me you need smart card and also fingerprint to enter 🤣. Im happy I dont do any workouts
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totally fair to be upset IMO. spare a thought for my friend whose gym rolled out mandatory fingerprint scanning for entry, then mandatory facial recognition a few months later (they cancelled their membership)
they also incentivized people to track their workouts, meals and bodyweight using the gym’s app (of course I never used any of these features).
wonder how much of a kickback they get from this. I can’t see another good reason to fuck with your userbase.
Probably installed it for free just so someone can get all that juicy data.
Insurance companies would love to have it.
