Fitness Centers are renowned for having aggressive policies and for turning up the steam to get as much money out of their customers as possible, but I don’t expect to have it thrust in my face every day. Stationed at the entrance to Central World Plaza in Bangkok are representatives from True Fitness. Their tactics are truly hostile, pouncing on people as they enter and leave the building, hounding them to sign up for a program they don’t need.

This sort of practice is common in the UK – heck, even the Hare Krishnas do it – but it seems to go so far against what I would consider to be a Thai way of acting that I’m sure many people are scared into spending money when they don’t necessarily want to. It’s the ultimate form of confrontation to be chased down by someone with a leaflet, and then shown to a seating area where you can sign up to the gym. Before California Wow came along, I didn’t notice an abundance of gyms in Bangkok scouting for potential customers. Now that the ante has been upped, I’ve heard many stories about problems with the top gyms being less than honest in their pricing strategies.

Their mission, as it appears to me, is to get as much money out of you as possible by any means. A friend of mine recently said that she was told the fee was X, but when she went back another time it had suddenly shot up to Y. The difference between one person’s monthly fee compared to another’s can be vast. It’s a scandalous world, pumped full of gimmicks and gadgets, when you could get as much benefit (for your mind and body) by going to a local Thai gym and paying a fraction of the cost.

Fitness is not some big secret that only mighty corporate businesses in Bangkok hold the answer to.

Techno’ tags: Gyms, Thailand, Bangkok, Fitness centers