Strong minds required for strong bodies: Hong Kong gym clients describe aggressive sales tactics

California Fitness gym-goers say a strong and forceful attitude is needed to ward off aggressive sales practices.

Their comments followed a case that came to light of a mentally disabled man who signed up for classes and ended up taking out loans that left him HK$700,000 poorer.

“You need to give them a strong ‘no’, then there’s little they can do,” said Shirley Ku of the gym staff’s sales tactics.

A nurse, Ku said she had been a California Fitness member since 2006 and went to the gym three to four times a week, but not usually at the Mong Kok location where the man’s case took place.

READ MORE: Disabled Hong Kong man ‘strong-armed’ into signing up for gym classes that left him HK$700,000 out of pocket

Ku said she had personal experience of the gym’s hard-sell tactics when an employee enticed her with a gift. But during the employee’s explanation of the gift, Ku was told she needed to buy a certain amount of classes to receive it.