How often does your gym raise rates?

[GymmomOR1127]

Okay - I have a question, and a gripe......

Out of curiosity, how often does your gym raise their rates, and about how much each time?

Many of you know my story - We are in a small town, used to go to a certain gym and moved my dd from that gym because, in addition to not feeling that they had trustworthy business practices, they kept raising their rates. The gym that I moved my dd to was awesome. I honestly felt it was about the kids more than the money. The only time they raised rates was once, and only by $2.00 per month! Well, this gym owner decided to merge with our old gym, and I was against it, but really had no choice, because that now was going to be the only gym in town. Now, he has left, and I am stuck with the same old thing that I left in the first place!

Everyone just moved up levels, so most of us are still getting used to the idea of paying an extra $30.00 to $50.00 per month. Now they just passed out a letter saying that the rates are going up another $15.00 per month! It aggravates me, because no matter how good of an outlook I try to have, I think the person that runs this gym knows that she has the only gym in the area, so we all have to deal with it, or break our daughters hearts.

Just wanted to see what is common out there - maybe I am just being unrealistic!

 

[gymluvr33]

Well that doesn't seem fair!!! I am a gymnast, and usually let my mom handle the money side, but I don't think that our gym usually raises their rates. I am pretty sure that it is a little more when you move up a level, because either the practices are a half-hour longer, or you go an extra day, or both, but I can understand that. It seems like your gym is just in it for the money, not the kids and the gymnastics. I hope it gets better soon, and I will be praying for you and this situation.

 

[GymmomOR1127]

Gymluvr33 - Thank you for your response, and prayers! No one else has responded to this - - - maybe I have gone into the "unspeakable no man's land" on this one???

 

[flippersmom]

I'll be brave and answer.

At old gym, dd first year wasn't bad - I don't think they had increased rates from year before. 2nd year they raised prices by $50/month. That was a little steep. We have left that gym, so I don't know if they have raised prices again. I do know they were starting a new "supply" (chalk, tape, etc.) fee this year, costing $150-200/year based on level. That really got a lot of people upset. That and always hear how team cost the gym money and didn't make any. I really dislike hearing that. If they feel that way, then they shouldn't have a team. I think team draws a lot of people to a gym.

At new gym, owner has told us up front the fees for next year will probably increase because it is a new gym and she wanted to give up a break this year. We will see how much.

 

[Deleted member 1703]

Here in the UK we dont seem to pay nearly as much as you do in the USA. However, as DDs gym hours were increased over the years, we did have to pay additional fees as well as an annual increase.

I guess that all costs are going up all the time and the coaches also need to have salary increases that keep up with inflation otherwise they are earning less and less each year. How does the increase over a few years compare to the inflation rates for those years?

On another side, the last 2 gyms that we went to here were run as "non profit organisations" ie any money made is ploughed back into the gym by way of equipment etc. The gym before these was a family business - definitely on a profit basis.

 

[gymkat]

My gym raised tuition by about $20/level about 4 years ago, but I think that was the first and only price hike since it opened. It's pretty normal to increase tuition because of inflation, though... my piano and violin teachers raised rates by $5/half hour every 2-3 years.

 

[gym law mom]

Former gym raised rates about $20/mo no matter what level the last year we were there. No advance notice---just a note on the bill for the month indicating a "cost of living" increase. We've only been at our current gym for 18 mos and they did increase all team monthly tuition by $23(strange amount) this past summer. From what I understand they had not raised rates in quite awhile and with growing optional teams some of the money was to cover more money for coaches. Also current gym has been a little on the low side as far as team tuition, so I think this increase brought them more in line with the other gyms with large teams.

BTW--This is not a taboo subject

 

[bogwoppit]

Our kids get their gym bill in September after evaluations and groups are created. The yearly fee is the number of hours per week plus the meet fees plus the costs for coahes at meets. It goes up a little each year, but never hugely. Though we do pay more than city clubs as we do not have the huge number of rec gymnasts to subsidize the comp girls. GIrls can opt to do less hours to reduce the costs.

The bill can be paid all in one go or spread into 6 payments. Team trains from Sept, to May with 2 weeks off for xmas. May - Aug training is optional and paid for separately.

I would have been quite unhappy if they were changing things mid season after the teams and meets were set. It is very hard right now for many families to afford to do gym, let alone manage increases.

 

[GymmomOR1127]

Thanks everyone! It helps to hear what other gyms do. Maybe it is not so bad - now I have to convince my husband of that! I just don't trust this person, and I know I am not the only one! I feel that maybe they should have waited until late spring, after we were a little more used to the new tuition from moving up levels.

gym law mom - Sorry about being a smart @$#! It did get me some answers though!

 

[GymmomOR1127]

Our kids get their gym bill in September after evaluations and groups are created. The yearly fee is the number of hours per week plus the meet fees plus the costs for coahes at meets. It goes up a little each year, but never hugely. Though we do pay more than city clubs as we do not have the huge number of rec gymnasts to subsidize the comp girls. GIrls can opt to do less hours to reduce the costs.

The bill can be paid all in one go or spread into 6 payments. Team trains from Sept, to May with 2 weeks off for xmas. May - Aug training is optional and paid for separately.

I would have been quite unhappy if they were changing things mid season after the teams and meets were set. It is very hard right now for many families to afford to do gym, let alone manage increases.

Bog - It sounds like your gym is fairly flexible. That's how our old one was - I miss it so much! This new one is not very flexible. We train year round, pay year round, plus from February to August we pay an extra monthly payment to fund fall meet fees. Whenever you ask to see your account printout, you always get a story like "Oh, it's really complicated, it probably won't make sense", and when you finally get them to give you one, it always shows less in the account than you thought you had! It gets corrected eventually, but that's besides the point.

 

[bogwoppit]

Ooh I am a control freak, I couldn't cope with that. We know exactly where the money goes. We have a separate fundraiser for equipment and if any extra meets are organised we can shoose to do them or not. GIrls who make it to provincials (like States) pay the costs when the time comes.

Clarity is a good thing, for me!!! I do like the flexibilty, many of our girls travel to gym directly from school on the school bus, they cannot trainin in summer as they live far from the gym, the fact that they can do as they wish makes more girls stay in the gym. They do not progress the way the girls in year round programmes do, but that's not what gym is about for every child/family.

Sadly many gyms have designed their programmes and built expensive gyms and therefore they have to keep their team girls in the gym all year round in order not to fail. Our gym is tiny nad we have few coahes, that is what allows us to have the flexibility.

But Olympians or college athletes are not created in gyms like ours, we are just about the fun really. Three or four meets a year and never more than 11 hours a week in the gym a week, no pressure. This wouldn't please every parent or every gymmie.

 

[Mom2Gymgirls]

Our gym does move-ups to the next level the first week of June, so if there are any increases, that's when we would start paying the higher rate. We've been at this same gym for 3 years and only had one increase in rates. The year before last rates went up $5.00 per month for each level. This year they stayed the same. We won't know anything about next year until May when you find out what level you will be in for the next season.