Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Some customers of a prominent wellness company, iFitness, are currently not happy with the management of the firm because of the introduction of annual club dues.
They described the development as a rip-off, calling on the team to reverse it or risk losing them to competitors.
iFitness is a gym club with a unique selling point of using a membership subscription in any of its branches nationwide. It also operates a franchise, which makes it easier for members to use any of its facilities in any state of the federation it operates.
On Sunday, there were reports that the company will begin to charge its customers N14,350 as annual dues, which the organisation can be paid in three months.
This is aside from the monthly subscription fee of nearly N20,000 paid by members and a registration fee of about N18,000.
In a message to its subscribers, iFitness explained that the new fee is to provide quality services to its customers, especially at a time prices of energy and others are going up.
“It’s a new year, and we’re excited about the wholesome activities we have lined up for you.
“In the last few months, we have carefully deliberated on how to continue ensuring better fitness experience for our members year-on-year. To enable us to achieve this and much more, we are introducing a flexible annual (once a year) member’s due of N14,350, starting this year, 2023.
“The annual due is flexible and payable before the end of the first quarter of the year for all existing members. For this year, it is open for collection from February 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023.
“We are always delighted to serve you.
“Thank you so much for being a part of our fitness community,” the note from the management of the company said.
But this has generated reactions for members who opined that iFitness needs a strong competitor to learn a bitter business lesson.
“Who has $100 million they are bit using? iFitness needs competition in Lagos,” one of the reactions read, while another submitted that “iFitness backlash is another hard lesson for businesses that pricing is strategic to brand growth and it is sometimes not logical. It may be logical to hike price in order to stay profitable, but for end users, a price increase without corresponding value perception means red alert.”
