July 4 Schedule Change:

The 6:30 Seminar / WOD has been canceled
There is one class only: 12:30 Seminar/WOD

FRIDAY 080704
Rest Day Seminar #3: Kettlebell Swing and Kettlebell Press
Also, don't forget the BBQ at BBB! Starts at 12:30pm, goes into the afternoon.

REST DAY DISCUSSION # 12: MEMBERSHIP PRICING CHANGES

Written by Hari Singh

Retroactive to July 1, we will be changing our payment plans. We believe that these changes will not leave any current member worse off and will leave nearly all members better off. The payment options will be as follows:

Monthly Membership Reinstatement: $50

This charge applies to any member who wishes to reinstate his or her membership for one of the following reasons:

1. Member's most recent payment expired, and a new automatic monthly (or six-month) payment was not authorized prior to the expiration. This charge will not occur for members who are on automatic payment unless they choose to suspend and subsequently reinstate their membership.
2. This fee will not apply to those who begin a membership within 14 days of completing and Elements Workshop.

Monthly Membership: $150 Per Month

1. There is no long-term obligation under this option.
2. Members may suspend membership by sending an email to Allison@crossfitnyc.com one week prior to their next automatic payment.
3. Members who suspend their membership may resume by paying the $50 reinstatement fee plus the monthly fee.

Six-Month Membership: $750

1. No Refunds. No Suspensions. No Reinstatement Fee.

Discussion and Summary

At Black Box, we believe in the product we provide. We are not interested in signing up members who do not attend. New Elements graduates should feel comfortable joining on a monthly basis, knowing they can leave at any time without incurring a large financial obligation. Members should not have to guess whether they would gain or lose by committing to a long-term contract. For those who are interested getting in a discount in exchange for making a commitment, the six-month contract is the same cost as five monthly payments.

In sum, we want to make membership hassle-free for our clients. We also want to make it hassle-free for us; that is why we are implementing a $50 reinstatement fee. We don't want to encourage people to pay for one month on January 1, one month on February 15, one month on March 30, etc. Though members are free to take this approach, it will cost them the reinstatement fee each time their membership lapses. It will also cost members if they do not take the automatic renewal option, sign up on January 1, and then show up on February 2 with an expired (albeit, very briefly expired) membership.

Charging a reinstatement fee may strike some people as unfair. (How dare we charge our valued customers such a fee?) We think what we are doing is incredibly fair. We are offering our members an extremely low monthly rate (relative to the level of service we are providing) and we are asking for no long-term commitment. The typical gym would never take this approach. Their strategy is to sign you up for a year, and then hope you never show. At Black Box, if you never show, you are free to cancel, having never paid for any more time than you actually used. If our approach is in any way unfair, it is unfair to us, not to our members.

Current members who are under a one-year contract should consider themselves out of their contract. You will continue to be billed $150 per month unless and until you suspend your membership. You may also choose to switch to a six-month membership, which will reduce your cost over the next six months to $125 per month. However, there will be no refund should you choose to suspend your membership prior to the end of the six months.

Current members who are paying $200 per month will have their monthly charge reduced to $150. However, you are strongly advised to switch to automatic monthly payments. If you do not, you will pay the $50 fee each time you do not pay for your next month prior to the expiration of your current month. You have nothing to lose by switching to automatic payments, since there is no long-term obligation (other than the need to email us one week before you wish to suspend or cancel your membership).

We think we have thought this through, but it is entirely possible that we missed something.

Please post your thoughts to comments.

The revolution will not be televised!