If you're like me, the first thing you do when you get a flyer from a "traditional" gym is turn the page over and look for the fine print.  And well you should!   At the bottom of most of our flyers and coupons you'll see these words...in fine print:

*No Purchase Necessary. Free week/offer may be exchanged for special membership discount. Not valid with any other offer. Valid only at participating locations. New members only. ©2009Curves International

Here is what OUR Fine Print means:

No Purchase Necessary: This means exactly what it says, you don't have to purchase anything to try Curves for a Free Week.  You don't even need a coupon!  Just ask us, and we'll be more than happy to let you try before you buy with absolutely no obligation or cost.   No contract to sign, no deposit to leave, no hidden charges or negative option billing. 

Free Week:  Free means Free.  We won't ask you to sign anything other than a standard Waiver of Liability.  We don't take any financial information from you.  You don't make a deposit, nor do you pay for your fitness assessment or personal training.  There are absolutely no hidden charges.  There is no catch.  Free really does mean free.

May be exchanged for special membership discount:  Ahhhhh here it is...the old "bait-and-switch".  It may look like that, but it isn't at all.  That's just our way of saying come in ready to try, or join. The choice is yours. At Curves Erindale we want you to be 100% sure that you're ready to make the commitment to your health.  If you are not totally sure that you're ready to join, then go head and take the week totally free.  I am so confident that you'll love us, I'll even hold that "first visit discount" for you until after your trial week is complete.

Not valid with any other offer:  This simply means that you can't combine offers. That's pretty standard. Typically it means that you can't have the free week, AND the special discount, but at Curves Erindale, you sure can!

Valid only at participating locations: Curves Erindale is always a participating location.  Oh, and find a better offer somewhere else, bring the details to us, and we'll do our best to match it, or beat it!  There are some things we can't do, but we'll try darn hard to make sure you get the best price possible! 

New members only: Well that's pretty straight forward. 

So how exactly does the free week membership work?  Easy.  You just call or drop in.  An appointment is better, but not necessary.  We will give you a quick tour of the facility, briefly explain our program to you and invite you to sit at the table - which is out in the open, not hidden away in an office - so you can see how things work while we chat and so you feel comfortable and free to leave whenever you want.

During this first visit we ask you a series of questions (we call it our Figure Analysis.  These questions are designed to help us uncover any health concerns we should know about and to discover how ready you are to start. 

We will take your measurements, so we can see where you're starting and then track your progress.  We'll go all through the pricing and answer all your questions.  There is no pressure to join and no wheeling and dealing.  We have just two methods of joining - which I'll explain in a bit more detail later.  If you're ready to join, we'll take care of the paperwork.  If you're not totally sure, and a free week is what you need to be sure, then we'll ask you to fill out and sign a Waiver of Liability and book your second appointment for your one-on-one workout training.

You may be thinking that part of your free week will be used up in getting these two appointments out of the way, but that is not the case.  Your free week starts after your training appointment is complete.  Sometimes we can do the two appointments together - but that means you spend an hour with us.  If you have the time, we'll do our best to do it all in one visit if you want.  Either way, your trial week starts after your training is complete.

Once your one-on-one workout training is done, we'll give you a guest membership card that will be valid for one full week.  I don't know about you, but I'm a Monday to Friday kind of girl.  So at my club we do our trials from the date of training until the following Saturday.  That means, no matter when you do your training, you have a full Monday-Wednesday-Friday, or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday to try the workout and make sure it fits in your schedule.  Honestly, we want you to be sure you can make the commitment to your health!  Sometimes you end up with a few extra free days.  Call it a little bonus on us.

Just in case you want one.  Print it off and bring it in. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to sign a long term contract?

At Curves you can join with or without signing a contract.  Here are the details:,

Minimum 12 Month Membership (CD Membership):  The minimum 12 month membership requires that you sign a contract making a commitment to stay with us for at least 12 months.  The contract doesn't automatically expire after 1 year.  It continues until you tell us in writing you'd like to cancel. The benefit of this, is that the price is guaranteed to never increase, you never have to re-negotiate your contract or pay the service fee again.  Believe it or not, this also helps keep you motivated to keep active.  Payments are made monthly by pre-authorized payments until you notify us that you would like to stop. 

The reason we do it this way is because we believe that fitness is a long-term commitment you make to your health.  We want you to keep coming and we want to keep it affordable.  But don't worry, you are NEVER locked in.  (see "What if I need to cancel")

Month-to-month Membership:  The month-to-month membership allows you to use the facilities without signing a contract.  The onus is on you to pay the monthly fee.  If you do not pay the next month's fee within 10 days of the due date, your membership is deemed to have been cancelled and re-enrolment fees may be charged.

Obviously, this method of joining is not as convenient for us as business owners, because we have no way of knowing how many members we would have from one month to the next. It is not that convenient for you either.  Our studies show that without the automatic payment, it's far easier for women to let other things take priority over the workouts and it's harder to get back on track when something throws you off your workout schedule.  It also isn't very economical for you.

We will go over the details of each plan with you, when you visit us for your assessment interview and help you make the choice that is right for you.

Can I pay Monthly? Yes, absolutely.  Under both membership plans, you pay monthly.  We prefer to do the payments on a monthly basis because it's easier for us to deal with your payments if you have to be placed on medical hold, or if you transfer of cancel.  More importantly, the monthly reminder on your bank or credit card statement is a good motivator to get you back on schedule if you get off track.

I used to be a member of Curves but cancelled my membership. Do I have to re-pay the Service Fee?  We love returning members!  Former CD Members of Curves Erindale do not re-pay the Service Fee to re-join our location.  Call and let us know you're coming back.  We will pull out your file, re-activate you in our system and set up a Refresher Appointment.  At the Refresher Appointment, we will update your paperwork, take your first month's payment, re-train you on all the equipment and you're good to go. 

What if I move away?  The beauty of joining Curves, is that when you join one, you join them all.  If you move to another area, or change jobs, you can transfer your Curves membership to a location more convenient to you.  Simply visit the new location, tell them you wish to transfer, and they'll take care of everything.  You can start working out right away at the new location, even while they wait for your paperwork to arrive.

Can I use a different location from time to time? When you join as a CD Member, you can visit ANY Curves anywhere in the world at any time without any extra costs.  With over 10,000 locations worldwide, that leaves you with a lot of choice.  If there is a Curves close to home and another near the office, join the one you are likely to use the most.  Then you can visit the other when it's more convenient for you.   Even when you're travelling you can keep up with your fitness schedule.  Just ask us for a Travel Card and you're all set.

What if I want to cancel? We hope that you'll stay with us a very long time, however if you do need to cancel your membership for any reason, we make it simple and affordable.  If you cancel before the completion of 12 months, there is a $10 charge per month that you have BEEN a member to a maximum of 5 months.  That means it will never cost more than $50 if you have to cancel early.  Anytime after the first 12 months is complete, simply give us 30 days written notice and your payments will stop and your membership terminated.  It's that simple.

What if I get injured or sick? Occasionally things happen that can keep you from keeping up with your workout routine.  Should you become injured or unable to continue working out for medical reasons, simply bring us a doctor's note, and we will place your membership on hold until you can safely return, or indefinitely as the case may be.  We hope it never happens, but the sad truth is, it can.  So whatever the circumstances, talk to us right away and we will work with you to find a solution that will work for both of us.