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Training five to six times a week, then taking a shower: that was the daily life of a 61-year-old man from Puchheim-Ort. But out of the blue, his Germeringer gymnasium fired him after nearly three decades of membership.
Puchheim-Ort – Oliver Yue has been a loyal customer of a Germeringer fitness studio for nearly 30 years, which also changed hands during that time. At the height of the pandemic, when the studio was closed for seven months, he paid without hesitation, he says. He enjoys keeping in shape, before or after work, and chatting with other athletes. It is now a family affair: his son also trains there.
Fitness fan is fired without explanation
The 61-year-old man was all the more surprised that he fished a letter out of the mailbox of his apartment in Puchheim-Ort a few weeks ago: a resignation. From nowhere. “I just got a one-liner. No justification, no option for a new contract,” says the sports enthusiast. “It really disappoints me.”
He was in the studio at the GEP mall almost every day. He first trained on the equipment. Then he took a shower so he wouldn’t have to go to work sweating. Was it perhaps too often given soaring energy prices? At least that’s what he heard when he checked the mailbox after the unpleasant surprise, he says.
Several fitness clients have been made redundant
One thing is certain: Yue is not the only one. A pensioner from Germering, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells an identical story. “I just sat on my bike five to six times a week for an hour, otherwise I didn’t need any equipment,” he says. He only used the showers afterwards.
Yue and her friend say they are aware of more layoffs. Not all received a one-liner. In at least one case, the letter indicates that the old contract should be terminated due to increased costs. However, this customer was offered a new contract on different terms. The letter is in the newspaper. All layoffs took place in September.
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Klaus Beldner, managing director of Fitmax, does not want to know anything about this letter and does not want to comment on the case in detail. All he says is, “We keep firing people for various reasons.” Beldner emphasizes that everything was timely and legitimate. There are many reasons for termination, some would damage devices or not pay on time. For data protection reasons only, he does not comment on individual contracts such as Yue’s, he explains. Nor does he want to confirm (or deny) whether there has been a major wave of layoffs recently. But he says, “Of course, we live off our customers. But we don’t want everyone at any price.”
Complete misunderstanding: Contribution still paid
Did the two fired fitness buddies misbehave? Yue and the retired Germeringer say unequivocally that they are not guilty of anything. And the contribution of about 30 euros per month has always been paid.
According to the Bavarian Center for Consumer Advice, those affected should now check whether the general terms and conditions provide that the studio can withdraw from the contract within certain deadlines. However, if the termination is effective, the studio does not have to enter into a new contract. “There is freedom of contract,” says a spokesperson.
Incidentally, only the Yue family’s father Oliver received the passport. After almost 30 years, November 22 is his last day at the GEP studio. Yues Spezl, the retired Germeringer, has already set to work. “I was very upset about it. That’s why I was looking for a new gym.”
Further news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck can be found at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.