Gym contract extended: Young woman fights to be terminated!

Gym contract extended: Young woman fights to be terminated!

A dramatic argument in St. Pölten is causing a stir: a young woman was confronted with an unwanted contract extension after her gym membership expired. According to reports from meinkreis.at, the St. Pölten resident had been training in the gym for almost a year and wanted to terminate her contract in order to train outdoors in the future. When she reported this to the studio, she was informed that the notice period had expired and the contract would automatically be extended for another year. Although such automatic extensions are fundamentally legal, they must be announced in good time, as the Lower Austrian Chamber of Labor (AKNÖ) emphasizes. In this case, the studio failed to fulfill this obligation, which led to AKNÖ terminating the contract as inadmissible.

Contractual traps in the gym

St. Pöltner's argument highlights a common problem: consumers are often poorly informed about the terms of their contracts. A common misunderstanding is that reasons for termination such as illness or moving do not automatically lead to the termination of the contract unless this is expressly stated in the contract. The AKNÖ points out that careful examination of contracts before signing is crucial in order to avoid legal pitfalls. This topic is closely related to the general termination provisions for employment relationships, as regulated in the additional collective agreement for garage, gas station and service companies in Austria. These include that the employment relationship can be terminated during the probationary period without observing notice periods and that there are specific notice periods after the probationary period has ended.

The termination provisions in labor law, as listed in the guidelines of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, stipulate that even after the probationary period, the employees' rights must be protected during the notice period. This means that employers are not allowed to make any reductions in working hours or salaries during this period in order to protect employees' rights. This information is important not only for employees, but also for employers in order to avoid legal conflicts. The discussion about fitness studio contracts therefore provides valuable insights into the often complex world of contractual relationships in different areas, as the Austrian Chamber of Commerce emphasizes in its collective agreement.