Gym apologises after fining member $60 for not noticing tailgater: 'She was in my blindspot'

Jasmine Daniels
The New Paper
Aug 31, 2023

A gym in Bugis has apologised after penalising a member for not closing the door before someone else entered the premises.

Anytime Fitness Bugis issued the apology following the incident, which went viral after the member, Mr Alan Sim, went on TikTok on Tuesday (Aug 29) to state his unhappiness.

Mr Sim shared a screenshot of the WhatsApp messages from the gym, in which the management there said that because he did not close the door behind him, an unidentified woman entered the premises without tapping her key fob.

Anytime Fitness Bugis wrote: "We will be charging you a $60 tailgating fee for this incident if you cannot verify that the person who came in behind you is an Anytime Fitness member."

Mr Sim said that he was shocked when he received the WhatsApp messages as he was unaware of anyone behind him when he went through the door.

Anytime Fitness Bugis added that they required the fee to be paid within seven days or he would be banned from Anytime Fitness Bugis and other branches.

They said that all members were informed upon signing up on the terms and conditions with regard to tailgating.

The gym also shared a screenshot of the CCTV footage and wrote that he should have asked her to tap the key fob before entering. 

"It is your sole responsibility to ensure she taps.”

Mr Sim said he went to the Anytime Fitness Bugis outlet to check the full CCTV footage and make an appeal.

In the footage he shared, a woman in black can be seen exiting the lift and following Mr Sim closely behind as he enters the gym. 

She does not seem to have an Anytime Fitness key fob in hand. 

Mr Sim can be seen looking behind but does not seem to notice her. 

"She was in my blindspot, I didn't notice," he said.

A regular at the gym, Mr Sim appealed for leniency.

"It was unintentional. If you give me a warning, I will remember for life,” he said.

But the gym refused and he had no other choice but to pay the fee.

He said that he was "extremely upset" and would be sure to close the door even if someone else was behind him in the future.

He ended off the video saying that he would no longer join this particular branch after his membership ends.

@user4422076196203 @Mothership @MustShareNews @The Blue Cats by Goody Feed @Wake Up Singapore ♬ original sound - alaness

Many shared his sense of injustice after watching the video, which has clocked 400,000 views so far.

One said,“They should install a turnstile and not put the burden of checking on the customers. Ridiculous!”

“Well, the person didn’t even use your key fob, so why should you even be fined? Don’t pay them,” commented another person.

“Shouldn’t they charge the girl since she’s trespassing and not the guy?” said a user.

Anytime Fitness Bugis made an official statement via their Instagram account after Mr Sim’s video.

Upon investigating, they said that the interpretation of the incident was erroneous and the action taken by a staff member at their outlet "was a mistake".

They apologised and stated that they will "take all necessary steps to ensure proper reparations are made".

"Members in good standing should not be penalised for a lapse in our security systems.”

Mr Sim told AsiaOne that Anytime Fitness Bugis has personally apologised to him and refunded the $60 tailgating fee.