BBB offers tips on gym memberships and weight loss gimmicks

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Chances are you might have gained a pound or two over the holidays and are trying to keep that resolution to lose it.

Last year, the Better Business Bureau received 6,500 complaints about gyms nationwide. Many were about centers that suddenly closed or wouldn’t refund unhappy customers. The best way to protect your money is to pay with a credit card on a monthly basis.

“You get those added protections a credit card can provide you,” Chris Thetford with the BBB said. “You can always challenge those protections if the gym does close or something happens that makes you not want to take advantage of that membership any longer.

The BBB also received 4,600 complaints about weight control services and diet products. Many include never receiving the products or false advertising.

Included below are other tips from the BBB: