Moving house or changing job is the number one reason given for quitting the gym, but failure to meet expectations and a loss of motivation is the true reason behind most cancellations according to a new study.

The Black Report, a qualitative piece of research conducted by Retention Guru said that while 32 per cent of respondents said their reason for leaving was because they had moved house/job, the reality was that 17 per cent felt the club didn’t meet their expectations, while a further 15 per cent cited a loss of motivation to go.

16 per cent of respondents also blamed a change in financial services, something which Paul Bedford of Retention Guru said could be seen as a tactic to leave without any questions.

“Respondents in our research explained that clubs put up little resistance to early cancellation of memberships when the media was full of stories of companies closing down and unemployment going up,” writes Bedford in the March 2014 edition of Health Club Management magazine.

“Club staff find it difficult or uncomfortable to discuss the situation when you say you’ve lost your job. You can use that to your advantage,” said one respondent. “All you need to do is time it with a big news story. You don’t even need to be working for that company – you just need to get your timing right.”

12 per cent of respondents blamed poor service levels as the reason for leaving, while a further 8 per cent blamed general uncleanliness and 7 per cent used pregnancy or illness as the reason for leaving.

Other real reasons for leaving included being bored with the environment/classes (11 per cent), lack of support from staff (10 per cent) and failing to meet their needs (7 per cent).