united-kingdom
Business contact based on observed activity - is it right?
<p>My mother recently posted this on Facebook, but I'm interested in terms of the legalities regarding communication and observation.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Earlier this year I joined a gym. Small one, based in local town,
  training in groups of four or fewer. Paid in advance for six months,
  because that is how their membership works. I stopped going in July
  because of an injury, and started back in October. Round about the
  same time I returned, I started going to another gym as well to see a
  personal trainer. This second gym is closer, has no stairs, has a car
  park and the trainer is cheaper. Also, the work I do is different and
  I find it more enjoyable, and it is pay as you go. But because I had
  paid in advance I arranged to go to gym 1 once a week, and to see the
  new trainer in gym 2 once a week as well. Just had a call from gym 1
  to say someone had seen me in gym 2(!) and had gym 1 done something to
  upset me. Is this normal gym protocol? It has seriously pissed me off.
  Surely you can go to as many gyms as you want?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm not intending to take any action legal or otherwise, I'm just curious on the potential legalities/ethics of the observations etc.</p>

<p>Please feel free to edit the question title or content as I'm finding it hard to word. We are in the UK.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Is the question just whether a company can contact its customers to ensure that they're happy with the company's services? If so, the answer is generally yes.</p>

<p>I can think of no reason why this would change based on the fact that someone saw her using the services of a competitor. Your mother seems to be treating the phone call as an accusation, but it appears to be standard customer-relationship maintenance. If she chooses to approach it differently, she can use it to improve her bargaining power with Gym 1.</p>
