Lesikar's Business Communication: Connecting in a Digital World 13th Edition by Kathryn Rentz,Paula Lentz

Exercise 23

When Ultimate Fitness Gym opened in your town, you were thrilled. You took advantage of the grand opening deal of a lifetime membership fee of $25 per month. That was three years ago. The gym is building a new facility. You are a little surprised when you receive a letter four months before the new gym's grand opening offering you a new lifetime membership of $39.99 per month. The letter says that previous lifetime memberships will not be valid once the new facility opens and encourages you to take advantage of this great deal. You're thinking that $39.99 per month is definitely not as great a deal as your current lifetime membership of $25 per month, and you wonder why you would pay the increased price when you've already bought what is supposed to be a lifetime membership.
You called the gym and were told, "The 'lifetime' in 'lifetime membership' refers only to the life of your membership in this building. A new building means a new membership, and our new lifetime memberships are $39.99 per month."
Your brother, who is an attorney, reads the contract and says that even though it does not specify that "lifetime" means the life of the membership in a particular building, it is worded in such a way that the gym can change the terms. This seems like a flimsy explanation for raising your membership. In fact, it seems as though the gym is desperate for a way to raise revenue to cover the cost of the new building and is targeting lifetime memberships. You also feel you were misled about the terms of your contract when you were told you had purchased a "lifetime" membership for $25 per month.
You have talked with the employees at the front desk and to the gym's manager, but they refuse to waive the new lifetime membership fee for current lifetime members. Frustrated with the employees' lack of sympathy, understanding, and action, you decide to write a letter to the gym's owner asking that he reconsider the new lifetime membership fee and allow yours to remain at $25 per month.