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Surprising Discovery in Milan

Hi to all!

I just joined Internations today as I will be staying in Milan for the summer. Happy to be back in Milan, despite some unexpected discoveries. This past week, for example, I had a very interesting experience that I would like to share with the rest of the group. I called 10 different gyms in Milan to find out how much it would cost to join them for a few months and they all (except one) replied that they were not "authorized" to provide such information over the phone. That's a bit odd as I am used in the US to finding out about gym membership costs on the net. Not sure why you would have to go to 10 different gyms in person to find out which is the cheapest or the most expensive one. In my opinion, this practice discourages competition and helps keep prices high. In the end, I decided to go to the only one gym of the 10 which had the "courage" to post its membership costs online and which had the courtesy to send me several follow-up e-mail over the last two days (Saturday and Sunday).

Without wanting to come across someone who complains too much or who wants to start a "urban" revolution, I wonder whether a group like this could provide some inputs to local businesses to improve their practices. I am sure that will help them prop up their image, increase the transparency of their marketing and get more "happy" clients in the end. Out of curiosity, have you guys had similar experiences in some other sectors? Once again, this post does not intend to be a way to complain about Italy (I am a citizen of Italy myself) but to better understand how businesses work in a country where I have not lived for over 15 years. Thanks a lot for your feedback, if any.

Cheers to all!

Milan Forum

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