Out of the many health clubs out there for you to join, the one that is most familiar to you will normally be the one you gravitate to. After all, if it's well known, it has to be good right?

Can you name another brand name club that has more familiarity that Gold's Gym?

Sure, you've got 24 Hour Fitness, Life Time Fitness, Bally Total Fitness, as well as women's only clubs like Curves and Living Well Lady. But seriously, is there another name that rings "fitness" like Gold's Gym?

With that being said, should your local Gold's Gym be the recipient of your business?

Maybe, maybe not. And here's why.

Most people don't know or understand the fact that many of the clubs under the Gold's Gym "umbrella" are franchised operations. What this means is that each of these clubs is owned by an individual other than Gold's Gym. These people license the name and systems that Gold's has created in order to take advantage of name recognicion and business stability.

But this is a good thing, right?

In most instances, it is. However, there are over 500 Gold's Gym franchises in the world. Do you really think that the Gold's Franchising Center can actually police everyone to make sure that the Gold's name is being represented properly?

Some owners form the exception and not the rule in the manner in which they run their clubs. Unethical behavior like slow or no customer service, unclean facilities, poor membership management, hard selling tactics, and other awful business practices plague these organizations and create distrust in the local community.

Of course, most Gold's Gym franchise holders operate in a well developed manner and will not have anything to do with the practices listed above.

What does this mean to you as the consumer?

Obviously, it means you need to do your homework. Do not assume that just because the name states "Gold's Gym" on the outside that it actually represents the true embodiment of what Gold's is supposed to be.

Make sure to do your local Better Business Bureau search and ask around the see if you can dig up any dirt from friends and coworkers.

Should your research prove fruitful and your local Gold's passes the initial tests, grab a week pass to test the place out. Beware of any hard sell tactics as these are a dead give away of the customer service level.

All in all, just because the name sound familiar, don't let that sway your judgment until you've done the proper research. After all, you know what they say about assumptions.