Why is it so difficult to join a gym?

As I have mentioned before I am recently married and, as a number of people have said to me, marriage suits me! It is fair to say that all the weight that I lost for the wedding has been put back on, and then some; and most of it in the two weeks honeymoon!
So in an attempt to do something about this I have decided to join the gym, as the most exercise I get is getting up to switch the TV off. Obviously, as we are all told on a regular basis, exercise is essential to living a healthy life, but I also find the fact that, very few of my shirts fit me anymore, is also a good motivator!
It would appear though, that joining a gym is easier said than done!!!!
My wife regularly attends the council owned swimming baths near to where we live; and as they have a gym there I thought it would be a good idea to join at the same place - I can workout while she swims, I thought. As well as convenience, the council gym is a good £10 a month cheaper than the nearest privately run gym.
So I duly went along to the site to join and met with a catalogue of issues. Firstly, you cannot join until you have completed an induction (which is fine, this is standard at all gyms, and is for my safety after all) which they only do one 1 hour session a week! So I was told that I could complete my induction at any of the other council run gyms and this would still be applicable at this gym, (By the way, I must point out that this membership only allows me to use the one site.) and the site near my place of work does inductions all week and can fit in with me. Excellent. Except, no, they don't, they still have set times, just more of them!
The second hurdle I encountered was that they can only accept a cash payment for your first month, as they don't have time to set up the direct debit. I don't tend to carry a lot of cash on me, just a little for general things, I don't find the need to with your debit card on hand. So I took an application form away to bring back in when I had some cash for the payment of the remainder of the month, as told.
I then phoned the other site to book in for my induction, which I booked for 10am this morning, which is very early for me on a Sunday! I got up earlier this morning with some cash to go and pay my first month's membership at the site I wanted to join, before going to the other site for my induction. Whereupon I was told that I did not have enough cash on me, because they take so long to set up the direct debit I don't only need the cash for the reminder of the month, I also need to pay next month's installment as well, before then paying my £10.50 for my induction (which I was paying for by debit card, but apparently they do not have the means to take card payments at all!!!!!).
This feels like a good point to tell you that I live in Hull, run by probably the most incompetent council in the country; and there are statistic to prove this!
So, suffice to say, I left without membership, and I think I may just pay the extra for the privately run gym. At least my extra tenner a month will get me a free coffee after my workout!
It would appear that it is harder work JOINING a gym, than it is GOING to one! I'm exhausted!