Auckland Yellow Pages users could mistakenly think Ray Parker's Papakura fitness centre is for solely for gays and lesbians, after a prank advertisement was placed in the new 2007 edition. The gym owner tells the New Zealand Herald he is not gay, and is fuming about the ad for ‘Ray Parkers (Gay Lesbian) Homosexual Fitness Centre', complete with false telephone number on page 1311 of the Yellow Pages. An advertisement for ‘Ray's Gym Papakura (Homosexual Gym)' appears in White Pages listings also. Parker was alerted to the advertisement a month ago and says his friends, staff and gym members have been joking about it. But he says he is concerned the ad has ‘sleazy connotations' that could deter people from signing on with the centre. Ray's Gym attracts about 15 new members a week, but he says the centre needs to lose only about three or four recruits a week before it fails to break even. He says he is not sure if the ad is someone's idea of a joke or an attempt to harm the gym. He has a couple of suspects in mind, but is amazed anyone would have spent the $2700 plus GST to place the ad. "It's a lot of money for someone who doesn't like me. If they don't like me, they sure don't like me." Parker has hired a lawyer and is negotiating with Yellow Pages Group to find the perpetrator. But whoever placed the ad requested confidentiality, which means Parker has had to fight his way through the Privacy Act to glean information. "We will take whoever it is down. He thinks he is smart, but he is a dickhead." Yellow Pages spokeswoman Wendy Rayman said yesterday Yellow Pages had more than 200,000 business customers and such malicious advertisements were rare. The company told Parker the name of the person who placed the advertisement, but a check revealed it to be false. Rayman said Yellow Pages' ‘Privacy Act team' was now working with Mr Parker. Ref: New Zealand Herald (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 28th April 2007 - 12:00pm