To think I should be able to cancel my gym membership

[Orangeandbluefish]

Maybe this should be in legal but not sure if I’m being unreasonable or not.

I have been a member of this particular gym since 2018. Renewed my membership in January 2020 for 12 months. I got pregnant in March 2020, and so I froze my membership when the gyms opened and since then it’s been lockdown. Obviously not their fault but not mine either.

Part time request has been rejected and in any case I feel I get enough exercise with endless pram/sling walks and I don’t want to spend the precious free time we have at the gym when I go back to work. So I want to cancel my membership.

The gym say I haven’t been a member for 12 months.

I say I have - it just hadn’t been open.

AIBU?

You have been a member for 12 months (although they may not have been able to collect 12 months of membership fees).

Just cancel the direct debit with the bank. Gyms always threaten legal action but I think it’s so highly unlikely as the fees would be extortionate for them to do so over £300ish.

The membership is over either way so who cares

You froze your membership and that freezes the counter on the months you are a member. You are only due a partial refund...whatever cancellation fee the charge you’d have to pay.

I second Claudia, cancel it with the bank. That's what my husband did when he cancelled his gym membership.

I think I’ve been misunderstood. The gym are saying I can’t cancel my membership until I have paid for twelve months

What T&C did you SIGN and agreed to?

Don’t cancel your direct debit. Yes the gym might not try to get the money from you via legal action but they will try to collect the payment from your account and when it is not collected it can affect your credit rating

but if you suspended it, it will only count for the months you weren't suspended.
This seems to be a typical gym contract (although i managed to cancel mine immediately due to pregnancy it was a) 20 years ago and b) not in the UK)

Don't cancel your direct debit, the contract will still be running and you'll still be liable for the fees.

Did you unfreeze your membership when they opened in August?

You haven't been a paying member for 12 months. Our local council gym have this - I asked to cancel with three months left as I changed jobs and couldn't get there during opening hours. They said no. I had to pay anyway.

Do not just cancel the DD. You have agreed to pay this money and they will arrange for a debt collection agency to chase. I did this! Cost me one more months worth for the privilege in fees!

I froze my membership between august and November. Then they shut. So in fifteen months I have paid for January 2020, feb 2020, March 2020 and December 2020.

I accept it isn’t their fault they haven’t been open but it isn’t mine either. And in the intervening months my life and income have changed and I can no longer afford it or want it!

OP they won’t take you to court but they will sell the debt on to a collector it won’t just go away.

I think you might be stuck I’m afraid. Check the small print but they’ll want 12 months payments, not 12 calendar months with 3 months payments.

Make a complaint escalate it as far as it can go, but it may just be one of those unfortunate things.

If you haven't been a paying member for 12 months then I don't think that counts as being a member for 12 months. If your membership was frozen then so was the "clock".

Whether your income and lifestyle have changed is by the by as that could happen within a 12 month membership anyway. Also people often pay a bit less when paying a tied in 12 months membership rather than rolling contract.

If you have a reason not to go back then you can discuss this with them.

I just think businesses are struggling as it is and to try to get out of a contractual obligation you signed up to is a bit unfair.

You didn't foresee Covid but neither did they. No one did.

Is the membership managed by the gym or by another company, Harlands Group for example?

A lot of people are in a similar position but there is very little chance that you will be able to just stop the membership. I think they have to agree if there's been a significant change in your financial circumstances e.g.if you have lost your job or if you are too ill/injured but I don't think just not wanting to go anymore because you don't have time is going to be a good enough reason.

Whatever you do, don't just stop paying as if it's one of the large gyms they will just pass on the debt to a collection agency who will probably make life very unpleasant for you.

@AintNobodyHereButUsChickens

I second Claudia, cancel it with the bank. That's what my husband did when he cancelled his gym membership.

That doesn't mean he won't have to pay! Depending on the gym and the contract they may have just sold the debt to a debt collection agency who may be in contact soon.

I think you took out a 12 month contract and your 12 months is up, not your fault the gym was closed. But not sure what you can do about it

I had a similar issue with my gym where they basically made me pay quite a large cancellation fee because same thing I had a 12 month contract but had paused it in November. Which considering I'd paid throughout the first lockdown, and had paid for classes and pool access which I couldn't even access when gyms were open, I thought was pretty fucking shitty of them. Worked out at about £400 Id paid for fuck all. Wont be going back there again. Worst bit was it was really bloody difficult to get hold of them because they'd furloughed all their staff, but desperately needed our fees .

Of course life could have changed over 12 months but then I’d have finished ... as it is it’s just dragging on.

And when they were open a lot of the facilities weren’t but no reduction in fees, which was a bit unfair.

It's quite unusual to renew for another 12 months, normally it would become a rolling contract. I renew every year but that's because I pay for it all in one go.

It works both ways really. For instance, my membership should have been renewed in November. However, the gym was closed for 8 months so it's been extended until July.

I wouldn't recommend cancelling your direct debit. If its a chain, they will send debt collectors and it will affect your credit rating.

hunter I joined a different branch of the same gym so technically took out a new contract. I hope that makes sense - I got about three hours sleep last night and I fear I am talking gibberish!

I think you took out a 12 month contract and your 12 months is up, not your fault the gym was closed

But OP hadn't paid for 12 months though. She has paid for about 3?

Yes but only because the gyms were closed.

Put it this way - if I’d known I’d still be paying for a 12 month membership in 2022 I would never have taken it out. I fully accept that is not the gyms fault but as I say it isn’t mine either.

Definitely check the wording of your contract. If it says something along the lines of 'You must have been a paid member for 12 months' or similar then I think you need to accept you'll need to start/continue paying.

If it doesn't mention money, only elapsed time. Then I think you can push back on them and tell them they need to allow you to cancel unless they can state what clause/term on your membership isn't allowing it.

You could even ask them that upfront 'I can't seem to find where it says I need to have paid for 12 months, could you point me to where it says that please?'

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/cancelling-a-gym-membership/

There are circumstances where they should cancel, including illnesa or injury which mean you can't use the gym or change in circumstances.