Cancelling 7 yr old's sports club membership, do I really have to give 3 months notice?

[broccolirocks]

My two children do a sport, one loves it but the other one only did it because didn't want to miss out. Child 2 is now adamant they do not want to continue. The contract states 3 months' notice, we pay by standing order. When I signed was told off the record this wasn't enforcable, but not by the owner. zDon't to pay if I don't have to but also don't want to affect child 1's membership. Thanks for any advice.

I would say yes you should pay it. 3 months is quite a long notice period but if that is what you agreed to then you should pay it.

I actually work for an after school sports provider, we plan our classes and staff based on the number of students signed up, if they all just left we would still have to pay the coach, which is why we ask for a notice period - it gives us time to adjust our schedules or get other people to join.

You may have just learnt a valuable lesson about what sales staff say to get you to sign a contract. If its not enforceable then they would have got you a different contract which didn't ask for notice.

nancy75, if it was a school/sole trader would pay without even thinking as know they often undercharge. zThis is a branch of a large company who delight in offering 'optional' extras which can be £sss each month so slightly less concerned about them. Do appreciate I signed a contract.

I would say a bigger company is more likely to chase the money, we don't because we can't afford it, bigger companies that do what we do employ debt collectors.

have you asked them yet? If you signed the contract you are on difficult ground but no harm in asking and saying how you plan to keep one DC there for a long time etc so they know you are still a customer they should want to keep. also say you were told that they wouldn't hold you to the notice period for DC2 and if possible name the person who told you. They might agree to letting you leave at end of term as a goodwill gesture so you don't become an unhappy customer.

Mind you if it is a certain gymnastics group I have dealt with they will keep your direct debit going for ages after you leave and you will have to ask the bank to reclaim it for you....

Thanks. Found an OFT ruling that supported me, looks like we've reached a good compromise.

Yes it is enforcable. I have similar terms in my chilrends activity. My terms are actually a half terms notice but that does mean a child not returning in September has to give notice in May or a child not returning in January has to give notice in October.

Some activities/private schools specify a whole terms notice. (Ive got to pay a whole term fees in lieu at my dd's private school even though she won't be going back in September.