Cancellation of Virgin active gym membership

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  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    Whilst I think this is a very unreasonable contractual arrangement, if this policy is in the contract it is your responsibility to read what you have signed. Gyms are businesses which make their money out of the 90% of members who don't train after the first few weeks, not by making it easy for you to leave and praying you might return. Trust me, relatively few members who leave a gym rejoin the same one, and relatively few members who change their address/ phone number/ e-mail bother to inform their gym so it's actually quite tough to reliably contact your members. E-mailing and faxing are not the usual manner by which formal communication is made: send a recorded delivery letter so that you have proof of your cancellation.
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • We too are having exactly the same problems as others. Have now been sent a letter from solicitors to take us to court. My suggestion is that someone types a standard letter on here (I will but not sure whether I'd be saying the correct things), to Watchdog, everyone cuts and pastes it on a word document, signs and sends in and waits to see what happens!
  • SuZQ_2
    SuZQ_2 Posts: 2 Newbie
    For contract problems, I recommend you contact

    Virgin Active Customer Service team, London,
    Telephone 0207 5622105

    My story so far: I had problems with my contract with Virgin Active Stockley Park. I signed up for the 12 month rolling contract as half the cost would be reimbursed by my employers at the end of the year. However after 4 months I needed to relocate back to Essex at short notice. I left a letter with VA Stockley Park reception giving them my new address details. Unfortunately I also mistakenly cancelled my Direct Debit as I was also in the process of changing bank accounts.
    The first I knew of there being a problem however (and remembering here that VA had my new home address and already had my mobile number) was a call from ARC debt collection agency who were extremely intimidating on the phone and had me very upset.
    I called Stockley Park and requested that they tell me what the issue was but they could not tell me as apparently my 'case' had been passed on to ARC and so they could not deal with it. I then paid the outstanding amount with ARC and phoned Stockley Park back to sort out the issue. I also wanted to change my home club, and was disappointed to learn that the nearest one was an 80 mile round trip from my new address. VA Stockley refused to change my home club by my telephone request and stuck to saying that I'd have to drive to Chelmsford to change my address. I refused to do this, as I didnt really want to use the gym there, I'd just rather be paying for something a little nearer home on principle.
    I became heartily sick of the way I was being dealt with, I had admitted the mistake with the direct debit and was prepared to pay for the contract which I had signed for, but they had both my new address and mobile telephone number to contact me and ask me politely to sort out the issue. I'm not honestly going to use a gym 80 miles away, but felt that if I was going to continue to pay for the membership that they should at least offer to relocate my membership to the nearest club without my having to make this journey, especially as 'easily change your home club' was highlighted by VA as a benefit of being a member
    After several phone calls to Stockley VA, the membership manager finally told me that I could buy out my contract (offering half of the remaining amount) and he would send me a letter so I could action this. When the letter arrived I felt I had been lied to once again, because according to the letter I would have to provide a solicitor's letter or a doctors letter which they would then consider and 'may' offer the buyout. I then really lost it, as I felt it unfair that I should have to buy a solicitor's letter (for around £70) without a guarantee of this enabling me to buy out of the contract.
    I looked around on the internet for other ways of contacting Virgin Active and ended up with the Customer Service team in London, telephone 02075622105.
    I now have a more satisfactory arrangement in that I am going to fax a utility bill with my relocation address to a customer services rep and they will then send me a buy out agreement, which will cancel my contract and should come to around £160 - half of the remaining time on the contract. I am happy to fax through the proof of relocation, but have requested them to go back and think again about the buy out option amount. If this had been offered to me when I initially contacted Stockley Park regarding my new circumstances, with the nearest home club being so far away, I would have had to pay less overall, and I wish them to take into account their so far appalling customer service and bullying tactics.
  • SuZQ_2
    SuZQ_2 Posts: 2 Newbie
    Today, a result! After getting contacted and harassed another 3 times from ARC I sat up late last night trying every number from extension 600x at the Milton Keynes head office, looking for decent contacts. Got through to someone on call (oops!) who was very helpful and referred my case to Natasha Jolly. I had a long talk with her today and upshot is they will send me a letter from VA to confirm my contract is cancelled and also have stopped debt collection. I do not have to pay anything more as they finally admit that their customer service was at fault.

    Phew, can't tell you how relieved I am to not have to deal with ARC or Virgin anymore :)
  • To all out there having probs with this. Ours has been going on for months....calls & letters from ARC demanding money etc etc after we tried to cancel and then stopped our direct debit.

    Long story cut short is that we sent a long letter detailing everything, explaining how Virgin customer service is appalling, why they should be sending out reminder letters when 12 months is up.....how we felt conned into this membership etc etc.....

    Copy this letter to your gym, ARC and also Sir Richard Bransons office

    Got letter back from ARC with copy of contract insisting we still pay. Ignored this and a couple of days later got letter from RB's office saying they'd passed our comments onto Milton Keynes main office... then we received letter from Milton Keynes office voiding our contract and all monies which they thought we owed.....

    Suggest you all do the same!
  • Am having the same trouble with this 'Diamond Membership' rolling contract renewal as I have never been notified of any renewal. I was not aware of any cancellation window. Been a member since 2005 and now cannot get to Leeds any longer but still have to pay till November. I was under the impression that the first 12 months was the initial tie-in period. The branch is sending me a copy of the agreement

    Could rachyjane please do the rest of us a favour and post RB's office address as that seemed to have worked.
  • If anyone has had success, could they please circulate details of who to contact and a template letter that has worked.

    The gym is also failing to provide me with a copy of the original contract I signed for the Diamond Membership (they will only provide a copy of the Transfer form), so a copy of that would also be immensely useful.

    Please help the rest of us fight and expose these con artists.
  • i had the same problem as everyone,
    tried to cancel and was told that i am tied in for another 11 months
    but there is a way to get out of it
    i had my contract sent to me, and i read the small print and told them i unfortunately have to cancel my membership
    because i am moving to an area without a virginactive gym, Bow east london does'nt have one so thats the place, i filled out a form and didnt require any proof, i think it would be hard to prove, especially if its a room you say your renting,
    small print works both ways
    it worked for me
    good luck

    up the gunners!
  • Does anyone have the address for Richard Bransons head office - i cant seem to find it online

    the one on the virgin site is this but it says they can only answer questions about the website.

    The School House

    50 Brook Green
    London, W6 7RR
    England

    thanks,
  • Where on the contract does it state this?
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