Warning Bannatynes Gym -Unfair Contract Terms

BlueAngelCV

grubby23 wrote: »

Any ideas how best to proceed?

It sounds like in your situation you actually have a fixed term 12 month contract not a rolling contract so a cancellation period should be required once that has expired. Although obviously I haven't seem your T&C.

I will still put something in writing though, just saying that for the avoidance of doubt you do not intend to renew your contract after it expired on 15/01.

MissUno

I'd say join a Gym Group gym, monthly membership is £15.99 (I got mine for £10.99 on a promotional deal) They have no contracts so you can cancel your membership whenever you like. You can also freeze membership so if you decide the gym isn't something you can fit into your budget for a couple of months or something, you can stop paying membership fees until you reactivate your account.

They are opening new gyms around the country this year, so anyone wanting a flexible gym membership, it may be worth looking into it.

grubby23

Yes, Miss Uno, I already joined The Gym group, but I have to get out Bannatynes contract first. I will talk to them today and see what they say. Hopefully, I do not have to pay for 3 more months. Just out of curiosity, are they aloud to increase the price of my contract for the last three months? My understanding would be if they do, then I should be able to get immediately out of the contract. Is this assumption right?

coffee_king

MissUno wrote: »

I'd say join a Gym Group gym, monthly membership is £15.99 (I got mine for £10.99 on a promotional deal) They have no contracts so you can cancel your membership whenever you like. You can also freeze membership so if you decide the gym isn't something you can fit into your budget for a couple of months or something, you can stop paying membership fees until you reactivate your account.

They are opening new gyms around the country this year, so anyone wanting a flexible gym membership, it may be worth looking into it.

I wouldnt expect a company that offers Gym membership for £15.99 with no contract to be around long. They come and go in Birmingham all the time.

MissUno

coffee_king wrote: »

I wouldnt expect a company that offers Gym membership for £15.99 with no contract to be around long. They come and go in Birmingham all the time.

I would tend to disagree. Surely if it's more affordable more people will be able to budget a membership and with it being flexible less people will be put off by frighteningly long contract obligations.

I'd been looking around for an affordable gym for ages, but high fees and long contracts always put me off joining any.

To the OP, I sincerely hope you get this matter resolved.

grubby23

MissUno wrote: »

To the OP, I sincerely hope you get this matter resolved.

Thanks for the kind words. The conversation was to good to be true. I was told that my contract indeed has expired and I can renew it now either for another whole year, or have a standing order where I have to give three months notice.

So that was very kind of Bannatynes to let me go that easily. It seems that they changed their attribute a bit over the last years .

Cheers

coffee_king

coffee_king wrote: »

I wrote back with the following, and they responded by saying my membership will cease on 19/02/2011 with the last payment of £53.72 being taken on 01/02/2011.
So this does work, but of course it wont get you out of your 3 month notice period.

Firstly I would like to state that three months notice period is an extortionate amount of time to cancel anything (Even mobile phones are 1 month after end of initial contract) but I see this is currently being investigated by the Office Of Fair Trading.
Paragraph 6d states 3 months notice, it does not state anywhere 3 months and then the days after this period taking you up to the end of the month.
We have therefore given notice until so that our last day at your establishment should be 19/02/2011.
Therefore on 1st February 2011 you should take 19 days of payments (not a full month at £86.00).
So:-
(£86.00 x 12 months) / 365 days
x 19 days = £53.72 - Amount that should be taken on 1st February.

Please confirm that the amount has now been changed on your system via email.

Please feel free to use this as a template anyone else who is trying to be conned to continue membership to the end of the month.

Another update, Bannatynes have taken THE FULL AMOUNT (£86.00) from my account today instead of the promised part month payment of £53.72, so I have just emailed them to complain. Its a good job I kept a note of this.
Watch out everyone else!

paddyrg

Anyone looking for a gym, try your local YMCA - the one in Bath has all the usual kit, but as well as cheap membership with no silly joining or cancellation charges also offer a PAYG (about £6/time) option. Good, honest, straightforward deals.

Miss_Annoyed

I cancelled my membership by letter in July 2010 & cancelled the direct debit in oct 2010. I received a letter from BannAtynes in Wakefield stating I owe three months membership from Nov to Jan as they did not receive letter in July! I sent them a copy but am basically being called a liar! I now have an invoice for the amount from their Head Office! They now have a complaint from me...
NEVER AGAIN WILL I STEP FOOT IN ONE OF MR BANNATYNE!S SHAMBOLIC HEALTH CLUBS!

coffee_king

coffee_king wrote: »

Another update, Bannatynes have taken THE FULL AMOUNT (£86.00) from my account today instead of the promised part month payment of £53.72, so I have just emailed them to complain. Its a good job I kept a note of this.
Watch out everyone else!

FYI - They emailed me back and refunded me on the same day.