Gym Membership Help Please ...

Its_Me_alexa

I am a MSE User but am a tad embarrassed to post on my "real" user name.. Sorry

I wonder if anyone could help or advise me please.

I sent this letter to my Gym .. its reads for it self .. I thought that they may sympathise with my problem i have writen the whole truth.

I wrote:

Thank you for your letter dated 20th October 2008. With regret I have to inform you that I cannot afford to pay the outstanding balance of £38 due on my membership, account Number #####

Up until the last payment, my son was paying for my Gym membership via direct debit for me. He has fallen into financial difficulties due to his living expenses and can no longer pay the monthly subscription for me. I would love to take over the payments myself but unfortunately I am a single lone parent on income support benefits and have also been declared bankrupt, and as you can appreciate I cannot take over the monthly payments. I did not know that this was going to occur, otherwise I obviously would not have let me son pay for me.

It is with deep regret that it has reached this situation as I enjoyed my membership greatly, therefore I will not be attending your gym anymore. Please find my membership card enclosed.

They sent back my card and a letter saying if I didnt pay the remaining 266.00 I would be refered to the Credit Resolutions Services ..

for the record my son is 28 and can not make any further payments, and has cancelled the Direct Debit. Is there anything I can do or write now as I am worried sick. Any help would be greatfully received.

Staciep88

I'm not an expert at this but if you've been declared bankrupt how can they demand the money? Hopefully some1 with more knowledge will be along soon...

Miss-spent_2

I am sorry. The letter you sent was brilliant and very reasonable. For goodness sake you can't pay them what you haven't got can you?
I wonder if it is a Virgin gym? I read a similar case in the paper this weekend. It seems some gym memberships really do tie you up tight.
I don't have an answer but if it was me I would contact the Citizens Advice Bureau

pinkshoes

Reasonable and well written or not, the letter you sent is irrelevant.

When was the gym membership taken out, and when is the soonest it can be cancelled? You took out a contract with this company, and need to see it through, so they can quite rightfully send the debt collectors after whoever is responsible for paying.

I'm 99.9% sure they'll tie you to the contract, so you might as well keep using it if you're going to have to pay!

Could you not take up a second job to make the future payments due?

hollydays

some people lie about these things

Its_Me_alexa

Hi all .. thanks for your answers .. The membership is for a year finishes nx April ..

Miss-spent ~ No its a Roko Gym, the've been very un helpful and rude all the way through my Gym Membership. Stating at begining I would be able to join classes free, but I later found out that my membership, did not cover the times of the classes ..

pinkshoes~ I have been looking for part time job, but nothing so far ...
If they tie me into the contract and not my Son .. whom also has moved away with his girlfriend . ( I don't know where, but I know with her I assume, we had a falling out I am embarrassed to say, he stuck with her after she breaks his heart over and over, what can a mother do!)

hollydays ~ I am not lieing, why would I??

I wonder ... could I send a letter offering payments of £1 a week to show that i am willing to pay, buts thats all I could afford on my lone parent benefit?

pinkshoes

Its_Me_alexa wrote: »

Hi all .. thanks for your answers .. The membership is for a year finishes nx April ..

Miss-spent ~ No its a Roko Gym, the've been very un helpful and rude all the way through my Gym Membership. Stating at begining I would be able to join classes free, but I later found out that my membership, did not cover the times of the classes ..

pinkshoes~ I have been looking for part time job, but nothing so far ...
If they tie me into the contract and not my Son .. whom also has moved away with his girlfriend . ( I don't know where, but I know with her I assume, we had a falling out I am embarrassed to say, he stuck with her after she breaks his heart over and over, what can a mother do!)

Shame the gym membership isn't in his name, as if he'd moved away, I'm sure that's in the T&Cs as a reason to cancel!! When was the membership started?

Its_Me_alexa wrote: »

hollydays ~ I am not lieing, why would I??

She's not saying you're lying. She's pointing out that some people would even try saying they were dying or had cancer to get out of a gym membership!

MrsTinks

Is it your name on the contract? if it is then they can come after you for the payments - I'm not sure where you would stand regarding the bankruptcy if you had technically taken the agreement out after the BR date even if your son was paying it... unless the credit agreement is in his name in which case they will go after him...
I'd contact CCCS or the CAB to be honest for advice...

Miss-spent_2

You wrote to them and they wrote back. How about if you booked an appointment to meet face to face to explain and make your offer.
Also I don't know what refering your case for credit resolution means, ask them, it may mean negotiating reduced payments.
How about writing to head office if this is part of a chain, thats what the people I read about in the paper did.

I should imagine that a lot of people are going to start cutting back on non essentials like gym membership and it will be a difficult time for them. They should have something in place to react to cases like this.

hollydays

sorry-problem with laptop-short posts.
#otherwisze i dam dposztinjg like thisz danjd dhave dto edit deverythinjg