Virgin Active

AmyDee_3

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong section, I've been using this site for a while now but never the forum.

I've been with Virgin Active for two months now. I took out a monthly contract. I rang just before my second payment to suspend my membership as I will not be living in Leeds for a while and will be back in London. I was told I had to pay for the next month as it was too late to suspend it at this point and that I had to come in to suspend my account. I asked to cancel my account then which I was also told I had to come in to do (I was in London at the time and still am). I accepted I was just too late and planned to look online once I had the internet to find out my options. I couldn't find anything about membership cancelation on the Virgin Active website so rang again. I have around a week until my next payment is due, plenty of time I thought. The woman on the phone said that it was possible to cancel or suspend membership by email, I was told before there was no other option apart from coming in. If I had had known this I could have emailed before but am now going to be charged on the 1st for another month which I cannot afford and will not use. They said I need to inform them by the 17th (which I was not told the first time around) because they need time to cancel the direct debit. I said I would cancel it myself, and only take a day. They couldn't explain why they needed the extra time but said if I did I would be be in debt to them. I was also supposed to recieve the student discount after giveing them my acceptance letter, I faxed it to them a few days after joining but have still been charged full price membership each time. Is there anything I can do or is it completely my own fault?