Cancelled gym membership help please advice needed urgently

krustylouise

Hi,

I signed a 12month gym contract and shortly after (and foreseeably) my contract was tupe'd to a new company which is out of town and my hours increased from 16 to 35. I had an off peak contract so due to new hours at work I am unable to attend.

I have a received a letter from the gym chasing a debt (I rang them last year and they haven't been in touch for a year) they say I have breached terms and conditions and that I owe for the remainder of the contract and he verbally and formally threatened me with court action (despite knowing I didn't want this due to trying to improve my credit rating) and he then mentioned it several times trying to upset me.

Where do I stand? Do I har a good case or should I pay the remainder?

Thanks in advance

StuC75

How did you notify them that you wanted to cancel the contract. Was there anything in the contract that advised how it could be bought out in order to end the agreement early?

Is there scope to convert the membership to peak time so that you can go anytime?

Unfortunately just changing job isnt enough of a get out clause..

bengal-stripe

krustylouise wrote: »

Where do I stand? Do I har a good case.....

As good a case as a snowball in hell!

You can't just cancel an existing contract because your personal circumstances have changed (unless the contract has provisions for cancellation). So you are liable to pay for all of the twelve months of the existing contract, whether or not you use the facilities.

To pay the excess and have the contract changed to peak time is, I presume, a possibility. But it appears you signed your contract last year, so even if you change now, the new contract will expire the same date as the old one.

krustylouise

StuC75 wrote: »

How did you notify them that you wanted to cancel the contract. Was there anything in the contract that advised how it could be bought out in order to end the agreement early?

Is there scope to convert the membership to peak time so that you can go anytime?

Unfortunately just changing job isnt enough of a get out clause..

I can't go after work as I am a single parent and dd's dad doesn't have her much at all (in fact not at all ATM) and I dont have any family.

Not sure on payment clause and I rang them and they passed me to their collection company I contacted them then never heard anything for a year.

matttye

Depends what kind of contract you had, I take it it was a fixed term contract rather than a one month rolling contract?

My gym allows you to cancel a contract early due to loss of employment, moving to a new address that is at least X miles away from the closest gym and injury, amongst other things.

Basically unless the contract you agreed to said you could cancel if your hours changed, I think you'll have to pay up.

krustylouise

Damn it - thanks guys