Gym Membership - Extreme change in circumstances

TadleyBaggie

Roree_Tinkerbell wrote: »

I would cancel the direct debit with the bank.

Great advice, if your intention is to end up with a CCJ and your credit history in tatters.

Roree_Tinkerbell wrote: »

Also would you mind telling me how to post a ‘New Post’ on here,

Blue "New Thread" button on the upper left of any forum.

Hoogle

I know someone who use to gym hop they got away with just cancelling direct debits no problems just some chase up letters that stopped after 2 months, until a smaller gym name passed it onto a debt collection agency which he still ignored and ended up with a ccj for whole years of membership and costs... SO yes you could cancel your direct debit and possibly no further real action but it is a gamble as it could mean ccj...do they offer you an off peak membership you could lower it down to.

if your credit is not that bad then you could get a 0% credit card pay the outstanding of your contract and then cancel... However I never suggest get into debt to clear more debt but if you could get a credit card at 0% and pay the 5 months contract off over a year it will save you money as long as your not 1 that would abuse the credit card and get even deeper in debt.

cookie365

Roree_Tinkerbell wrote: »

I would cancel the direct debit with the bank. My friend has done the exact same thing. Also would you mind telling me how to post a ‘New Post’ on here, (sorry to hijack your feed) I am a new member and cannot find the new post tab anywhere. Or navigate well? Thank you.

If you can't figure out how to start a new thread, I'm not sure I'd trust you with advice on how to tie shoelaces, let alone on how to welch on your debts.

steampowered

If the gym intended to pursue you for the outstanding debt, it would first need to write several debt collection letters. It would then need to issue court proceedings. It would then need to get a county court judgment (CCJ). The CCJ would not stay on your credit record unless you failed to pay it within 28 days.

Normally, this is fine. The worst case would be that the court says you must pay, and you pay up before the 28 days expires to avoid ruining your credit rating.

But as you have moved house, unless you tell the gym your new address, the gym would issue the court claim form and the CCJ will be issued to your old address.

In this situation, unless someone passes on your post, you would not find out about the CCJ until the 28 days have expired, and your credit rating will be trashed until the CCJ drops off after 6 years.

All in all, even if you are cancelling, you should still give the gym your new address. Or take your chances with the Post Office's forwarding service.

lucy03

The gym looks like part of a big company, so they're going to have processes for those who avoid payment. Personally, I'd contact them and say that money is a big issue and that you want to cancel the contract but will need help in paying off the sums that are due.

They might not be interested, but there's a reasonable chance that they might assist with some sort of payment plan. Not necessarily because they're kind, but because they'll just want their money with the least amount of hassle and collecting non-payment is expensive. If you're not using the gym, they might accept a termination fee which is a bit lower than the total payments that you might otherwise have had.

LilElvis

Make sure that you follow the gym's cancellation process (the one you agreed to when you signed up) at the end of your contract as it will invariably move to a month to month basis otherwise. Failure to do this will result in an even bigger debt.