Swimming lessons membership query

Mr_Singleton

Well, it being so blindingly obvious that the OP felt the need to ask here would seem to suggest it isn't as blindingly obvious as you and others seem to think it is.

So, turning the question back to you maybe you'd like to point to any consumer focused contracts i.e Gym memberships etcthat allow you to walk away on change of contract terms?

I've mentioned this before but it's worth noting again that originally Vodafone? on increasing contract prices mid-term refused to allow people to end there contracts. Was Vodafone? taken to court by disgruntled customers because it was blindingly obvious you could walk away? Errrr no; it was only after customers were 'threatened' with marks on their credit files that the Regulator got involved and required mobile phone companies to allow consumers out after a price increase. Your seeing the same again with roaming it's only after the regulator has got involved have consumers have been allowed to walk away.

bris

Contracts are legally binding on both parties, a contract can't be altered by one party without the others consent.


Take mobile phone contracts (and similar), you already signed the contract saying you allow them to make changes so they are not breaking the terms of this contract.


The regulator stepped in to protect consumers from unreasonable terms they signed up to, because consumers are not savvy with contracts. This is why they ruled out unfair price hikes and made strict limits on what they can hike the price by.


Now back to the OP, the gym is making an unreasonable demand on them and that's if the contract even allows for this change in the first place which I doubt very much, so they can't do it.


The OP can then if they so choose demand the contract is honoured or they can hold them in breach of it. if the gym try to enforce the new contract the op can refuse and reach deadlock, this means a court decides, the OP stops paying and the court decides the outcome., it would never get that far.


So no, you cant compare BT, sky, mobile contracts etc to the OP's because those allow changes and you signed up for them, where the OP's doesn't.

kay0601

Thanks for the the replies everyone. I was pretty sure I'd be able to reject the new terms and given that I didn't receive any contract when I signed her up, just the direct debit guarantee (I've all the correspondence in a folder because I'm a hoarder) I don't see how they'd be able to argue it was a fair or enforceable change. Either way, I've put notice of 4 weeks in writing to them and explained it wasn't just this that's making me take my daughter out. I'm eagerly awaiting their reply.

kay0601

Quick update: they tried to argue with me but I stood my ground and they caved in. Or rather, I told them I was cancelling my DD and that I wouldn't be paying beyond my 1 month notice and they never got back to me not did they charge me this month. Unfortunately my friend wasn't quite so firm and she had to pay an extra month amen half because they claimed notice had to run start of the month onwards.

And on the bright side, my daughter is taking lessons at a council pool for 2/3 the price and is coming along in leaps and bounds already !!!128513;