Cancelling Leisure Centre Memberships

[Deleted User]

ballisticbrian wrote: »

The cost was £200 in fines and fees and £80 in missed membership fees (3 months).

An expensive lesson learned about not cancelling Direct Debits without first cancelling the actual service provided in accordance with the terms and conditions. I hope you've made her fully aware of the mistake she made so that she doesn't do it again in future?

ballisticbrian

An expensive lesson learned about not cancelling Direct Debits without first cancelling the actual service provided in accordance with the terms and conditions. I hope you've made her fully aware of the mistake she made so that she doesn't do it again in future?

One of my main concerns is that if they can wait 3 months contacting an email address and then text after the third month saying "check your email spam folder for our important emails", then they could have sent a text month 1 which would have mitigated any further delay in paying.

[Deleted User]

ballisticbrian wrote: »

One of my main concerns is that if they can wait 3 months contacting an email address and then text after the third month saying "check your email spam folder for our important emails", then they could have sent a text month 1 which would have mitigated any further delay in paying.

To be fair to them, the fault was entirely at your end, first by failing to cancel in accordance with the terms and conditions and secondly by doing nothing about a no longer active E-Mail address.

If they had sent a text (as well as E-Mails) after one month, they would have left themselves open to accusations of harassment or intrusion. After three months of non payment, the eventual text really was approaching the last attempt they would make to contact you prior to handing your account over to Debt Collection.

ballisticbrian

If they had sent a text (as well as E-Mails) after one month, they would have left themselves open to accusations of harassment or intrusion.

They would rather wait for a nice little nest egg to build up in their favour, and then send a text but that's not "harassment or intrusion"?


BTW, this payment includes the "debt recovery" fees even though it's a department within Harlands, a bit like the controversy with payday lender who was doing the same.

DoaM

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

If they had sent a text (as well as E-Mails) after one month, they would have left themselves open to accusations of harassment or intrusion.

Conversely, by NOT doing so they've left themselves open to accusations of not mitigating their costs/loss.

[Deleted User]

DoaM wrote: »

Conversely, by NOT doing so they've left themselves open to accusations of not mitigating their costs/loss.

Indeed, a lose/lose situation for them.

[Deleted User]

ballisticbrian wrote: »

this payment includes the "debt recovery" fees even though it's a department within Harlands, a bit like the controversy with payday lender who was doing the same.

I think you need to realise that you were in the wrong here from the start.

By charging a debt recovery fee, they are recouping the extra administration cost of you cancelling a Direct Debit which the payee (quite legitimately) continued to request from your bank and were then refused.

You can continue to "fight" this if you want, but I can't see any similarity to PayDay lenders.

ballisticbrian

Non-existent law firms...
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/25/wonga-compensation-bill-unfair-misleading-practices

[Deleted User]

ballisticbrian wrote: »

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/25/wonga-compensation-bill-unfair-misleading-practices

No similarity there with your situation at all, I'm afraid.

I think you're grasping at straws now...

ballisticbrian

I may be grasping at straws but I was hoping someone would come along with something pro-active like writing to the leisure centre concerned and explaining the treatment by the firm concerned and how it's alienated her from joining the leisure centre ever again.