Gym closed but won't freeze/pause membership

Luckyfeets

Hi all,

I have 2 gym memberships at present. One is with a national chain at a discounted rate through work. This has been frozen throughout lockdown.

Another is with a local Martial arts gym. This is quite expensive and the gyms have been closed since the lockdown started. I asked about freezing membership but they suggested that I continue to 'support the club' in lockdown and offered an online zoom workout. With this martial art, you need to do it with someone ideally and I don't really have the option of doing it at home. I signed up originally to be taught and workout at the gym. I politely declined and was told that my membership is on hold for 1 month.

This gym has still taken payment and now refuses to freeze my membership, where do i stand on this?? given what i originally signed up for.

Supersonos

Can't you just cancel?

Luckyfeets

I'm within a 12 month contract, which is due to finish in october

Supersonos

Have you read the contract?  What does it say about circumstances where the gym need to withdraw the service?

lyle1993

If you just cancelled the direct debit, said due to the pandemic you can't afford it [if they even asked] what could they even do?

TripleH

This is an interesting area.
Are the gym in breach of contract? Before you say yes, could you have gone any day during lockdown if the government announced gyms could open that day? (Basically are the gym failing to provide the service  they agreed to in their contract?
I think, unless they take the lockdown as an opportunity to do a refurbishment, that they are providing the service they promised. Is itvtheir fault you are not allowed to access it?
The issue is that a 3rd party is preventing you having access to the gym.
What if, for example, someone was stabbed right outside the gym (on the public highway) and the police blocked off the entrance preventing you from going in for an undetermined period of time. Could you claim off the gym then? How is this present scenario any different? 
My post is more to raise questions I have as much as anything, if there is an answer to my response, it would be very much appreciated (as much for my benefit as anything).