Jetts gym demanding payment after restarting my membership without my permission

suitandtie

Hi,
I joined a Jetts gym in London last year on a rolling 1 month contract and everything was fab,  I went abroad for a bit and froze my membership.  When it became clear I wasn't going to be back soon I emailed them and asked to cancel.  They responded they were happy to leave the account frozen and did so.  Corona virus occurred and I didn't think anything more of it.

Last Friday I received a text stating "Your Jetts membership has fallen into arrears and the outstanding balance is set to be forwarded to a debt recovery agency. Contact us on 01300242424 today to resolve the matter."

I rang the number and they stated they had emailed they were reactivating all memberships from the 25th July and they would be aware of whether I had opened the email (they use tracking pixels) and if I hadnt (my case) it wasnt their concern, I still owed this money

I stated I wished to cancel my membership at this point and didnt think it was right to charge me for this period (25 July - 14 Aug).  They replied that they could not close my account until they had been paid for this period and he refused to agree that they would not charge me beyond this point (today) or cancel my membership until I paid the amount outstanding.

As far as I can see their T&Cs dont state anything about frozen memberships or reactivating them,  I have asked them for a copy of the exact contract I signed to see if that states anything differently.  I obviously havent used their facilities.

I have sent them an email stating:
1) I wish to cancel my acoount now
2) Reasons why I do not wish to pay particularly that the account was restarted without my consent
3) asked for a copy of the exact contract I signed and contact details for their central customer services dept.

Any advice on what you think I can/should do would be appreciated.

Hasbeen

It appears they can put your membership on hold for 8 weeks over a 12 month term. Which you presumably asked them to do?

They then froze membership fees during Coronavirus and then restarted, sending you the email informing you.

So how much are they asking for your membership arrears? 

What does your contract say about you cancelling and time to do so? You do not appear to have cancelled prior to receiving notice of arrears?

16. Your Right to Terminate Your Membership

(a)  You may terminate your membership at any time on the following basis:

(i)   You provide a request for termination of your membership in writing to Jetts.

(ii)  If your request for termination is for reason of permanent sickness or physical incapacity and this prevents you from using the Club:

(A)  your request must be accompanied by a medical certificate evidencing such permanent sickness or physical incapacity; and

(B)  there will be a refund of any unused Membership Fees.

(iii)  In the event of death, your estate must provide written evidence in the form of a death certificate and all unused Membership Fees will be refunded.

(iv)  If your request for termination is for reasons other than permanent sickness or physical incapacity:

(A)  in relation to DD Memberships:

(1)  you may terminate your membership at any time with a 10 working days notice period;

(2)  you must provide Jetts with Written Notice of termination with Jetts processing your termination as follows: (a) Written Notices received before 5pm on a Business Day will be actioned that Business Day or (b) Written Notices received after 5pm or on a day other than a Business Day will be actioned the next Business Day; and;

(3)  the Member will not incur any financial obligations under this Agreement on and from the date that the Written Notice has been processed and accepted by Jetts (as long as the member's next DD payment is not within the next 10 working days) and the Member has a right to continue attending the Club until the Member’s pre-paid period expires.

(B)  in relation to PIA Members:

(1)  you may not terminate the membership during the prepaid period (or get a refund), unless you suffer from a permanent sickness or physical incapacity as described in clause 17(a)(ii); and

(2)  if you do not renew your PIA membership by the renewal date, your membership will automatically expire.