one full months calendar notice - what is a month?

jokono

Hello,
I'm trying to cancel my child's swimming lessons and after emailing the address in the terms and conditions I got this reply:

As stated on the terms and conditions which you agreed to, we are required to take a months' notice upon receipt of your intention to cancel. The Payment date 01/08/2022 will serve as your months' notice and upon clearance of the payment due, your account will be closed, you will be able to use the facilities up until 31/08/2022.

I went back and asked why isn't one month the 11th of August, to which I got pretty much a repeat of the first email.

Apologies as stated on the terms and conditions which you agreed to, we are required to take a months' notice upon receipt of your intention to cancel. The Payment date 01/08/2022 will serve as your months' notice and upon clearance of the payment due, your account will be closed, you will be able to use the facilities up until 31/08/2022.

This is what it says in the terms and conditions I have received via email after signing up.

1. If you wish to cancel your membership agreement with us you must give one full months calendar notice and do so by emailing leisurecentre@servicetsg.com or by phoning one of the team on 01905969619, please could members at Attleborough, Caluden, Chapel, Crosby, The Forum, Hengrove, Mulberry Sports, Penzance and Swaffham Leisure Centres please contact 01905969689. Once processed you will receive confirmation of the cancellation, you can then cancel your direct debit instruction at your bank. If the cancellation terms are not followed legal proceedings may be taken and administration charges will apply.

So the difference here compared to their email reply is they state 'calendar' month. Does 'calendar' imply it has to start on the first of the month? Is this something well known and I've just never heard of it before?

DE_612183

Yes, thats what I read it as - I full calendar month after the notice - so you always leave at the end of the month - it stops any fuss about part payments etc.

TELLIT01

I got caught out by the same terminology with gym membership.  Their interpretation was a month of the calendar, whereas I had assumed what I suspect most people would, give notice on the 12th of the month and your membership ceases on the same day of the next month.  I tried arguing the point but didn't get anywhere.

pinkshoes

for the sake of  an additional 2 weeks, I would just have the 2 or 3 additional lessons and finish at the end of August.

I always thought with swimming lessons that notice was up 1 month up to the day before the money would be taken again, as otherwise it would be a nightmare constantly working out partial refunds. 

outtatune

Did it actually use the phrase 'one full months calendar notice' rather than 'one full calendar months notice'? Either way that's very clumsily worded. The second wording just about supports their interpretation but it's still not particularly clear cut. If there was a significant amout of money involved I'd be pushing back on that.

jokono

Thanks everyone!
@outtatune - yes, that's exactly how they worded it.

It's not a lot of money so I won't fight it, I was just wondering if it's a standard wording. 

mattyprice4004

Pretty standard - open a calendar to any month and it’s pretty unambiguous what they mean by a ‘calendar month’.
It just makes admin work a lot easier if accounts close at 12 possible points in a year, not 365  

user1977

mattyprice4004 said:

Pretty standard - open a calendar to any month and it’s pretty unambiguous what they mean by a ‘calendar month’.

Less obvious what they mean by a "month calendar"...Yoda speak like sounds.

Ath_Wat

user1977 said:

mattyprice4004 said:

Pretty standard - open a calendar to any month and it’s pretty unambiguous what they mean by a ‘calendar month’.

Less obvious what they mean by a "month calendar"...Yoda speak like sounds.

It might be a bit clumsy, but what else could it possibly mean but a calendar month?

Manxman_in_exile

I must admit I'm a bit surprised at the interpretation that many people seem to be putting on the phrase "a calendar* months notice" - an interpretation that would never have crossed my mind.

I would always have interpreted it in the same way that @TELLIT01 did.  So if you submit one calendar months notice on the 19th of a month, then it expires the following month at midnight between the 18th and 19th day - and that happens regardless of how many days there are in the month: 28, 29, 30 or 31.

I would never have taken it actually to mean a notice "that expires at the end of the calendar month following the month in which notice is given" - which is what many posters are suggesting it means?


*Like some other posters I have no clue at all what "one full months calendar notice" means, as it makes no sense whatsoever in English.  As such I'd suggest it should be interpreted in favour of the consumer...

outtatune

Ath_Wat said:

user1977 said:

mattyprice4004 said:

Pretty standard - open a calendar to any month and it’s pretty unambiguous what they mean by a ‘calendar month’.

Less obvious what they mean by a "month calendar"...Yoda speak like sounds.

It might be a bit clumsy, but what else could it possibly mean but a calendar month?

A 'calendar month' to me means that the exact amount of time will vary depending on how many days there are in the month the period starts. Sow a calendar month from July 8th will be 31 days until August 7th, whereas a calendar month from Feb 2nd will be either 28 or 20 days to March 1st.

What it doesn't mean to me is 'the rest of this month plus the entirety of the next month'. Because that's not a month.