Gym closed for for refurb - can I cancel?

Tim_B_2

I'm a member of Virgin Active and my branch has closed for 3 months for refurbishment. The email they sent said:

While the club is closed we have a few options for you to choose from:
- Upgrade your membership to include access to our premium clubs.
- Freeze your membership at no cost to you whilst the club is closed.
- If we don't hear from you, we'll automatically reduce your membership fees... Saving you 25% and giving you way more access to our clubs.

I don't want to spend time and money to travel every day to another Virgin gym so I asked them to freeze my membership. But I'm not happy that I can't use a gym nearby for 3 months. Do I have the right to request that my membership is cancelled without penalty so I can join a different gym chain?

SaverRate

You can try and ask them?

Tim_B_2

SaverRate said:

You can try and ask them?

Thanks, but I'd like to get some advice on my options here before I speak with them so that I don't have to go back and forth.

user1977

What are your current cancellation rights? I can’t see it triggers any sudden right to cancel - their options seem reasonable to me. Why can’t you get short term / ad hoc alternatives during a frozen membership period?

TELLIT01

user1977 said:

What are your current cancellation rights? I can’t see it triggers any sudden right to cancel - their options seem reasonable to me. Why can’t you get short term / ad hoc alternatives during a frozen membership period?

Options of paying more to use other Virgin gyms or not have access for 3 months don't seem very reasonable to me.  We also don't know how far other gyms are from the OP or how practical it would be to get to them. 

Alderbank

VirginActive told you the club was closing for 3 months and offered you a choice of options.
From those you elected to choose 'Freeze my membership until you re-open'.

I don't think you have the right to go back now and say you want something else completely different.
If you didn't want any of the options you should have refused all of them and asked to cancel because of breach of contract. I think legally you have now accepted the new contract.