Continuing payments from gym membership??

[kingrich86]

Hi,

I was a member of a gym last year. It was a small council run gym and i signed up to a years membership of £240 payable in 12 monthly installments of £20. To pay monthly i had to sign a credit agreement with a finance provider as this was the way that they did the pay monthly option. The 12 month period has finished and i am not a member of the gym anymore but i have just noticed that the credit company have taken £20 a month out past the end of the 12 months agreement!! I asked at the time of joining if the membership would automatically renew and was told it did not. I also asked if i had to do anything to cancel at the end of 12 months and again was told i did not.

The credit agreement says they have the right to continue taking payments to pay for my continuing membership of the gym but i was told it was a fixed 12 month membership!!

What do i do to get the bank to help get the money back?? i am with Natwest if that helps

Thanks
Rich

 

[Witch consumer]

First think to do is check the original paperwork, it may have been a minimum 12 month contract but if so you can cancel it now, if not.....

I take it you didn't get any sort of reminder about this renewal either by post or email?

If not write and tell the gym you are no longer in contract with them and that you want return of the money taken from your account, cancel the Direct Debit and ask the bank to help you recover the money, either as a charge back or under the direct debit guarantee (depending on what the paperwork says)

 

[kingrich86]

Hello,

thanks for your response.

I have checked the original paperwork and it says i will pay back the £240 gym membership in monthly instalments for a minimum of 12 months in instalments of £20.

I have been to the gym today and they say that it does automatically renew and that i had to cancel it with them. But this is the opposite of what i was told at the time of joining!!
They have said that they do not have the money to give it me back and I need to write to the debit finance company and ask them for it back, though i assume that they will say as they never had notification to cancel the direct debit that they were within their rights to take it??

I never had a renewal reminder either by phone or post or even at the gym itself when I told them I was going to stop coming to the gym.

What do i do to get my bank to help??

Thanks
Rich

 

[Witch consumer]

If the paperwork is that specific that it states the amount of £240 then they have no right to take any further money from your bank once that amount is paid.

Ask your bank to recover the money under the direct debit guarantee which covers against creditors acting outside of the terms of an agreement.