How do these people sleep at night?

[tigwig]

I posted a few weeks ago to see if I could cancel my hubby's gym membership and since then things have got alot worse. Basically he signed a contract for 3 yrs for �12 a month was told he could cancel if it didn't work out and after walking in the door once it was absolutely packed and red hot so he rejoined his previous gym and a week later was made redundant. He wrote to them 9 days later and explained everything and tried to cancel but they wouldn't let him. The direct debit hadn't even been set up and we cancelled it anyway. Since then they have sent 2 letters a week saying we owe the money and now are charging us extra for cancelling the direct debit that hadn't even been set up in the first place. I have spoken to them loads of times on the phone and they said they could freeze the payments if we sent the p45 through. The last time I spoke to them was last week when I explained the p45 was getting sent to us and as soon as we had it we would send it to them. Today thy sent another really threatning nasty letter saying if we didn't reinstate the direct debit and send the late payment plus extra charges they would be issuing a CCJ against us then sending the bailiffs round! I rung them in a right state and told them I had only just received the p45 and was sending a copy tomorrow. My question is can they be so threatening to people like this? Do they not think that with a child to support and far more important bills to pay things aren't bad enough?

[bednobs]

Yes they can. Your husband has reneged on a contract he had with them. Does he have it in writing that he could cancel "if it didn't work out" Did he even check out the gym first? because he can't then say he didnt like it. If he only went once, perhaps it is not so packed at other times of day?

look at it like this ... if your husband had a contract to work, and at the end of the first month they decided they wouldn't pay him he would be annoyed, and would take them to court for the money he should have been paid. Really, this is no different.

[puddicat]

see citizens advice maybe there is a way good luck

[buildersmate]

No there isn't Puddicat - Bednobs is unfortunately correct.
If one signs a contract that's it unless they are not delivering what they promised. Rather difficult to argue that it's too busy to use it - should have established this upfront.

[tigwig]

the fact that it is busy isn't my point. My point is he is unemployed ans we can't afford to pay it anymore.

[bednobs]

well then he shouldn't have signed up for three years!
sorry tigwig, but i think you are forgetting that this is a business. if all the customers just refused to pay as you are doing then all of those employees would also be out of work. Gyms make their money by geting you to sign for a long period, because they know you will be unlikely to go for more than a few weeks
i remember you saying your husband did some work self employed. What if HIS customers he had contracts with refused to pay and cited that they couldnt pay because their circumstances had change and the had other bills that were more important? Dont think you would expect them to think "how does he sleep at night"

Anyway, why not try t negotiate a lower payment or defferred payments till he is eith working or doing jobs for your family etc and can afford to pay

[tw@t]

oops sorry
i thought this post was about insomniacs

[figure]

Me too tw@t. ;-)
I see Mamjet is on the roll again. lol

[jno]

hang on a moment... if he was told he could cancel if it didn't work out, then that's a clause in the contract too, even if it was only verbal. It hasn't worked out and he wants to cancel. Yes, see a CAB, I reckon he has a perfectly good case to claim misrepresentation.

[tigwig]

I have seen CAB they told us we couldn't get out of it. Truth is my hubby is now working but they don't know that. I just wanted to get it off my chest how annoyed I am that they harrass people that much. As far as they are concerned he isn't working and the thought that they send these threatning letters to people who really can't afford to pay anymore is disgusting. The account is frozen now so hopefully I will find someone else to transfer it to. The person who showed us round the gym did say we could cancel due to unemployment as well so he was lying.