Advice needed - owing money to Fitness First

verbal · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:14

My ex-girlfriend signed up for a Fitness First gym in March on a years contract. The guy who signed her up said she could cancel the contract and say she had moved house to somewhere more than 10 miles from a Fitness First gym.

In July we split up and she moved to Liverpool. She told them she was now more than 10 miles from a Fitness First and wanted to cancel. They phoned her back and told her there was one 9.3 miles away and she couldn't cancel the contract. She doesn't drive so there's no realistic way she was going to use this other Fitness First in Liverpool. I advised her to simply cancel the direct debit which she did.

Yesterday she got a call from a debt collection agency saying she has to pay all the monthly fees she missed and what she owe's until next March plus a £25 admin charge and she is barred from all Fitness First gyms.

I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas of how to avoid paying or reducing the charges. The whole thing seems very unreasonable to me. She is having to pay for a service she is not using.

Jon Frost · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:16

The 'contract' was for 12 months yeh? And shes just stopped paying because SHE moved away from the gym?

Her fault!

Email their manager/admin team to see if they can help you though.

basmic · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:19

Go to CAB with her contract, and see if there's any loopholes.

meghatronic · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:19

Unreasonable or not it is in their T&Cs. I can not believe we live in a culture now where charges legitimately explained are deemed unfair.

Put it this way, your girlfriend buys a mobile phone in a 12M contract. After 1M she realises she doesn't like the phone.... regardless, she entered the contract. You gave her poor advice in cancelling the DB. Best advive is to call/e-mail the manager.

Morba · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:20

she said she would pay for 12 month, that is regardless of whether its used.

you sign a contract, you pay your money.

Jon Frost · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:24

And shes your ex too, let her deal with it

Tute · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:24

Well you have two choices.

1. Pay up and in future, don't sign up to any contract unless you can't keep up the payments.

2. Tell them to sling their hook and hope they give up or can't do anything about it.

Azagoth · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:27

BBC Watchdog did a piece on Fitness First.

tom_e · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:33

Azagoth said:
BBC Watchdog did a piece on Fitness First.

But this isnt Fitness Firsts fault its all the customers fault for trying to wriggle out of a contract she signed and agreed to.

Haggisman · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:35

Fitness First are complete idiots (and various other words which I would probably get banned for using XD)

They are money-grabbing scum and their record-keeping is atrocious, she could try asking for a copy of her original contract, I did that after they changed mine from 3 month to 12 month, 4 days later they informed me that they had lost it and so they were writing it off.

I guess I don't have much constructive to add to this, just wanted to rant!

Do not, under any circumstances sign ANY contract with Fitness First >(

Edit:

blitz2163 said:
But this isnt Fitness Firsts fault its all the customers fault for trying to wriggle out of a contract she signed and agreed to.

Yeah, and the ******** deserve every bit of trouble they are caused by her.

Tute · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:36

This does remind me of Friends actually.

"I wanna quit the gym!"

verbal · 4 Dec 2007 at 12:52

blitz2163 said:
But this isnt Fitness Firsts fault its all the customers fault for trying to wriggle out of a contract she signed and agreed to.

The thing is that she wasn't sure she would want to stay as a member for 12 months and that's why she asked if she could cancel it. As I said the guy who signed her up said that technically it was a 12 month contract but that she could just tell them she had moved 10 miles or more from a gym. We checked and that guy doesn't work there anymore.

stoofa · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:00

But she hasn't moved 10 miles away from a gym - she is only 9m away.
I'm totally on Fitness First's side here - a 12 month contract was signed and so a 12 month contract needs to be paid for.
This is what contracts are all about - as somebody else said, if you buy a mobile phone under a 12 month contract and then decide you want out after a month it's tough as you signed up for the 12 months.

The bit on Watchdog about this company is where they were not accepting doctor's letters with regards people not being able to use the gym any more.
It had nothing to do with the company rightfully attempting to get back money they are owed.

Scania · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:04

I apologize if I'm missing something here, but, isn't it HER contract with HER name on it? in which case, why are YOU worried? :confused:

KaHn · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:06

R124/LA420 said:
I apologize if I'm missing something here, but, isn't it HER contract with HER name on it? in which case, why are YOU worried?

Also its an ex......

KaHn

tom_e · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:08

verbal said:
The thing is that she wasn't sure she would want to stay as a member for 12 months and that's why she asked if she could cancel it. As I said the guy who signed her up said that technically it was a 12 month contract but that she could just tell them she had moved 10 miles or more from a gym. We checked and that guy doesn't work there anymore.

As has been said they have called her bluff which they have every right to do and found out she was lying to try and get out of a contract

meghatronic · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:34

KaHn said:
Also its an ex......

KaHn

She must be hot

platypus · 4 Dec 2007 at 13:37

Whilst it may be explained in your contract, Fitness First do seem to go out of their way to make it difficult for you to be able to find a clear explanation. Still, she signed up to a 12 month contract and has failed to keep up her end of it.

Sonea Fifer · 4 Dec 2007 at 14:16

jdickerson said:
She must be hot

Pics required

Surfer · 4 Dec 2007 at 14:27

easy, simple answer to this one.

Just magically move house again and THIS time check where the Fitness First Gyms are to make sure you are more than 10 miles from each of them.
Just pick a remote location in the country. Would help if you know someone there.

solved