2008
Read the small print – or risk becoming financially unfit, warns Consumer Direct Wales
10th January 2008
Credit agreements buried in the small print could trip up thousands of people who rushed to join a gym as part of their New Year’s resolutions, warns Consumer Direct.
Whilst the New Year is a peak time for joining gyms and getting fit, Consumer Direct Wales cautions that financial fitness could be compromised if the novelty of a work out regime wears off.
People joining gyms are often oblivious to the fact that a lot of contracts include credit agreements covering membership fees. In many cases the agreements are based on a fixed period of time – typically one to two years. Cancelling a gym membership will not cancel the credit agreement.
Craig Woolcock, Operations Manager at Consumer Direct Wales advises:
'Don’t put your financial fitness at risk in pursuit of physical fitness. If you’re joining a gym it’s always worth checking the small print.
'The law relating to gym membership is the same as that for any goods and services. A contract cannot always be cancelled simply because the member has a change of heart.
'Even life changing events like moving home, changing job or starting a family may not affect your contract.'
Gyms are legally obliged to give copies of contracts to customers who ask for them, so it is always possible to double-check your terms and conditions.
Craig Woolcock continued:
'The best advice I can give someone who is tied into gym membership and wants to cancel is to read the terms and conditions of the contract before stopping your direct debit.'
Consumer Direct Wales is offering the following advice when joining a gym:
- Read the terms and conditions of the membership contract carefully.
- Don’t be pressured into signing the contract immediately – take it away and read it at your leisure.
- If you are unsure about your membership terms, you are entitled to see a copy of your contract and the gym is legally obliged to provide it.
- If you join your gym over the telephone or online you are entitled to a seven working day ‘cooling off’ period.
- Check the terms for rights to suspend or terminate the membership.
- If you want to terminate your membership put it in writing, send the notice recorded delivery and keep a copy of all correspondence.
- You may be able to stop your gym membership within the contract period if the gym fails to provide a satisfactory quality service.
- If you have a dispute and you are still tied into the contract it is best to keep paying, but do inform the bank and gym that you are paying under protest. Don’t stop paying monthly direct debit payments until your membership has concluded. If you do the gym could claim outstanding arrears.
- Even if your contract is coming to an end, you should still give your gym notice if you do not want to renew your membership. It may be worth keeping a note of key dates in your diary.
For clear, practical advice on buying a warranty or if you are having problems with faulty goods call Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or 08454 040505 for a Welsh language service.
-ends-
MEDIA enquiries:
Jody Keogh
Tel: 029 2087 1088
Email: JKeogh@cardiff.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
3. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
4. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
5. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
6. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct. Visit the ConsumerLine website.
