Update The cheque arrived for £69.99. Interestingly, the date on it was not the 22nd Oct 2010. It says 29/10/2010! If I get any goodwill gesture from TT I will come back and update this thread. Thanks everyone!

Done! But I think it may be in the wrong place....Hopefully a kindly mod will put it where it should be!

I just called them again! (I guess I'm a glutton for punishment?) This time I used a customer service number I found out the web. This time I got a call centre in Manilla (I feel like I've been on a journey round the world today!) The person I spoke to was very nice and told me that a payment by cheque had been made on 22nd Oct. I asked why and they said that my DD wasn't active! See post above. Anyway, the cheque is meant to arrive within 28 days. As long as it arrives! I must have been feeling lulled and chilled by the person I was talking to because I kept my cool and was very amicable. I asked if I could talk to a senior person about a goodwill gesture on TT's part in recognizance of my stress and wasted phone calls. She transferred me through and I explained all that I've told you and even managed a joke with the guy! He filled out something as I spoke with him (The cynic in me thinks he was playing WOW at the time) and said he couldn't promise anything. He agreed I'd had bad service though... I ended our chat saying that I didn't want to leave feeling so negatively about Talk Talk! If and when I get progress, I will come back and update this thread!

Hi Rebel11 I have just got off the phone with my bank who understood immediately the whole charge back thing. They filled out the form and it has been sent through to the disputes dept. They then said that the money would be refunded to me but on a temporary basis! This means that if they can't win the dispute they will take it back! It also takes over 3 months for this process to happen. The upshot of the convo with my bank was them advising me to carry on trying to get the cash back myself! The dispute is now underway via my bank. I don't think I have the energy or patience to pursue this again this week! My bank also informed that my DD with TT was still active! I told them to close it...

Hi all It's been a while since I had a consumer issue, but I'm back and I'm stressed! I was lured by the cheap tariffs and agreed over the phone to take out a contract with them. (Phone & Broadband) They asked for a new line fee of £69.99 which I paid using my visa debit card. (This was 14th Sept 2010) Over the next few days I spoke to friends and asked if they had any experience of TT and was horrified at the stories they told me. 4 days after I initially made the verbal agreement, I called them back and cancelled the contract. (This was 18th Sept 2010) TT asked why and I told them that they had a bad reputation for broadband issues (I'm a mature student and broadband is vital to me) They took it well and asked me to call back in 7 days as the £69.99 was held in limbo and it needed to be credited to TT before they could refund it to me. I gave them a little extra time and called back 14 days later (This was 2nd Oct 2010). TT said they couldn't refund that day as the system upgrades being done prevented refunds being made. They asked me to call back on the following monday. I called back on the monday and was told to ring back in 7 days! (This was 4th Oct 2010) I called back again (15th Oct 2010) and was informed that a refund would go into my bank account within 5 days. I kept an eye on my bank account, no payment arrived. I called back today (27th Oct 2010) and spent the best part of 2 hours either on hold or redialling following cut off from an India call centre. I also spoke to Cape Town who were more polite but equally clueless. The british call centres are equally clueless and resorted to just sending me through to depts that couldn't deal with refunds. I had been passed around 7 different depts and 3 different continents. I finally spoke to someone who admitted they had no idea how to put me through to the dept that does refunds, he actually read out the depts he could transfer me to and none of them were relevant. He then suggested that I ring Ofcom! He gave me the number and was very helpful and sympathetic. I spoke to Ofcom who took all the above info, they say I have to write to TT and give them 8 weeks to respond. They also mentioned Otelo (ombudsmen) and the next steps to take if the complaint letter isn't satisfied reasonably. My questions to Caggers are; 1) Can I expect reimbursement for the phone charge to the various 0870 numbers TT gave me to ring? I'm not talking minutes on the phone to them, I'm talking hours! They keep people on hold as long as possible! 2) Can I charge them a reasonable interest for withholding my money with no explanation?

Talktalk Avoid this company like the plague!

Hey all Sorry it's been so long since I last posted on this thread. I managed to get a Dr's letter (free because GP was disgusted at their lies) and then rang and spoke very nicely to someone in acounts and managed to get a promise that the letter would cancel my 3 yr contract and that I wouldn't have to give a months notice etc. 3 months on and I haven't received anything from them so it looks like it worked ok. Just wanted to say thank you everyone for offering your advice and time to answer my post I learned a good lesson with all this - sod the gym, I got a dog!

Hi all Ive been perusing my contract and i see that it states that if i miss a payment by DD or cheque or any other form of payment they are then entitled to charge a administration fee of £5.50. This is different to what i was verbally told via the phone a few days ago. The amount the 'delightful' woman told me over the phone was £10 admin fee added on top of any missed payments. (i have a full recording of this convo) After looking through other threads on Ashbourne, I'm dismayed that such a company is operating. I'm even more dismayed that I've been duped into the contract. I'm tempted to ring and get further info on the person who signed me up, she did afterall, induce me to sign. She lied.. plain and simple. Also, when i signed i had explained that i needed to try to regain muscle tone and have better upper body strength. The instructor just kept putting me on the treadmill, bike and rowing machine, i had to ask for instruction on using some of the wieghts machinery. I was also promised a personalised exercise programme but that was never offered again after the first use of the gym. Another issue is the access to the gym, its up on the third floor of an old mill. When i joined, i was able to get upstairs ok if i took my time. Now i'm having a flare up of symptoms and i know i would struggle with the steep steps. I feel like my health has gone backwards !

Hello all Thanks for your posts, I feel very supported. When i first heard of this gym it was by way of a leaflet through the letter box. I was drawn to it because it seemed a very reasonable price. I rang and made an appointment with Emily who told me i needed to jump on board quick as the special offer memberships were limited. During our initial interview i explained about my weird muscular conditions and my ability to dislocate shoulders (indeed any joint) and stressed that i wasnt sure a gym was right for me. She assured me that it was worth trying and as i stated above, told me quietly on the side that medical proof could cancel the membership. We then moved onto the price, and she explained that upfront payment would get me a cheaper membership. I'm not able to shell out a lump sum like that so she suggested that i take the £13 per month. She did say it was for 3 yrs but i "should see how i went on". I didnt decide there and then. I think she was a bit cheesed off that i refused to commit, she started saying "you need to decide quick because the special offer memberships are going fast" I promised i would be in touch when i had looked at my outgoings etc. i looked at my finances and the figures fitted ok. Rang back the next day and made arrangements to go back and sign. When i went back (23/1/09), she was all smiles and appeared with the contract. She then asked me to turn over the contract and read the section on my rights (6) as you may know this is in regard to personal injury or death as a result of negligence. i read and she smiled and said could i initial it, which i did. she then took back the contract and pointed to the signature areas on the front and asked me to sign them. It all seemed a bit rushed and the contract vanished as soon as i'd signed it. I received the duplicate yellow copy i have now around the 18th Feb, I have just found my yellow copy of the contract. It does indeed state 36 months at £13 pm. I thought that a credit agreement entitled a cooling off period, of 14 days? if so then shouldnt i have had the copy of the contract immediatly after i signed?

Hi again. I cant find the copy of the contract ! I believe i signed a three year contract, as i signed it the girl who signed me up was very reassuring that if there was a problem concerning my health, they would end the contract with medical proof. She didnt explain what type of proof and i foolishly believed her. She actually said 'I shouldnt tell you this, but if you need to cancel your membership, just provide medical evidence' I must lead a sheltered life, I believed her, and relied on her promises. How dumb am I ? So much for getting fit, this type of stress is even more unhealthy than a few extra pounds. My message to anyone considering gym membership is to join for the shortest period of time possible and see what you think before committing to a longer term contract.

Hi all, Ive just got off the phone with this bunch, what a downright rude customer service policy they use ! I signed up in Jan 09, prior to signing i had a good chat with the girl who signed me up about my bad health and long term med conditions. She assured me that they could 'hold' the membership if i was too ill to use the gym. Also it would be ok to cancel if i provide a doctors note. 4 months into the contract and ive only been able to access the gym 4 times. I would love to be able to use it every day, but im stuck with health probs which have been exasperated by using the facilities. I rang them on monday morning and asked them to hold the membership. This was met with a snigger and a very patronising explanation that they didnt do that. I argued that I had been assured that this was possible, that it had been one of the reasons why i had taken up the membership. This was met with further sniggering and they stated that i was tied in for 3 yrs and they didnt have to release me at all, even if i produced the medical proof. I cancelled the direct debit and began to compose a letter to them. Two days later (today) i get a letter through the post from them, stating that i have an outstanding balance of £23 and giving different methods of payment. I rang them and warned the person i was speaking to that they were being recorded and they said they said it was fine to record. (I had set up my dictafone recorder and recorded the conversation). They then launched into the steps they would take against me to recover anything they regarded as being owed to them. They also said they would enter me on the debtors registry thingy. When i said i didnt use credit as a rule, she sniggered and said well if you ever move house or try to get a mortgage it will stop you from doing that. I again offered to send a recent medical report from my Professor and they refused it, I told her I would send my latest sicknote and they refused that too. I queried the fact that the sicknote was good enough for a government agency (benefits service) yet not good enough for them. She just flat out refused it so i asked if they were above the government then ? Guess i'll have to stump up for the cost of the letter from my GP then.. I can see I'm heading for a whole heap of hassle with this company. I'm a stubborn sod when I feel ive been duped. Ideally I'd like them to just accept that their agent mis-sold the membership to me, that the contract is frustrated and is therefore at an end. But thats not going to happen with this bunch. I would love to get them into court and have their T&C's interpreted by a judge. I know all the medical evidence i have to hand right now would satisfy a court of law, but apparently, Ashbourne are a law unto themselves.

we had some serious threats from this company. my mother was pressured into allowing a rep to come and measure her windows. luckily i arrived as it was happening and i was there as he rang his boss to get 'discounts' and various '2 for 1' offers that he would be able to give us but these offers were only open there and then that day. we just kept shaking our heads and saying no but it still took and hour and half to get rid of him. we then started getting follow up calls, again offering vastly over-priced windows and doors, even after we informed them that the job had been given to a local company. the calls now took a more threatening turn, getting maybe 3 a day. on the occasion that i picked up the phone i was threatened with violence and called various insults. i contacted the police who took the matter seriously and dealt with it the same day. they made sure the company call centre was visited by officers who made it clear that what had been said during the phone call was threatening behaviour. we dont get calls anymore from this company! and to make doubly sure we joined the telephone preference service to stop other unwanted cold calling. i may be wrong but i thought some recent legislation outlawed any kind of cold calling. N.B the local company that did the work were actually 2k cheaper than this company and that included the doors!