Exercise4Less/Harlands

[SimonaMona]

Hello.Like many others Harlands is atacking me with those scarry letters too.I don't know what to do..I canceled my direct debit so they can't take any money from me.I was planning to call them and pay,but first I decided to read what others did.So now I'm here and I have a hope that I will save some money.I can pay for them,but I can not understand why I have to pay so much administration fees...Here's the last letter.. [ATTACH=CONFIG]59564[/ATTACH] Can you help me?You are my last hope in this mess.. I didn't had long term contract.I paid monthly.

Edited September 21, 2015 by SimonaMona

[slick132]

Hi Simona and welcome to CAG

 

Can you give us some more info :-

 

1. When did you join X4Less.

 

2. Was it a no-obligation rolling monthly m/ship agreement.

 

3. When did you cancel the DD mandate.

 

4. Did you tell X4Less or Harlands that you wanted to cancel the agreement.

 

5. If so, was this done in person, by phone, email or posted letter.

 

If yours is a monthly rolling agreement, the most you will owe is just one month's fee for the notice you should give. We always encourage users to challenge any admin fes added by Harlands/CRS.

 

Until we've suggested what to do next, just ignore Harlands/CRS completely. If they call you, do NOT speak to them at all and keep everything in writing only from now on.

 

[SimonaMona]

1. I'm not sure.Couple of month's ago.I was there about 5 times,paid for two months and then decided that it's waist of money because I'm not going there.

2. I had Off-Peak Membership - 1 Month Minimum Period

£14.99 per month with a £20.00 admin fee.

3. I canceled my direct debit about 1 month ago.

4. My problem is that I didn't tell anyone taht I want to cancel agreement.When I canceled my direct debit I went for a holidays,I came back one week ago and found those letters..I used to go to PureGym and when I canceled my direct debit there they didn't want anything from me.I thought that it will be so easy in Exercise4Less too.But no..

I already had 3 letters. 3 administration fees now it's 70£ .And 14.98 £ for one month.It should be 14.99... I didn't sign anything by hand.I bought membership online.

[slick132]

Hi Simona and thanks for the answers.

 

Re your previous gym m/ship, we've seen Pure Gym cases here where members have had problems cancelling, so you're lucky the old m/ship cancellation gave you no problems.

 

Re your current X4Less problem, you could write to Harlands saying :-

 

Dear sir or madam,

 

I refer to my membership at Xercise4Less in [town/city].

 

I was on a rolling monthly membership but chose to cancel the DD mandate as I was not using the gym.

 

I owe you one month's fee for the notice period and am happy to pay you this. But I will not pay any admin charges as they are both unlawful and unenforceable.

 

If you confirm in writing within 14 days that you'll accept £14.99 in settlement of all that I owe, I will pay you.

 

My offer is valid for 14 days and, if you make demands for any higher amount, I will pay you nothing.

 

I look forward to your response.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Send this to Harlands by post and get a free Certificate of Posting from the PO when you send it.

 

Let us know how they respond.

 

[SimonaMona]

Thank you ! I will do that today.

[SimonaMona]

Hello.Today I"ve got this letter..

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

Ignore CRS for now and wait for a proper reply to the letter you sent to Harlands.

 

[SimonaMona]

Ok,thank you.

[Bazooka Boo]

Shame they shut at five, was going to ring them......

[SimonaMona]

Hello.I've got a new letter.

[Bazooka Boo]

Ignore them.

 

Still no response from Harlands?

 

Shame, you'd think this industry would clean up it's act by now, instead of sending out puerile deforestation.

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

Can you either remove the letter, or edit out the gym and the CRS reference numbers.

 

No need to reply to this at all.

 

I find it funny that Rob Avery always maintains that Harlands and CRS are very separate companies, yet he signs letters from them both.

 

[SimonaMona]

Harlands is not responding to my letter.It's interesting that both companies have the same address.

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

My point is that they are really the same outfit - they just pretend to be separate businesses.

 

As long as Harlands fail to reply to your letter to them, You need do nothing more.

 

In time, you'll probably hear from Zinc Collections and the Spratt Endicott (Harlands pet solictor). They are both easy to send packing.

 

[SimonaMona]

I don't think that Harlands will respond..

[slick132]

I don't think that Harlands will respond..

 

........... and that is just fine.

 

They longer they ignore your letter, the better for your case.

 

[Bazooka Boo]

Lodge a formal complaint to the CMA, and as they are deliberately attempting to exploit a debtors lack of knowledge by claiming to be two separate outfits, you should lodge a complaint with the FCA regarding this.

[SimonaMona]

Can someone tell me how that complaint should look?Because I have no idea..And how I have to send it by post or email?

 

Maybe everything will be ok . But I don't want to get these letters every month . Can I try to write to Harlands or CRS via email ?

[Bazooka Boo]

You can send them an email yes, but it is much better if they get a hard copy and obtain 'proof of posting' which is free from the PO counter.

 

It seems the CMA are toothless in assisting us mere consumers.....again!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380243/How_the_CMA_handles_information.pdf

 

They sloped shoulders in the direction of trading standards and citizens advice.

 

I wouldn't be in the slightest bit worried about receiving mail off them, let them waste their time and money.

[SimonaMona]

Ok.I will try to send them another letter by post.I read so many posts about harlands and CRS,but still I'm always worried that maybe one day bailiffs will come or I will have to pay 1000 pounds one day or something like that. Everytime when I'm getting a letter I'm thinking about that for a couple of days.

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

Please listen to our advice :-

 

1. You do NOT need to write to Harlands at all. You have written to them and they have not yet replied properly.

 

2. You should complain to The CMA (see a suggested letter below). Even though they don't help individuals, they will be seeing how many people complain about Harlands and take notice at some stage.

 

3. You can send the same letter to your local Trading Standards and to TS dealing with Harlands address.

 

4. Just ignore demand letters from Harlands, CRS, Zinc and Spratt Endicott and don't worry about them.

 

5. Use letters, not emails.

 

Letter to send to The CMA and Trading Standards :-

 

Dear sir or madam,

 

I write to complain about Harlands Services Ltd, a gym admin company at 41-43 Perrymount Rd, Haywards Heath, West Sussex County RH16 3BN. They also pretend to be a separate DCA called Credit Resolution Services to make gym members pay gym fees and ever-increasing admin fees.

 

I was on a rolling monthly gym agreement which I could cancel anytime so I cancelled my DD mandate in August. I realise I should have given a month's notice so offered to pay this to Harlands to end the matter.

 

Harlands have ignored my letter and offer and continue to harass me demanding increasing amounts. The £14.99 gym fee that I should have paid for the notice period has now turned into over £200 with their fees.

 

Can you please look into their business practices because I'm aware of literally hundreds of other gym users (as seen on the Consumer Action Group forum) being harassed by Harlands. They should not be allowed to treat people in this way.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

This can be sent by ordinary post - no proof is needed.

 

[SimonaMona]

Ok. Today I've got a text message from CRS. And I don't know maybe they called me I'm not answering the phone if I don't know who is calling.

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

Excellent - ignore their requests that you call them.

 

Let us know when they write to you again.

 

[SimonaMona]

Hi.CRS are still calling and texting me.And today I've got this letter.[ATTACH]60470[/ATTACH]

[slick132]

Hi Simona,

 

Just ignore this latest letter from Harlands/CRS.

 

More threats but it's just Hot Air !!