David Lloyd Membership + Freeze - Understandably frustrated

[BStealth]

Hi,

 

Member at a David lloyd for now over 12 month period on a family platinum - £240 per month

 

Issue one:

DD paid of March, club closed 10 days in march. Offered member vouchers (5) or restaurant discount. Refused this via email several times in June and also contacted Manager. Manager responds today, advises no monetary refund for the 10 days as they were forced to shut due to covid "no one is getting a refund and nor will you". 

Q: Is this even legal?

 

Issue two:

Discussed freezing membership on 18th Sept with Sales Manager, provided proof of surgery, email proof. Manager responds today advising freeze from October 1st to Dec 1st (For FREE - Woo...). 

Q: Should the freeze not commence from date of request? Should there be a refund for the period 18th - 30th Sept for the one party on the membership?

Q: Can I use this freeze/unusable gym time to utilise a 3 month notice

 

In general, experience over past 2 years with DL has been shocking and they don't care about their members.

 

Hope anyone can comment. 

 

Thanks!

[dx100uk]

you mean you have been paying £240PCM for something your family can never have used?

 

 

[BStealth]

I pay £240 a month, thats just standard. For Issue 1, the cost would be 240/30x10 = £80 cost for the 10 days of gym closure.

April they took no DD and I cant remember when they re opened, maybe July/August with a 25% reduced cost and external training equipment.

Edited September 30, 2020 by BStealth

[dx100uk]

ok good so they have not simply been getting money for when its not open.

 

one member of your family has had surgery and is being given free membership oct - dec?

 

but there is still an issue of they won't refund for several days in march when a DD was already taken but gym not open?

 

do you all wish to continue with them?

 

[BStealth]

Well, they have said via email they will freeze the entire membership for all my family.

This i have questioned as its only me with surgery.

Point two re refund. your understanding is correct.

No I wish to leave them in general for my family now.

[dx100uk]

then simply ignore them.

nothing they can do

stop the DD too.

[BStealth]

I'm sorry dx100k, please dont think im being rude however I don't know what your response is to either of the issues and questions above?

[dx100uk]

you dont want your family to continue using the gym.

so stop the  DD ....don't give them any more money.

go elsewhere.

 

the only thing you will be down is £80?

[BStealth]

£80 for march 10 days and £96 for September if they dont honour the freeze from 18th september.

 

I read that gym membership debt collectors do not count on credit file but are they enforceable in court and is it heard of?

[dx100uk]

gym debts dont show on credit file

gyms dont do court

a DCA is not a bailiff and has zero legal powers on any debt no matter what it's type

dx

 

[slick132]

Hi BS,

 

In post #1 you refer to the m/ship "........for now over 12 month period ........" and also,  "........ experience over past 2 years with DL has been shocking ........"

 

1. Can you confirm when the current m/ship started ?

 

2. Can you explain a bit more about the freeze due to surgery - like who needs surgery and are they talking about freezing the m/ship for the whole family ?

 

DL are not good about freezing and allowing you to use a freeze as part of their 3 month cancellation period. However, we maintain that their 3 month notice period is excessive.

 

So, before we offer suggestions for your best move can you confirm, do you want to maintain the m/ship to use after someone's surgery; or do you want to cancel the m/ship asap ?

[dx100uk]

4 hours ago, BStealth said:

Well, they have said via email they will freeze the entire membership for all my family.

This i have questioned as its only me with surgery.

Point two re refund. your understanding is correct.

No I wish to leave them in general for my family now.

 

[slick132]

Thanks DX - I missed that when skimming the posts so far .

 

I'd still like to know the actual m/ship start date before moving on.

[BStealth]

Hello and thank you,

 

yes, it looks like they won’t freeze me individually on our family membership and so hinders the use for any of us. If I recall correctly (do not have a copy of the contract) the commencing date was December 2018. This means that we are out of the 12 month term however I understand that it’s a rolling monthly, still with 3 month notice. 
 

based on their behaviour of the refusal to refund and what appears is a freeze to not what I requested, as it stands I cancelled the DD. We will be leaving them one way or another. 
 

thank you 

[slick132]

Hi BS,

 

As I said, we always tell folk to ignore the 3 months DL (and Bannatynes) gyms require.

 

Write to DL by post offering just one month's fee (240.00 less the 80.00 they owe from March ) to cancel the m/ship. I suggest you simply say :-

 

Dear DL,

 

I refer to previous discussions about cancelling my family membership.

 

I hereby offer to pay one final month's fee of £240 less the credit owed from March 2020 of £80 when we were unable to access the gym.

 

I am unwilling to pay 3 months notice as this is not in line with the industry standard requirement, nor is it fair to me as a Consumer. 

 

Please provide bank account details and a reference number so |I can pay the £160 I am offering.

 

If you fail to accept this offer in writing within 14 days, or you demand any higher amount, I will pay you nothing.

 

I look forward to your written reply.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Send by letter to the gym and get a free Certificate of Posting at the PO, to keep as proof of posting.

 

Keep us updated ............

[dx100uk]

5 hours ago, BStealth said:

£80 for march 10 days and £96 for September if they dont honour the freeze from 18th september.

 

I read that gym membership debt collectors do not count on credit file but are they enforceable in court and is it heard of?

 

the letter needs adapting.

 

 

[slick132]

BS, please confirm :-

 

1. Dates and amounts paid by DD since the gym reopened.

 

2. Date you cancelled the DD mandate.

[BStealth]

Morning both, infact my calculations last night were incorrect. Membership is £240 however £30 I’m informed is separate as swimming costs.

 

In fact, requested refund values are as such:

10 days March refund = £67.71

1x one member freeze as of 18th(not 1st Oct) = £45.50 or (£91 if they don’t do single freeze of family)

 

total = £113.21 or (£157.72)

 

Since the gym formally reopened

————

opening;

Mid July - £42.67

August - £219 (10% discount apparently but maths doesn’t calculate)

September - £210

 

DD mandate is 1st of each month

DD cancelled 30th September. 

 

Edited October 1, 2020 by BStealth

[slick132]

Hi BS,

 

I think the actual amounts are not so important - you can decide what to include in the letter based on your calculations.

 

The important matter is your desire to cancel without paying the 3 months they will say you owe.

 

Use the letter I drafted and adapt it to reflect the figures you think apply. But get it off to them quickly by post because they'll start making demands now the DD mandate has been cancelled.

[BStealth]

And do you think its unjustified or fair to not offer any sums of monies? 

[slick132]

You'll offer them a month's fee, less whatever adjustment you think is appropriate.

 

But they're usually too greedy to accept what you're offering, so they'll end up with nothing.

[BStealth]

Good day slick, due to life priorities I actually haven’t sent any correspondence to David Lloyd. They took 15 days to respond to my email regarding cancelling the direct debit. 
 

She claimed that she checked with the manager who told me he would immediately freeze and apparently he never said that to me. She then provided me her managers details, not the regional managers and advised that she will also advise that they won’t refund me for paid gym time  during the lockdown, whilst the gym was closed. 
 

she then advised that if they don’t hear from me the membership will resume on the 1st December 2020. 
 

if I’m honest slick, I don’t want to give these people the time of my day and I have no intention to pay then a single penny more or rejoin any of their clubs. 

[slick132]

Hi BS,

 

It really doesn't matter what you've been told by gym staff. They'll say anything to keep you signed up and to keep your money coming in.

 

Send a version of my draft above. Keep it as simple as my version and don't worry about the finer details, like dates and actual amounts.

 

Get it send by post and keep the free Certificate of Posting from the PO.

[BStealth]

just saying that I’m not giving notice and I’m remove all the offer of payment etc. ?

[slick132]

The offer of a final payment is for the notice period that you failed to give but, as I said before, I doubt they'll accept the offer.