Can I cancel my membership at the gym?

I AM a member of a local gym but no longer use my membership regularly. I had originally signed up because of the classes included in my monthly fee. However, a few weeks ago, two of the instructors left and these classes no longer run. I feel like I’m wasting money every month but have been told there are still three months left before the year is up and I cannot cancel. What can I do? FOR many (including myself), gym memberships can be one of those things that we sign up for with the best of intentions but do not make the most of.

We make the decision to commit financially to a minimum term but other priorities end up getting in the way and we don’t make the most of our membership.

When you wish to cancel early, the terms and conditions of the gym may allow you to do so with a shorter notice period.

In your situation, the choice you made to join this gym and commit to a longer contract was primarily due to the classes included as part of this package.

The fact that these classes have now been cancelled, with no alternative having been offered, may constitute “unfair contract terms”.

In this instance, it may be possible to exit the contract with a shorter notice period.

You should write to the gym directly stating the reason(s) you wish to end the contract early and make reference to the fact they have made fundamental changes to the terms of the contract you originally signed, making this a breach of contract.

The Competition and Markets Authority can be a good point of contact if you want to take this further and report unfair trading practices, such as misleading sales techniques, which can lead to poor competition.

If you would like to discuss any consumer related issues, you can also contact our team directly at consumeradvice.scot on 0808 164 6000.

I hope you get this issue resolved. I AM currently on maternity leave and feel that my employer is using this as an excuse not to increase my salary. We normally receive a pay review on the anniversary of joining the company, which in my case is July. However, this has not taken place and I don’t think I am going to get anything despite working extremely hard prior to finishing up. How should I handle this? EVEN though you are on maternity leave, you are entitled to a pay review as if you were still at work.

Any review of your overall performance at work and aspects such as your attendance or timekeeping should be based on your time spent at work prior to leaving on maternity leave.

This may be an oversight, or your employer may be planning to undertake a pay review when you return to work.

If you wish to discuss this, you should first contact your employer informally and tell them you wish to discuss your annual pay review.

If they respond that you are not due a review, state the facts previously covered and put this in writing via recorded delivery or with read receipts if being sent via email.

I hope this clears things up and you get the pay increase you are hoping for.