Gym ‘sorry’ after fees taken from ex-member
A popular gym has apologised to customers after taking their September payment despite them writing to cancel five months ago.
Bannatyne’s said it was because mail had not been processed during the lockdown months.
The issue was raised by one Perth gym goer - who gave her name as ‘Ms F’- who said she wrote to the company on April 1 to tell them she no longer wanted to be a member.
When Ms F queried why she was still paying for membership of a gym she had not used for five months, Bannatyne’s Perth told her mail from the lockdown months had not been processed and that fitness club staff were making “a clean start”, and only when the facility got the all clear to reopen on August 31 was new correspondence looked into.
She was asked to submit her cancellation intent again and told that another payment on October 1 would also be taken as her notice did not meet the one month period required in the terms and conditions.
The woman wrote back to Bannatynes, signing off a “an extremely disgruntled and angry former member.”
She said: “I wrote to cancel my membership to you on April 1, 2020 to provide you 30 days notice as per your own terms and conditions.
“May, June, July and August have now passed and you had the audacity to take a direct debit from my account today, on September 1.
“When I complained I was advised that your team has been instructed not to open or process any mail sent during the closure and that you would start afresh from today.
“I am flabbergasted that I was required to inform you of my cancellation a second time by email. To then be told I will need to pay a second month’s direct debit is nothing short of extortion.”
Ms F ended by asking for a refund of September’s automated payment.
She shared her frustration on Twitter on Wednesday, saying: “Poor show from Bannatyne gyms taking a direct debit for a membership that was cancelled on April 1 with 30 days notice.
“Apparently staff told not to process correspondence received during lockdown and start afresh from today. Now had to submit another 30 days notice. Shocking.”
From the resulting thread, she discovered she was not alone - others had been caught out by the ‘no reading mail from lockdown’ policy adopted by the company.
TV personality Terry Christian was one who had a payment taken on September 1, despite having cancelled his membership when he could not go to the gym when lockdown saw all such facilities shut down.
When Ms F’s situation was highlighted to Bannatyne by the PA, a top tier customer manager told us: “Our team is currently working through the backlog of letters received. Unfortunately, with staff returning to work and the clubs opening shortly prior to the date of the direct debit claim, we may have claimed some fees where members have requested a cancellation.
“In these circumstances, we will of course be refunding any overpayment where the cancellation would mean the payment taken would not be due.
“Your overpayment will be refunded and should clear early next week.
“We apologise for any frustration you may have endured. Thank you for your loyalty and custom.”
A spokesperson for the company said: “We have resolved this matter amicably.
“We are handling enquiries as members follow up their communications from the closure period when the business was working with a limited number of staff.
“Anyone who evidences cancellation is being refunded any overpayment.
“We hope that people will remain patient.”