Gym - Bad Credit?

hey everyone- i'm new to the site so bear with me! I have two questions which I'd say are probably straight forward to anyone in the know-

1) I have a gym membership which I pay by direct debit- I decided to cancel the membership but was told I couldn't because I have a 12 month contract- I have rang them up 5 times and asked for a copy of my agreement where I signed for 12 months because all I have is a receipt (which has a box for duration but is not completed). What happens if I just cancel the direct debit?

2) I have a monitored house alarm which I paid for 6 months (12 months ago) - I geneuinely never thought of it until today i was told I owe them 6 months monitoring- where do i stand seeing as I onyl wanted 6 months and paid up front- will i have to pay them or get bad credit history?

Thanks for any help!!

mmmmm said:

I have rang them up 5 times and asked for a copy of my agreement where I signed for 12 months because all I have is a receipt (which has a box for duration but is not completed).

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Did you not get/retain a copy of the agreement that you signed in the first place? Do you normally sign contracts without reading them?

What happens if I just cancel the direct debit?

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You cannot normally cancel a DD unilaterally and it needs the payees consent too so they may just keep collecting it and if there is no money to cover it then you will probably be hit with failed/bounced payment charges etc.

2) I have a monitored house alarm which I paid for 6 months (12 months ago) - I geneuinely never thought of it until today i was told I owe them 6 months monitoring- where do i stand seeing as I onyl wanted 6 months and paid up front- will i have to pay them or get bad credit history?

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If you have been receiving the service for a further 6 months then surely you simply owe them the service charges?

Neither of these situations seem to be credit agreements so I'm not sure that any missed payments will affect your ICB records etc. But there could be other repercussions such as the charges mentioned above and the service providers in question could attempt to collect payments due in other ways (e.g. debt collector etc.).

Thanks for any help!![/quote]

ClubMan said:

You cannot normally cancel a DD unilaterally and it needs the payees consent too so they may just keep collecting it and if there is no money to cover it then you will probably be hit with failed/bounced payment charges etc.

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If this is the case ; then close your bank account. Then open a new one elsewhere at an institution which respects your wishes regarding allowable direct debits or even at the same bank.

I think you don't understand how DDs work so - they are set up by the payee (authorised by the payer/account holder) and need their consent to be cancelled as far as I know.

The Direct Debit guarantee states clearly that you can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank. In this instance you can cancel your direct debit but the contarct you signed may mean that you will have to make alternative arrangements to pay the Gym.

ClubMan said:

Did you not get/retain a copy of the agreement that you signed in the first place? Do you normally sign contracts without reading them?

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You sound personally offended I signed something without reading it thoroughly!!! I did read it but do not recall a 12 month period being referended/ mentioned....

If you have been receiving the service for a further 6 months then surely you simply owe them the service charges?

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My point is I only wanted the initial 6 months I paid for!- I didn't realise they were still monitoring anything!!!

Neither of these situations seem to be credit agreements so I'm not sure that any missed payments will affect your ICB records etc. But there could be other repercussions such as the charges mentioned above and the service providers in question could attempt to collect payments due in other ways (e.g. debt collector etc.).

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Thats what I wnated to know....cheers for the help mate!

Regarding the Monitoring, it appears strange that they left it for 6 months without Invoicing you. (am I correct with this). Do you realy need the monitoring - depends on the level of risk, the contents of your property and stuff like that. I have a fair idea which alarm compay you are with and they did teh same to me. If i picked up your situation correct it is their problem for invoicing you late.

In all these type of instances, as things get a bit tight, you should be able to negotiate with them.