Maz

iTrader: (34)

Does anyone have experience (good, bad or indifferent) with the above company? They specialise in gymnasium membership fee collection. Let's just say some of their methods are questionable to say the least.

SJ_Skyline

http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updat...1#.UXpK48r-nAw

Maz

iTrader: (34)

W@nkers!

BULLITT

Yep, first hand experience.

Basically their contacts are bullsh1t, you can't make people enter a minimum contract for a gym membership and they were threatening that it affects credit ratings etc if you don't pay which is complete crap as well. They've been found guilt in court and all of the revisions of their contracts have been nullified by the OFT and the courts.

In fact their contracts are so wrong that debt collectors refuse to take on the debts for them.

I had a gym membership with them, cancelled at the gym, all fine, Ashbourne still wanting paying. Told them I had cancelled at the gym and they didn't care and wanted paying, told them to fornicate themselves with a excrement covered stick and hung up.

I got a debt collectors letter just as the courts had ruled against them, contacted the debt collectors who were quite nice about it actually, they said that as soon as that ruling was made they returned all if the debts back to Ashbourne and now all I get is the same standard letter every other month or so, just gets shredded and filed in the bin.

I followed the discussion in Consumer Action Group and was advised from now to just ignore any letters from them as they cannot legally chase me for the money and they have absolutely no affect whatsoever in my credit rating.

From what I've read abut the couple that own Ashbourne they are a real nasty, arrogant pair who do not give a crap about any one or anything including what the courts say.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

It was actually my daughter who joined a local gym. Along with a couple of friends she went to this gym (La Femme in Heckmondwike) and asked if they could use the gym just for one month. They didn't want to be tied in to a contract they just wanted to pay for the month. The receptionist told them this would be fine but for legal reasons they would need to fill a form. In their naivety the girls signed the form and the receptionist filled in the other details along with their card details. It wasn't until their second visit that the girls were presented with a twelve month contract much to their surprise. When the questioned this they were told that they had signed up for twelve month contract.
At this point she told me and I told them to cancel the direct debit that had unbeknownst to them been set up (they thought they were paying for just the month) and tell the gym to shove the membership up their ****! Now awaiting the letters from Ashbourne. Let the games commence!

BULLITT

Just bin them, they have no legal right to tie her into a minimum term contract because they are not offering credit, they are merely account management, basically it's pay as you go. When you cancel the membership, you cancel the account. Ashbourne can't do a thing about it as per the court ruling except for sending letters out which is at their expense.

If you do want to get into it with them, just tell them that as per the high courts ruling regarding Ashbourne managements trading practises they cannot peruse this matter and you deem the matter closed. There's a whole breakdown of the judges ruling, I think I still have the letter I drafted up if you'd like a copy of it? It has several points taken from the ruling to counter any statement they make in their letters to you.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

Having looked at their website it seems they are as thick as they are unscrupulous. The High Court ruling against them is portrayed as affirming their legitimacy of 12 month contracts Thanks for the offer of the letter if we have any further issues with them then the letter may be needed.