Misleading contract information

I was with my fiance when the representative from Planet Fitness Bedford centre offered us what we believed at the time was a 12 month contract. The contract states that membership is on a month to month basis which suggests flexibility in the duration. I approached Planet Fitness to cancel my membership and was told I have to wait until the 12 month period expires otherwise I will be held liable for paying the early cancellation fee. I waited for the 12 months to lapse and phoned to cancel as advised by Planet Fitness but was then told my contract is a 24 month contract, one that my fiance and I did not sign up for. I was provided contradictory information by Planet Fitness staff and, when I requested them to refer me to someone in their legal department to explain the inconsistencies in my contract, the Planet Fitness official blatantly refused and provided me with some customer service e-mail, which is basically an unattended mail box with a one-size-fits all automated response. Previous e-mails of mine to Planet Fitness went unanswered and one official had the nerve to say that my e-mails reflect on the system and that they were supposed to respond a long time ago given that they have a 3 day turnaround. Due to the lack of response, I contacted the consumer ombudsman because I believe that Planet Fitness misrepresented the contract when the membership was sold to us. Planet Fitness was quick to respond to the e-mails from the ombudsman which was quite a surprise given that I've struggled to receive a response from them for weeks! In the meanwhile, Planet Fitness has handed over my contract over for debt collection, this despite the fact that they did not bother to respond to or address my concerns. I am now seeking legal advice. I am reading a lot of similar stories on the hellopeter thread about Planet Fitness that's why I am hoping that my unpleasant experience with them would serve as a warning to unsuspecting consumers when they enter into gym contracts with Planet Fitness. In fact, I would advise a person against it. I was previously a member of Virgin active and when I canceled my contract mainly because I was not using the gym, I didn't have this uphill battle to cancel and was not penalised for cancelling. My gym contract cancellation was a seamless process with Virgin Active. If you do wish to join Planet Fitness, scrutinise your contracts, because they tell you one thing and the contract says another! Ask questions before you sign the contract and insist on responses in writing- that's if they'll respond.