Signing a contract for a gym membership - never thought I would be signing away my right to control over my own finances.

"Isn't it great to know you can still get the very best of everything - all for the very lowest gym fees?" I quote from the Planet Fitness official webpage, and I do so, having never felt so underwhelmed, insulted and exploited by an institution before. I have been a member of the Bedfordview Mega Club since it first opened, and remained loyal to my gym through the years, however, in July 2016 when I signed up for another annual contract, I must have had the word "sucker" plastered on my forehead, as the manager assisting me thought this was going to be a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of a young student. I paid my annual fee upfront, not knowing that by giving the company access to my banking details and signing the contract, I was authorising them to take money from my account on a monthly basis from July 2017, should I not cancel the contract. Their way of informing me that my contract had come to an end was to send an sms to my father who was previously in charge of the payments of my contract, not bothering to update their information to inform the individual that was the actual member of the gym. After having 2 debit orders for August and September 2017 of a total of R657.80, I went to the gym personally to establish what was going on as I clearly didn't know what I had signed up for a year ago. I was told that the conditions were in writing on the document that I had signed, and in order to cancel the contract and stop any further debit orders, i had to cancel it before the 15th of the month, otherwise I would get charged the next month. How devious there plan is, seeing that the transactions only went through on the 16th of both months and so by the time I had a chance to act on it, they were already secured the following month's payment! If this isn't highway *******, I really don't know what is?! October came along, and on the 16th, another debit order went through. As furious as I was, i attributed this to the fact that I had only cancelled the contract on the 17th of September, and this was too late to prevent the next months charge. I overcame this thinking that this was the final time that they would be removing money from my account, particularly since I had now received a printed document stating that the contract had been officially cancelled. To my horror, another debit order went through on the 16th of November. Planet Fitness is a business that operates through thievery! I immediately went through to the Bedford branch, showing the the proof of cancellation and requesting to see a manager. Noone was available to assist me, and I received a phone call an hour or so later by the same receptionist (who is no more than a puppet) to be told that the details of my contract were checked by a manager, and it was not truly cancelled and would be cancelled next month. There was no apology, no consideration for the time and money they had costed me and a blatant disregard for me, as one of their oldest members. At this stage, they have taken a total of R1315,60 from my account. None of their staff have bothered to attend to this issue or correct the wrong that has been done. I have never been exposed to such a level of blatant neglect, incompetence and absolute ********ity. The staff seem to have a very superficial understanding of the ins and outs of contracts, as any queries are relayed to head office. One is then expected to sit on the phone expecting to speak to someone that can provide some answers, and instead another puppet answers stating that this is the way it is and nothing can be done. Their aim is to make themselves so unapproachable that nothing can be done about the current situation - A pure violation of consumer rights. I sit and wonder how many others have been wronged in a simi**** manner. Are they *****ing thousands of rands from unknowing current or past members? This company must acknowledge the wrong that they have done, and correct it.