Good way to reduce membership

<p>I recently downgraded my Virgin Active membership from National Member to Local Reds Club Member. I have been a member for more than five years (all as national member). I explained that I wanted the membership for a year and would pay the full year up front. Since it was late in the month (May 2016), I was told that the debit of R 809 for the previous month would still be taken off by debit order, and I said that this was OK and that this could simply be deducted when I paid the balance when returning after the debit had been processed. I was then informed that I had to pay a downgrade fee of R 140, which I still consider ridiculous, but paid in any event.</p> <p>Over the next few days I was treated like a ******** every time I went to gym. First I had to ask for assistance to get in at Reds because the system showed that I owed R 140, despite having the receipt for this. Then, at the regular club, I was first told that they could not let me in as I was only a local member at the Reds club. When I told them that my national membership only expired at month-end, I was told that I owed R 140 (again!)</p> <p>After the debit was duly drawn, I returned to pay the balance of the annual fee. This was a mission despite having a member from head office accounts and the club manager present at the time. It was explained to me that I could pay the balance in advance, but that the debit order would recommence after nine months (NINE? I drew the conclusion that they saw the debit drawn as fait accompli and that this would not go towards the annual fee). There was a long argument during which I got increasingly aggravated (and later apologised for getting upset), whereafter I was allowed to pay the annual balance and I hope that the account will be correctly dealt with from here on. Calculating the balance was a straight forward matter and should not have inconvenienced me as a member in any way.</p>