Gym Contract Sham

<p>I am a UKZN 3year student who left home to peruse my studies in Durban - Westville. In August 2014 I signed a gym contract for two years and in the beginning when I signed everything seemed promising. The consultant told me that since I'm a student I will receive a student gym membership which is discounted. That never happened. The contract charges R495 per month which is so ridiculous. In August 2015, exactly one year after signing the contract I relocated to Pietermaritzburg and wished to terminate my contract which was a whole inconvenient process which would cost be so much more than the contract is. So I decided to choose the option of freezing my account which means I would have to pay R250 per a month and not being able to use the gym at all for that month. THOUSANDS of rands were wasted, and finally, when I thought it was all over last month in August, I awoke to a debt amount of R580 from my bank account! Firstly, I did call the call centre for assistance on more than one occasion. From July-August 2016 I paid the full amount of R495 because an agent said that my account wasn't frozen until July and for the last month of the contract the full amount had to be paid. From the time I left Durban in 2015 I haven’t used to the gym once and they still expect more and more from a student with no income! The same day that the amount was debited from my account I went to Durban to query as to why. The response I received was that the contract expired but I THEY made it into a month to month basis after that charging me R580! I did not sign any contract or make any arrangements for this unknown contract to take place nor did the call centre call me, email, or even a sms me keeping me informed! I am educated in Commerce and know my rights and according to the Constitution as well as the Consumer Protection Act what Virgin Active is doing is ******* and exploiting! Absolutely ridiculous to exploit people and especially students in such a manner! Only when I went to enquire about the debit amount directly at the gym did they explain all this to me and said I must write a letter as to why I’m cancelling my contract and the amount of R580 will not be refunded to me and will still have to pay a cancellation fee and give 20 days’ notice! A contract I didn’t sign, know about or authorise. What type of institute does this? If something is expired how can it continue? Why do I have to pay a cancellation fee if it is already expired? Is my leaving from this “job” where I paid every month for nothing why I have to give you notice! EXPOLITATION at its HIGHEST! What is the need of the letter? VIRGIN ACTIVE WESTVILLE IS A NO GO ZONE! Forget about "status" because it is not there. If you are looking for a good gym in the area I recommend Plant Fitness- Honest, Cheaper, and just a place where you can train knowing that you ate getting your money’s worth without being exploited.</p> <p> </p> <p>I hope Virgin Active Westville reads this and gets back to me after having told me I would receive a call from you'll two days ago. A Terrible, ************* organisation to get involved with please people, stay away. Learn to be ethical and professional please!</p>