Unfair Billing and Poor Flexibility Despite No Service Usage

I’m extremely disappointed with how Virgin Active has handled my recent attempt to freeze my membership.

During the month of May, I sent an email to request a membership freeze for the month. Only after following up did I receive a response informing me that freezes cannot be app**** retrospectively and that notice needed to be given by the 5th of the month. I wasn’t aware of this strict cut-off and by the time I got a reply (21 May), I was informed I still owed the full monthly fee of R1,491.50 despite not having used the gym at all.

I asked whether a pro-rata fee or any reasonable compromise could be considered, as I received no value or service during the month. I wasn’t trying to avoid payment, just to freeze the account and avoid being charged for a service I didn't and couldn't use. Unfortunately, I was met with rigid policy enforcement and told that even if you can't use the gym, you still have to pay. This of course, would make sense if I were still provided with access to the gym, but that was not the case. Virgin Active actively prevents members from using the facility until payment is received.

Virgin Active’s position is that because the freeze wasn’t processed before the 5th, I owe the full amount. No exceptions, no flexibility, no recognition of good faith. This is extremely unfair and arguably inconsistent with the Consumer Protection Act, which is meant to protect consumers from being charged for services not received.

I’ve tried to handle this respectfully, and all I asked for was fairness, not a handout. I even offered to escalate the matter internally in the hopes of finding a more balanced solution, but the door was essentially closed.

Very disappointing to see a large organisation so unwilling to work with long-standing customers in good faith.