Raw Deal muscles in to assist members in getting refunds from gyms during lockdown

Fitness-conscious readers have asked Raw Deal to flex its muscles over disputed health club memberships during lockdowns.

The leisure industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and since last March many gyms have been forced to turn off their treadmills.

However, this has caused confusion among some club members who signed up for year-long contracts, either paid for up-front or by monthly instalments.

In many cases these agreements have been paused and restarted during and after shutdowns, leaving some gym-goers wondering where they stand.

Stuart and Elizabeth Smith joined Bannatyne Health Club in Ayr in November 2019. They took out a year-long subscription and were paying £88 a month between them.

The gym closed for a few months when the first lockdown was announced last March.

The Smiths, from nearby Troon, decided to cancel their membership as it had hardly been used.

“In the summer the gym reopened,” said Stuart. “However, because we are in our seventies we felt it unsafe to return and cancelled our subs, informing Bannatynes.

“We were told this would be fine but were then informed we would have to keep paying for a full year during the periods that the club is open.

“It seemed that there was little we could do as we had taken out a contract.”

Stuart wrote to Raw Deal for advice. After we contacted Bannatyne’s, the firm issued the couple with a partial refund.

The health club chain emailed Stuart, saying: “We have reviewed your case and we will only charge you for the period of time that the health club was open during your 12-month membership. A refund of £78.58 will be processed.”

Stuart was grateful to Raw Deal for intervening but insisted his complaint was never just about the money.

Elsewhere, Jackie Stewart, 53, ran into problems when the DW Sports Fitness chain went into administration in August and her nearest gym was taken over by another firm.

Jackie, from Aberdeen, had renewed her £322 annual membership with DW Fitness in September 2019. The gym closed last March due to the lockdown and never reopened.

In August she was informed that the club had gone into administration but her attempts to get a refund for the time the facility was closed were unsuccessful.

A few weeks later, Jackie was told the company had been taken over by Everlast and that further advice would be issued.

“I received no further correspondence,” she said.

Raw Deal contacted Everlast. The company declined to comment on her case but she was offered a partial refund of £142. “If I hadn’t contacted Raw Deal I think I would be still chasing this,” said Jackie. Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said year-long contracts with health clubs might still have to be honoured despite the current circumstances.

Gillian Fyfe of CAS said: “Cancelling a membership often involves paying out the rest of your contract but there are exemptions for those unable to exercise; if you think your contract terms are unfair, or if you have had a change in financial circumstances.

“If anyone is struggling with cancelling a membership we would encourage them to contact their local Citizens Advice bureau.”