Hi all, so this is an interesting one, I joined a gym.. locally.. online.. they had a separate finance firm ‘Debit Finance Collections’’, and it’s a local trust gym.. to cut a long story short, just after joining I went on a course at work and was out of the area for a while and pretty busy, when I got back I realised I just wouldn’t have time to use the gym and to be honest there’s one closer to my work which is better placed.. I called up DFC (bearing in mind I haven’t set foot in the gym, picked up my card, had a letter.. nothing..) and that was when I was told, as I was two days over my cooling off period, I’d have to pay the full £450+ cancellation charge... I did try and reason but no dice.. I then contacted the gym as they do have the power to allow you to cancel early.. aaand again ‘sorry sir but our terms state that outside the cooling off period you owe the full years fees’.. now, as I’ve never been picked the card up, been in there or actually had any service at this point, I’m tempted to cancel the DD, speak to the finance company and say it had been set up fraudulently / mistakenly by someone else.. and deal with it like that.. or is there a better and more legal option? I don’t want to affect my credit rating or have DCA’s chasing me so any advice would be appreciated.. my contact with Debit Finance Collections has only been a quick call where they told me I couldn’t cancel.. below is the terms from my one email confirmation, thanks in advance!: “email Terms & Conditions Definitions: Service Provider = "we", "us" or "our"; Customer = "you"; Debit Finance Collections Plc = "DFC" Terms of your Contract PERIOD OF COMMITMENT -You are agreeing to subscribe monthly for the services provided by the Service Provider and contracting to remain a subscriber for the minimum period of the contract ("Minimum Period"). -Once you have completed the minimum number of Direct Debit payments we will automatically continue to collect the agreed Direct Debit payment amount on the frequency chosen at the time of setting up the Direct Debit Instruction. Your contract will continue until terminated in accordance with these provisions. -You may cancel the automatic renewal of this contract at any time by providing at least 1 Months notice in writing or by e-mail (info@debitfinance.co..uk) to the Service Provider or to DFC. COOLING OFF PERIOD -This contract commences once you have indicated your acceptance in the Declaration section of this contract. You have 14 full days after signup to cancel this contract for any reason. To exercise this right, you must inform us of this by post, email or telephone using the details provided. Alternatively, you can notify DFC in writing or by email to info@debitfinance.co.uk.. If you exercise this right to cancel, we will reimburse you all joining and subscription fee payments received from you using the same means of payment you used for the initial transaction. If you have used the service before requesting to cancel, then we will reduce your subscription fee refund by a pro rata amount equal to the number of days from signup to the date cancellation was requested. -Your subscription starts immediately. -You will be entitled to all the rights and privileges extended to you for the type of subscription chosen. TERMINATION OF SERVICE, LIMITED RIGHTS TO CANCEL -During the Minimum Period you may cancel the contract only: 1. If we fail to maintain the standard of service you would reasonably expect. 2. If we alter the operating hours of the services unreasonably resulting in you being subsequently being unable to access the services. 3. If you develop a medical condition which prevents you from using the services on an ongoing basis. An appropriate medical practitioner must provide written evidence that this is so. * 4. If you move away from the area by a distance which we consider, at our sole discretion, to be too far to travel to the services for regular use. We shall require evidence that such a move has taken place. * 5. If you lose your employment and are subsequently unable to keep up your repayments under this contract. You must produce documentary evidence and we may, at our discretion, suspend your payments for two months. We will then review your financial situation with you. * 6. If you become pregnant. You must produce documentary evidence and we may, at our discretion, suspend payments for three months. We will then review your situation with you. * PLEASE NOTE: points 3-6 require documentation, this can only be accepted from the date of receipt. TERMINATION PAYMENT FOR EARLY CANCELLATION -If you cancel your subscription during the Minimum Period, other than in the circumstances set out above, we shall be entitled to a termination payment ("Termination Payment"). -The Termination Payment will be the total of: 1. Any arrears; 2. Any accumulated late payment charges that have been or will be incurred; and 3. The monthly subscriptions that would otherwise have fallen due before the end of the Minimum Period. -You will be given credit for early payment, and this will be in the form of a discount applied against the total that you have to pay. For details of how the discount is calculated, please contact DFC. MISSING PAYMENTS -If you miss two payments, you will be deemed to have breached your contract. GIVING NOTICE TO CANCEL -DFC will continue to collect your monthly subscription after the Minimum Period. Should you not wish to continue subscribing after the Minimum Period, you must give notice to cancel the contract at least 1 calendar month before the final payment of the minimum period. If you wish to cancel the contract at any time after the Minimum Period, you must give at least 1 calendar months notice. The notice should be in writing or by e-mail (info@debitfinance.co.uk) and sent to the Service Provider or DFC. COLLECTING YOUR MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTIONS -DFC is our agent for the collection of your monthly subscriptions. DFC will collect your subscription monthly in advance on our behalf by Direct Debit. -If you fail to make a payment on time, you will incur the following charges: 1. Fail to pay the subscription on the due date £15.00. 2. Fail to pay the missed subscription within 7 days of the date of a reminder correspondence £30.00. 3. Fail to pay the arrears and accrued charges within 7 days of the date of a Final Notice £45.00. - Late payment charges become payable immediately when they are incurred. -Other Charges include: 1. Payment other than by Direct Debit £5.00. 2. Any cheque returned unpaid by your bank £10.00. -DFC is also our agent for serving notice and collecting any Termination Payment which becomes due. Any notice served on you in accordance with the terms of this contract, will be deemed to have been delivered to you the next day after it is despatched by us, or our agent. -If you would like to make a complaint with the service you have received from DFC, this should be in writing or by e-mail to (info@debitfinance.co.uk). You may also request a copy of our complaints handling policy. If you fail to pay any amount due under this agreement for a period of more than 30 days, then we may pass the debt to a third party company for collection. The costs incurred in employing the third party company will be borne by you including the costs in tracing you should you have changed address without telling us. PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION We take great care to ensure that any information we hold about you is kept safe and secure. This section explains how and why the Service Provider and DFC use your personal information. The Service Provider and DFC need to collect and process personal information in order to be able to provide you with the services. The personal information required includes: - your personal details (such as your name, address, date of birth, telephone number and email) - financial information (such as bank account details) - medical information (which is provided to the Service Provider) - ethnicity (which is provided to the Service Provider, but which is completely optional) Your details and financial information DFC requires this information in order to collect and process payments. It will also use the information for related purposes, e.g. keeping records of financial transactions for a number of years (as required by law and the Direct Debit Indemnity) or to pursue unpaid debts. DFC may anonymise and aggregate data (so that it no longer identifies you) and then use it for analysis and reporting purposes. Some of the information DFC collects and processes will also be shared with the Service Provider (e.g. details of a missed payment) Medical information In order to take out a subscription the Service Provider needs to know a bit about your health and any conditions or injuries you suffer from (this is to make sure that you can make use of the services safely and without risking injury). When subscribing via DFC's online portal you will be asked to provide certain sensitive personal data about your medical history. This information is provided on the basis of your consent, and you do not have to provide it. However, if you choose not to then the Service Provider won't be able to provide you with its services (e.g. gym membership). If you do decide to provide this information it will be sent to the Service Provider (DFC will not store or have access to it). You can, of course, withdraw your consent to our using this sensitive personal data whenever you wish. However, by withdrawing your consent you will also be cancelling your contract with the Service Provider (as it will no longer be able to provide you with our services). If this cancellation takes place during the Minimum Period, you will be liable to make a Termination Payment (as set out above). The Service Provider will also be provided with details of your ethnicity (if you choose to provide this information). for its own equality monitoring.. This information is completely optional and there is no need to provide it (and it you can ask for it to be deleted at any time without consequence to you). For further information on how and why the Service Provider and DFC use your personal information, and details of your legal rights (including the right of access) please visit: Removed

Hi, I've been with Brightside Car Insurance for last two years, however my auto renewal wasn't a great price but I was away working and I totally forgot to cancel in time & it was renewed. Luckily I got back within the 14 day cooling off period and called to cancel and asked how much I would be refunded from the first monthly payment taken via Direct Debit (£60)..I realised I would be charged the £25 cancellation fee & for number of days cover provided. The advisor said he could only cancel the policy and was unable to confirm the refund amount & I would have to call back once it was cancelled (the following day) altho he estimated approx £20 ish. However I called today and I was advised that I would actually owe them more money?... I was baffled and asked how & he explained that they as brokers charge a £25 admin fee and also my actual insurance company charge £25 also... I've never come across that before to be honest in the many years I've been driving?? The policy was auto renewed on the 11th January upon which they took payment of £60 the policy was cancelled on the 21st January. I have complained to Brightside & the advisor has arranged a manager to call me back (as no one was available at the time)..altho I'm not holding my breath as Brightside customer service is terrible if I'm honest..long, long waiting to be answered and the usual "robot approach" staff. Thankfully I didn't have to call them often but I was determined upon renewal I was leaving them (just a pity I didn't realise before it auto renewed) I've requested for Brightside to waive "one" of these charges as I really think it's ridiculous. Upon cancellation on the first call I was told I would be charged £25 cancellation & the days cover was provided ..nothing about the other cancellation charge? Has anyone else had a similar situation with two charges? Any help or advice appreciated.

Hi, Roko are claiming I owe another months fees after cancelling and are threatening CRS. Background: Gym membership commenced 1st July 2017 First payment made upon joining. 12 month minimum contract DD's taken on the 1st of each month. Contract states 3 months notice to cancel. In 2018 I could not justify the cost of the membership. 1st June 2018 I rang Roko to confirm intent to cancel. 1st June 2018 written notice provided to Roko, confirming June, July and August would be paid via DD as the 3 months notice and membership should end 31st August 2018. 13th June 2018 a letter was received from their reception stating that the notice would begin from 1st July 2018 and membership would end 30th September 2018. I rang to query this and reception said they didn't process my notice until the 7th June 2018, and because they didn't process it before the 6th of the month, it would 'roll forward' to July 2018. There is nothing within the contract to state the notice of cancellation has to be processed by them at a certain time of the month. They said they weren't in a position to discuss when I disagreed but would ask the membership administration manager to call me to discuss. Never happened. A further call was made to Roko a week later requesting to resolve this. Promised a call back. Informed reception that DD would be cancelled after the August payment was cleared. Since they were asking the membership admin manager to ring, they said I should discuss with him. Never got the call. September 2018 - letter received stating DD attempted and failed. £20 admin fee now added to outstanding membership balance. This letter was from the membership administration manager who I'd been wanting to get hold of so at least now I know who he is. Responded by letter outlining terms of contract fulfilled from my perspective (more than 12 months minimum contract paid for, and 3 months notice given) plus pointing out the administration fee is unlawful, unenforceable - particularly because nothing is owed. Another letter received yesterday containing copies of contract, pointing out the 3 months notice requirement and basically saying they are within their rights as per T&C's to have September's fee. Specifically no mention or response to my point about admin fee added. And saying that if no payment received by 28th September, the matter would be passed to CRS, incur additional costs and it would then be nothing to do with Roko. Reading this forum, I know I should ignore CRS but it sounds as though this guy from Roko won't be responding anymore so I'm unsure how to proceed. Do I go to head office? Or am I in the wrong here? Many thanks,

Hi, Firstly I know there are hundreds of threads for this same matter but I don’t think any apply directly to me. I received an email today from Harlands claiming that I owe them £104.97. This is for a gym membership I took out around February 2017 whilst working away from home. When I signed up to the gym I was told it was a 12 month contract and nothing else. I was surprised to see the payment still coming out a few month down the line once the 12 months was up and I cancelled the direct debit on the online banking app. Heard noting and thought nothing of it until today I received an email saying I owe them the above amount. The email contained an attached letter from CRS threatening legal action if I do not pay. I rang immediately to question why I owed them and it’s because I didn’t follow the cancellation procedure and didn’t let them know and that they charge me every month for missed payments, the £9.99 per month membership fee and £25 late fee. I asked what would they accept payment wise and he said if it wasn’t paid in full by the 9th October they would take me to court. I refused to pay the amount as I believe it’s daylight robbbery! My question is what should I do next? I cancelled the direct debit in July so there are 3 missed payments. Should I email them offering to pay the 3 months I’ve missed and then cancel it after? I really can’t risk this effecting my credit score as I am applying for a mortgage next March/April! But I really don’t want them taking my hard earned money just because they’ve decided to ask for it! Any help would be awesome!!

Hi First post so please go easy I joined DL in May on a 12 month membership. Its a 32 mile round trip but was worth it. However now my marriage has ended and Im separated. Left with joint debts ie. big Halifax overdraft and their new charges are a killer but thats another story. I'm been in contact with Halifax and Barclaycard as Im in a severe financial pickle. Bottom line is I could really do with ending my DL membership to save £72pm and wonder if its possible. I haven't cancelled the DD as Ive read that doesn't go down well with DL. Ive not written to DL yet as I wondered if it was possible. I don't expect for a second they would say "sure, thats fine" but I was hoping they might be a little caring. Any advice most appreciated. Thanks

Good morning, first of all this is the first time i’ve Used a forum so pardon my ignorance. I was a member at lifestyle fitness on Hagley road, Birmingham. I paid for a 12 months membership and only went twice. I cancelled my membership and received a “Sorry you’re leaving” email. Maybe a year later I rejoined. The building having changed Hands to “TheGymGroup”. I was paying by the month and I was using the gym. I got really fed up with the gym and the lack of equipment . I quit my membership through the members app. Again I received a “Sorry you’re leaving” email. That was maybe 4 months ago. My lifestyle membership i think ended sometime in 2016. I realised to my Horror last week that the Gymgroup are still taking my £18.99 a month! I have contacted them and they said because I no longer have the email, there is nothing they can do. To make matters worse, she said that my lifestyle membership was still running! Now i’m Terrified that they have also been charging me for 2 years without me realising! I don’t even know how to contact lifestyle as they no longer run the gym . I have now cancelled my direct debits, which I will do in the future. I feel such an idiot. I just trusted the companies were professional! I feel so upset and totally powerless. It’s such a mess and I don’t know what to do

Have been googling for a solution to walk me away with this, then found this forum. This forum is amazing! But it may still be uneasy to resolve my trouble, because I red all the other threads by fellow victims and yet none of them matched with mine. It sounds absolutely silly as in hindsight, however, I literally and rather unconsciously has made two sign-ups in UseNext 14 days free trial, with one fraud Email address and the other one is authentic. But both of them have now bundled with my PayPal account, therefore, I assume I will get a double charge in the expiry of free trial period in case I stay put at the moment. I wasn't much too unfortunate, after all I discovered this issue the first day I made the sign-up, not to mention I haven't even started to use it. But the ridiculous part is that even if I have 13 days margin to cancel the one with my real email registered, there is no way I can cancel the other due to I don't own the other email at all. I suppose there won't be leniency given by UseNext then to defeat their own purpose of exploiting as much as they possibly can. As a fact that I have no intention to sign up for UseNext therefore I didn't bother writing down my own email, but only did I realize that my sign-up is immediately activated and the countdown of bill charge is initiated when I logged in my PayPal account. That's why I made the second sign-up with my own email address just to confirm if I'm really into the trap. And it is what it is now.. I am quite panic for this right now, and have probably 13 days left to come up with a solution. Call me an oblivious doodle all you like, but PLEASE if I won't be forcibly charged then that would sound much cozier. What should I do next??

hey hoping someone can advise me! I had my first car insurance cancelled in 2013 coming up to 5 years ago the reason being that i took the policy out as i was buying my first car and mistakenly said id had my licence for 1 year (id had it for 10 months) so when i sent my licence as proof they cancelled the insurance. The fact is it was a silly mistake,i just thought oh its been around a year i wasnt trying to deceive them as i knew i was going to have to send proof anyway.. i now seem to be paying for this mistake! Will I have to disclose forever? and as a consequence most insurers will turn me away? My current insurer know all this but my premium remains nearly the same as when i first took it out despite the fact i am now older than 25, have 5 years no claims and have a 1.3 litre car.

Hi, I joined a local gym on an offer that stated 3 months at £9.99. I went regularly for a month and a bit but the parking was shambolic and they had about 5 spaces and the rest was on street parking in a busy area and eventually i got bored of hunting for spaces to go to the gym. I eventually tracked down the portal and it had barely any information on it and no way to cancel. Having been on a Harlands membership before or so i thought with Simply Gym i did what i had been told by them and cancelled the membership. After the last payment should have gone out i received a text and email stating that i owed the £9.99 and a £25 admin fee. I emailed back saying there was no option to cancel the membership so i cancelled the direct debit. I received no response for over a month. I then asked for confirmation confirming this was a minimum term. I then emailed back and confirmed i was happy to pay the remainder of the contract but not the admin fees so just the £9.99 I received another email today adding more admin fee's onto this taking the cost up to £59.99. I rang them today to state i had not had a response from my previous offer and they have not emailed back and now added another charge. I got no where as you would expect. Should i just pay up or should i ignore it? Thanks in advance.

Hi. Just needing some guidence on CRS on behalf of the Harlands gym. Cancelled the gym membership after 6 months i personally thought id taken it out for a 3 months time scale as i was told its for how long you want it too be not like other gyms!!! I was wanting a gym based more on classes as i got married in Aug 17. Cancelled with the bank as i was having personal issues it wasnt until i had to look at my bank account realised i was still paying for the gym as i thought id got it for the 3 months sounds a lame excuse i know have been told i owe them 342.00. Well ok then the contract i signed was for 12 months and i have paid 6 months at 29.00 a month i worked it out for about 174 .00 but they have put costs etc on. Having rang and explained they have been really rude and condescending. They have apparently sent me letters and also monthly statements of what i have paid to my address i can honestly say i have never received CRS says i need to have a word with Royal Mail as obviously i am not getting my post through their service. I receive my bank statements and overseas parcels so really not sure why i havent revieved their letters. I am more than willing to fight this im worried the affect it will have on my credit rating as im looking at changing my mortgage i dont want this to have an impact while im still trying resolve this. At the moment they are just rude people who speak to me like im a low life. Feeling worried and scratching my head whats the best course of action as obviously i signed up for the 12 months which is now my words against theirs but no way am i paying 340 odd pound.

I have recently returned from Cuba, it was a fantastic holiday that was only spoilt by a loss of 2 days. When we booked it we was due to fly to Havana, Spend a couple of nights there, then fly on to Cayo coco, using an internal flight. Spend 14 nights then fly back to Havana for an overnight stay then Havana to Gatwick.. The internal flight time was 45 mins. 3 days before our holiday we were contacted by our holiday company stating that because of a recent airplane crash at Havana they would not be using any internal flights.? Which is fine, safety first etc.! The holiday company said that they would be giving us a private car and we will be driven to our destination. It was a taxi. I asked how long this would take to which they replied ' oh about 4 hour's.? There was no other alternative offered. The journey from Havana to cayo coco took 8 hours...! With the same again on the return. We basically lost 2 days due to travelling. Have I got a case for some compensation?

I recently entered a contract with an estate agent called Remax signing on the 21st of March 2018 due to the failure to get one visit booked within the first week whereby there was 350 online views and a failed attempt to cooperate with another estate agent to work together in selling the property. I didn’t hear from the agent in a week and he didn’t respond to a message I sent him asking for an update. Hence, I decided to cancel and go with another agent. This is the wording from the contract: If you are a consumer client and this contract was not agreed within our premises you have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day this contract was agreed. To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel this contract by sending us a clear statement in writing to: RE/MAX Right Step, 1b Hall Lane, London, E4 8HH or emailing us. To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired. If you choose to cancel the agency agreement, you will be required to pay for the services supplied prior to cancelation, such as For Sale boards, advertising, property particulars, Energy performance certificates etc. Where we introduce or have negotiations with the ultimate purchaser of the property before you exercise your statutory right to cancel the contract, this contract will be deemed to have been fully performed and the agreed agency fee would be due, notwithstanding that cancellation took place. Is this legally right given he was notified on 1 April 2018? Thank you

Booked hotel only with Love Holidays and am paying in instalments £60 deposit and one payment of £280 so far with the balance due July. Since booking our chosen hotel has had some really dire reviews and any that are positive seem to be fake ! I'm petrified of staying there now especially as hubby will not be with me and I will be on my own with two young kids. I'd rather cancel and stay somewhere else. Am also fearful that the third party company will have overbooked or not have my booking at all something I have now read is quite common. I know its common practice for bookings to be processed via a third party but LH seem to be notorious for using agents who do not honour the original booking. I'm not fussed about losing what I've paid so far but am wondering whether that are likely to pursue me for the balance. I'm waiting for them to confirm how much it will cost to cancel and in the meantime Ive checked the T's and c's for the third party company who are beds with ease and they state 25% which isn't quite what I've paid yet. Anyone had any experience of this ?

Hi, I cancelled my DD with Harland's earlier this year after speaking to a member of staff at the gym who told me this was an adequate way to cancel since I was pregnant and could no longer fully use my membership. This month I received an email from Harland's asking me to pay £100+ in fees due to cancelling my direct debit. I rang as instructed and was asked to provide proof of pregnancy and that by doing so the amount would be cleared and the account cancelled. After sending proof I received an email saying I was required to pay £52+ in order for them to cancel my account as I hadn't let them know before payment was due. I refuse to pay anything since two members of their staff instructed me, I followed staff guidance and am now required to pay more which I wasn't told and frankly can't afford. This is causing me a lot of stress and with pregnancy this is not a good situation to be in. Any advice on what to do would be greatly appreciated.

I have been having issues with the cancellation of my Xercise for less membership. I completed the online cancellation form on 14th November 2017. At the same time, I cancelled the DD with my bank. I realise now that they do state on their cancallation form that you must give 30 days notive, so in hindsight I did cancel my direct debit too early. After this date, I started to recived email/txt/letters stating that I owed money. I initially read some posts on this webpage and I ignored the correspondance. It went through the usual form: Harlands adding admin fee / CRS txting saying they need to speak to me urgently. I noticed that each correondance from CRS was getting higher in the amount owed. Finally landing at around £180. I decided to try and sort it with Xercise for less. I spoke to them on the phone last week. They saif they could reduce the pice to about £60, which was for my months membership that I didn't give notice for and the buy back fee for the dbt off CRS. They said that would "stop me getting issues with my credit rating, and make it all like it never even happened". I refused, I told them I would accept the £14.99 1 month membership for cancelling my DD too soon but I will not pay anything extra. I also asked why, if they received my cancellation reques form, did they ignore it and coninue to rack up dept on my account. He said because I did not follow the terms of cancellation and cancelled my own DD. I then sent an email (copied in parts from one I saw Slick write on here) about my change of address - as letteres went to my old one - and also regarding the nature of the intimidating letters. I reiterated that I would pay 1 month membership and nothing else. I recieved a phone call a few days later which I ignored and emailed them to tell me to put anything they have to say in an email to me. I have now received an email to say that as a good will gesture they will remove all CRS charges, however as I did not update my address upon relocating they will charge me a £25 admin fee plus my £14.99 outstanding membership payment. So £39.99. Should I refuse this? - also, I moved house AFTER I submitted my cancellation form so it is irrelevant to them where I live at that point. Any advice I what I should reply to them with would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Hi hope you can help, a week ago I paid a deposit of £370 towards an all inclusive holiday in Rhodes due to fly out 1st April. My boyfriend and I have split up and therefore won’t be wanting to go on the holiday together. Does anyone know where I stand in terms of payment of the rest of the holiday (due to be paid in full 25th March) or if I can get a refund of my deposit. Thanks

Booked a 'camping' break for two nights 13th to 15th Feb, this was booked on the 16th Jan. However, the better half no longer wishes to go, mainly due to the weather/temperature, but primarily because she isn't feeling great, and would prefer to simply go out for the day on Valentines day. I rang Away Resorts who deal with the bookings, and was told that if I cancelled then they don't have to refund the cost (£70) because their T&C's say so..... https://www.awayresorts.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/ Seventy quid is a lot of money for us, just to simply throw away into someone elses profit pocket...... I am aware of potentially having to go the visa debit chargeback route, but I'm also aware they will more than likely claw it back, just out of spite? I'll be writing to them to air my disgust and disappointment with them, but can anyone think of a better angle of attack here?? TIA..Boo

Hello, I’m desperately seeking help regard a claim with my travel insurance. Here is my situation: - Policy: Economy Light (attached) - Insure and Go is the insurance company - Incident while abroad: Money and travel documents stolen from inside our hotel room in Lyon, France, on the 1st night of the trip (22nd December 2017). Unfortunately they were not in the hotel safe. - Travel plans: The trip was originally organized in 2 parts: o 1 week in France: starting in Lyon (where the theft happened) and going to the south of France (Nice, Marseille and Perpignan) o 1 week in Morocco: Departure from Perpignan to Marrakesh and flying from Marrakesh back to London Luton. - Consequences of the incident: Cancellation of hotels in south of France (as we had to go to Paris instead in order to sort new passports) and complete cancellation of the Morocco trip as we couldn’t get passports in time. Extra accommodation and tickets to get home to the UK from Paris (1 week earlier as we missed the holidays in Morocco). - Claims I made: o Section I3: Passport and Travel documents: Seeking for payment to replace the documents (£100 each) o Section I2 - Personal money: Seeking for payment of the U$450 stolen o Section J - Cancelling and cutting short your holiday: Seeking for compensation of having cut my trip short because of the passports being stolen - Response from the Insurance: o Section I3: Passport and Travel documents: They agreed to pay but under this section it’s saying it includes all the extra expenses incurred in order to replace the passports (£100 doesn’t even cover the costs of the new passports, let alone all the extra expenses!!) o Section I2 - Personal money: They are saying there is an exclusion for this: (4. Cash or passports that you do not carry with you on your person (unless they are held in a locked safety deposit box).)"- so I guess I won’t be able to get this money back. o Section J - Cancelling and cutting short your holiday: They are saying that passports being stolen is not in policy as a reason to cut the trip short (which for me is more than absurd as without a passport you cannot travel!). But I don’t see it in the exclusions. They are saying that only these reasons are covered: "Travel and accommodation expenses that you have paid or have agreed to pay under a contract and which you cannot get back, including any local prepaid excursions, tours or activities, if it is necessary and you cannot avoid cancelling or cutting short your trip; and reasonable extra travel costs if it is necessary and you cannot avoid cutting short your trip." I really feel that passports being stolen affect the trip and in my case made me miss flights and my trip and accommodation in Morocco. - Costs incurred: Amongst hotels we missed, extra accommodation in Paris, flights missed and extra ticket to get back to the UK we spent over 2,000 euros! Is there anything I can do to get any compensation under Section J (or any other section that apply better to my situation)??? I’m considering to raise this with the Travel Ombudsman, but not sure how to approach. Please help.. this has ruined my Christmas and my 2 weeks holidays and I’m trying to get a sensible response from the Insurance, but so far I only got “rejections” of my claims. I would greatly appreciate any help or suggestions you can give me! Travel Insurance Policy.pdf

Hi I've recently cancelled my direct debit to Xercise4less and received a letter from Harlands saying I owe them admin fee of £25 aswell as the monthly fee etc... I had been with the gym for over 3 years now (rolling contract atm). I haven't stepped foot in the gym since 27/06/16. So over £175 wasted (my reason for cancelling). The letter I received from Harlands states that if I do not pay by 10 December I will be charged another £25. So I phoned up Harlands today and offered to pay what I owed (£9.99) without the admin fee ofcourse. But as you'd expect they had declined the offer. I don't know what my next step is to take? I have read a few topics and I'm not 100% sure what to do in my personal situation thanks all.

Good morning folks, I'm getting in touch on behalf of my partner. She signed up to Simply Gym back in August, who use Harlands as their money collector She's just received an email this morning stating that she is £97.98 in arrears because a direct debit was cancelled and the last two payments of £25 have not been going through. They also state that if the debt isn't paid by 14th November a debt of £313.89 (yes, £313.89!) will be passed on the a Debt Recovery Company. They stated that they've been sending letters up until this point, but we haven't received anything prior to this. Upon checking, it seems that the direct debit to Harlands was cancelled accidently back in September, and not because she wanted to cancel the membership. We haven't used the gym during this time, anyway, so it's not like she's been using the facilities for free. Is there any way she can just make the two missed payments for the service, and avoid paying all these ridiculous extra charges (£313.89.. , as there was no foul play here, it was a genuine mistake that the DD was cancelled. Kind regards

Hi All, I had a trade insurance with Onesure last year, and despite the cost and the business closing, I kept the policy for the year. It has now come round to renewal, and due to working in an employed position, I couldn't call during their working hours, so have gone to cancel today. The policy is £1100, but they are looking to charge me over £450 for cancelling 3 days in (2 being weekend). I can understand some cancellation fee, but it's within 14 days cooling off period and this amount! They are currently speaking to the underwriter to check costs, but I fear this is part of a play, and preparing myself. Anyone with any advice or experience in how to deal with this, or a successful outcome, as that's a lot of money for 3 days, where it only had my car on the policy, covered by a new one that I could do online at the weekend. thanks in advance David

Hello everyone, I am new here. Sorry if this problem has already been discussed before, but would really want some advice on the matter. I've joined exercise for less on the 18th of September 2017, and I wanted to join for a month to test out the gym, so the personal trainer there at the time said that I can join and cancel on the same day so that the charge would only be taken for September, they charged me 40 pounds, 20 for admin and 20 for the month. The contract I am on is a rolling contract. although on the terms and condition states that I shouldn't cancel the DD, but I did it anyway because I don't want them to 'accidentally' take another month's cash from me. Got an email from xercise for less (central support team) about arrears, called them and they told me I have to pay the October fee (20) and administrative fees( for cancelling) 25 ( 44.99 in total), Ive hanged up and complain to the gym front desk, they told me they will help contact harlands ( blah blah blah). Nothing happens until the 19 of October which Harlands sent me an email, demanding payment of the 44.99 or they are going to up the charges. I have written the reply below ( not yet sent), and was wondering if there is anything I should add or avoid? ------------- Dear Sir/Madam, Please note that the date I have joined xercise4less on the 18 of September is also the date I have filled in the online cancellation form which would have given you 30 days of notice of cancellation, I had been adviced by member of staff from xercise4 less in the Newcastle-under-Lyme branch to fill in the online cancellation form on the first day due to the fact that I was only interested to join for one month. No administrative fees will be given. Yours Sincerely ---------- Thank you for taking your time to read this. hopefully hear from you soon. Paarthurnax

Hope this is the right spot for this .. . my first visit - first time I've been threatened with a court action, too - scary! In June of this year I cancelled my gym membership - no valid medical reason - we just weren't going. I had been a member for a couple of years but - and guys no laughing! Swimming three times a week was wrecking my hair.. .. okay you're allowed to laugh a little but just quietly please I went to my bank (Barclays) and instructed them to cancel my direct debit. They did. At least - they told me it was cancelled. They helpfully advised me to let the gym know. Soon as I got home I phoned the gym (Virgin Active at the time) and explained I was cancelling - life too busy etc etc... and they asked me to let them know in writing and said an email would be fine. I emailed them that same day - expaining I was cancelling my membership and had stopped the direct debit. Job jobbed. I thought. Didn't hear back from them so I presumed it was fine. Meanwhile - and this may/may not be significant? Virgin Active sells out to David Lloyd Clubs) Didn't look at my bank satement very carefully until a couple of months later - (I know, I know shocking... what can I say??? ) and it was then I noticed that the gym payments were still going out. Puzzled and miffed I went to the bank. They checked. yes, the direct debit was cancelled but the company that took over Virgin active - namely David Lloyd - had started up the direct debit again. I had no idea they could do that! So - nice bank lady said not to worry - they would sort it out - the money would go back into my account, they would block David Lloyd from taking money out of my account (sheesh that's still a scary thing to type) - but she says - if I ever want to go back to the gym I would have to unblock David Lloyd in order for them to take money for a direct debit - as if that is likely to happen after the way they conduct business! The story continues. Few weeks later I get a phone call from a company called Arc Europe accusing me of being two months behind in my gym membership payments. Argh. I take a deep breath and explain that I have cancelled my membership with Virgin Active. .. explained bank/phone call to gym/ email notification to gym, thank you please don't contact me again. Phhht no good - phone calls text messages, threatening letter - pay up or else you'll go to court and your credit rating will be affected. ... blah blah blah oh and by the way we have added some admin fees.... ! And then this morning an even scarier letter from Major Law solicitors - wanting even more money and how it will be easier and cheaper if I pay now..... lawd..... What do I do? I'm rubbish at paperwork... no idea where my original conract is with Virgin Active... . and I have deleted the email I sent to them confirming I was cancelling my gym membership. Sorry this turned into a ramble. Any one got any advice? Going to see someone at the bank today - maybe a letter from them confirming when I actually cancelled the direct debit will help? Cheers

Good afternoon. At the end of last month around the August bank holiday weekend (2017) I decided to cancel my direct debit to Fit4Less because of an upcoming medical condition. On the same day I sent a message to my local Fit4Less on their website contact page saying I would no longer be able to attend and so I have cancelled my direct debit. I had no response. on September the 4th i receive a letter from Harlands saying: Dear MR ***, re: Your membership to Fit4Less We are writing with regards to your membership for Fit4Less as we have been advised by your bank that your Direct Debit instruction has been cancelled and as a result we have been unable to collect your monthly installment of £44.99. Due to this payment being missed you have incurred a £20.00 administration charge. We would like to help you keep up to date with your membership payments and we understand this may have been a mistake so would kindly ask you to contact the Harlands Customer Service team on 01444449029* to pay the outstanding balance and reinstate your Direct Debit. Alternatively you have the ability to make a payment and reinstate your Direct Debit using our secure online payment service by following the link and using the details provided bellow. Go to *some url* You will need the following information to hand: - Ref Number -Credit/Debit card details -Arrears to be paid £44.99 Please note you will not be able to access the club until this balance has been cleared. We remind you that under the terms of your membership you need to provide 1 month's notice and therefore need to make another monthly payment. Failure to do so will result in further action so please contact us immediately to resolve and avoid this. If however you are having any problems with your membership or payments please contact the Harlands Customer Service team on 01444449029* or email us at *theire email* and we will be happy to discuss your account. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Telephone lines are open from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and we look forward to receiving your call. Yours sincerely, Harlands " My monthly installments have been on a no contract Direct debit of £24.99. I understand I should have paid his final installment but do I have a leg to stand on if i refuse to pay the admin charge. I am also going to the hospital tomorrow for his condition so I am tempted to ask for a doctors note. Any thoughts? Many thanks!

I took out a Service Plan agreement less than 14 days ago and want to cancel. Essentially you pay £26.99 a month for 18 months and it covers a major and minor service, fair enough. However, Ive decided to cancel and simply pay for each service in lump sums as it will in fact be better for me if I want to change cars within the timeframe as if I did then the balance is due which again is fair enough. However, I have NOT claimed on the plan at all and speaking to VW financial services they are saying ok but that it takes up to 28 days to cancel (funny how it only took 20 minutes to set up) and that the first payment is due within that period and they will take it and its non refundable. Other than cancel the direct debit, have I any recourse and is it me, or does this sound like pretty dubious practice anyway?