I am about to turn 24 and have been a member of the David Lloyd fitness club in Northwood in North West London for nearly ten years, mainly using it to play tennis.
In recent years I have been on a contract for those aged 18-25, offering full access to the club, racquet sports and the spa. When my annual membership came up for renewal in June, I was informed that my fee would rise by 67pc from £1,335 to £2,232.
The club said the discount I was given previously no longer applied. I wasn’t happy, but reluctantly agreed to the new price and believed I would have the same access as before.
I paid upfront as that is cheaper than paying monthly. But when I went online to book a tennis session, I was told I was no longer a racquets member. I complained and was told that adding tennis and the spa would cost another £756 for the year.
L. H., Pinner, North London.
Sally Hamilton replies: You felt the David Lloyd leisure company fed you a nasty lob when you renewed your membership. With the fee increasing by more than double to £2,988 if you wanted to continue with tennis, you feared it was game over.
Plus, if you weren’t happy, you would need to give three months’ notice to leave. You tried your best to resolve things yourself. You asked to have a joint membership with your mum, who has been a member for many years, as this would reduce the fees. But this was denied, as only couples can be joint members.
You asked if they would refund you what you had already paid and then set up a monthly direct debit for the new fee so you could manage the bills more easily. You were told this was not possible.
You asked if you could at least spread the load of the additional £756 charge for tennis and the spa, via monthly instalments – but this was also batted away.
You were so irate that you asked me to umpire the dispute. After I put your complaint to David Lloyd, a staff member offered you what you later described as an ‘amazing deal’. This turned out to be membership with tennis and spa access at a cost of £2,376, which is just £144 more than the price quoted without these extras. My intervention saved you £612.
You were seemingly given a bad steer over the age discount. You were told that the young person’s discount used to apply to those aged 18 to 25, and this had changed, while David Lloyd says there must have been crossed wires, for which it apologises, as the discount has only applied to those aged 18 to 23 for a long time.
A spokesman says: ‘We aim to offer a wide range of packages to suit members’ lifestyles and ages. We’re sorry for any miscommunication. L.H. has been a long-standing member of the club and we hope that she continues to enjoy her time with us.’
Navigating gym membership fees is a bit of an obstacle course. It can be worth negotiating. If the desk clerk or person on the end of a live chat won’t budge, try speaking to a manager. In general, gym-goers who want to cancel a contract may have to give notice, the length of which varies between gyms. Exceptions include if a member is injured or seriously ill, or loses their job.
If a gym plays hardball, members should quote the Competition and Markets Authority, which says that a gym contract is unfair if it does not let a member cancel due to serious injury or illness or a change in personal circumstances that means they can’t afford the fees. If a club does not accept this, contact Citizens Advice for help.
My brother and I are executors of our late father’s will and beneficiaries under his Clerical Medical whole of life policy, which we believe to be worth more than £80,000. Our father paid monthly premiums from October 1992 until his death in September 2023.
When he died, we instructed our solicitor to deal with matters. Their first correspondence with Clerical Medical was on October 4. Ten months on and the policy has not yet been paid, despite the solicitor’s best efforts.
In June and July this year I emailed the insurer myself but got no response. I did get a reply to a letter I sent in July, but this simply asked for documentation we already provided to it.
E. N., Blackpool, Lancs
Sally Hamilton replies: It would seem Clerical Medical’s clerical side needs a bit of medical attention. Ten months is not an acceptable length of time to wait for a policy payout.
I got in touch with Clerical Medical and it swung into action, confirming that the money would be with your solicitors the next day. Which it was.
It apologised for the delay and said it was caused by the company not communicating clearly with your solicitors that one of the trustee names on your father’s policy needed to be corrected, and then it requesting an HM Revenue & Customs trust registration when it wasn’t needed.
You were grateful for my help, but were surprised to receive just £58,902, when you believed the sum should have been more than £80,000. The premiums are lower for this type of cover than other forms of life insurance because the sum paid out reduces over the term of the policy.
Many choose decreasing term insurance alongside a repayment mortgage, for example, with the cover reducing to mirror the shrinking size of the loan over time. Others choose it to provide a payout to support the family if the breadwinner dies prematurely, calculating that less money will be needed the older children.
The sum assured was £83,536 at the outset, but by the time your father died it had come down to £9,932.
The rest of the payout is made up of a fund value of £16,464 and various bonuses of £29,935. The final payment you received included £2,571 in interest covering the period of the delay. Clerical Medical also paid you an extra £980 for the inconvenience caused.
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