Way out of gym membership scam

The Associated Members Club gym membership scam which many Herefordshire people were conned into signing up for last November now has a twist in the tale.

The company involved in getting people to sign non-cancellable credit agreements costing £427, when the customers thought they had won £750, have been found to be in breach of the Consumer Credit Disclosure Regulations because they fail to give consumers a "Pre Contract Information" sheet prior to signing the actual agreement.

Tim Thorne, Herefordshire Council’s principal trading standards officer, said: “This sheet contains information on the credit agreement they are about to sign and the absence of this in each case makes the contract unenforceable against the consumer without a court order which is highly unlikely to be granted.

“Therefore consumers who have been conned can almost certainly cancel the agreement without liability,” he added.

It is possible that a few hundred people were conned and anyone who now wants to get out of their agreement should contact the trading standards department at Bath Street, Hereford for advice on how to cancel. They should telephone 01432 261987 

Many households in the county received an offer from the Associated Members Club through their letterbox and were subsequently told they had won free gym membership, allowing use of facilities at the Factory Gym in Canal Road, Hereford.

Herefordshire Council’s principal trading standards officer Tim Thorne said: “I have had both elderly and disabled consumers complain that they have not only been stung by this offer but also that the gym facilities are totally unsuitable for them.

“Our advice is clear, nothing in life is free and any unsolicited mail should be thrown in the (recycling) bin,” he added.