Stroke man charged to leave gym

Published on Wednesday 10 June 2009 10:08

THE family of a computer programmer have hit out at gym bosses who wanted to charge him more than £100 to cancel his membership – despite the fact he had suffered a stroke that has left him blind and unable to walk.

Mike Ray, of Cockenzie, and his wife Ann Holmes joined the health club at Newcraighall three and a half years ago, which was later taken over by Bannatynes.

Mr Ray, 45, suffered a stroke last year, which left him unable to walk without assistance. He also suffers from glaucoma, which has led to him losing his eyesight, and he is now registered blind.

Ms Holmes attempted to cancel their joint membership last month, since Mr Ray was unable to use the gym. But she was told they would have to pay an "administrative charge" of 75 for cancelling for medical reasons. This was on top of the fee for one month's notice, which is 49.50.

Ms Holmes said: "We were quite happy to pay the month's notice, but I was shocked that there was this extra fee.

"It's very obvious that Mike is disabled, but we were still told we needed a medical certificate.

"Then I was told I would have to pay three months' fees to leave the gym, but they would take 20 per cent off if I didn't use it, so it would actually cost me less to leave the gym than my husband. I couldn't believe they could treat a disabled person this way."

The gym offered them both a 20 per cent reduction on the three months' notice fee, as a gesture of "goodwill". They later offered a further 20 per cent reduction, making the joint cost 191.62.

Ms Holmes said she was upset by the way they had been treated. She said: "This has been a very difficult time for us. Mike has had two sets of eye surgery, but is now registered blind. He is having mobility training and making a huge effort to learn to use a computer again. This has just caused added stress for us."

A spokesman for Bannatynes said the 75 cancellation fee for medical reasons was in their contract, which the couple had signed.

He said: "Our terms and conditions are fair and have been cleared with the Office of Fair Trading. Our contracts do not penalise people for medical reasons. We have worked with Mr Ray and Ms Holmes to find the cheapest leaving option under the contract that they have both signed.

"We have achieved this by offering a goodwill gesture of 20 per cent off the normal cost of cancelling a joint membership.

"We reject any suggestion that we have acted unfairly in this matter."