Thank you Kate Dearn for your encouraging reply!! How do I pass this to chit chat - sorry I'm new to this!!! My problem is I was so looking forward to my holiday which I booked 6 months b4, that I wasn't even going to bother ringing them on 1st October, as I thought as I hadn't really started - I was not caught!!! But I did ring them and cancel, cos I could vaguely remember signing something, but again, I thought I would be protected by the Consumer Law as I didn't really get the goods, ie the free trial!!! It's so unfair the way the bloke bullied and threatened me on the phone, can't one simply have a change of mind?? We're only human, I had just lost a well anticipated holiday, wasn't thinking straight, and it was so unlike me to sign something without getting a proper think on what I was signing!!!! I can't believe I was caught out like this!!!

Gymophobics is a complete scam. I am currently a member in Sussex and was told when i signed up that i can cancel my contract at any time for a) health issues/pregnancy b) relocation c) work problems where you can no longer afford the payments.

Another lady that joined tried to cancel her payment due to health reasons, and the gym asked her to provide them with a letter from her doctor, and so her doctor wrote to them saying that it is no longer safe for her to use the gym. To cancel her membership, gymophobics told her she had to pay £180 being 3 months payments and a cancellation fee. There was no mention of this when she signed up.

I have tried to cancel my membership due to a huge reduction in my work hours i can no longer afford the payments. After being bounced between the gym and Debit Finance Collections, both saying i had to speak to the other, i eventually gave up on trying to cancel, but looked further into my membership.

What i thought i was originally signing up for was a 12 month subscription with the gym, but what i actually got is a finance loan with Debit Finance Collections. This was not explained clearly when i signed up, and although it was mentioned in the contract, it is not clear exactly what they are selling you. After speaking to several other gym members of other gyms and a solicitor, i found that to use a 3rd party for memberships is unheard of, and it does not seem illegal, but highly unfair and unreasonable and suggested i report it to Trading Standards. It appears that gymophobics are actually a front for Debit Finance Collections.

When i spoke to the manager/owner of this gymophobics franchise, i was told ''yes it is an unfair contract, but you signed it''. Also, it was only when i tried to cancel my contract i was told that you can only cancel after your 12 months has expired, and then you give a months notice before you can stop payment. So the 12 month contract is actually a 13 month contract.

The gym itself is not great either - most people i have spoke to who are members of gymophobics either havent lost weight, or actually put on weight. The few who have lost weight think that it is due to their own excerise out of the gym and their diet, going to the gym either had little or no impact on their loosing weight. There are no cardio machines there so all you are doing is various weights, which is only building muscle, the only machine properly designed to intially loose the weight before toneing up is the bike, but you can only go on that for 3 mins per visit which has absolutely no effect.

I hope after reading this that anyone thinking of signing up will think again and not be fooled like me!