Membership terms and conditions

1 INTERPRETATION

1.1 “Club” is the club managed by the Company as identified in the membership sign up process.

1.2 “Company” means Places for People Leisure Limited and its subsidiary and associated companies and is referred to as “we”, “us” or “our” throughout these terms.

1.3 “Manager” means the General Manager of the Club.

1.4 “Minimum Term” is the period of membership set out in your confirmation email, during which the Membership Agreement cannot be terminated by the member. Membership will continue after the Minimum Term but can then be cancelled if required in accordance with clause 11.

1.5 "Member" means the person for whom the membership is for and is referred to as “you” or "your" throughout these terms. If this membership is for someone under the age of 16, then the agreement is with the responsible adult named in the Membership Application, who will assume liability for honouring any membership or payment obligations, as detailed in this agreement.

1.6 “Membership Agreement” means the agreement between us consisting of these Terms as varied in accordance with section 17.

1.7 "Online services" includes all activities provided via the Places Locker app or our websites, whether free or paid.

1.8 “Premises” means the Club, including its grounds, car parks and access roads.

1.9 “Terms” means these terms and conditions of Membership.

2 STARTING YOUR MEMBERSHIP

2.1 Your Membership starts on the date of purchase.

2.2. We have the right to refuse or revoke membership or any request to change a membership.

2.3 It is your responsibility to notify us if you feel you are eligible for a concessionary membership. Proof of eligibility will be requested and must be supplied within 14 days of the membership sign up process or the discount will be lost. Any fraudulent or wrongful information given in order to obtain membership could result in the cancellation of your membership.

2.4 With the exception of you cancelling your Membership Agreement during the cooling-off period (as set out in section 3) or if we agree to refund fees where you cancel due to a change in our terms in accordance with section 17, we will not refund the joining fee in any circumstances. You will also need to pay the monthly subscription payment for the Minimum Term.

3 COOLING-OFF PERIOD

3.1 You have the right to cancel your membership for any reason by sending or taking a written notice of cancellation, addressed to the Manager at your Club within 14 days of joining (i.e. within 14 days of purchase).

3.2 If you cancel during the cooling-off period we shall refund your initial payment in full, including any joining fee paid.

3.3 If you cancel during the cooling-off period, we will refund you in the manner that you paid originally. Cash payments will be refunded to your bank account. Refunds are processed at our head office. Please allow 10 working days for the refund to be completed.

4 MEMBERSHIP CARDS

4.1 When you join, we will give you a membership card which will require your photo to be taken. The membership card may be physical or digital.

4.2 Your membership card may only be used by you and any fraudulent use of the membership card will result in cancellation of your membership with no refund being made by us.

4.3 You must bring your membership card with you each time you visit your Club.

4.4 If you forget your card, we may ask to see a second suitable form of photographic identification before we allow you to enter to your Club.

4.5 We may delay your access to the Club to give us enough time to record your visit.

4.6 Replacement cards are subject to a charge. Details of this charge are available from your Club.

4.7 The membership card remains the property of the Company and entitles you to all the rights and privileges exercisable by your category of membership.

5 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

5.1 By law, we do not have to pay you compensation for any service, facility or equipment not being available because of health and safety reasons.

5.2 We will not pay you compensation if we have failed to carry out our duties due to:

(a) a fault of your own;

(b) someone else not connected with providing our services under these Terms;

or (c) events which we could not have known about beforehand even if we had taken all reasonable care.

5.3 We have the right to make changes to the type of facilities we provide, if we give you notice. We will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by these changes unless this loss or damage is caused by something we have done or failed to do or cannot be avoided by law.

5.4 We have the right to make changes to the type of online services we provide, without notice. We will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by these changes unless this loss or damage is caused by something we have done or failed to do or cannot be avoided by law.

5.5 You bring all personal belongings to your Club at your own risk. We accept no liability for loss or damage to property of members which is not caused by us or our employees.

5.6 Nothing in these terms and conditions will exclude or limit our liability for fraud or death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

5.7 Notwithstanding sections 5.1 to 5.6 above, if we are found to have any liability to you for loss or damage to property our liability to compensate you is limited to a reasonable amount, taking account of factors such as whether the damage was due to something we did or failed to do.

6 PHYSICAL HEALTH

6.1 It is your responsibility to make sure that you are capable of any activity you participate in.

6.2 You should consult your doctor before beginning any activity if you are not sure whether or not it is suitable. If you have any concerns about your physical condition, you must get medical advice before using our facilities or online services.

6.3 Before using our facilities or online services, you must first complete a health commitment statement. Whilst optional we also recommend a supervised gym introduction with one of our qualified fitness advisors.

6.4 We may refuse you access to our facilities if we consider the use of such facilities could put your health at risk.

7 TRANSFER OF TERMS

7.1 We may transfer the benefit of your Membership Agreement to a third party on similar terms and conditions without notice to you.

7.2 You cannot transfer your membership to another person.

8 MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

8.1 All categories of Club membership, whether or not mentioned in these Terms, shall be subject to the Membership Agreement and to the rules, bylaws and regulations of the Club which are in force at the time. Details of each type of membership are available on request from your Club.

8.2 Online services are subject to the rules, bylaws and regulations of the Company and the third-party online service providers, presented at the time of purchase.

8.3 You must be at least 16 years of age to be a Club member, unless you are a Junior member. If this membership is for someone under the age of 16, then the agreement is with the responsible adult, who will assume liability for honouring any membership or payment obligations, as detailed in these Membership Terms and Conditions, and will assume responsibility for the Junior member engaging with age-appropriate online services.

8.4 In the case of Premium memberships with affiliated Juniors, membership purchase shall constitute acceptance of these Terms by all persons included in such membership and reference in these Terms to “Member” shall include all such persons.  Premium members are required to bring their bank details to centre when adding junior members. This is a systems process and will not affect ongoing DD payments.

8.5 The Club may at its sole discretion require Members to evidence their continued qualification for their relevant membership type or discount. In the case of Juniors on Premium memberships, the Premium member must be either the parent, legal guardian or grandparent for all affiliated Junior members.

8.6 We retain the right to remove membership categories at our discretion.

8.7 You will be entitled to all the rights and privileges exercisable for the type of Membership chosen.

9 JOINING FEE AND MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP CHARGES

9.1 The Direct Debit payment amount is due from you to us. You are obligated to make payments for the duration of the Minimum Term, with the first one being paid on the first Direct Debit payment date and then every month thereafter, unless you cancel your membership, or, in the case of Junior members, until the final month of eligibility. You will receive an email shortly after joining, which will confirm your first Direct Debit date.

9.2 During your membership, you must pay your membership fees whether you use our facilities and services or not, except where the cancellation terms stated in section 11 are met.

9.3 We reserve the right to increase membership fees at any point from the commencement of your contract subject to us giving a minimum 10 days’ notice. If you are unhappy with the changes you may cancel your membership notwithstanding section 11 of these Terms.

9.4 Once you have completed the minimum number of Direct Debit payments we will automatically continue collecting the Direct Debit payment amount every month. Your membership will continue for one month for each payment. This Direct Debit payment amount may only be amended if we advise you in writing giving not less than 10 days’ notice. Please note, if your membership included the benefit of a free period then we will stop making collections during that free period and recommence making collections on the renewal date.

10 IF YOUR PAYMENTS FAIL

10.1 This section is about what will happen if you have not paid your monthly subscription payment for one of the reasons set out below:

10.1.1 the direct debit details you gave us were wrong;

10.1.2 there are not enough funds in your bank account;

10.1.3 you have cancelled your direct debit without giving us the notice we need as set out in section 11.

10.2 Whilst you continue to owe us a monthly subscription payment you will not be allowed to enter your Club or any of our other clubs and we may cancel your membership.

10.3 If you fail to pay any monies due under this agreement or if any Direct Debit/cheque is returned unpaid or if any other form of payment is not honoured for whatever reason, you shall pay us on demand (i) an initial administration fee of £20; and (ii) any and all further reasonable costs incurred by us in recovering the due fees and charges from you, including costs in tracing you if you have changed your address without telling us.

10.4 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 reasonable and direct costs incurred in employing the third-party company will be borne by you including costs in tracing you if you have changed your address without telling us.

11 CANCELLING YOUR MEMBERSHIP

11.1 You are able to cancel your membership during your Cooling-off Period. Refer to 3.1 for details.

11.2 You can cancel your membership if we increase your membership fees during your Minimum Term.

11.3 You can cancel your membership after your Minimum Term by providing at least 15 days notice before the next direct debit collection to allow sufficient time to process your request. We do not issue refunds, so your cancellation date will be set as the day that your next direct debit is due.

11.3.1 You may initiate the cancellation of your membership after your Minimum Term by completing a membership change request form.

11.4 During the Minimum Term you may cancel the contract only:

(a) if we fail to provide the standard of facilities of service you would reasonably expect and have fallen well below that standard.

(b) if we alter the operating hours of the services unreasonably resulting in you being subsequently unable to access the services.

(c) 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.

(d) If you move to an area which is 15 miles or greater from one of our facilities we shall require evidence that such a move has taken place. (Not applicable to online services.)

(e) If you lose your employment by redundancy and are subsequently unable to keep up your repayments under this contract. You must produce documentary evidence.

(f) If you become pregnant. You must produce documentary evidence.

11.4.1 You may initiate a cancellation request whilst in your minimum term by contacting your centre. You will be requested to provide the relevant documentary evidence during the request process if you are cancelling due to a reason listed in posts c) d) e) or f) above.

11.4.2 All cancelled memberships default to a free Places membership, which allows you to 'Pay as you Move' and continued free access to the Places Locker app. There is no obligation.  

12 FREEZING YOUR MEMBERSHIP PAYMENTS

12.1 You can freeze your membership by providing at least 15 days’ notice before the next direct debit collection to allow sufficient time to process your request. 

You may freeze your membership payments, free of charge, for a minimum period of one full calendar month and a maximum of three full calendar months at a time for one of the following reasons: an ongoing medical condition, including concerns related to Coronavirus; pregnancy, redundancy, religious grounds, temporary relocation to a location 15 miles away or greater. (Relocation not applicable to online services.)

12.2 If you do not meet any of the criteria set out in 12.1 you may freeze your membership payments for a minimum period of one full calendar month and a maximum of three full calendar months, at a time, subject to a monthly administration fee of £5, payment being made as indicated by us.

12.3 You can request to freeze your membership by completing a membership change request form. Frozen months will be added onto your Minimum Term.

12.4 If you would like to restart your membership and payments in advance of your freeze period ending, please contact your centre. We will automatically reactivate your membership on the return date you have provided unless you have cancelled your membership in line with section 11.

12.5 You can continue to use the facilities while your membership is frozen by paying the standard non-member casual rate for the activity.

13 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS OR TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP BY US

13.1 We reserve the right to expel you from a Club and/or end your membership with notice if, at any time:

13.1.1 you break the conditions of your Membership Agreement;

13.1.2 you do not comply with the rules and regulations of your Club, the Company or the third-party online service providers, presented at the time of purchase. (Club rules and regulations will vary from Club to Club and are available on request. We may change the Club rules and regulations at any time.); 

13.1.3 you allow another person to use your membership card or account details to access the Club or online services. (This section will not apply if you have told us that your card has been lost or stolen.);

13.1.4 your conduct, whether or not such conduct is the subject of a complaint by another member or group of members, is such that in our opinion, it may be injurious to the character, name or interests of the Club or is such that it makes you unfit to associate with other members of the Club;

13.1.5 any part of your monthly subscription payment which is due and payable remains unpaid 30 days after the due date for payment.

13.2 In the event that we terminate your membership pursuant to clause 13.1, we will not refund the joining fee or payments received. You will remain responsible for paying the monthly subscription payments for the Minimum Term.

13.3 We may end your membership for any reason by giving you one full calendar month’s written notice to cancel it. In these circumstances you will not have to pay any additional subscriptions and we will refund any subscriptions you have paid in advance for the period after cancellation.

13.4 When your membership has ended and we have taken the final payment from you, it is your responsibility to cancel your direct debit to us at your bank.

13.5 If you are a corporate member, we reserve the right to cancel your corporate membership if the agreement we have in place with the company you are associated with or employed by ends or if you are no longer associated with or employed by that company. We will be entitled to act on any notice the company gives to say that you are no longer associated with or employed by them. Your company or we will tell you when your corporate membership ends. We will then contact you to ascertain if you wish to remain a member of the Club and outline the options open to you.

13.6 Lapses in your monthly subscription payments may incur a new joining fee.

14 CLUB FACILITIES

14.1 The facilities available to you depend on your Club and your membership category. Full details can be obtained from your Club on request. Services and facilities not included may be used by you at an additional charge. Where 'unlimited' is referenced, we draw your attention to pool use and classes, which may be restricted at times due to capacity and localised programming.

14.2 Your Club’s normal hours of operation and the hours in which any facilities within the Club are available for use are available from your Club on request. Such hours may be lengthened or shortened at our discretion with or without any prior notice being given to you.

14.3 On occasion the Club may be closed, or withdraw facilities for certain periods of time to carry out cleaning, repairs, alterations, maintenance, security work or for any other reason beyond our or the Club’s control without giving you notice. In addition, we may at times set aside facilities for tournaments, exhibitions or other social activities without giving you notice. You will not be entitled to a refund if your Club is closed in accordance with this section.

14.4 On occasion online services may not be available, or withdrawn for certain periods of time to carry out maintenance, security work or for any other reason beyond our or service provider's control without giving you notice. You will not be entitled to a refund if online services are unavailable in accordance with this section.

14.5 We reserve the right to make reasonable alterations to the type of facilities and online services provided without notice.

14.6 We will endeavour to give you reasonable notice of such closures, maintenance or alterations. 

15 EVENTS BEYOND OUR REASONABLE CONTROL

15.1 If we are not able to provide all the services and facilities at your Club for 60 days in a row or longer for “reasons or events outside of our reasonable control”, either you or us will be entitled to cancel your membership within your contracted Minimum Term. By law, we do not have to pay you compensation in these circumstances and during this period.

15.2 “Reasons or events outside of our reasonable control” could include, for example, natural disasters, a government’s actions, war or national emergency, acts of terrorism, protests, riot, fire, explosion, flood, epidemic, lock-outs, strikes or other labour disputes (whether or not they relate to our workforce), restraints or delays affecting our ability to get supplies of suitable materials on time or at all.

16 CHANGE TO TERMS

16.1 We may change these Terms at any time.

16.2 When we do make changes that affect you, we will give you reasonable notice of the changes that we plan to make. If you are not happy with the changes you may cancel your membership notwithstanding section 11 of these Terms.

17 UPDATING YOUR CONTACT DETAILS

17.1 It is your responsibility to ensure that the contact information on your account is up to date; this includes postal address, email address and phone numbers. This can be done by logging into the Member Area of our website or Places Tracker app and selecting the 'My Profile' option.

18 THIRD PARTY RIGHTS

18.1 The parties do not intend that any of these terms of the Membership Agreement will be enforceable by virtue of the Contracts (rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by any person that is not a party to it.

19 GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS

19.1 Your membership agreement is governed by the laws of England and any disputes will be dealt with in the English Courts.

PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION POLICY

Places for People Leisure Limited treats the protection of personal data carefully. We will use your personal data for the purposes of administering membership (including collecting membership fees and other sums due to us), vetting people for membership, access control, providing you with services such as maintaining training, fitness, health and diet records, providing you with marketing information and internal administration such as training, detection and prevention of crime (for which we do have CCTV monitoring in certain places). We store your personal data in a secure manner within the UK. Where the information is sensitive (for example, health and medical details) we take extra care of this information and will not pass it to any other parties. Other information, we may pass to contracting parties of ours, other relevant business and successor businesses. We will keep your personal data for 3 years from the end of our relationship with you, this includes expiry of your membership. To find out further information on our Privacy and Data Protection Policy please visit our full Privacy Policy

Registered in England no. 08363432. Registered Office: 80 Cheapside, London EC2V 6EE. VAT No: 823 8323 34