Golf Membership - resigning mid year

scubascuba3

New Member
I want to know whether I'm legally obliged to pay the membership for the remainder of the year. Some points:
- I've been a member for 15 years
- i can't recall signing any contract originally
- terms of conditions are not sent to members and no requirement to agree to T&Cs or sign a contract yearly.
- Members generally believe that 3 months notice is sufficient and has been used before successfully.
- the last few years I've switched between full membership and country membership due to my location changing.
- Mar 17 the T&Cs changed although i didn't receive notification
- main relevant T&C change is membership can't be changed mid year.
- I haven't agreed to new T&Cs.
- As i can't switch during the year to country membership the full membership is no use to me if I'm away for 9 months.

If other people have given 3 months notice previously and i have also switched memberships the last 3 years it would be reasonable to assume that i could switch again particularly as i wasn't notified of the T&C change. If i had i would have not started the membership this current year.

Thoughts?
 
It seems you are canceling membership rather than changing it from one typee to another. What do the conditions say about cancellation?

Regardless, you simply stop paying.
 
I want to know whether I'm legally obliged to pay the membership for the remainder of the year. Some points:
. . .
- i can't recall signing any contract originally

Seems to me that's something you ought to try and find out and that consideration of your question is next to impossible without knowing about this.
 
It seems you are canceling membership rather than changing it from one typee to another. What do the conditions say about cancellation?

Regardless, you simply stop paying.
The new conditions from Mar 17 which i didn't see until Jul 17 say you need to pay the full year membership if resigning/cancelling

If i cancelled the DD its unlikely they will persue it, but possible in case they want to make an example.

Yes I'm cancelling/resigning as I'm unable to change membership unlike previous years.
 
If they choose to pursue you over it, which I think would be unlikely, they would at some point have to prove that you were notified of the changes and bound by those terms. There are different ways notice may be given, some of them aren't so obvious.
What seems more likely if you do not pay is that you won't be allowed back to the club without paying what they believe you owe.
 
If they choose to pursue you over it, which I think would be unlikely, they would at some point have to prove that you were notified of the changes and bound by those terms. There are different ways notice may be given, some of them aren't so obvious.
What seems more likely if you do not pay is that you won't be allowed back to the club without paying what they believe you owe.
This is much more likely and a ex committee member friend said the same thing.

There is a chance I'd want to rejoin in the future. I guess they could just say no, but as you say more likely they would ask for unpaid membership first. I think cancelling the DD is a risk worth taking.
 
Before you refuse to pay, be prepared for the ones who might be offended to initiate collection activities against you, perhaps taking the dispute to court by filing a civil action against you, and mercilessly trashing your pristine FICO score.

If those yokels are clever enough to prohibit you from canceling without paying tribute, they're evil enough to endeavor to further punish you by ruining your FICO.

Editorial: Another reason I no longer join anything, and minimize my contacts with the human race.
 
what does your original contract state about them changing the terms? do they have the right address on file for you with your membership (i.e. did they notify you at the address on record and you just didnt' receive it)? Do you pay online such that they could have had a popup notification that you clicked on during that process? There are lots of ways that you could have been notified and honestly many times it gets ignored/trashed.

Honestly I deal with membership billing for a different type of business -- and the consequences could be anything stated above - inside/outside collections, not letting you return without paying (businesses don't have a statute of limitations on internal collections and can refuse to let you back as a member even if you pay the balance) to just letting you leave and clearing the rest of the balance.

I think you need to communicate the cancelation to them in writing at minimum -- don't just stop the DD. That's not going to ever count as any kind of written notice. If they state you owe the full year, ask in writing for the documentation that shows you were notified or signed for the change. See what cards they play at that point...
 
what does your original contract state about them changing the terms? do they have the right address on file for you with your membership (i.e. did they notify you at the address on record and you just didnt' receive it)? Do you pay online such that they could have had a popup notification that you clicked on during that process? There are lots of ways that you could have been notified and honestly many times it gets ignored/trashed.

Honestly I deal with membership billing for a different type of business -- and the consequences could be anything stated above - inside/outside collections, not letting you return without paying (businesses don't have a statute of limitations on internal collections and can refuse to let you back as a member even if you pay the balance) to just letting you leave and clearing the rest of the balance.

I think you need to communicate the cancelation to them in writing at minimum -- don't just stop the DD. That's not going to ever count as any kind of written notice. If they state you owe the full year, ask in writing for the documentation that shows you were notified or signed for the change. See what cards they play at that point...
I gave them 3 months notice as advised by other members but apparently this isn't the procedure now. The secretary has changed this is the main reason the issue is coming up. Its possible change of terms were sent to an old address with the yearly club accounts even though the old secretary knew my new address. Its just a DD controlled by the club so no popup notification of changes. I also searched the website and no T&Cs are on there. They are actually a well kept secret.

My plan is to cancel the DD just before payment. Then send another email to confirm resignation and the issue with the change in T&Cs. When they email back to say i need to pay the remaining balance I'll request the documentation that shows i was notified or signed for the change.
 
Are you not in the USofA? Pretty much any answers you have been given have assumed USA laws, not any laws of any country that uses £400s..... That's why it is always relevant to put where you are from/location....
 
Yes originally i thought this was UK but checked online and realised it was US. Answers seem logical though

Nothing about the laws of any nation are logical.

Some of our legal principles overlap, but the laws regarding debt in the UK are often much more favorable to the creditor.
 
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