Premier Fitness Mademoiselle Fitness Sent to collections even though I cancelled in 2008 St. Catharines, Ontario

I cancelled my Premier Fitness membership back in March 2008 due to an illness that I developed.  When I called Premier to cancel (from my hospital bed) I only received the run around and was transfered every time I opened my mouth to verbally cancel my membership.  At the end of it, I was exhausted and at my wits end.  I contacted my bank, and my bank manager told me that Premier was into some illegal schemes regarding over-billing and continued taking of dues. At her suggestion, I stopped payments for any thing to Premier but allowed Premier to take the remaining instalment payments, from my credit card, to pay for any remaining balance owing on personal training sessions. Since then, that particular credit card has been cancelled.

In late 2008, I received some sketchy collections notices after those credit cards payments were finished with Premier (inconsistent amounts and contact information for people who did not work at Premier Head Office or with phone extensions that did not exist etc.), on and off, until last notice and last straw in late 2009.  A former fitness trainer, that I still have contact with, told me to ignore the notices that Premier could not send people to collections because they were heavily in collections themselves.

Today, I got a call from NCR demanding $378.00 (notably, letters from Premier before then would range from $950-1340). I called my lawyer and he informed me that they had no grounds for collections as any remaining claims by Premier were beyond the 2 year statute of limitations for collections activities.

I called and advised NCR that I would be pursuing legal action if this collection activity continued, gave them my lawyer's name and contact information and they were remarkably polite in contrast to the first call placed today.

I also googled NCR and found MANY complaints regarding both Premier and NCR for harrassment and extortion. If this continues, I will be taking my lawyer's recommendation to sue both Premier and NCR with slander of my credit rating and for personal damages. I called NCR to follow up and spoke to a manager.  He told me he did try to call my lawyer but my lawyer wasn't in.  As well, I told this NCR manager that I would be seeking damages and I was told, by this manager to "get in line because I wasn't the only one wanting to sue Premier". What does that tell you about both Premier and NCR!

Ironically enough, when I signed up in 2007 I wanted to pay for my full year up-front and with cash, but was told by the manager at Premier that they did not allow it....wow, I know for the next time...beware of any business who doesn't accept up-front cash payments!