An elderly Bradford couple are being threatened with legal action over a £10 debt after they took up the offer of a "free" membership.

The Wyke pensioners, who have asked not to be named, received a telephone call saying they had won the membership at the Shapers Fitness Club in Hipperholme, Halifax, because they took part in a survey.

"My husband can only walk with crutches or in a wheelchair and I thought it would be good for him to have some regular exercise," the 61-year-old said.

"I went along first and joined up because I thought it would encourage him."

But it was only when they arrived they found that, although the membership was free - courtesy of Gloucestershire-based AMC Fitness Ltd - they could only use the club if they paid £25 initial contribution each and entered into a finance agreement with AMC to pay 34 monthly instalments of £10.81p each as a "contribution" to the maintenance of the club.

They agreed to go ahead after claiming they were told by the owner, Ravi Takhar, they could have a three-month trial period and cancel within that time.

But after going twice a week for a month, the 65-year-old man found the exercise was too much. "I just couldn't manage it," he said. "I was in too much pain."

He wrote to AMC administration manager Robert Cowley explaining they were still within the three-month trial and now wanted to cancel the contributions.

Mr Cowley replied, saying that, while his withdrawal was accepted on medical grounds, hers was not and she would have to pay the full amount - and there was no three-month trial period.

The couple have now received a letter from AMC telling them they have not paid their last instalment and unless they do, the company's debt recovery department will soon become involved and legal action could be taken.

"If we had know we couldn't cancel it we would never have signed up for it," he said.

Mr Takhar said he had "no idea" where the couple got the idea of a three-month trial period from.

"We took quite a lot of people on with the AMC offer and they were all told by the AMC representative that they had 14 days within which to cancel.

"There is no way we would say it was a three-month trial period."

He said the £10.81p a month was a contribution towards the running of the club.

Asked why it could not be paid direct to the club rather than through a finance agreement with AMC, he said: "I really have no further comment - I really don't want to talk to you any more."

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Trading Standards said the couple would be obliged to pay the money for her three-year contributions.

"She has signed a credit agreement and it is a legally binding document," he said.

"They have no way out."

Robert Cowley, administration manager for AMC Fitness Ltd, said the company did not own any health clubs but was a "corporate membership provider" to about 130 around the country.

Some of these memberships were offered to survey firms for their prize draws to give free to people who had taken part.

He confirmed that, although the membership itself was free, people would not be able to use the gym facilities unless they paid the "contributions", which went towards "the upkeep and maintenance" of the health facilities.

He said AMC paid the full, three-year amount up front to each club and then the member paid the instalments to AMC through a finance agreement.

He said he had spoken to the AMC rep at Shapers and to Mr Takhar and both had denied saying there was a three-month trial period.

"It comes down to the customers' word against the representative and owner and we cannot take sides," he said.

"But we have to refer to the document they signed, which is a legal document, and they have to adhere to the terms of the agreement."

He wrote to the couple on August 26 saying previous letters had been ignored and £10.81p was still overdue and he gave them 15 days to pay up or the matter would be handed over to the company's debt recovery department "for collection and possible legal action".

Asked if AMC would continue its threat, he said: "Yes".

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