I always thought Duncan Bannantyne was a bit of a twat

Cancer survivor banned from Bannatyne gyms after court case


10:05AM GMT 17 Nov 2011

Bronwen Davies, 60, a nurse, asked for a payment break from her Bannatyne's gym while she received chemotherapy and radiotherapy on her cancer.


But she continued to be charged for her £41-a-month gym membership even though she lay in a critical condition in hospital.


Mrs Davies had to go to court to win a £164 refund for four months fees from the gym owned by the millionaire businessman.


But Mr Bannatyne yesterday branded the nurse a "liar" on this Twitter pages after the case finished.


He also sent her a personal letter banning her from all 61 health clubs across Britain along with her local gym in Llanishen, Cardiff.

Mr Bannatyne's letter to her read: "Whilst I do not agree with the Court's decision or its interpretation of our membership agreement and policies, I'm willing to accept it's decision.

"However, I am not prepared to ever reaccept you as a member at any of Bannatyne Group's health clubs because I strongly disagree with your conduct.

"Kindly have the good grace to accept my decision and let the matter rest."
He then took to Twitter to attack Mrs Davies, telling his 44,000 followers: "Only a complete moron would believe that story.
"The woman is a persistent liar. What can I do? Sue a cancer survivor for lying?

"She is very good at getting sympathy but disruptive to my club so therefore banned."

But Mrs Davies responded by accusing Mr Bannatyne, 62, of being "despicable by descending into public abuse."

She said: "I'm just disappointed, really disappointed that a man of his standing and a national club can behave in such a vindictive and petty way."
She responded to Mr Bannatyne's Twitter comments by saying: "You shouldn't call someone a liar when you have no evidence and a court has said they were telling the truth.

"I'm not a Twitter user but I understand he has been making a big spectacle of himself. It makes him like a bit of a twit."

She told how she first joined her nearest gym in Llanishen, Cardiff, in 2004 before it was taken over by Bannatyne's company.

In July 2009 she was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsils.
Two months later she began a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

As her health deteriorated, she remembered that there was an option to suspend her gym membership in her contract.

Mrs Davies said: "I was told by the manager that I had such a contract and in order to enact it I had to put it in writing to her.

"I could suspend my membership from October. I could ask for a month initially and then roll it forward if necessary by phoning up.

"As it turned out, that wasn't the correct information, I should have been told I could suspend it for between two and six months but nevertheless I acted on the advice.

"I was then extremely ill. I was in no fit state to be ringing or writing to anybody during the months that followed.

"My husband rang, on my behalf, to tell them I was far too ill and to ask that the membership should continue to be suspended."

The monthly membership fee for October 2009 was debited from her account although the company later reimbursed her.

But she said that membership fees for four subsequent months were also deducted.

Bronwen said that as her health improved in 2010 she wrote to the company to ask for a refund.

She wrote: "You've refunded a month of the five months that I was off and could I have the other four months money?'"
"I wrote half a dozen letters in 2010 to the head office including one to Duncan Bannatyne himself and also to ask what their complaints procedure was.

"But I got nowhere."

She took the issue to the Office of Fair Trading and eventually the county court.

"The judge found entirely in my favour and ordered Bannatyne to refund me and pay my costs," she said – saying she was given a total refund of £164.
Bronwen said she then wrote to Bannatyne asking to be reinstated, as she wanted to continue her rehabilitation and there was not another gym nearby.
But she hit out at the decision by Bannatyne to ban her as a member from his gyms.

"It has been a very long process and it has been very difficult for me. This court case just added to my stress.
"I felt like I was being punished for having the cheek to ask for my own money back.

"I was really very unwell – I looked like something out of the holocaust and certainly couldn't go to a gym.

"I was severely malnourished and there were times when I didn't think I was going to make it.

"I would like to go back to the gym to help me recover – as you can imagine I'm fairly fanatical about my health.

"Exercise is something which could really aid my cancer recovery. I'm disappointed about not going back but I will have to go somewhere else instead.

A spokesman for the Bannatyne Group said: "This story is not as it seems. The lady's membership was revoked because she was disruptive.

"The Bannatyne Group supports numerous cancer charities and sympathises with the plight of cancer sufferers, but we will not be submissively bullied by this former member as we have to act in the best interest of all our members."


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8896311/Cancer-survivor-banned-from-Bannatyne-gyms-after-court-case.html