29th April 2025 – (Hong Kong) – The gym chain “Physical Fitness” temporarily closed all its branches in September last year, leaving many members frustrated. Legislative Council member Edward Leung Hei reported receiving over 40 requests for help at the time. He mentioned that most members have successfully recovered their prepaid fees through their credit card issuers, with some individuals getting refunds of more than HK$55,000 for prepaid charges. Others have managed to reclaim payments for up to 109 months of unused services.
Members were generally encouraged to prepay their fees using credit cards. Normally, consumers can make a single prepaid transaction. If a business shuts down and services are not provided, customers can request refunds from their credit card issuers according to the terms of their cards. Even if the business refuses to issue a refund, consumers can seek arbitration through the credit card company to recover their payments for services not delivered.
Leung pointed out that some affected individuals filed refund requests with several banks. While some banks acted quickly to help clients recover their money, others were slower to respond, with no updates provided so far. He urged all banks to prioritize customer rights and support the recovery of prepaid fees, stressing that protecting customer assets is a key factor for the public when selecting a bank.
