Metro Vancouver gym closes and keeps members' pre-paid fees

A Maple Ridge man and his wife signed up for a local gym in January thinking it would be a great way to exercise, but it’s turned out to be a massive headache after the gym closed and allegedly kept their year-long membership fee.

Sahil Mahajan and his partner Suhani signed up for Snap Fitness Maple Ridge in January 2022, choosing it because the gym was only a couple minutes’ walk from their home. They gave Snap Fitness just over $1,000 for a year-long pre-paid membership for the two of them.

But one day in spring, they arrived dressed in workout gear to find the gym had closed and the building was up for lease. The realtor trying to find a new commercial tenant for the space told Daily Hive he listed the unit in June.

Sahil Mahajan/Submitted

Mahajan said he’s tried emailing and calling the gym to ask for the balance on his membership back but hasn’t heard anything yet.

“I feel cheated,” he told Daily Hive. “I must have left at least 10 voicemails … If the gym is gone, that’s understandable. But at least return our money then.”

Mahajan has had no luck getting in touch with gym staff and when he called the chain’s other locations, they apparently said it wasn’t their problem. Daily Hive has also reached out to Snap Fitness’ media relations team but hasn’t received a response.

Daily Hive didn’t find any bankruptcy declarations for Snap Fitness in a search of Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Records.

Zack Sale, manager of the Snap Fitness location in Burnaby, said he’s aware the Maple Ridge location closed but he doesn’t know why. He added his location has been fielding calls from frustrated members.

The locations are franchises and they are fairly separate, Sale said, meaning the Burnaby location can’t help Maple Ridge members over the phone.

Sale said the best he could offer Maple Ridge members was access to the Burnaby location. At first, members’ information won’t show up on his system, but he said after approximately a month it should transfer over and the Burnaby location may be able to help them cancel.

The Maple Ridge gym no longer shows up on Snap Fitness’ location map online, but Facebook and Instagram pages representing the Maple Ridge franchise are still posting content, which is puzzling for Mahajan.

Other users have also commented on the gym’s social media posts and left Google reviews asking why it closed and when membership fees will be refunded.

Google

Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith, spokesperson for Consumer Protection BC, told Daily Hive consumers have access to different types of recourse depending if a business has simply closed or if it’s declared bankruptcy.

If a business provides services that are ongoing and physical in nature, as a gym does, consumers have cancellation and refund rights for their contracts in certain situations. If a fitness studio closes its doors or changes the services offered, customers are within their rights to cancel and receive a refund because it’s considered a “material change” by the suplier.

Consumer Protection BC has instructions on its website to help people through the contract cancellation process.

On the other hand, if a business declares bankruptcy it can be more challenging for customers to get their money back. In those situations, consumers can contact the bankruptcy trustee and request to be added to the list of creditors — but even then there’s no guarantee of getting money back.