azimuth Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 (edited) The chain of fitness centers is down to two locations, and members are not happy. In a move that will feel all too familiar to those who bought California Wow memberships only to see the chain of gyms go bust, True Fitness unceremoniously announced that its CentralWorld branch will close on Nov 30, 2016. There was no advance notice and True Fitness was selling memberships at that branch (and to that branch) as late as August, 2016, according to new members we spoke to. We can’t confirm when True Fitness stopped selling memberships at its CentralWorld branch. As of Nov 9, the branch is still listed on the True Fitness website. That means those buying True Fitness memberships at the surviving branches (Exchange Tower and Esplanade Ngamwongwan - Khae Rai) may think they are also getting access to a location near BTS Siam. We spoke to one member who bought a 3-year membership in August for B38,499. He decline to be named in this story due to his ongoing attempt to get a refund from True Fitness. “I went to the gym one day and saw a sign up that they were closing, I was really worried,” he said, having only purchased the 3-year membership two months earlier. Despite multiple requests, True Fitness has yet to refund his membership fee. When members persist, they are instead asked to file a complaint, which True Fitness says will be “processed within 15 days.” True Fitness is saying that because two branches remain, they are still honoring their contract. But members who work or live near CentralWorld, not its other locations, think differently. “The 3-year membership gives me all-club access, but going to other branches is inconvenient for me,” the member we spoke to said. A thread has formed on Pantip, where numerous other members are airing their grievances. One commentator, posting under the handle Indy Ratri, said they were prompted by a salesperson to purchase a new membership in August under assurance that the CentralWorld branch would remain open. “I asked if the fitness center was closing. A salesperson said, ‘A club this big with this many members, there’s no way it’s closing’,” the Pantip user said they were told. The thread goes on to say that a staff member responded to their request for a refund by citing a term in the contract that says True Fitness reserves the right to close gyms without prior notice. True Fitness has not responded to our requests for comment. Source: http://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/news/true-fitness-centralworld-closure-leaves-members-stranded Edited November 9, 2016 by azimuth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmen Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 (edited) ANNOUNCEMENT 9 June 2017 Dear Members, It is with deep regret that we announce the closure of our operations in Thailand. All True Fitness, True Spa and True ‘Est centres in Thailand have ceased operations on 9 June 2017. In Thailand, the past years have proved challenging, and unfortunately the businesses are no longer financially viable due to evolving market conditions. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to sustain operations in Thailand due to the challenging market conditions. We had several suitors to take over our businesses in Thailand but our landlords did not agree to have other operators take over the businesses and in some instances insisted on substantially higher rents. We had tried several attempts to rejuvenate the businesses but have not been able to get sufficient flexibility from our landlords and creditors to enable us to restructure the businesses in time and the decision by our creditors to shut us down left us with no option but to close down our operations till we find suitable operators to take over the businesses. Despite the above, we are still open to looking for a suitable fitness and wellness operator who is willing to take over the business and we hope that this will happen soon. We thank you for your support during this time. The Management of True Fitness, True Spa and True ‘Est http://www.truefitness.co.th A paper True Fitness displays to inform their members Thursday at their Exchange Tower branch. Photo: @Crisxac / Twitter Edited June 10, 2017 by fmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmen Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 (edited) SHADES OF CALIFORNIA WOW AS TRUE FITNESS TAKES A BOW BANGKOK — Dozens of gym members showed up ready to work out Thursday at the sole remaining True Fitness fitness center only to find out it was closing without notice. Chaos and threats of legal action erupted after the paid gym members were greeted by a small handwritten sign reading: “True Fitness today is the last day” when they arrived to the branch at Exchange Tower near Asok intersection. Some members, such as those who had just paid to open or extend five-year memberships, vowed to lawyer up Friday at the Lawyers Council of Thailand after they were denied refunds. The rise and fall of True Fitness recalls a previous major scandal involving a fitness operator who marketed aggressively only to collapse into bankruptcy and leave customers empty-handed. Similar to California Wow, True Fitness gave its members no notice before calling it quits, and did not contact them to offer refunds or compensation. The Singapore-based company first shut its branch in CentralWorld’s Zen department store in November. It refused to give refunds and said members were contractually compelled to travel to its remaining two branches. Trainers have complained they were not paid properly for months. In November, a former trainer told PPTV he only received about 30 percent of his actual salary and was denied eight months of commissions. Some member noted that the other two locations seemed on the verge of closing as the company had stopped maintaining the facilities and canceled many classes. Last week, before its last branch at Exchange Tower closed, the True Fitness at the Esplanade Ngamwongwan Khae-Rai shopping mall suspended service, citing problems with facilities. Customers were told to go to the Exchange Tower gym instead. True Fitness in Thailand lost 49 million baht in 2015, according to the Business Development Department. Edited June 10, 2017 by fmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmen Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 i seem that TF has closes all its thailand and malaysia branches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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