Complaints about Physical Fitness surge as shuttered Hong Kong gym chain’s Wan Chai branch rebrands as Healthy
Hong Kong Free Press
A banner for wellness brand Healthy has been erected outside what was until a week ago the Wan Chai branch of gym chain Physical Fitness, as complaints surged following the arrests of the Physical’s two directors after its abrupt closure.
The banner said Healthy would only provide services for those who had purchased packages from Physical, and would not be responsible for “financial or contractual disputes” over last week’s sudden closure.
Announcing that it was “temporarily” shutting down, Physical last Friday said that “new investors” had promised to take over the gym chain, assuring customers they would be able to continue their existing fitness and beauty plans.
Some people were seen exercising at the Healthy gym on Thursday afternoon, and branding for the new company had been put up at the reception desk.
Pensions authorities have warned Physical of legal action over pension contributions worth over HK$3 million, involving 740 employees.
Physical’s two directors Luk Ngai-keung and Ho Yuk-wah were arrested on Tuesday and the company is under investigation over allegedly wrongly accepting payments.
Takeover
The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday that the tally of reports related to Physical had reached 1,492 as of 4 pm, involving more than HK$72 million in prepaid fees.
Speaking on RTHK, Head of the Unfair Trade Practice Investigations Rachel Fong said on Thursday that the biggest difficulty faced by customs was customers’ unwillingness to assist with investigations. “As consumers, most complainants just want a refund. Once they get their money back, they might not want to provide further assistance to the criminal investigation,” Fong said in Cantonese.
Separately, the city’s consumer watchdog has received 3,289 complaints from disgruntled customers as of 6 pm Thursday, involving claims of more than HK$113 million.
Federation of Beauty Industry chair Nelson Yip said on the same RTHK programme that the trade body was told that Physical would announce which branches would reopen within a week.
The industry group said it had yet to activate “safety net” procedures to have other operational beauty salons provide their services in place of Physical’s, as it was still in talks with the fitness chain’s operators.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.