Jilted gym members protest
- Source: Global Times
- [08:27 April 11 2011]
- Comments
Members of the closed gym protest and hold up slogans on Friday. Photo: Yang Jie/GT
By Yang Jie
Members of the suddenly closed CSI-Bally Total Fitness' Sunshine 100 branch are planning to take further steps to safeguard their interests after their protesting received no response.
"Potential action is still under discussion," said Hai Xia, a member of the closed club. "We might turn to the General Administration of Sport."
Over 50 jilted members protested outside the China Sports Industry (CSI) Group Co Ltd near Chaoyangmen on Friday, asking the company to urge the Sunshine 100 store to handle the matter as soon as possible.
CSI-Bally Total Fitness is a subsidiary of the CSI Group, and Beijing Sanhuan Fitness Company opened the Sunshine 100 club as a Bally franchise in 2004.
The club closed on April 1 without warning and has yet to reopen.
Five protestors were chosen as representatives to negotiate with CSI-Bally, but no agreement was reached.
Yang Liang, who participated in the negotiations, said they urged the Sunshine 100 store to reopen within a month or refund all members and apologize, but the company agreed to nothing.
"It was a futile negotiation, and we are so disappointed with their insincere attitude," said Yang.
A manager with CSI-Bally surnamed Tian said that they had lost touch with the Sunshine 100 outlet's manager since their last talk on April 2, emphasizing that this club was not directly operated or managed by CSI-Bally and that "the matter has nothing to do with the operation of our company."
Another fitness club under the CSI-Bally brand, also operated by Sanhuan Fitness Company and located in Jianwai SOHO, shut down last September over property management fees. All its members were then sent to the Sunshine 100 club.
