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A man spent almost GBP 90,000 on a gym membership that promised to last 300 years only to find the sellers disappeared when he asked for his money back.
The incident happened in Hangzhou, in China's Zhejiang Province, between 10th May and 9th July this year and was first reported on 3rd August.
Video shared on Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, shows the man, named only as Jin, explaining to reporters that he had been persuaded by sales staff at Ranyan Gym to keep paying for long-term memberships and training sessions.
In the footage, he says he was reassured that the deal was risk-free and that he could make a profit by reselling memberships, with the gym promising a refund if the cards did not sell within two months.
Jin, who had trained at the gym for three years, signed 26 separate contracts covering about 1,200 lessons.
He said a sales executive told him he could buy a one-year card for CNY 8,888 (GBP 913) and sell it on for CNY 16,666 (GBP 1,700).
The gym would take a 10 per cent commission and return the rest to him.
Tempted by the promise of high returns, he initially bought two cards for more than CNY 17,000 (GBP 1,750).
In the following weeks he was persuaded to spend more, including over CNY 300,000 (GBP 30,800) in a single day.
By July he had paid out a total of more than CNY 871,273 (GBP 89,500).
When the 15th July deadline for a refund passed without payment, Jin was told the finance department was still reviewing his case.
By the end of July, he discovered that the gym;s management and sales staff had vanished.
The gym building in Binjiang District remains open, but Zhejiang TV reported that only receptionists and administrative staff are still at work.
Jin later found that none of the contracts mentioned the resale scheme and that they specifically stated memberships could not be transferred to others.
He admitted he had been "brainwashed" by the sales pitch and thought he was only a step away from getting his money back.
Jin has since filed a lawsuit and asked local television reporters to help expose the gym.
He said he loved fitness and regarded the purchases as a "health investment", adding: "I actually do not count on using it for 300 years. In my eyes, it was a kind of commitment to health."
The case has caused a stir on social media in China, where some mocked the deal, joking that he had bought membership "for the grandsons of his grandsons."
Others said his story showed what happens "when a person’s wealth and his intelligence quotient do not match."
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Copychecker: Emily Wu
Byline Illustrator: Angela Trajkovska
Byline News Editor: Mike Leidig
Geography: Hangzhou
Subject: Legal, Crime, Fraud, Society, Sport
T4 Editor Story Rating: 7
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 7
T4 Total rating: 7
