A Monifieth pensioner is accusing Energie Fitness Dundee of “deceit” after being incentivised to sign up for an annual membership just days before the business shut its doors.
Bob Tennant, 78, wanted to join a gym to build up muscles in his leg as he recovers from severing his achilles tendon.
He was recommended Energie’s facilities at Douglas Road by a neighbour and signed up online.
The company website encouraged him to sign up on the spot, by offering an additional £20 off its already discounted annual rate.
The £249 payment left Mr Tennant’s bank account on Friday.
He made just one trip to the gym before returning on Tuesday to find the closure notice on the door.
‘They knew the trouble they were in’
Mr Tennant is furious that customers’ money was still being taken just days before the gym’s sudden closure.
He said: “It’s a significant financial outlay but what really gets me is the deceit.
“They were running a promotion giving an extra £20 inducement to people who signed up.
“I don’t believe that at that point they didn’t know the financial situation they were in.
“I signed up on June 30 and the money left my account on July 8. I only managed one visit.
“When I saw the notice I was very annoyed and that’s putting it mildly. I’ve been hung out to dry.”
Mr Tennant said calls to the gym and an email to the club owner have gone unanswered.
Energie Fitness said customer refunds are now a matter for the newly appointed liquidators of the Dundee franchise.
Opus Restructuring & Insolvency are winding up Jag Leisure, which operated the Dundee gym.
The firm has warned that customer refunds will fall behind amounts owed to staff and some HMRC payments such as National Insurance, PAYE and VAT.
Can Energie Fitness Dundee customers claim refunds?
Customers are eligible to claim for unused monthly or annual memberships.
However, they will be ordinary creditors along with sums due to the landlord, corporation tax and other bills.
It may result in receiving back a ‘pence in the pound’ dividend – a percentage of the amount due.
Opus Restructuring will write to all members informing them of the gym’s closure and how to make a claim.
It said Jag Leisure failed “as a result of the financial consequences attributed to the pandemic”.
Meanwhile it is trying to raise funds by selling the gym equipment.
Opus said: “The joint provisional liquidators will be proceeding with a sale of the assets in due course.
“We urge any party who is interested in the equipment to contact Nadia Cowden at Opus on nadia.cowden@opusllp.com or by phoning 0141 648 2030.”
Conversation