The sudden announcement of Fit24 suspending its operations from October 5th has left hundreds of members in Ho Chi Minh City feeling "on edge". Many people have just paid to renew their long-term training packages for up to 5 years, but before they can use them, they are facing the risk of being left empty-handed.

Sharing from members revealed the sophisticated tricks that Fit24 used to "close" contracts before announcing a temporary suspension of operations, making many people feel like they were being deceived.

Ambiguous tricks before announcing 'temporary suspension of operations'

Before announcing the temporary suspension of operations, the leadership team and head of Fit 24 Joint Stock Company still tried to demonstrate stability and prestige. The staff and personal trainers (PT) of the Fit24 gym chain worked very enthusiastically and did not show any signs that would make members suspicious.

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Fit24 gym in District 3 branch is now closed. Photo: Sourav Laha

Talking to VietNamNet reporter , Ms. Truong My L. (living in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City), shared: "I did not notice any unusual signs. They still worked regularly and enthusiastically. Only when the incident broke out did I know that Fit24 had owed employees 4-5 months of salary. If I had known this before, I would not have dared to pay for additional training packages."

The matter became even more confusing when, just one day before the announcement of the temporary suspension of operations, Fit24 staff urged members to pay to renew their training packages, but did not provide a full contract.

Many people, because of their trust in the reputation of this gym, agreed to pay in advance and wait to sign the contract later. As a result, many members of the Fit24 gym chain fell into a situation where they had paid money to this gym chain but had no legal evidence to request a refund.

Another notable point in Fit24's trick is the way consultants invite members to register for training packages with great discounts, even up to hundreds of millions of dong.

Member Tran MA (living in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) indignantly said: "At first, I only bought a training package of 8 million VND for 12 months. Then, the staff advised me to buy a training package worth 12.7 million VND for 30 months and included 24 private training sessions with a PT. Seeing that the price was too cheap compared to the market, I decided to register for more and the total amount I paid to Fit24 was up to 20.7 million VND."

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Members share the preferential training package program that is advised by staff to customers. Photo: Vo Tam

“I was introduced to a training package worth up to 250 million VND, in exchange for more than 1,000 training sessions with a PT lasting until 2030. I thought it was too reasonable so I signed up right away. But just a few days later, Fit24 announced that it was temporarily suspending operations, making me extremely confused," member Truong Thi AT (living in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City), shared more.

These super attractive promises and offers have hit the saving psychology of many people. They believe that they are receiving a great value opportunity, but in reality, they fall into the financial trap of Fit24.

Members upset, staff call for help

What makes members feel most indignant is the silence and lack of transparency from Fit24 after the announcement of temporary suspension of operations. There has been no official document or notice from the company regarding refunds or settlement of benefits for members. Fit24 employees even shared that they cannot contact the company to claim their salary arrears.

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A Fit24 gym branch still has its sign up but is no longer in operation. Photo: Hai Vo

Speaking to VietNamNet reporter , member Truong My L. added: "Previously, Fit24 did business very properly, contracts were always signed clearly. But on October 4, before they announced the temporary suspension, many employees urged us to pay but said that the contract was not prepared in time, they would sign it later. Many people trusted them so they paid in advance, but now there is no contract to prove it."

The Fit24 incident has left many members feeling cheated. Many have spent tens to hundreds of millions of dong hoping to receive good service, but face the risk of losing everything overnight.

Currently, VietNamNet reporters have contacted the hotline number of the Fit24 gym chain but have not received any response.