A B.C. resident won't be refunded hundreds of dollars for his gym membership that he claims he did not use due to "medical reasons."
Alexander Le was claiming a $418.95 refund for gym membership fees from Goodlife Fitness due to medical reasons, according to a B.C. small claims tribunal decision posted on Tuesday, March 19.
Goodlife says Le did not provide further medical documentation until after their annual membership expired and it didn't owe them a refund.
Le started a contract with Goodlife on July 28, 2021, for one year until July 27, 2022; the membership costs $399 plus tax, or $418.95. On Oct. 7, 2022, he emailed the gym, asking the staff to cancel the membership due to medical reasons and to issue a refund.
Tribunal member Leah Volkers noted that neither party explained the status of Le's membership when he asked for a refund and cancellation in October 2022. However, Goodlife told Le his membership was set to expire on [Feb.15, 2023] when he asked to cancel in October 2022. Le's original contract was slated to expire in July but no evidence was provided to show if any additional fees were paid.
Since Le applied for the claim, he had to prove that he tried to cancel his membership during the contract's one-year term. Since he did not do this, he wasn't "entitled to any refund of the $418.95 membership fees they paid in July 2021," Volkers stated in their ruling.
Le may have been able to claim for additional gym fees he paid after their one-year contract ended in July 2022 but he did not provide any evidence of these payments, Volkers added.
