In Chengdu, Sichuan province, a consumer spent 1945 yuan to purchase 12 private swimming lessons at a gym. After completing two lessons, she requested a refund. The gym proposed deducting 1183.5 yuan, only refunding 761.5 yuan, which exceeds 60% of the actual payment.
According to a report from “Cover News” on September 4th, Ms. Zhou purchased private lessons at the Gan Kun Le Joy Swimming and Fitness store in Rongcheng, Chengdu on August 14th. Ten days later, she applied for a refund due to personal reasons.
As per the gym’s proposal, two lessons would be deducted at a rate of 600 yuan, and an additional 583.5 yuan would be charged as a 30% refund service fee based on the actual payment. This means that even though Ms. Zhou only attended two lessons, she would still be deducted 1183.5 yuan during the refund process, accounting for over 60% of the actual payment.
The contract signed by both parties highlighted the provision of a 30% refund service fee in bold font. Another handwritten agreement stipulated that when terminating lessons midway, the courses already taken would no longer enjoy preferential treatment and would be billed at the original price. Ms. Zhou believed that the deduction was excessively high.
Another consumer from Gan Kun Le Joy, Ms. Li, stated that she applied for a refund less than a month after purchasing the card, and was also asked to deduct 900 yuan. She mentioned that the salesperson did not clarify the refund restrictions when introducing the courses, and she only discovered the relevant provisions in the fine print of the contract after signing it.
A check of public complaint records by “Cover News” revealed that since February of this year, there have been 7 complaints involving various branches of Gan Kun Le Joy related to refunds. Most of them are related to refund issues. After coordination in one case, the percentage of deduction was reduced from 30% to 10%, while some disputes remain unresolved.
Similar situations of a 30% deduction fee have also arisen in other fitness facilities. According to a report by “New Beijing News,” in April 2025, a parent in Beijing spent 12,000 yuan to purchase 120 one-on-one swimming lessons. After their child completed one lesson and developed a fear of water, refusing to continue the classes, the fitness company demanded a 30% penalty of 3600 yuan for breach of contract.
Following unsuccessful negotiations, the parent filed a lawsuit. The public verdict showed that the 3600 yuan penalty proposed by the fitness company was not supported, and they were ultimately required to refund the remaining lesson fees of 11,900 yuan.
In December of the same year, as reported by “New Yellow River,” another consumer applied for a refund of approximately 24,000 yuan worth of remaining private lessons, and was also asked by the fitness center to deduct a 30% penalty, around 7200 yuan. The consumer mentioned that the staff did not explain this provision during the signing of the contract, and they themselves did not notice the relevant content in the contract.
Lawyer Wang Yi from Sichuan Qintai Law Firm stated to “Cover News” that the 30% refund service fee is a pre-determined standard clause by operators. Even if it is included in the contract, if the terms unreasonably increase the consumer’s responsibility and limit their refund rights, it could still be deemed invalid.
Wang Yi expressed that the resolution of such disputes would consider factors such as the reason for the refund, the actual losses incurred by the operators, and the fulfillment of the contract.
As of the report by “Cover News,” Ms. Zhou and the gym have not reached a resolution yet.