Former Physical customers warned against signing ‘consent forms’ at reopened gym

Former customers of the now closed Physical gym chain should be wary of signing any “consent forms” from a branch that reopened under new investors, with legal experts warning the outlet offers limited consumer protections.

The chain’s outlet in Wan Chai opened under the new brand “Healthy” earlier this week. Physical has been the subject of more than 3,200 complaints to the Consumer Council, with the claims involving HK$113 million (US$14.5 million).

But when former customers returned to the Wan Chai branch, they said very few of their past trainers still worked there and they were asked to sign a form that specified Healthy had “no obligation” to provide members with unused services from Physical.

“There is very little known about the background of the new company Healthy. There wasn’t even the full name of the company on the [consent form] or the roll-up banner,” legislator and lawyer Doreen Kong Yuk-foon told a radio programme on Friday.

“There were only a few paragraphs in the form,” she added. “With the existing information, there is no way for Physical customers to fairly gauge the risks involved [in signing].”