Dubai: Members of a Dubai gym fear they have lost their membership payment after the facility closed without notice around two weeks ago.
Gym24 members said the 24-hour gym in Ras Al Khor has shut down and its management is unreachable. The phone numbers are not working, the website (gym24.ae) is down and the doors are closed, they said.
Gulf News visited the gym, located in Samari Retail, and found its glass doors were closed. A drawer of a desk in the reception was also left open; there were some brochures of the gym and a small water bottle on the desk.
Sajith Bichu said he recently paid Dh840 for a year’s membership.
“The gym recently posted an advertisement on social media saying they are giving a one-year member ship for just Dh840, which was a very good deal compared to the actual membership fee they had. It’s Dh250 per month otherwise, so most people went for the full-year deal,” said Bichu.
“Scores of people joined with this membership plan and, just after a month, one day we found the gym was completely closed, with no access to members. Gym contact numbers were not responding. We tried calling the owner of the gym but he is reportedly not in the UAE,” added Bichu, a 36-year-old IT analyst from India, who first became a member two years ago. He renewed his one-year membership again in March.
“I had noticed lately that the gym was poorly maintained. It was in a premium condition before. So, I had a vibe something was up.
“Around two weeks back, I showed up at the gym but it was closed — no notice, information or communication. I tried calling the phone numbers, trainer, assistant — everyone. The email and website aren’t responding. Only the YouTube channel [GYM2 DUBAI] is still up. The owner seems to be out of the country but he replied to me in a text to say they were having issues with the rent.
“His car is still parked outside. If he’s gone, he must have left in a hurry.”
In one of the YouTube channel videos, posted by the gym in April 2017, a man identifies himself as Amit Patel, “the owner, founder and CEO of Gym24”, who went on to explain some of the features of the 12,000 square foot facility.
Bichu said he has filed a complaint with Dubai Economy and Dubai Police. “I alerted the authorities this is happening; it shouldn’t happen to anyone,” he added, estimating that the gym had at least 300 members.
Sadique Ahmad, who identified himself as one of the members, said he paid around Dh900 for a one-year membership.
“I had taken a monthlong break and was planning to go to the gym after Eid. But my friend said they have already shut down 10 days ago. I came here to see if there was a change of management, but there’s nobody here,” Ahmad added.
“I don’t know what happened, but I think their expenses were high; they were not able to recover their money. So they just left.”
