Thinking that he was getting the best out of his money by signing up for a 300-year gym membership, a man in Hangzhou, China, unfortunately found himself falling victim to a scam instead.
This bizarre tale has since left netizens shocked and amused, with many wondering what had driven him to such lengths.
China man signs up for 300-year gym membership
In a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), the man named Jin recounted how he was cheated of his money by Ranyan Gym.
According to Jin, who had been working out at Ranyan Gym for three years, he was approached by a sales executive who informed him of a special promotion for existing customers on May 9.
Under the said promotion, if he bought a one-year membership card for 8,888 yuan (approx. RM5,100), the gym will then resell it to another customer for 16,666 yuan (approx. RM9,700) and he would be able to keep 90% of the mark-up.
Should the deal fall through, Jin was assured that a full refund would be given to him.
Fully sold by the idea, Jin found himself purchasing multiple membership cards and private tutoring lessons, with one instance seeing him spend over 300,000 yuan (approx. RM175,400).
He later revealed that from May 10 to July 9, he bought about 1,200 lessons and membership cards with an accumulative validity period of 300 years for 871,273 yuan (approx. RM509,000).
Tried to get repayment back
When the date of repayment came on July 15, Jin approached the sales executive and was told that the gym’s financial department was still reviewing the transaction.
Alas, his nightmare became a reality when the gym’s entire management and sales staff vanished at the end of the month.
Jin said he later discovered that all the contracts he had signed made no mention of the returns promised by the sales executive and stipulated that the memberships were non-transferable.
‘I was brainwashed’
Jin admitted he was “brainwashed” by the promises, saying he truly believed he was “only one small step away from getting back all his money.”
He also revealed that he had no intentions of using his gym membership for 300 years, adding that he regarded buying the memberships and lessons as a “health investment and “commitment to health”.
He has since filed a lawsuit again the gym.
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