{
  "id": 7967620,
  "title": "True Fitness closure: Put limits on what spas and gyms can collect in pre-paid packages?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/true-fitness-closure-put-limits-on-what-spas-and-gyms-can-collect-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T06:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/true-fitness-closure-put-limits-on-what-spas-and-gyms-can-collect-in-pre-paid-packages"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Customers with pre-paid packages at businesses like True Fitness and True Yoga are facing a significant loss after those companies closed abruptly. According to reports, individuals holding unused memberships and services have suffered losses exceeding $609,000. This situation extends beyond gyms, as prepayment packages are prevalent in various industries, including nail salons, spas, interior design and renovation firms, and bridal studios. When these establishments shut down, the fate of consumers' funds becomes uncertain, prompting concerns about adequate consumer protection. To shed light on this issue, The Usual Place interviewed Jeremy Ko, an entrepreneur who has operated 25 fitness gyms and three climbing gyms before having to close three, and Debby Lim, a senior partner at Dentons Rodyk’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. Lim herself had been a member of True Fitness since June 2025, sharing the impact the closure had on her.",
  "summary": "Prepayments are common in different industries, and customers have collectively lost millions of dollars on such plans.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}