Gym, PT and Pilates Refund Refused

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   1. Check the contract type and the applicable rules — A fitness center (gym) is a sports facility business, so if there is no refund agreement with the business, the refund criteria in Appended Table 3-2 of the Enforcement Decree apply. Yoga and Pilates are not sports facility businesses, so if the contract runs for one month or longer and contains a refund restriction or penalty clause for early termination, it is treated as a continuous transaction under the Act on Door-to-Door Sales, etc., and you claim termination and a refund on that basis. Also check in the contract whether it is period-based or session-based and when the start date of use is.

2. 02

   2. Prepare a refund calculation sheet — If you cancel for your own reasons before the start date of use, the refund is the fee minus the penalty (one-tenth of the fee); after the start date, it is the fee minus the amount for the period or sessions used and the penalty. The fee includes the down payment, admission fee, joining fee and ancillary facility fees, while a deposit is returned separately. If the business deducted the used portion at the regular price, compare it with the unit amount the consumer actually paid and set out the difference in a table.

3. 03

   3. Send a refund request or certified mail — The Fair Trade Commission notice deducts the portion used up to the time your notice of termination reaches the business, and treats unused time as used once the period has passed. So send your notice of termination early in a dated written form such as certified mail, together with the calculation sheet and a refund deadline. If you paid an installment price of 200,000 won or more by credit card in 3 or more installments over 2 months or longer, also notify the card company in writing that you refuse to pay the remaining installments (right of defense).

4. 04

   4. Apply to the Korea Consumer Agency for damage relief — If the business does not refund or does not respond, apply to the Korea Consumer Agency for damage relief in writing (including online). The application states the contract details, the termination date, the amount claimed and the basis of calculation, with the contract, payment records, usage records and a copy of the certified mail attached. The Agency investigates the facts and recommends that both parties agree on compensation.

5. 05

   5. Review the dispute mediation result — If no agreement is reached within 30 days from the application, the President of the Agency applies to the Consumer Dispute Mediation Commission, which in principle completes the mediation within 30 days. If you do not state whether you accept within 15 days from receiving notice of the mediation, you are deemed to have accepted, and a concluded mediation has the same effect as a judicial settlement. Review whether to accept as soon as you receive the notice.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Fees & official charges

Fees & official charges

Included in the basic fee — Initial document review, required-document guidance, basic form preparation, one filing support and one ordinary supplement.

Conditional success fee — For this service, any conditional success fee may be separately agreed within the lawful service scope and stated in a written engagement agreement. No outcome is guaranteed.

Displayed amounts are starting estimates, not statutory or standard rates. The final fee is confirmed after consultation and document review in the engagement agreement. Government fees and actual expenses may change.

Basic documents

Basic documents

The refund is calculated by deducting the portion used up to the time your intention to cancel reaches the business, so delaying termination while not attending increases the deduction. Send your notice of termination first in a dated written form. If you do not state whether you accept within 15 days from receiving the mediation result, you are deemed to have accepted and it takes effect as a judicial settlement, so check the deadline as soon as you receive the notice.