The Prepaid Membership Card — and the Shop Suddenly Closes · Yalla China

The situation: A customer prepays 5,000 yuan onto a gym card for a discount, and two months later the gym abruptly closes and the manager vanishes.

Applicable law: Prepayment creates a service contract; if the provider fails to perform or closes, the consumer may reclaim the unused balance as a creditor. If the closure comes with intent to defraud (collecting money then fleeing with no intent to serve), it may amount to the crime of fraud, reportable to police. Prepaid-consumption rules regulate top-up caps and sometimes a cooling-off right.

Outcome: The customer joined a group complaint; where the flight was fraudulent, police intervened, and in an ordinary bankruptcy he claimed as a creditor in the liquidation.