Eight Acres Hotel: Gym members speak out after struggle to receive refunds following closure
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ELGIN gym-goers have spoken of their frustration after the sudden closure of the Eight Acres Hotel left them without the refunds they were promised.
The hotel and spa closed at midday on Sunday (April 30) and although members of the gym had been informed they would be reimbursed for any remaining membership fees, they are still waiting for their money back more than a week later.
It was confirmed last week that the hotel is to house asylum seekers for the foreseeable future.
READ MORE: Eight Acres Hotel will close to house asylum seekers
One gym member, who preferred to stay anonymous, had paid for two three year memberships – which cost £849 per person – and is now owed more than £1500.
She said: "I signed up for a three year membership in August because I wanted to use the pool, so I have only had my membership for a matter of months.
"The day the hotel closed I physically went to the hotel, because they wouldn't communicate with me at all through email or on the phone and I wanted to make sure I got my refund from them.
"I was offered a refund of £757.41 per membership and I was given a card receipt, but the money has still not processed at all. Currently they owe me £1518 and when I contacted my bank they confirmed that the money had not been sent."
The member added: "It is absolutely outrageous that they have done this to us. They have known about this for a while but they did it at such short notice without telling us and now we haven't even seen our money.
"We had signed up for a three year membership with them, which we would not have been allowed to break, so why should they be able to do this to their members and just cancel it at the drop of a hat?"
In their letter to gym members on Wednesday, the Eight Acres said: "If you have paid in full for a membership any unused time will be refunded to you. Please contact the club with your details so a refund can be processed." However, according to several members, attempts to contact the hotel over the phone have gone unanswered, leaving them frustrated.
Another gym member also shared his frustration with the lack off communication around refunds. He had signed up for one-year membership –costing £280 – in December, but had yet to activate the card and was due a full refund.
However, despite repeated contact with the hotel including going to the premises twice, he said he has not received any money.
He said: "I found out that the gym was closing through the press, I did not even receive an email.
"Over the weekend I phoned and left constant messages but they never got back to me so I went to the hotel on Sunday morning to make sure I got my refund. It went through on the card machine and I got a receipt but nothing came through to my account.
"When I phoned the bank they said it should be showing in their system by now and they could not see it whatsoever . They told me that means the refund has not been processed or transacted by the Eight Acres.
"I called but they don't answer the phone, their parent company told me to go to the hotel but when I tried I was told I could not be on site, I've been completely fobbed off by everyone. Nothing my bank can see suggests that my refund is coming and I am worried that they have just given us a receipt but don't plan give us our money back."
He added: "The way that we have been treated as paying customers just absolutely woeful, horrendous and truly disgraceful. I think after this contract is completed, they will find it very difficult to get any support from local people after they way they have treated us."
Attempts to contact The Eight Acres Hotel for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
