A SHENZHEN resident surnamed Li accidentally fell from a yoga rope while practicing aerial yoga at a gym, resulting in a fracture in her left foot and requiring her to stay home for at least three months.

However, when she took her medical bills to the gym for reimbursement, she was told they could only reimburse bills that have invoices, the Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

It was the first time that she had attended an aerial yoga class, according to Li. “The coach didn’t ask much about our past exercise experience, nor did the class provide any protective measures. After the fall, the gym’s staffers only helped me to rinse the foot with cold water,” Li said.

A reporter from the newspaper made a field visit to the gym. When asked whether it could provide the yoga coach’s qualification certificates, the staffers said the coach is only at the gym when he has classes.

Moreover, the gym didn’t take the initiative to contact Li to negotiate compensation after the injury, which made her very angry. “I can only stay at home because of the foot injury. The gym promised to reimburse my medical expenses after I called them,” Li said.

However, when Li went to the gym with her medical bills, they would only cover the bills with invoices, which amounted to about 4,000 yuan (US$589). Li spent more than 6,000 yuan for her treatment.

Mu Yu, a lawyer from the Shenzhen Consumer Council, said consumers can claim corresponding compensation from a gym if it has caused them damages.

Meanwhile, consumers can terminate their contract if they find the training is carried out by an unqualified coach, as the gym isn’t providing services that are in line with regulations.

Mu reminds consumers to verify whether the gym has a legitimate business license and whether the fitness coach has a qualification certificate issued by the State or an association.

(Zhang Yu)