Mandate safeguards for consumers who buy prepaid packages amid surge in losses, says CASE

CASE said that between Sept 10 and 30, it received 1,518 complaints involving losses of $3.78 million relating to the closures of True Fitness and True Yoga.

Published Oct 05, 2026, 12:37 PM

Updated Oct 05, 2026, 12:37 PM

Singapore’s consumer watchdog CASE reported $6.69 million in prepaid losses from Jan to Sept, mainly due to fitness businesses closures like True Fitness and True Yoga.

CASE proposed mandatory safeguards including cooling-off periods, CaseTrust accreditation, and stronger enforcement to protect consumers from prepaid losses.

CASE urged the government to adopt these measures promptly to ensure consumer protection, responsible business practices, and prevent future prepaid payment risks.

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s consumer watchdog has called for mandatory safeguards to protect consumers who buy high-value prepaid packages over a long period.

This comes amid a surge in reported prepayment losses in Singapore in the first nine months of the year, including those from the recent closures of fitness businesses True Fitness, True Yoga and Yoga Inc.

In a statement on Oct 5, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said consumers reported total losses of $6.69 million from Jan 1 to Sept 30.

This was about 147% higher than the $2.71 million in prepayment losses reported for the whole of 2025, it said.

Between Sept 10 and 30, CASE said it received 1,610 complaints involving prepayment losses of close to $3.82 million following the closure of fitness businesses.

These comprised 1,518 complaints involving losses of $3.78 million relating to the closures of True Fitness and True Yoga, and 92 complaints involving losses of $32,826.73 relating to the closure of Yoga Inc.

CASE said it has assisted affected consumers in lodging their claims and proofs of debt with the relevant liquidators.

It added that the scale of these reported losses underscores the need for stronger safeguards, particularly as consumers are generally treated as unsecured creditors when a business enters liquidation.

CASE president Melvin Yong said the recent fitness closures and sharp rise in reported prepayment losses highlight the limitations of relying solely on voluntary measures.

“The time has come to introduce mandatory safeguards in sectors involving substantial or long-term consumer prepayments,” he added.

In its statement, CASE called on the Government adopt three measures to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, protect their prepaid funds , and promote responsible business practices.

It said that a mandatory cooling-off period for high-value prepaid packages would give consumers sufficient time to consider commitments involving substantial upfront payments and cancel without penalty.

It also proposed that the Government mandate CaseTrust accreditation for businesses in sectors involving substantial or long-term consumer prepayments, including the beauty and fitness industries.

Accreditation would require safeguards such as prepayment protection, transparent pricing, clear contractual terms, proper disclosure and reasonable refund arrangements, it said.

Lastly, CASE also called for potential cases of wrongful trading to be appropriately investigated and for enforcement action to be taken under the the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act, where the relevant legal requirements are met.

“This may include circumstances in which the collection of substantial prepayments shortly before liquidation warrants closer examination,” the organisation said.

“Effective investigation and enforcement, where supported by the evidence, would strengthen accountability and provide a meaningful deterrent.”

CASE said the proposals are intended to strengthen the overall consumer protection framework and do not constitute an allegation of wrongdoing against any particular business or individual.

Yong added: “These safeguards should be introduced promptly to protect consumers’ hard-earned money, establish clear and responsible standards for businesses, and give consumers greater confidence when purchasing prepaid packages”.

Consumers Association of Singapore

CASE表示，在9月10日至30日期间，他们收到了1518起投诉，涉及True Fitness和True Yoga关闭造成的378万美元损失。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 5 日下午 12:37

更新于2026年10月5日下午12:37

新加坡消费者权益监督机构 CASE 报告称，1 月至 9 月期间预付损失达 669 万美元，主要原因是 True Fitness 和 True Yoga 等健身企业倒闭。

CASE 提出了强制性保障措施，包括冷静期、CaseTrust 认证和更强有力的执法，以保护消费者免受预付损失。

CASE敦促政府尽快采取这些措施，以确保消费者权益保护、负责任的商业行为，并防止未来预付支付风险。

新加坡——新加坡消费者监管机构呼吁采取强制性保障措施，以保护长期购买高价值预付套餐的消费者。

此前有报道称，今年前九个月新加坡的预付款损失激增，其中包括最近关闭的健身企业 True Fitness、True Yoga 和 Yoga Inc. 造成的损失。

新加坡消费者协会（CASE）在 10 月 5 日的一份声明中表示，从 1 月 1 日至 9 月 30 日，消费者报告的总损失为 669 万美元。

报告称，这比 2025 年全年报告的 271 万美元提前还款损失高出约 147%。

CASE表示，在9月10日至30日期间，他们收到了1610起投诉，涉及健身企业倒闭后近382万美元的预付款损失。

这些投诉包括 1,518 起与 True Fitness 和 True Yoga 关闭相关的损失，共计 378 万美元；以及 92 起与 Yoga Inc. 关闭相关的损失，共计 32,826.73 美元。

CASE表示，已协助受影响的消费者向相关清算人提交索赔和债务证明。

报告还指出，这些已报告损失的规模凸显了加强保障措施的必要性，尤其是在企业进入清算程序时，消费者通常被视为无担保债权人。

新加坡健身协会主席杨美盈表示，近期健身场所的关闭以及预付损失报告的急剧上升，凸显了仅仅依靠自愿措施的局限性。

他补充说：“现在是时候在涉及大额或长期消费者预付款的行业引入强制性保障措施了。”

CASE在声明中呼吁政府采取三项措施，帮助消费者做出明智的购买决定，保护其预付资金，并促进负责任的商业行为。

声明称，对高价值预付费套餐实行强制性冷静期，将使消费者有足够的时间考虑涉及大笔预付款的承诺，并可在不支付罚款的情况下取消。

该提案还建议政府强制要求涉及大量或长期消费者预付款的行业（包括美容和健身行业）的企业获得 CaseTrust 认证。

声明称，认证需要采取一些保障措施，例如预付款保护、透明定价、明确的合同条款、适当的信息披露和合理的退款安排。

最后，CASE 还呼吁对潜在的不当交易案件进行适当调查，并在符合相关法律要求的情况下，根据《破产、重组和解散法》采取执法行动。

该组织表示：“这可能包括在清算前不久收取大笔预付款的情况，需要进行更仔细的审查。”

“在证据支持的情况下，有效的调查和执法将加强问责制，并起到有效的威慑作用。”

CASE表示，这些提案旨在加强整体消费者保护框架，并不构成对任何特定企业或个人的不当行为指控。

Yong补充道：“这些保障措施应该尽快出台，以保护消费者辛苦赚来的钱，为企业建立明确负责的标准，并让消费者在购买预付费套餐时更有信心。”

新加坡消费者协会