OXNARD : Members of Closed Spa Want Refunds

Antonio Ramirez is angry.

Ramirez, a 12-year member of the Coast & Valley Health Spa on North C Street in Oxnard, arrived at the spa this week to find it closed down.

“I’m kind of mad,” Ramirez said. “I paid $199 for a two-year renewal fee before my contract ran out. Nobody told me they were going to close.”

The owners of the business, Ron Singleton and Terrance Boone, could not be reached for comment. On Monday, Singleton and Boone returned the keys to the building, said Anna Bischof, property manager of Martin Smith & Associates, which manages the building.

“They said they had to close the doors,” said Bischof, “claiming the economy was bad and a lack of referral from clients. However, a good spa does not depend on referrals.”

Ramirez said he plans to get an attorney and take the matter to court.

That is often difficult because such refunds are a civil matter. Members must first obtain a small claims judgment and then attempt to collect that judgment along with other creditors in bankruptcy court.

The consumer fraud division of the county district attorney’s office has already received complaints about the spa’s closure, said Greg Brose, supervising attorney of the division.

“We started getting complaints the day the door closed,” Brose said.

“We are sending people consumer complaint forms and will attempt to make contact with the business to provide refunds, but I have no idea if that will be successful.”