Closure Of Discovery Zone Leaves Some Holding Passes, Gift Certificates
Discovery Zone’s closure last month left at least two Spokane area families with unusable memberships and gift certificates.
Discovery Zone closed its Spokane Valley store at N1445 Argonne Road on Jan. 15. A spokesman for the Chicago-based company said it is seeking another location for a Spokane children’s activity center.
“That was one of the original franchise stores, and it wasn’t exactly the greatest location in the world,” said Discovery Zone spokesman Chuck Gelman.
But Valley resident Dick Nungester says the store closed without any warning.
Nungester spent $140.35 on season-pass memberships that were valid until the end of February. He purchased them last November.
“They left without giving notice to season passholders,” he said.
“The point is, that was 45 days of season membership that they stepped out on.”
Prorated, that adds up to about $63, Nungester said.
Nungester tried unsuccessfully to contact the franchisee and ended up filing a consumer complaint with the state attorney general’s office.
Gelman said that the company’s policy is to refund yearlong or season passes on a prorated basis. Customers can contact the regional office in Dallas, Texas, for more information.
Former Discovery Zone franchisee Robert Yuditsky said that a sign was posted during the store’s last week of business announcing that it was closing.
“The closure came up pretty quick and we contacted some people that we knew were coming,” he said.
Yuditsky, of Coeur d’Alene, said that records of gift certificates weren’t kept and that such certificates and seasonal passes only accounted for about 1 percent of business.
Colleen Nickless called several agencies trying to get information on how to get a refund on two gift certificates worth $10 to $20 that were valid until June.
The South Hill resident said, “It’s just kind of the principle of the whole thing. I wasn’t sure what to do about it.”
Nungester said, “We have four kids stuck inside for the winter. We were big fans of Discovery Zone.” The Valley family visited Discovery Zone three or four times a week, he said.
“We were sorry to see it closed and sorry they didn’t give us a refund.”
xxxx INFORMATION For information about refunds on memberships or gift certificates, write: Discovery Zone Attn: Regional Controller 14160 Dallas Parkway, Suite 200 Dallas, TX 75240