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Schaumburg business closes, families' payments lost

A Schaumburg business which provided indoor play areas for young children closed abruptly this month, leaving families who paid for annual memberships without their money or the play environment they were promised.

But Francisco Gutierrez, president of Go Play — A Jugar, said he's currently searching for a new location and has just sent out letters to members explaining the situation.

He hopes to reopen the business near its former location at 1481 W. Schaumburg Road in two or three months. In the meantime, the clock on annual memberships will be put on hold while the business remains closed.

“We want to stay in the same area,” Gutierrez said. “We're talking with a couple of people.”

The business' sudden closure was the result of failed negotiations for lower rent at the strip mall where Go Play — A Jugar had been located, he said.

Gutierrez's remarks Monday come as news to Bethany Snyder of Elk Grove Village, who says she bought a $260 annual membership Jan. 11 for her three children, but got the benefit of less than half of it before the business shut down without warning.

She said Monday that she hadn't yet received any explanatory letter from Go Play, but was willing to wait a little bit longer to see what happened.

“Because they seemed to close overnight and turn off the lights, that concerned me,” Snyder said.

Though the business' sign is still above the door, most of the equipment and furniture that was once inside has been cleared out.

After the owners did not respond to her calls, Snyder asked Schaumburg police whether there was anything they could do.

But Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said the sudden closure of this or any other business is not a criminal matter without evidence that there was an intention to defraud all along.

The business featured a number of open play areas, as well as painting, puppets and an infant area. Plans to teach some Spanish there had been announced.

“They kept adding things all the time,” Snyder said. “It seemed wonderful. The owners were very nice.”

But when the business closed, she believed she had no way of reaching the owners other than through her credit card company's investigation of her January payment. The strip mall's management — RMS Properties — could not provide a forwarding number for Gutierrez. The Daily Herald reached him through contact information on his Schaumburg business license.

The Better Business Bureau of Chicago, which serves all of Northern Illinois, has had no record of complaints or inquiries about Go Play. But bureau Vice President of Marketing Tom Joyce recommends consumers visit its website, chicago.bbb.org, to research before signing any long-term contracts.

Schaumburg's Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said Go Play's business license is inactive, following inspectors' confirmation that the business is closed. Village officials gave approval for the business in October and it opened in either December or January, Fitzgerald said.

Snyder said the business had daily charges of $10 per visit per child, but she thought she'd get her money's worth from an annual membership.

The basic annual membership was $180 for two children with another $80 for a third child. There was no charge for Snyder to bring her newborn.

  Go Play — A Jugar, a business that provided a play area for young children in Schaumburg, closed suddenly this month, leaving families who bought annual memberships without their money or the businessÂ’ services. Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com