I became a member to 509 Fitness in November with a family plan. I PRE-PAID until Jan 21st. On the 21st of every month I PRE-PAY my club dues which come directly out of my account.in Feb I got a fee charge of 19.60 as an annual fee. When I sign a contact I READ over it and no where did it indicate anything about an annual fee that is charged in Feb of each year.in addition, I know someone who has been a member for 5 years (over 3 difference owners) and never was there an annual fee NOR did she re-sign any contract. 509 Fitness had NEVER taken out 19.60 in Feb prior to this year. On Monday March I I find out via facebook that the gym closed. The gym actually closed on Sunday March 20th and yet my bank account indicates that I was charged AFTER they closed on Monday the 21st.
On Thursday March 25th I saw an interview with the owner, Jason Sleater, on our local Fox News Channel. He said that 509 Fitness was in financial trouble for several months and doors were scheduled to close on March 31st. He said he and staff have been telling people about this for several months, but they closed the doors Sunday because of fights with customers and he feared for the safety of his staff. That the Kennewick Police Department adviced him to close early because they had been called to the gym three times last weekend.
Where are the police reports? He and his staff NEVER told anyone about the gym closing. When I switched out two members from my family account and after over a month of not receiving their new key cards I had to talk to the girl at the desk and she took the information to get the cards (it takes 14 business days for the key cards to come in the mail) and they still never came. The girl never told me there would be no reason to re-order the cards because the gym was closing. My brother got a year membership in Feb. If they were going to close, why were they still signing up new members and selling paid in full year memberships? Why were there no POSTINGS in the gym about the closure until AFTER they closed? His former employees are saying that he is lying and they didn't know the gym was closing, not early, not ever. Well, except for Chandra who clearly lied and is covering for the owner. One of his employees who worked Saturday found out on Sunday through a facebook posting that she no longer had a job.
"The altercations he's referring to are with body builders who stored their expensive equipment inside the gym. They tried to get it out Sunday, when employees stopped them. Police came out, and that's when the gym was closed. KPD however says at no point did they advise Mr. Sleater to shut the gym and they have since received numerous complaints from members. Mike Blatman with KPD says they are now investing the gym for possible fraud."
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