When the Ten X gym in Natick suddenly closed its doors recently, members were stunned.
“One of the women shows up at 8 in the morning and you can’t get in. It’s over. It’s done with,” gym member Nikilette Walker said.
Doors were locked and most of the equipment was gone. Employees who say they hadn’t been paid in weeks were furious.
“I thought it was a very cowardly thing to do,” Sonja Agiomavritis, a former instructor at the gym, said.
Paula Hatstat, the club’s group exercise director, says the sudden shutdown was a shock to her, too.
“If I were in the members’ shoes, and I was the face of that club, I wouldn’t believe that I didn’t know anything about it. And I didn’t,” she said.
Hatstat says she thought it was business as usual, and she was actively collecting money for club programs. “When I left that club at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning, I had two sales that went in for my boot camps,” Hatstat said.
Some clients were able to get their money back because they’d used credit cards and their card companies refunded that money.
“I did dispute those charges with the credit card along with the maintenance fee for a club that no longer exists,” gym member Ellen Lipka said.
But people who paid cash don’t have that protection.
Robert Harnais, the president-elect of the Massachusetts Bar Association, says Ten X members who are still owed refunds should contact the Attorney General’s Office right away.
“If they were taking money and they were still advertising a few days prior to closing their doors, it could rise to some serious criminal conduct where they could face penalties, also including jail or fines,” Harnais said.
Solve it 7 reached the owner Corey Nappa on the phone, and while he didn’t say much, he said he intends to make everyone whole but couldn’t provide us with a timetable on when that will happen.
If you’re thinking of finding a gym to work off those holiday meals, do some legwork. See if you can try a club out first, ask for a free trial, or look for a gym that allows you to pay month to month.
What’s your story? We’d like to hear it. Give us a call at 617-367-7777 or send us an email at solveit7@whdh.com.