St. Augustine gym members say they're getting raw deal after shutdown

Members of a St. Augustine gym say they’re getting a raw deal.

World Gym’s location on U.S. 1 shut down on Friday.

Action News Jax saw crews hauling fitness equipment out of the building.

Members said they will now only be able to go to World Gym’s St. Augustine Beach location four miles away, even though that location lacks services -- like childcare -- they already paid for.

“Everyone is upset about this. It’s just -- we didn’t know,” gym member Saundra Kenon said.

Kenon said World Gym’s St. Augustine Beach location does not offer the classes her membership is supposed to include.

“I just renewed my membership for the entire year. And I just feel that, in all fairness, those that paid by the year should have been informed, ‘Look, you know, we’re not going to be here a year,’” Kenon said.

Gym member Victoria Aitken said the other location doesn’t have the childcare she already paid for.

“It’s negatively affecting my ability to use my gym membership because I’m a VIP member who pays for a VIP premium package to use their daycare facilities. So now I can’t use any of the other VIP perks because I don’t have access to daycare,” Kenon said.

Both women said managers at the gym have not responded to their calls, so Action News Jax showed up to get World Gym’s side of the story.

“We have no comments. We’re going to ask you to leave at this time,” said a manger, who identified herself as Tracey. “You can talk to the owner.”

World Gym owner Mike Lynch responded to Action News Jax half an hour after our story aired.

Lynch said the gym is reducing its monthly membership fees by $5.

Action News Jax asked whether members who already paid their annual fees can expect to be partially reimbursed. We’ll let you know what he says.

Cox Media Group