Pembroke gym shuts down with no warning

PEMBROKE, Mass. — Henry Twite and his mother just signed up for yearly memberships at USA Health and Fitness.

But the gym in Pembroke they paid $250 to join sits empty after abruptly closing its doors last week.

Now, members are demanding answers after claiming they weren't given any warning.

“We were completely under the impression that it would be open for the year -- obviously if they're going to give us a year membership -- so it kind of feels like we were kind of gypped,” Twite told Boston 25 News.

Mike MacDonald prepaid his membership and says there was no warning that the gym was apparently financially out of shape.

“I paid just in July, I re-upped for another year so I'm paid through next July $250,” MacDonald explained. “I never saw it coming because the manager never showed any signs there were any issues here. It was business as usual so it's kind of strange that all of a sudden the doors are closed with no warning, I mean I never saw it coming.”

Boston 25 News did reach out to the attorney that represents the family who owns the gym, he said the owner recently passed away and his widow lives down in Florida. He said the manager that was running the gym abruptly left and took a job elsewhere.

A woman who works for that attorney was seen leaving the gym carrying out papers Tuesday.

The attorney says they will be going through the paperwork and computers to find out how much each member is owed.

They said the customers “will be paid in full.”

Several local gyms are offering the USA members free one-month memberships, but for college student Meghan Ford this has been a tough lesson to learn.

“I think it just really made me sick that they would take $250 from someone just last month knowing they were having financial trouble,” she said.

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