Owners of defunct Monroe gym vow customer refunds

MONROE -- About 400 people shut out of a place to pump iron will get refunds from the owners of a Monroe gym that folded last year.

Hundreds of Allstar Fitness Club clients complained they were out thousands of dollars in prepaid memberships and personal training sessions after the gym abruptly shut down in September.

They filed a class action lawsuit in October, alleging that they were owed refunds for services they paid for but never received.

"Basically overnight they shut down and people called and e-mailed but didn't get any response," said Seattle attorney John Phillips, who represented the former Allstar clients.

The fitness club agreed to settle out of court and refund former clients' money, totalling more than $112,000, he said. Some people will get full refunds and others, who transferred their memberships to another Monroe gym, will get half their money back.

Phillips said he didn't know why the gym shut down.

A call to the attorney who represented the fitness club in the lawsuit was not returned Tuesday.

The company owns other gyms in Seattle and Tacoma.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com