Mar
10
2009
St. John USVI: Gym in Paradise Update
Posted by gerald in Life on St. John USVI, tags: St. John USVII came across this quote from Mark Dallas on the on-stjohn.com website, “I hope to find a new owner as soon as possible and get the gym back up and running and I apologize to all the paying members for having to close…”
Wait a minute. When you take someone’s money for goods or services and then don’t provide those services, you don’t apologize, you give the money back.
I don’t know who this guy is, but most of the members who paid money in good faith to join the gym, which subsequently closed are hard working St. John locals, who are struggling to get by in this economy. The rich ones are at the Westin.
You just don’t do things like this Mark, it’s not right. Refund the money!
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I agree Jerry. The gym, as pathetic condition wise as it was, served a vital part of the St. John Community. The two recent business failures at the Marketplace BOTH had absentee owners. Satuyama recently closed also. Had I treated my clients as Mark did I too would be out of business. He let the gym go to shambles and in my opinion put money in the wrong areas and neglected simple upkeep of equipment, part of the reason on the coconut telegraph that some locals stopped coming. Restoring faith is difficult in this situation and warrants a major reduction in the selling price now that good will and faith have both been compromised. This is just the beginning of the economic hurricane that some of us thought would never hit here. The strong will survive, as in nature, and the cleansing in my view will make for a more sound business climate that is sensitive to both local and visitors needs. All things must pass and St. John simply grew too fast to sustain itself at the level it peaked at. I hope I am one of the survivors but if not I understand. It’s a hard rain gonna fall(stole that from dylan). Be Well
Hi Luigi,
I agree 100%. However, that’s no excuse to offer discounted memberships, take the money close the gym and keep the money. That totally sucks! He has a responsibility morally and probably legally, to return the membership dues, especially those he sold at the last minute. I’d like to know where that money went. Dis he pay other creditors with it; did he put it in his pocket?
G
I am really baffled…
I had spoken to Mark when I saw he had the business up for sale and for a really, really low price.
I had no idea about the eviction issue I read in Tradewinds, nor did I know about these discounted memberships.
From what I heard the changes at the gym once he purchased it was just to create that space to have group classes.
I think in order for the gym to work, the owner needs to live on island.
Now I hear that the lease holders are waiting for this Mark character to come up with some money before they reopen. If that’s true it doesn’t bode well for a reopening. As for me, I joined the gym at the Weston.