Customers of closed Colorado Springs gym say they are still being charged
COLORADO SPRINGS Colo. (KRDO)-- A Colorado Springs gym abruptly closed a few days after Thanksgiving. Despite the closing, several customers say the gym is still charging them for monthly dues.
Forsham Williams Jr., a registered sex offender, ran North Academy Fitness in the Chapel Hills plaza off N. Academy Blvd. The gym closed with no notice for customers, other than a sign on the front door reading, "Due to a very unpleasant circumstance. NAF is closed immediately."
Nobody picks up the phone at the gym, and nearly all of the equipment is moved out. Customers told KRDO that Williams changed his phone number too. Yet, the business is still charging people.
"I went to the gym to work out as usual, and there was a note on the door saying they were closed for an unfortunate circumstance that they didn't list, and that's it," gym-goer Justin Flower said. That note is still on display.
Flower is one of the lucky ones. He was making his membership payments on a debit card and was able to cancel as soon as the note went on the door.
"He tried to charge me back to back on (November) 30th, two times even, and that was after they had been closed," Flower said. "I had already known they were closing and called my (debit card) company and had them stop charges. And he still tried."
Judging by dozens of negative reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, not everyone has fared as well as Flower.
A former instructor at the gym told KRDO that she has been in contact with Williams, and he is dealing with health issues. She added that Williams is not trying to be evasive but is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The instructor claimed Williams closed the gym because he couldn't be there, and didn't have enough staffing to keep it open.
Members though, are still getting charged by a gym that has more empty fast food containers inside it, than working treadmills.
One customer says this is not the first time Williams has allegedly pulled this maneuver. Records from the Secretary of State's office show Williams ran Studio Fitness in the Gleneagle area of Colorado Springs until about a year ago, when he opened the larger North Academy Fitness center. North Academy Fitness is not registered with the Secretary of State's office.
Records shared with KRDO by a previous customer show the former Studio Fitness member is still receiving invoices from Studio Fitness as recently as this month, despite canceling his membership before Studio Fitness even closed.
A representative from the Colorado Springs Police says the police department has not received any formal complaints about the gym's billing but called the issue a civil matter. The representative went on to say CSPD likely wouldn't investigate the case for theft unless complainants could prove that Williams was acting with malicious intent.
As far as what customers can do, the Colorado Attorney General's office recommends people report the problem at stopfraudcolorado.gov. The AG's office did not confirm if it is investigating North Academy Fitness or its owner.
The property in the Chapel Hills shopping center is managed by SITE Centers. The unit which housed the gym is now listed as available, as of December 7. Property manager Michael Reisch declined to disclose if Williams is the tenant, if he left on his own accord, or if he was evicted.
Customers know Williams as just, 'Junior'. The North Academy Fitness website never lists his full name as Forsham Williams Jr anywhere. However, a 2021 press release from Uhaul lists him as the owner of North Academy Fitness.
Because of Williams' status as a convicted sex offender, he is required to notify law enforcement of his place of residence. His Monument residence is listed on his Colorado Bureau of Investigation sex offender registry.
Unable to reach him by phone, KRDO went to Williams' house on Thursday night. Nobody answered the door.
Another former customer, who didn't want to share her name publicly, told KRDO she quit the gym months before North Academy Fitness closed. She says she had billing issues too, with the business charging her card for monthly dues, even after she paid a cancellation fee.
"I put a stop on the credit card," she said.
As the next month approaches, customers are still left wondering what they can do to get the business to stop charging them, without having to shut down their credit cards.
"I 100% can see him charging people for January. I would encourage anybody that was still a member at that gym to shut down any credit cards that they have linked to that," the woman said.
