Snap Fitness shutters doors in Ferris

FERRIS – Ferris resident Terry Murphy thought he was making a good decision – paying $400 in advance – for two memberships for him and a friend at Ferris’ Snap Fitness.

He paid for six months for two people – and now his decision has cost him several hundred dollars, since the business suddenly closed its doors and informed Murphy they would not be reimbursing him for the months he had paid in advance.

The gym, which was located on FM 664 in Shaw Creek Towne Center, closed earlier this month with barely a warning.

One local said, “People who have asked are being told the landlord doesn’t want a gym in their building.”

Another resident said that seemed odd, since there are several vacant office spaces in Ferris – why would a landlord run a tenant as well-used and well-liked as Snap Fitness out of town.

In an email from Ferris resident Jim West, he stated, “Snap Fitness Ferris is no more, and that’s a loss for the entire community. 

“A nearby gym was one of those businesses that you didn’t know you needed until it was here. In my case, visiting three to four times a week made the difference in being diabetic or pre-diabetic as well as keeping my blood pressure in check. Snap had become a public service by default; a lot of people besides myself became healthier because it was here.”

West said the reason he was given for the closing was again, the landlord (Brookshires) did not want a gym there.

West added, “All is not lost. Ferris wants us to be a healthy community so, why doesn’t the city build a gym instead of waiting for a corporate one to show up? It would be a nice, solid source of revenue for the city, a service to the community, and a point of pride to look forward to. Besides, we have just the people to manage it and, they need jobs.”

As for Murphy and his financial loss, he said he called his bank to try to get reimbursed, but while the bank tried to help, they could not because Snap Fitness in Ferris had already closed its bank account.

“I didn’t’ get any advance warning other than the word on the street,” Murphy added. 

He had used less than two months of his six month membership purchase. 

“They told me everyone would get their money back because of insurance, and to call corporate – that money is yet to be seen.”

Snap Fitness had 380 members in Ferris, and Murphy said the entire incident does not sit well with him.

“If they didn’t renew their lease, they must have known that was happening – before they sold me the memberships,” he concluded.

If you were a Snap Fitness member who lost money when the Ferris gym unexpectedly closed, the corporate office is located at 2411 Galpin Court Chanhassen, MN, and the telephone is (952) 474-5422.

Email is inquiries@snapfitness.com, and the founder’s name is Peter Taunton.

An alternate name for Snap Fitness is Gary Findley who might also be a person to discuss the situation for reimbursement as well.