I disputed the membership with our credit card but Synergy is refusing to let go of our $426. What really angers me is that they had to know they were going to close when we joined up for a year. Very unethical.

So what are the best Grove gym options? Will be looking around, Brick is the closest I think.

At about 2:00 there was a big truck outside and they were removing the equipment.

FWIW, Synergy Gym appeared open today.

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$426!? Their whole shpeel was if you paid a year up front, it was around $299 ($25/mo). Is that amount for both you and your husband?
I haven't tried getting my money back because so far the remainder of my contract has been honored by Club Metro. Club Metro def has everything and then some that Synergy offered, but is inconvenient for people who don't live around the corner from it. My suggestion would be to file a charge-back with the credit card used to pay for the membership if you're not able to secure a refund from the owner. I've heard from two former members that if you pass by Synergy during banker's hours, he can be found inside, so I'd speak to him first before contacting your CC company.

Has anyone tried to get their money back? My husband just paid $426 for a year's membership about 5 weeks ago.

What a shame. I was a member since they opened nine or ten years ago. It wasn?t much, but it was a reliable and cheap gym. I didn?t care much about the owner, I saw him maybe twice through those years. It looked like he didn?t care about this business or maybe he didn?t know how to run a simple money making machine. I liked the stuff though. I went today to check the Club Metro USA Fitness and I was disappointed. I don?t know why, but for some reason I didn?t like it. Maybe it was a strange layout and lack of some important free weight stations and machines or maybe lots of new faces which I've never seen in my life (I've been living here for almost 20 years.). I?ll miss Synergy and my $250 a year membership. Maybe it wasn't the nicest gym around, but it was cozy and cheap. R.I.P
I also got a message for the owner: I was a member since you opened the gym. I spoke to you last week and you didn?t even mention about your plans. Screw you guy!!!

The gym was a product of extremely poor management and that's what led to its demise. One of the owners was too busy trying to land bit parts in tv shows and movies and the other owner was absentee until the very end. The excuse of Sandy's devastation doesn't apply here because the gym was fully operational for weeks after the storm. The basement took on flooding and needed to be cleaned and sanitized. Machines and equipment that were broken last year were still broken as of last week.

Of all the full-time employees there, only one (Sonny) really took care of the place and made sure it was clean. There was a homeless person that recently oversaw the establishment late in the evening that would sleep there and use the shower during business hours. The guy who made the chalkboards hasn't been paid for his services. The only service that the gym provided - towels - were empty half the time I went there. The gym basically was a lesson in everything to do if you want your business to fail. It's unfortunate because it was everything I needed within walking distance to my place and cheap as sh-t, with no pressure to renew/sign long-term contract from the guys who worked there. So long, handful of guys that didn't wear deodorant that stunk the place up to high hell.

This is really odd, because they sent me letters in the mail about renewal specials about a week ago.

And I barely make it to the gym and it's only a few blocks away, no way I am gonna go if I have to actually ride rail :)
I am also one of those people who just want to rock a treadmill for cheap.

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I use Forum in Bayonne and I don't drive its just a few stops on the lightrail from here (from downtown about five stops) . It has classes, weights, and treadmills on each floor, its about the same price as Synergy but 4 x bigger.

Synergy was my favorite gym solely based on price. Every other gym is more expensive in this area by a lot, even club metro and brick haus ($40 and $69 respectfully). This is truly disappointing.

I am so tired of paying a ridiculous fee for gyms that look nice. I'm not there for the environment, I'm there to use the treadmill. I considered it a great find when I signed up a year ago and now i'm back searching for a similar priced gym

any suggestions would be helpful mofo's. I know there is a $10 gym in Bayonne and in the heights as well, but would rather not drive to the gym.

I'll miss the chalkboard signs

Can't say I'm surprised. Competing solely on price isn't a winning strategy. I was a member there for maybe six years and there wasn't much good to say about it except it was the cheapest in town.

Synergy is closed for good as of this morning. The gate is down, the lights are off and there's a note inside the window citing Hurricane Sandy damages as the reason. Club Metro on Washington is honoring all current memberships.

My gf and me are current members at the gym, we mainly use the cardio stuff upstairs. When I go downstairs I am not seein any mold or smellin what you guys are talkin about. Then again I'm not one to complain when a gym smells like people sweating and not a day spa.

does your husband only do cardio in the upstairs machine? cause the mold can't be good for your husband's health...

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I think it's worth it for the $350/year my husband paid. He works out at least 5 days a week and at that price, I mean, it's really cheap. He doesn't ask for much in terms of a gym. His response is "eh, it's a gym," and it's good because he doesn't have to deal with any recurring monthly fees (seriously, have you ever tried to cancel a gym membership? lol).

Whatever, we're young and I guess it doesn't matter. Maybe he'll 'trade up' later in life. I know I wouldn't work out there. But I'm more of a swimmer anyway.

When I was a poor college student, I had a membership with Synergy in the winter and summer months when I was back home. There was definitely flooding in the basement but they didn't close it off. People still exercised down there when the floor was damp.

I ended my membership after I kept getting sick during a summer and thought it could be because of the mold in that gym. In any case, that gym isn't worth it.

Brick Hauss or exercising at home is a much better bet...

The place is definitely infested with some kind of funk. I did a walk around and have never smelled a gym so nasty. It's a potent mix of mold and b.o.

It's the cheapest gym for a reason.

Are any members concerned about the odor downstairs? I am concerned that it might be the result of mold growth, but I am in no way an expert. There sure looks like there has been water damage down there.

I've actually been a member for almost 9 years at this point (hey, you can't beat the price!) and I just went and asked some of the staff. The response I got was that they have a lease that goes on another year and a half or so.

If you want to join, I suggest point blank asking them that question to confirm and then decide. I'm hoping they'll stay a bit longer.

This doesn't necessarily mean that Synergy is going to close, it may just mean that Synergy will be leasing from a different landlord...but I would certainly double-check the terms of the membership contract before signing...

i was thinking of joining as recently as wednesday, heh

no way! that sucks. my husband just got his year-long membership a couple months ago.

I guess I better stop skipping gym days if I want to get my money's worth.

http://www.weichert.com/42386352/

Answered my own question.

Was at Synergy yesterday where I am a member. Noticed a woman who is not affiliated with the management at the gym, showing three guys around the place, including closets, and non-member areas. Has anyone heard anything? I only recently became a member, and paid for the full year up front, against my better judgement. Was dirt cheap.