4/12- State Consumer Protection Department Fines Health Clubs

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By John Burton
NEWARK – The state Department of Consumer Protection has levied fines totaling $283,500 on health clubs around the state, including one in the Lincroft section of Middletown and three others in Monmouth County, due to the clubs’ alleged failure to comply with consumer protection laws.
According to the Division of Consumer Affairs, T&B Fitness, doing business as Retro Fitness, 706 Newman Springs Road, was one of 31 sites fined $5,000 each for not registering with the division as required by law. Health clubs, which donate at least 40 percent of its floor space to physical fitness services, must be registered with the division and make available information about the business’s ownership and operations.
The division also levied $118,500 in fines on another 22 clubs, which, while properly registered, allegedly sold long-term contracts without having the state-required security bond or letter of credit. This requirement, the division information noted, assures a source of refunds for consumers should the gyms go out of business or violate the contracts.
Among the 22 clubs are Colosseum Asbury, LLC, doing business as Colosseum Health and Fitness, Asbury Park, which was fined $5,500; Transformations for Women, LLC, operating as Shore Fit Club and Spa for Women, in the Oakhurst section of Ocean, fined $5,500; and SMM Training, LLC, operating under the name Wings Adult Fitness, Wall, which state authorities also fined $5,500.