Train Worthy gym at Burleigh Heads has closed, but clients say the company kept taking funds

Clients of a trendy Burleigh Heads gym have felt the burn of its shock closure, with some saying it continued to take their money weeks after the gates were locked. Find out more

Clients of a new gym at Burleigh Heads have felt the burn of its shock closure, with some saying it continued to take their money for weeks after the gates were locked.

Train Worthy, an “aesthetic shoot location and fitness facility” that charged up to $85 a week, closed in November, less than six months after opening.

The company behind the gym, Train Worthy Burleigh, is solely directed by Luke Ashlie Morrison, 35, who registered it in July 2023.

Train Worthy offered conditioning, pilates, yoga, spin and an on-site creche as well as capacity to be hired as a photoshoot location for fitness-related marketing campaigns.

But the gym’s Instagram profile has said “closed temporarily, coming back very soon” since last year, while its website has been taken down and there are no gym sessions available to book.

The front gates were locked when the Gold Coast Bulletin visited, with just a lone ute parked at the back of the carpark.

Responding to the Bulletin’s questions via text, Mr Morrison said the gym closed “due to several issues with staff which were ongoing, resulting in a change to the business model”. “The business is currently open for studio hire which has been booked,” he said.

Trainworthy gym at Burleigh appears to have closed down. Only one car behind the locked fence. Picture Glenn Hampson

Train Worthy gym at Burleigh appears to have closed down. Only one car behind the locked fence. Picture Glenn Hampson

One former client, whose name has been withheld, said funds had kept being taken from her account for at least four weeks after the gym closed.

“I was a client there from the beginning,” she said.

“It seemed to have had a few pseudo openings – it would open, then close again because something wasn’t ready, then reopen. It was always a bit tumultuous.

“The trainers were amazing but it always felt a little bit loose.”

The client said memberships were put on hold when the gym closed in November, amid promises of reopening.

“However, that was all false promises and memberships automatically came off hold and continued to be direct debited,” she said.

”It was probably for four or five weeks of me just trying to get him to do the right thing.

“I was messaging him and asking him politely to stop taking my money and he just kept coming up with really weird excuses – he was always shifting blame on to other people, then his computer wasn’t working.”

Luke Morrison, director of Train Worthy Gym at Burleigh Heads

The Gold Coast Bulletin has seen screenshots from the client’s account showing payments continued to be deducted until she contacted her bank asking for the gym to be blocked as a merchant.

While that stopped the money going out, the gym’s app continued to attempt to take funds every week – as recently as last Friday.

The client said at least another six clients had money debited after the closure of the gym, and were discussing what to do about it in a group chat.

Mr Morrison acknowledged the incorrect payments had been taken from clients, saying he had thought memberships had been cancelled and that members would not be debited. “Unfortunately that information was incorrect, however, I was not aware until it was too late and additional debits occurred,” he said.

Mr Morrison blamed the debit company, Glofox, for the payment blunder.

“We are very apologetic to our members that this has impacted and we are currently in dispute with the company who are not being helpful at this time,” he said.

“We encourage our members to contact their banks in the meantime to stop payments and we will be pursuing the debit company for the issues caused. We are very upset this occurred.”

The Bulletin has contacted Glofox for a response to Mr Morrison’s claim.

Mr Morrison declined to say whether or not his company was solvent.

Luke Morrison and Tim Bresolin in happier times.

Train Worthy was slapped with a wind up action by local graphic designer Tim Bresolin in April last year.

It was dismissed a month later, after the matter was settled out of court, and there are no further matters listed for the company in Queensland.

The soured business dealings appear to have ended a close friendship between the pair, who had travelled across Australia together with their wives and other friends.

Mr Morrison, who also runs a pool fencing business named Platinum Pool Fencing, registered a new company, Trainworthy HQ, in March last year.