I hate when fanboys say things like "Vic was always nice to me." No one is accusing Vic of being a nasty guy. In fact, he is a "nice" guy. He'll say hi to you, take a picture with you, shake hands, even give you the man-hug that's so popular these days. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH RIPPING PEOPLE OFF??
I guess it depends on your definition of nice. I think everyone who's met Kamali would say he's a nice guy too, but he has a lot more detractors on this board than Vic does and Kamali's never ripped anyone off or done time in the slammer.
You can't open a gym in Manhattan (real Manhattan below 125th street, not Washington Heights which is crack central) these days and expect hardcore lifters to be your bread and butter. Don't know any hardcore lifters who can afford Manhattan rents (about $2500/mo for a 1BR)...usually you need a real job to be able to afford that kinda change. So you're talking about the B&Ters who live in Jersey, Brooklyn and da Bronx paying $600/mo rent to come to the hardcore gyms and they can't afford $1500/year memberships they charge at Equinox and LA Sports Club or even New York Sports Club.
Bottom Line: Expect the next gym to be yet another money-laundering, drug-dealing venture solely designed to hide illegally obtained income from the IRS and caring absolutely nothing about the suckers that pony up the cash to join.
By the way, if you got stuck with a useless membership at Vic's old gym, you can file a complaint with the Attorney general and the Dept of Consumer Affairs. All gyms are required to post a bond with the secretary of state and if they go out of business, you can make a claim for lost dues.
Special "Caveat Emptor" Ed