Washington Sports Club may soon be hit with a lawsuit if the company doesn’t stop charging membership fees amid the coronavirus shutdown to all nonessential businesses.
In a letter to Town Sports International, the parent company of the sports club, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine joined attorneys general from New York and Pennsylvania, where the gym operates, to demand it stop charging customers monthly dues and cancellation fees.
The letter is calling on the company to freeze all memberships at no cost and stop imposing conditions such as advanced notice requirements to cancel during the pandemic.
Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered all nonessential businesses, including health clubs and gyms, to close due to the risk of coronavirus exposure last month.
The letter also demands these policies be made clear to TSI members at all six locations throughout the District, stating, “OAG has sued Town Sports International for violating the District’s consumer protection laws in the past, and we are prepared to do so again.”
In 2016, the company paid a $20,000 fine for misrepresenting its cancellation policies, and was sued by the District last year for allegations it violated the terms of the settlement.
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