NYSC & Lucille Roberts to Refund Gym Memberships for NYers Due to COVID-19

By: Arthur Popowitz

Gym-goers in New York who are being charged for memberships they can’t use during coronavirus shutdowns are getting some relief.

The state attorney general says New York Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts have both agreed to freeze memberships.

The gyms are also going to offer credits to members who have been charged while the fitness centers have been closed due to the pandemic

The NY Post reported: The gym’s parent company, Town Sports International, has agreed to refund and credit members for charges they incurred since NYSC and Lucille Roberts clubs were ordered by the state to close March 16 in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

On April 24, Attorney General Letitia James announced she has secured commitments from the parent company of NYSC and Lucille Roberts to institute a number of policy changes that will provide economic relief to members who were charged dues over the last six weeks.

“This is putting money back in the pockets of New Yorkers who were being illegally charged for unusable gym memberships,” James said. “The commitments we secured from New York Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts will ensure that members will not be left paying the bill and lifting the weight for NYSC’s financial straits as long as the gyms remain closed, Bronx Times reported.

“We will continue to monitor the company to ensure they comply with every commitment made,” James added.

In March, James led a multi-state coalition, which also included the attorneys general of Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, in opening an investigation into the billing practices of Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. (TSI), the parent company of New York Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts, Philadelphia Sports Clubs and Washington Sports Clubs, among other health and fitness subsidiaries.

The agreement is as followed:

• Freeze all New York Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts memberships, effective as of April 8, at no cost to members.
• Issue credits to members for dues and fees paid for cancellation or freezing of accounts after March 16, when New York’s executive order directing the closure of health clubs first went into effect.
• Honor all cancellation requests submitted by April 30, without charging cancellation fees or requiring advance notice.
• Contact all consumers who filed complaints with the Office of the Attorney General to resolve those individual complaints.

The NY Post reported: Members expressed outrage that the clubs continued charging dues and fees despite the closures. They were also outraged over difficulty contacting the clubs to cancel and place accounts on hold.

In fact, at least two lawsuits were filed against the club for mishandling member accounts during the pandemic closures.