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DC gym faces pressure to stop charging fees during pandemic

Melissa Howell | mhowell@wtop.com

April 4, 2020, 10:20 AM

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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Melissa Howell

Melissa Howell joined WTOP Radio in March 2018 and is excited to cover stories that matter across D.C., as well as in Maryland and Virginia. 

mhowell@wtop.com

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Coronavirus testing site at FedEx Field
<p>The pandemic has forced many people out of work and unable to reach healthy food so Martha&#8217;s Table has extended until April 24 its COVID-19 emergency response of financial and food support for people in need, including distribution of 6,570 bags of groceries at its public food sites in Southeast D.C.</p>
FALLS CHURCH, VA - MARCH 25: Vehicles drive alongside an empty Silver Line train car as ridership across the Metro system is down nearly 90% because of the coronavirus pandemic March 25, 2020 in Falls Church, Virginia.
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