Complaints Mount Against Boston Sports Clubs During Shutdown

Complaints are piling up against Boston Sports Clubs, which has not provided gym-goers with a clear path to canceling their memberships during the coronavirus shutdown. The chain, like other gyms across the state, closed all of its locations March 16 following Gov. Charlie Baker's initial set of social distancing orders.

That same week, it laid off its club-level workers. But since mid-March, the chain's only communication with members has been in the form of two emails from Patrick Walsh, CEO of Town Sports International, Boston Sports Clubs' parent company.

In the first email, dated March 26, Walsh wrote that once the gyms were up and running again, the company would "handle all of your concerns, including credits to your memberships, and personal training sessions." Walsh sent a follow-up email March 31, in which he more directly addressed concerns from members regarding their dues.

"I want to reassure you that, as previously promised, we will issue credits to your accounts and address all membership-related concerns once our gyms are operating," Walsh wrote. He said Town Sports would start offering exercise streaming to all members on the Plankk app starting April 1, and members that stuck with the company through the public health crisis would automatically be upgraded to Passport-Elite memberships, valued at $600-$700, through the end of 2020.

Those who wish to freeze their memberships may reach out to MemberHelp@tsiclubs.com, according to Walsh. Some members told Boston.com they emailed the address and received no response, while others said they were charged their monthly dues on April 1.

The lack of clarity has drawn the attention of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, which told Patch it has received more than 100 complaints about Boston Sports Clubs as of Friday. The office has also struggled to get in contact with the club, Attorney General Maura Healey tweeted Thursday.

"Much like many Boston Sports Club members, my team has been trying to get a straight answer from @BSC_Gym about how people can cancel their accounts," Healey wrote. "So far, they have refused to provide one. Maybe it's because they fired all their employees. This is completely unacceptable."

In an email to Patch, Healey's office wrote that it is "disappointed that the company has yet to provide notice to consumers about their right to cancel their memberships." And it's not only Boston members that are having trouble communicating with the company – Town Sports is facing a class action lawsuit in New York City for making it "virtually impossible" for more than 600,000 New York Sports Clubs members to cancel their memberships, the suit alleges.

Boston Sports Clubs' cancellation policy states that members may "initiate the cancellation in person at any club location or by sending a cancellation request by Certified Mail to the club or the Member Services department." The policy does not provide an address for the Member Services department.

Healey's office said BSC members should have the right to cancel their memberships if a gym is not operating, and given the public health emergency, the company should provide an email option. Members should not be charged a cancellation fee and should be refunded anything they've been charged since the gyms closed, according to Healey.

Healey tweeted Thursday that there will be "consequences" for BSC if it does not honor members' cancellation requests. She urged members to call her hotline at 617-727-8400 or file a complaint online: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint.

Boston Sports Clubs has 30 locations in Massachusetts.

Related: Gyms Are Going Online During Closures