Personal Finance
Fancy NYC Gym Owes $600K For Making Memberships So Hard To Cancel, NYC AG Says
New York-based gym customers who tried to cancel their memberships could get refunds of up to $250, Attorney General Letitia James said.
NEW YORK CITY — It's time for Equinox — the high-end gym with notoriously rigid membership policies — to break a sweat.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Friday that New Yorkers who had trouble canceling their Soul Cycle and Equinox gym memberships will get a refund of up to $250, and the Equinox Group also owes the state $600,000 in penalties for illegal membership practices.
In addition to paying up, James has also ordered the gym giant to make its membership policies more transparent, and create a way for customers to cancel their memberships online and hassle-free.
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"New Yorkers should be able to cancel a membership they no longer use or want without breaking a sweat," James said.
"The Equinox Group made it challenging for customers to end their membership, costing them time and money. As a result of my office’s settlement, New Yorkers can now cancel their membership with Equinox, SoulCycle, or any of Equinox Group’s brands much faster."
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In New York, there are laws requiring businesses to be transparent with customers about subscription terms, including cancellation policy and automatic renewals.
However, James said Equinox was leaving critical membership information in fine print, not getting consent from its members for automatic renewals, and not letting subscribers know when a transaction had been made.
New York subscribers to Equinox gyms, SoulCycle, and Equinox+ online fitness classes could also be eligible for a $100 refund if they attempted to cancel their memberships between Feb. 9, 2021, and May 19.
To get a refund, New Yorkers should send a claim in before July 19.
To make a claim, SoulCycle subscribers should email NewYorkAGclaims@soul-cycle.com, and Equinox Gym and Equinox+ subscribers should email NewYorkAGclaims@equinox.com.
In the email, New Yorkers should include their name and the phone number or email address associated with their gym account.
For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com
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