herlobi.blogg.se - Synergy gym membership

The Attorney General previously reached settlements with nearly 100 health clubs requiring them to modify their contracts to comply with New York law.Īttorney General Schneiderman offered the following tips to consumers when considering a health or fitness club: Consumers who seek restitution should contact the club with which they contracted or file a complaint online with the Attorney General’s office or call 1-80 by December 1, 2016. The clubs will also have to provide restitution to consumers who can demonstrate that since January 1 2014, they paid for health clubs services after cancelling their membership. Establish a review procedure to investigate complaints received from consumers.Cease and desist from engaging in harassing debt collection practices or in any collection activity, including referring to a debt collector, for any services provided after a contract has been cancelled.Verify all outstanding balances before they are sent for collection to a third party and transmitting proof of any outstanding balances to the third party collection agency.Permit consumers to cancel their Membership by providing reasonable notice to Synergy according to the terms of the contract.Under the terms of the settlement, in addition to complying with the terms of the Health Club law, the Synergy Clubs agreed to, among other things: ABDO Fitness Corp., 244 East 14 thStreet, New York, NY 10003.Farm Fitness, Inc., 410 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735.Garden City Fitness Corp., 190 Broadway, Garden City, NY 11040.Pekic Fitness, Inc., 184 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016.1781 Fitness Corp., 1781 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10128.Synergy Fitness Astoria, Inc., 23-35 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106.Three of the settling health clubs are no longer in operation.

Synergy also failed to post notices informing customers whether the facility filed a bond with the Secretary of State and how the consumer may obtain proof of the club’s compliance with the law. In addition, Synergy’s Membership Agreement contained provisions and terms that permitted automatic renewals without the consent of the consumer and failed to use the language mandated by statute for notice of cancellation without penalty in violation of the Health Club law.

Synergy added fees not provided for in their Membership Agreement.

Synergy misrepresented their cancellation policies and failed to honor consumers’ valid cancellation requests.

Synergy’s collection agent harassed them seeking collection on contracts that were cancelled years earlier.

Synergy billed them without their consent or after the expiration or cancellation of their membership term.

The complaints the office received from consumers about Synergy included allegations that: “We won’t tolerate companies that employ opaque and illegal practices to line their pockets at the expense of New Yorkers.” “Consumers join health clubs to get fit, not to spend energy avoiding improper fees or dealing with harassing collection calls concerning lawfully cancelled contracts,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. The health clubs agreed to modify their contracts to comply with New York State law and to pay $60,000 in penalties and fines.

The office received numerous consumer complaints against Synergy alleging the health clubs improperly billed consumers for memberships, misrepresented and unfairly applied their cancellation policies, charged fees that were not part of the contract and were unresponsive to consumer complaints. Schneiderman today announced a settlement with nine Synergy Fitness health clubs located in New York City and Nassau County to resolve his investigation of their compliance with the state’s Health Club Services Law. Settlement Reached With Health Club With Six Locations In NYC & Nassau County SchneidermanĪlbany Press Office / SCHNEIDERMAN ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH SYNERGY FITNESS CLUBS FOR DECEPTIVE AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES HIGHLIGHTS TIPS FOR CONSUMERS