Hundreds Of Former Boston Sports Clubs Members To Get Refunds
BOSTON (CBS) – Hundreds of former Boston Sports Clubs members are getting a refund, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Wednesday.
The clubs' parent company, Town Sports International, filed for bankruptcy on September 14. As part of that process, Healey said her office has secured a total of $126,858 in refunds for 588 former members. That's an average of about $215.75 for each person getting a refund.
The former members filed claims because they had trouble cancelling their memberships or were wrongfully charged by BSC.
"Consumers who were wrongfully charged before TSI was sold on November 30 and who submitted a claim to the Bankruptcy Court will receive a full refund. They will receive notification in the next week informing them about the result of their claim, followed by an email with payment via virtual Mastercard. Consumers will receive refunds in the amounts they indicated in their claims or, if no amount was stated, based on TSI's records," Healey's office said in a statement.
"The Bankruptcy Court also ordered BSC not to pursue collections on consumers who obtained a refund through a dispute with their credit card companies."
The fitness chain, which includes more than two dozen locations in Massachusetts, ran into trouble soon after the pandemic forced them to close on March 16, 2020. Healey opened an investigation when dozens of members complained the club continued to charge them during the shutdown.
Boston Sports Clubs remained closed until early July, then some closed again without warning.
Healey received more than 2,000 complaints from people who couldn't cancel their memberships after reaching out to the company through multiple avenues. Some said they were still charged after receiving a cancellation notice. She filed a lawsuit in November.
That lawsuit was later amended in December to name former CEO Patrick Walsh. Healey has accused him of authorizing BSC to bill members while the clubs were closed last April.
"The AG's Office is continuing to pursue its case against BSC and Walsh in Suffolk Superior Court to obtain additional refunds," Healey's office said in Wednesday's statement.
