LA Fitness, operated by California-based Fitness International, LLC and Fitness & Sports Clubs, LLC, is facing a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that it made cancelling gym memberships and related services unnecessarily complicated. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims that the gym chain, which operates more than 600 locations under brands including LA Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club, and Club Studio, required members to follow cumbersome procedures to end their contracts. Memberships, which range from $30 to $299 per month plus initiation and annual fees, allegedly locked customers into recurring payments that were extremely difficult to stop.
According to the FTC, consumers reported challenges such as having to cancel in person with only one specific employee during limited hours or by mailing forms that required certified postage. Even accessing cancellation forms online was described as burdensome, requiring old membership details and partial banking or card numbers. The FTC also noted that LA Fitness did not clearly inform customers that add-on services could be cancelled separately. Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, stated, “The FTC’s complaint describes a scenario that too many Americans have experienced – a gym membership that seems impossible to cancel.” He further added, “The FTC will not hesitate to act on behalf of consumers when it believes companies are stifling consumers’ ability to choose which recurring charges they want to keep.”
