Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday announced a consent judgment has been reached with West Michigan-based Family Fitness, resolving a four-count complaint for alleged violations of the state's Consumer Protection Act filed in September 2017. The judgment orders the company to pay up to $220,000 to the Attorney General's Office over the next three years, $190,000 of which will be made available to consumers affected by the company's poor business practices.
The Attorney General's Office launched an investigation into the poor business practices of the company after receiving hundreds of consumer complaints. A class-action lawsuit was subsequently filed.
As part of the judgment Family Fitness is not allowed to charge any cancellation fees on any membership or personal training agreement resulting from a drawing or event prize. Additionally, cancellation fees on other membership or personal training agreements cannot exceed $75, regardless of when the agreements were entered. This limitation applies regardless of the number of consumers that are part of a single membership or agreement.
"My office will always stand up to protect Michiganders from companies that conduct business in bad faith," Nessel said. "This consent judgment returns funds to hardworking Michiganders and makes clear that no business is above the law."
Consumers who have filed complaints against Family Fitness will be receiving information about the claims process in the next few months. It is not too late for consumers who have been harmed by Family Fitness to file complaints and be included in these considerations. Residents who are able to document any claims they believe arise from Family Fitness' misconduct are encouraged to file a consumer complaint at mi.gov/agcomplaints.
There are 12 Family Fitness locations in West Michigan, with locations in Alpine, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Holland, Muskegon, North Muskegon, Norton Shores, Plainwell, Portage, Sparta, Standale, and Wyoming.
Published: Fri, Apr 26, 2019
