PORTLAND, Ore. — Update: MUV Fitness sent a letter to customers on April 6 announcing all membership billing would be suspended. For membership billing charged during the gym closure, members will receive additional days of access equaling the number of days paid while the gym was closed.
MUV Fitness in Happy Valley is closed. The gym shut down on March 23 after Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed an executive order closing various businesses to help stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite the closure, MUV Fitness member KC Hanson is still paying dues for the upcoming month of April.
“I was kind of shocked to see at the end of the month- there was my monthly charge,” explained Hanson.
Hanson called and emailed the company, but so far, she has not received a refund.
“I’m sure they’re facing the same struggles we all are- but you know, these nickel and dime things are going to start adding up for people- especially as folks are struggling,” said Hanson.
MUV Fitness has multiple locations in Oregon, Washington and South Carolina.
The company did not respond to phone calls from KGW or an email.
A phone message at the corporate offices in South Carolina explained the company “shut down indefinitely” on April 1.
Some gyms have been good about notifying customers about easy, automatic account freezes. Other gyms have not- leaving members frustrated by a lack of responsiveness.
“That’s a big problem,” explained Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. “They couldn’t get through and the gym wasn’t responding to their phone calls or emails.”
Rosenblum said her office has received multiple consumer complaints about billing issues at various gyms, including 24 Hour Fitness.
The AG’s office reached out to 24 Hour Fitness- which has since agreed to help resolve these billing issues.
“We got them to agree to send an email to all of their members notifying them that payments would be suspended effective April 16,” said Rosenblum.
If you want to cancel or get a refund on your gym membership, you should start by contacting the gym directly, said Rosenblum.
If that doesn’t work, you can stop payment by working with your bank or credit card company. Consumers can also file a complaint with the Oregon Attorney General’s office.