LA Fitness makes it purposely difficult to cancel memberships
LA Fitness goes out of their way to make it as difficult as possible to cancel gym memberships by placing intentional barriers in the path of customers
Background edit
On August 20, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Fitness International, LLC & Fitness & Sports Clubs, LLC (collectively operating as LA Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club, and Club Studio) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.[1]File:LAFitness-Complaint.pdf
According to the FTC complaint, the defendants operate more than 600 gym locations across the United States with over 3.7 million members. The company offers gym memberships ranging from $30-$299 per month, plus recurring annual fees of $40-$60, and also personal training memberships from $180-$660 monthly.[1]
Cancellation barriers edit
According to the FTC complaint, LA Fitness used two restrictive cancellation methods that the FTC claims violated consumer protection laws.[1]
In-person cancellation process edit
The FTC claims that to cancel in person, gym customers were required to:[1]
- Log into the gym's website (not the mobile app that the company promoted for all other functions)
- Provide original email address, "key tag number," & first five digits of their payment method to access their account
- Download and print a physical cancellation form
- Bring the printed form to the gym between 9 AM & 5 PM, Monday through Friday only (despite gyms being open up to 19 hours daily, 7 days a week)
- Find the one specific "Operations Manager" authorized to process cancellations
- Wait for that manager to process the cancellation, or return another day if unavailable
According to a consumer complaint cited in the FTC filing:
"Since June 2022 [my son] has been trying to cancel his membership. He travels for work constantly, home only on Sundays, when he attempted to do it in person, they told him he had to see the operation manager (who apparently only works from 9-4 M-F)"[1]
Mail cancellation process edit
For mail cancellation, the FTC claims their gym's customers face these requirements:[1]
- Same website login & form printing requirements as in-person cancellation
- Instructions to use certified or registered mail (requiring a post office visit and additional fees)
- No guarantee of processing even with delivery confirmation
One LA Fitness customer reported in the complaint:
"The company requires that you mail in a cancellation form. I have mailed multiple forms. The first couple I mailed were apparently 'not received'[.] [C]ustomer service would not allow me to cancel the membership any other way so I have mailed 3 more cancelation forms via certified mail and I have proof of tracking for all 3 showing delivered and the company is still charging me for membership"[1]
Mobile app exclusion edit
The FTC complaint states that while defendants encouraged consumers to use their mobile app for all gym functions (checking in, booking classes, finding locations), the cancellation form was deliberately not available through the app.[1]
LA Fitness's response edit
According to the FTC complaint, LA Fitness employed staff specifically to refuse escalated cancellation requests made via phone or email. The complaint alleges that managers were given scripts directing consumers back to the restrictive cancellation processes, claiming this was to "protect the privacy of our members."[1]
The FTC alleges a two-tier response system existed:
- Direct consumer complaints: Refused and redirected to the difficult cancellation process
- Better Business Bureau or State Attorney General complaints: "quickly resolve[d]" without requiring the standard procedures[1]
The complaint quotes LA Fitness's response to state attorneys general:
"This cancellation policy is not designed to make it difficult for our members to cancel, but rather to ensure cancellations are handled properly."[1]
Eight months after receiving a Civil Investigative Demand from the FTC, defendants added an online cancellation option for some memberships, though mobile app cancellation remains unavailable.[1]
Lawsuit edit
The FTC's lawsuit alleges violations of:[1]
- Section 5(a) of the FTC Act - Unfair cancellation practices causing substantial consumer injury
- ROSCA Section 4 - Failure to provide simple cancellation mechanisms for online transactions
- ROSCA Section 4 - Inadequate disclosure of cancellation methods before obtaining billing information
The FTC alleges these practices resulted in "hundreds of millions of dollars in unwanted recurring fees" and seeks:[1]
- Permanent injunction to prevent future violations
- Monetary relief for affected consumers
- Other relief as determined by the court
The lawsuit notes that defendants received "tens of thousands of reports from consumers complaining that their cancellation practices are difficult" yet "consistently failed to provide a simple cancellation method" for years.[1]
Consumer response edit
According to the FTC complaint, consumers filed thousands of complaints with consumer groups and state and federal authorities about LA Fitness's cancellation practices.[1]
Consumer experiences documented in the complaint include:[1]
- Being forced to use personal time off work to cancel during restricted hours
- Multiple failed attempts to cancel despite following all procedures
- Continued billing even after submitting certified mail cancellations with delivery confirmation
- LA Fitness charging new credit card numbers after consumers blocked payments
One consumer said:
"I don't have or use a printer and think this is just a way to keep deducting money from my account, hoping I will forget about it."[1]
Another said
"Every time I have attempted to [cancel in person], I have been told that the manager is not available and that there will be a follow-up. Unfortunately, there has never been any follow-up! This has been a recurring issue and it has left me feeling helpless and frustrated."[1]
References edit
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 [Case No. 8:25-cv-1841 "FTC v. Fitness International, LLC et al., Complaint for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief"]. U.S. District Court, Central District of California. 2025-08-20.
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