Follow up from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia regarding: “the lawsuit AG Racine filed against Washington Sports Club for charging members during the COVID-19 shutdowns, I wanted to let you know that we scored a win in court today [Friday]! The judge granted the District’s request for a temporary restraining order against the company, (more…)
Photo by Arav Kharkwal
“Dear PoPville,
Am I the only one who finds this a little cringe?
I get their heart is in the “right place,” but I feel this is capitalizing on a movement and for a brand “trying to get some good name recognition.” This all seems like a marketing ploy of like “performative activism” to get people in the door and then pressure them to get a membership.”
From the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed suit against the parent company of Washington Sports Club (WSC), Town Sports International, LLC (TSI), for failing to abide by promises made to gym members while its facilities were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-April, responding to a letter sent by AG Racine and other state Attorneys General, TSI had agreed to freeze memberships, credit consumers for dues paid while their gyms were inaccessible, and process requests for cancelations. Since reopening on June 22, however, the company has neither issued those credits to account holders, nor processed all membership cancelations. In response, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is seeking a court order forcing TSI to follow through on its agreement to credit consumers and process cancelations, along with civil penalties. This is the second consumer protection lawsuit OAG has filed against the company. (more…)
Photo by John Sonderman
“Dear PoPville,
I’m missing the gym like crazy, especially for the classes. I don’t do well with virtual classes, so I’m interested in seeing where I can find and take outdoor exercise classes (other than yoga). I’d really appreciate any leads, even in the suburbs.”
Photo by Eric Williams-13
“Dear PoPville,
Any update from those who went to gyms last week on how they are handling cleaning and keeping people safe?”
Another reader asks: “I’m starting to see organized outdoor exercise classes around town. Does anyone know who is organizing them? I would like to get involved. In particular, I’ve seen them happening in the field of Garrison Elementary.”
1101 Connecticut Ave, NW via LA Fitness
“Dear PoPville,
LA Fitness’ re-opening email has NOT ONE syllable about what they’ve specifically done to clean the place, let alone anything on an ongoing basis. The WSC email you published on Monday (it’s now Tuesday) talked the talk about “deep cleaning.” How well they execute that, I sure don’t know. At least they talk the talk. I am considering switching from LAF to WSC.
Read this sentence for how much hedging they do !!
‘While closed, we’ve been working on changes aimed at making our clubs the safest place you can work out.’
So, they’ve been “working” — passive
“on changes” — it’s still in process
“aimed at” — not having achieved, but aimed at, that’s great
“making” — still in the process”
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Dear Member, (more…)
Thanks to all who passed on the email from Washington Sports Club over the weekend:
“I just received this gem from everyone’s “favorite” gym chain, WSC. As you can see below, they’re saying that they expect to reopen at 6am on Monday but declined to provide literally *any* pertinent health and safety information (like, I don’t know, a reservation system), nor did they say anything about charging membership dues again. They only note that they’re “working diligently” to follow federal and county guidelines (which, boilerplate email fail on the latter point). That’s of course alarming, considering that they’re planning to reopen in 36 hours… (more…)
Thanks to all who sent word about Washington Sports Club permanently closing their Gallery Place/Chinatown (783 7th Street, NW) and Georgetown (3222 M Street, NW) locations. Read the closure announcements: (more…)
Thanks to a reader for passing on VIDA‘s planned 6am opening on Monday should Phase Two move forward.
We’ve talked a lot about dining at restaurants but do you plan on going back to the gym, whichever you go to, as soon as they open?
Thanks to a reader for sending to us. Updates as more is known about Friday Monday.
See the rest of the guidelines: (more…)