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PITCHING IN $60,000 FOR TOMORROW. A LOT OF YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR SOMETHING YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO USE YOUR GYM MEMBERSHIP MANY HEALTH CLUBS HAVE FROZEN MEMBERS ACCOUNTS AND THEY SAY THEY WILL NOT PROCESS MONTHLY DUES, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST HEALTH CLUBS RIGHT HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, HAS PEOPLE ESPECIALLY THOSE OUT OF A JOB. OUTRAGED FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. BOSTON SPORTS CLUBS HAVE BEEN A HUGE PART OF THE FITNESS SEEN IN NEW ENGLAND, BUT NOW LIKE ALL JIM’S THEIR DOORS ARE CLOSED THE STAFF GONE. THEY LAID OFF THE STAFF ALL SUDDENLY WHOLESALE TOLD EVERYBODY TO GO HOME THE END YET BE AS SEE APPARENTLY INTENDS TO GO ON CHARGING MEMBERS THEIR MONTHLY DUES. NOBODY CAN REACH THEM BY PHONE BY EMAIL MEMBERS LIKE MEG RYAN. SAY COMMUNICATION FROM BSC HAS BEEN PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT. THEY PUT OUT THIS TWEET TO WHICH DOZENS REPLIED ASKING TO CANCEL SOME WITH THINGS LIKE SHAME AND THEY SENT THIS EMAIL SAYING ONLY QUOTE ONCE WE’RE UP AND FUNCTIONALLY RUNNING OUR CLUBS. WE WILL HANDLE ALL OF YOUR CONCERNS INCLUDING CREDITS TO YOUR MEMBERSHIPS THEN TUESDAY MORNING THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH ONE MORE EMAIL AGAIN PROMISING ACCOUNT CREDITS, BUT ONLY AFTER THE GYMS REOPEN THEY’VE GOT EVERYBODY’S CREDIT. CARD NUMBERS AND EVERYBODY’S ON AUTOMATIC PILOT MY HUSBAND AND I PAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS A MONTH THAT. GREER TRIED TO REMOVE HER CREDIT CARD FROM HER ONLINE ACCOUNT, BUT IT WOULDN’T SAVE WITHOUT A REPLACEMENT. WE TRIED TO REACH BOSTON SPORTS CLUBS PARENT COMPANY TOWN SPORTS INTERNATIONAL, WHICH ALSO HAS GYMS IN NEW YORK DC AND PHILLY AND NOBODY ANSWERED THE PHONE OR RETURNS AN EMAIL. THE COMPANY WAS HIT LATE LAST WEEK WITH THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN NEW YORK OVER THIS VERY ISSUE. YOU ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED UNDER MASSACHUSETTS LAW TO BE ABLE TO CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP IF THE GYMS OPERATION THIS MANY OTHER GYMS HAVE PROACTIVELY FROZEN MEMBERS ACCOUNTS SAYING THEY WON’T BE CHARGED FOR THE LOST TIME NOW ALL THIS COMES AS AN INDUSTRY PUBLICATION LAST YEAR SAID EXPENSES AND LOSSES ARE GROWING FOR THIS COMPANY WHILE ITS STOCK PRICE HAS DROPPED NOW BELOW $1 MEMBERS HAVE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS HERE. YOU CAN DISPUTE THE CHARGED WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD, OR YOU COULD NOTIFY YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY NOT TO PROCESS THAT PAYMENT THE MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY. GENERAL’S OFFICE HAS RECEIVED DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND US THEY’RE INVESTIGATING IF YOU’VE GOT A STORY FOR WHEN YOU CAN EMAIL M

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On April 1, a lot of people will be charged for something they are not able to use: a gym membership.One of the biggest health clubs in New England, Boston Sports Clubs, intends to go on charging monthly fees, which has many members, especially those out of a job, outraged."They laid off the staff suddenly, wholesale. Told everybody to go home. The end," said BSC member Meg Greer. "Nobody can reach them by phone, by email."Members say communication from BSC has been almost nonexistent for more than two weeks, despite Boston Sports Clubs' nearly 50-year history in New England. First, the club put out a tweet, to which dozens replied asking to cancel. One Twitter user posting simply: "Shame." Then, on Friday, the company emailed members saying "...once we're up and functionally running our clubs we will handle all of your concerns, including credits to your memberships."Finally on Tuesday morning, the last day of the month, one more email. This one again promised account credits but only after the gyms reopen."They've got everybody's credit card numbers and everybody's on automatic pilot," Greer told us. "My husband and I pay $220/month to belong to that club."Greer says she tried to remove her credit card from her online account, but it wouldn't save without a replacement.NewsCenter 5 tried to reach Boston Sports Clubs' parent company, Town Sports International, which also operates gyms in New York, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Nobody answered the phone or returned an email. The company was hit last week with a class action lawsuit in New York over this very issue.In Massachusetts, gym members have the right to cancel their membership if a gym's operation changes. Many other health clubs have proactively frozen members' accounts, saying they won't be charged while the clubs are closed. All this comes as a health club industry publication last year said expenses and losses are growing for Town Sports International, while its stock price has dropped below $1 per share. Members have a few options: dispute the charge with your credit card or notify your credit card company not to process the payment. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has received dozens of complaints about Boston Sports Clubs and is investigating.