Fitness24Seven faces challenge over two-month cancellation notice

Finland’s consumer ombudsman has asked the Market Court to ban Fitness24Seven from requiring customers to give two months’ notice to end open-ended memberships, Yle reports. The ombudsman is seeking a 100,000-euro conditional fine to enforce the proposed ban.

The ombudsman says the notice period conflicts with consumer protection goals because it creates extra costs and makes it harder for customers to switch providers. Fitness24Seven’s terms allow the company to change prices or other contract conditions with one month’s notice.

Consumers should be able to end open-ended contracts without a long notice period or an unreasonable financial burden, said Miina Ojajärvi, a director at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.

The ombudsman has also negotiated with Fitness24Seven over how it advertises membership prices. The gym chain has agreed to stop promoting open-ended memberships solely through offers such as a zero-euro joining fee and to state the monthly charge alongside such offers.

There is no specific legislation governing notice periods in the fitness industry, so gyms set them in their contract terms. The ombudsman expects the court’s ruling to clarify what notice periods may be considered unreasonable in open-ended contracts for gyms and similar services.

Fitness24Seven, which originated in Sweden, is one of Finland’s largest gym chains, with nearly 70 locations in the country.