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Committee backs bill letting gyms send renewal notices electronically if customers opt in
Summary
The committee reported bill 4635, which would let health and fitness facilities notify customers electronically of upcoming automatic contract renewals when consumers select that option; members sought clearer definitions of 'electronic' and an explicit customer-choice requirement in the contract.
The committee voted to report bill 4635, which updates notification requirements for automatic renewals of health and fitness facility contracts by allowing electronic notices when a customer opts in. Charles Rignanti, senior manager of government affairs for the Health and Fitness Association, told the committee the change modernizes a law that has not been updated since 2008 and that most consumers prefer electronic notices (email) provided the customer is given the choice at contract signing.
Members asked whether 'electronic' includes email and text messaging and whether the facility or the customer decides the method. Multiple members said the choice should be presented at the front end of the contract and that customers should be able to opt for both electronic and written notice. The witness said his members would be amenable to language requiring upfront disclosure of the option and an electronic option remaining available.
The committee took a voice/hand vote to report the bill favorably subject to oral amendments clarifying consumer choice and the definition of 'electronic.' The transcript records approval by voice; a detailed roll call was not recorded in the public record.
