Virginia Code 59.1-298: Notice to buyer
A copy of the executed health club contract shall be delivered to the buyer at the time the contract is executed. All health club contracts shall (i) be in writing, (ii) state the name and physical address of the health club, (iii) be signed by the buyer, (iv) designate the date on which the buyer actually signed the contract, (v) state the starting and expiration dates of the initial membership period, (vi) separately identify any initiation fee, (vii) either in the contract itself or in a separate notice provided to the buyer at the time the contract is executed, notify each buyer that the buyer should attempt to resolve with the health club any complaint the buyer has with the health club, and that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates health clubs in the Commonwealth pursuant to the provisions of the Virginia Health Club Act, and (viii) contain the provisions set forth in § 59.1-297 under a conspicuous caption: “BUYER’S RIGHT TO CANCEL” that shall read substantially as follows:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 59.1-298
- Business day: means any day except a Sunday or a legal holiday. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Buyer: means a natural person who enters into a health club contract. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Contract price: means the sum of the initiation fee, if any, and all monthly fees except interest required by the health club contract. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Facility: means a location where health club services are offered as designated in a health club contract. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Health club: means any person, firm, corporation, organization, club or association whose primary purpose is to engage in the sale of memberships in a program consisting primarily of physical exercise with exercise machines or devices, or whose primary purpose is to engage in the sale of the right or privilege to use exercise machines or devices. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Health club services: means and includes services, privileges, or rights offered for sale or provided by a health club. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Initiation fee: means a nonrecurring fee charged at or near the beginning of a health club membership, and includes all fees or charges not part of the monthly fee. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- Out of business: means the status of a facility that is permanently closed and for which there is no comparable alternate facility. See Virginia Code 59.1-296
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
If you wish to cancel this contract, you may cancel by making or delivering written notice to this health club. The notice must say that you do not wish to be bound by the contract and must be delivered or mailed before midnight of the third business day after you sign this contract. The notice must be delivered or mailed to (Health club shall insert its name and mailing address).
If canceled within three business days, you will be entitled to a refund of all moneys paid. You may also cancel this contract if this club goes out of business or relocates and fails to provide comparable alternate facilities within five driving miles of the facility designated in this contract. You may also cancel if you become physically unable to use a substantial portion of the health club services for 30 or more consecutive days, and your estate may cancel in the event of your death. You must prove you are unable to use a substantial portion of the health club services by a doctor’s, a physician assistant’s, or an advanced practice registered nurse’s certificate, and the health club may also require that you submit to a physical examination, within 30 days of the notice of cancellation, by a doctor, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse agreeable to you and the health club. If you cancel after the three business days, the health club may retain or collect a portion of the contract price equal to the proportionate value of the services or use of facilities you have already received. Any refund due to you shall be paid within 30 days of the effective date of cancellation.
1984, c. 738; 1990, cc. 392, 433; 2003, c. 344; 2004, c. 855; 2006, c. 396; 2010, c. 439; 2013, c. 24; 2014, c. 459; 2023, c. 183.