A Simple Law Popular in Other States Should Be Adopted by Maine Immediately

Whenever the calendar flips to a new year, people often make promises to themselves about things they'll do better. One of the top resolutions made by people throughout the country is to get in better shape.

Joining gyms in every single state across the country is generally a very painless process. Most of the time, it's as simple as some key information and maybe a small down payment to become a member.

But what started as painless has turned quite painful for many over the years. Joining fitness clubs may be easy, but getting out of them can seem to require an act of congress. And in some states, that's exactly what happened. The state congress stepped in.

Just recently, New Jersey became the latest state in the country to force gyms and fitness clubs to make canceling your gym membership as easy as it was to sign up. For years, some major fitness clubs have been bilking customers out of monthly fees because canceling a membership required multiple steps.

Their new law states:

"The location where subscribers can initiate the cancellation must be accessible and prominent on the gym provider’s website, within the individual’s account profile, or it may be completed through a termination email template provided by the service"

This should be a slam dunk for the Maine legislature. Transparency in fees and cancellation policies for gym memberships has been lacking in the state for a long time, and that should change immediately.

Even if Maine doesn't act, the Federal Trade Commission began work at the national level to institute these types of polices for health clubs that operate in more than one state. The FTC's 'click to cancel' proposal would include multiple different types of businesses.