The Chamber of Labor Vienna (AK Wien) has concluded its campaign against several fitness studio operators, claiming to have recovered around one million euros for more than 20,000 customers—averaging around 50 euros per person. The campaign focused on the recovery of unjustly charged additional fees, the AK reported on Thursday.

Most of the fitness studios have since refunded the money, but some franchisees of the Cleverfit brand in Styria are still behind on payments, explained AK consumer protection advocate Martin Goger in response to an inquiry from APA. If no resolution is reached, Goger did not rule out further legal action.

Campaign Followed Supreme Court Rulings

According to the AK, the campaign was launched in 2023, following several group lawsuits against 30 fitness studio operators, including chains like Cleverfit, McFit, FITINN, and Fitfabrik. In the case of Cleverfit, the Supreme Court (OGH) ruled in late 2022 that several additional fees charged by the chain were unlawful. The OGH also supported the AK’s position in other cases.

The disputed additional fees included “annual or semi-annual service charges, one-time costs incurred at the time of contract signing, such as activation fees, and a chip fee for access.” Such charges, which are added to the regular membership fee, are only permissible if “particularly valuable services are offered that are not typically included in a fitness contract,” the AK explained in its press release.