Virgin Active South Africa
reviews and complaints

After cancelling my virgin Active Membership,as I can't go anymore due to work schedule and life changes.

Head office gave me a 50% discount over 4 months,which would be R149.00 for me and my boys,since we are on Discovery Vitality. My membership # **********

I am infuriated to learn that the sales person gave the discount and removed my Vitality benefit from my membership. This makes me pay more than double my membership. I require my money back as well as cancellation to my membership instantly. I have cancelled my membership but I received an email that it will be frozen at R259 until August.

I canceled my membership,please cancel

In November 2023 I was in the market to join a gym in the Overport Durban area. I had a look at 2 others before contacting virgin active overport. From the outset the desperate sales rep who was not knowledgeable about the products said if I sign on he will give me a discount and a kit bag upon signing.

Upon signing I was told the fee would be R331 with discounts, No further increase until December 2024 if I decide to stay on. I signed and requested my kit bag and the sales rep told me he was out of stock , I had a few words with him and he told me when he has one he will notify me 3 months later nothing.

Anyway in December R331 fee transaction with virgin active.

In January I checked my fee had increased to 357, I phoned the customer care line and a male service agent said he can't do anything about the price increase to compensate me for the increase he said he will give me 2 months free and my next debit would only be in April , l agreed

However in February again there was a debit again I phoned the customer care a female consultant understood my issue apologised for the wrong amount debited and told me besides getting a refund I still have 2 free months and the next debit will be in may 2024.

March 2nd yet another debit incorrect increase amount and obviously no 2 free months.

Fed up I escalated it to the escalations section being on email letschat@virginactive.co.za

I outline the time frame with the chain of events

A consultant who answered my query by the name of Yolisha proved her incompetence when she stated I don't qualify for 2 free months has I have not been to the gym enough times to qualify. She totally ignored my issues as stated in my email and in my contract but was rather more concerned rules governing the two months free. So I gathered her lame lazy excuse to go the extra mile and really comprehend if she bothered to read what was the main issue.

Follow up emails to Letschat@virginactive.co.za and Yolisha have been ignored.

I once again phoned on the 05/03/2024 the customer care line and I spoke to Michelle who listened to my issues her way of assistance was sending a follow up email to virgin active overport , attention for the manager to contact me to try and resolve this issues .

The manager of Overport virgin active did not bother to phone me , I phoned 2 times put on hold and left a message for the manager to contact me but she never bothered. It seems virgin active is reigning supreme with negative complaints and no one gives a dam.

Despite numerous attempts by myself to contact Virgin Active to determine exactly what I owe for, I cannot get an account or statement. I was handed over to MBD for collection (within the last three months) following cancellation of my membership early last year - ended March 2023 (payment was via debit order). I have tried to get an account from both Virgin and MBD - nobody sends promised emails, nobody calls back.

Now my credit rating is at risk because Virgin Active has the most useless administration and staff.

Virgin Active made zero attempt to contact me regarding any outstanding fees between March 2023 and beginning 2024.

I was handed over without warning.

I still don't have an account / invoice / statement.

After reading some reviews on another site (hellop) it seems that this is common practice. So a "reputable" company is putting countless South African's credit at risk due to this inability to manage their own account administration.

I joined the gym in Sept 2022 with a monthly fee of R570 for 24 months and had to use a specific branch during that time which I have done. 2 months after joining I was advised that the fee would go up to R750 which I queried in Dec 2022 and the agent confirmed that it was an error and my fee will remain as R570. It remained that why until Dec 2024, since then my fee has gone up to R800. I called the call centre for over 2 months with no assistance. The escalations team acknowledgement there was an error and gave me a free month but said that the debit was still at R800 which is incorrect. I was informed today that they apparently had charged me incorrectly from the start and the fee is R800 and will not change even though it was their mistake and not mine. This is completely unacceptable and they should be maintaining the amount communicated to me when signing my contract. I understand a nominal increase but this is ridiculous.

My locker was broken into in a space of 20 minutes. There was a member who was watching and looking at various lockers and was busy drying a towel. This apparently was going on for about 2 hours. My locker and another, with the exact same combination lock was also broken into.

My actual cost was well over R20 000. This is a large amount by no stretch of the imagination.

I am still waiting for the police to go and view the footage, as i am not allowed to do so without the police. I could possibly identify someone from the person that i saw and his details could be checked from footage of when he came through and cross referenced with his membership.

Good day Zimasa,

I refer to the below conversation we had regarding my membership that was cancelled in December 2023. I have also asked you to obtain the telephone call where I have cancelled the membership of my husband, 2 sons and second daughter. The only people that were supposed to have had a membership were Myself and Elke Lange. 

You have said that it will take 48h to obtain and to give me feedback. Thus far I have been sending emails and following up but I have had not once response from yourself. It is now 16 days later. I need to get the refund on my membership where I was charged incorrectly as well as for the months that a debit order was processed incorrectly. 

Please phone me or provide feedback before close of business today.

Good morning

I am really not happy with the service which I am getting.

My ID number is: [protected]

My contract expired in June 2023, I wasn’t aware that I also need to give notice for cancelation.

June debit order was successful

July – no debit order was processes from your side

Aug - debit order went off my account (I reversed it, because according to myself the contract expired in June)

September – the debit order went off my account ( I left this debit order as I was told that I owe you one month)

Oct – no debit order

Nov – no debit order

Dec – now all of a sudden I owe you money again!

I called today, after I called 3 time on other dates. Today I was cut of 5 times, I called from my cell number [protected] and these calls can be retrieved by yourselves.

I don’t owe Virgin active a cent and would appreciate a response on this mail urgently.

I have been on a contact for a while not 2 years and they decide to increase my debit order without notifying me and not only this when I call into the call center I was offered multiple offers for cheaper contacts but when I say yes the guy places me on hold and the line drops every time I was offered to pay r400 for my contact but now he keeps dropping the line I love virgin active. But I cant keep calling in about my contract and the line drops every time I am sick and tired of this I keep sending emails as well but no one can seem to find this I want a cheaper contract my husband had the same issue but you guys decreased his amount to r200 for the premium membership I don't even have that this is not fair and this is not how I should be treated. Putrid customer service all around

The complaint is about one of the Virgin Active staff, Lindo, from the Maintenance department.

He disrespected, shouted, and humiliated me and my husband on 18 November 2023. There was no fault on our part. He behaved like a drunkard; this matter must be investigated.

It is clear to me that Virgin Active has not trained its staff on customer service. What i experienced that day made me feel like i was in a tavern. I am so disappointed at this behaviour, it is unacceptable, especially in a corporation like Virgin Active.

I am extremely dissatisfied with the service of Virgin Active more so, because I reported this matter on 21 November 2023 via Whattap the number of virgin active Kloof [protected] but there has been no response till date.

I want to see disciplinary action taken against him and appropriate sanction to be imposed.

My email : [protected]@unyezi.co.za

You can email me for more information including my cell number.

I no longer enjoy my membership at virgin active due to the treatment I get every month. I need to cancel my membership. Every month I have to ask for the link to pay and after paying there are lots errors which I have to call in the head office and spend an hour or so sometimes missing my workout classes solving the same problem. I am no longer enjoying my stay and need to cancel. 😔😔I spend a lot of money on airtime

Good Day. I have been a member of Athlone VA for 17 years but things has never been this bad as it is presently. Broken shower doors, pool problems, faulty equipment has been the order of the day at this gym. There is no hose in the steam room which is a very unhealthy situation as it is used by many. Spinning bikes is in a poor state. broken handle bars, seats and pedals plague us daily. Numerous complaints have been made by members but it falls on deaf ears. Load shedding has been with us for quite some time and management is aware of the gym's load shedding schedule but they fail to comply. This day November 16.2023 , 15 min into the spinning class everything came an abrupt halt. Instructor couldn't continue because the music boxes wasn't charged. This is unacceptable. Management need to up there game otherwise members will be forced to take there business elsewhere. Hope matters can be resolved asap.

Virgin Active constantly debits my account wrongly. They then hold me liable for payments, I have made numerous calls to the call centres and my membership is blocked even though I have honoured my commitments. I have called the call centre manager and the call centre on numerous occasions and they ignore me. I cannot go to the gym as they unblock my membership constantly the call centre manager Izrah Rossouw and she ignores me. Last month I was debited wrongly and I had to call again.

Good day

For a short summaries of the poor service..

Firstly, their salesperson drinking at workplace and caused dismissed but however cause my 2 contracts with problems now and the club cannot sort beside to ask me to pay more.

Sales manager stated in writing that going to cancel my husband one at no costs and written off my transfer fees, but nothing really been actioned due to point 1. Caused my account is frozen now and in arrears.

Taking forever to get reply and assist till I made complain to Virgin line but afterwards still nothing.

Misleading customer by given cheaper price to join then change the price to force customer pay more. No customer services at all and unprofessional people.

I a full member at the Club, its been a month and a half now we are experiencing cold water at Virgin Active Beachfront, to be precise I would say since the beginning of August. We are sick and we are tired of this because we pay full membership without any complains. We called the manager and asked him what exactly is happening and he told us that they are experiencing some tank burst and they have procured another water tank but where they suppose to put the tank, there is an office built there so they are still making arrangements of procuring the scaffolding to carry the other tank. No timeframe has been made since the beginning of September till now. We really need your intervention guys we are dying of Flue.