Virgin Active UK Reviews 6,044

So this staff member called will being very rude to me and my friends

Basically this guy named Will was rude to us in the gym.

The gym itself is decent; however, the women’s changing room is extremely unclean. The floors are often covered with hair, horizontal surfaces are dusty, and the lockers do not appear to be well maintained. It raises concerns about how frequently the facilities are cleaned, if at all.

The facilities are good, but that's it. I wanted to have some PT sessions and it has been a complete disaster. The management team are, according to their employees, never at the gym and never available to speak. And they never reply to emails.

Like the UK version of planet fitness:

- Staff dont care and are rude.
- Poor hygiene never cleaned,equipment covered in blood.
- Downgraded equipment, used to be good, now kitted out poorly.
- No space to train but plenty of sofas
- No heating in winter, i literally had to wear a winter coat and hat.
- Head office dont care, raused concerns on numerous occasions with no resolution.
- Open late close early, staff jist want to go home.

I know they make money out of people not attending but there is no need to be so obvious about it.

If head office is reading this if you dont wish to provide the same facilities anymore just cancel my contract along with all the other members that are kicking off

Been a member of Riverside Dukes Meadows since last year. This allows me to visit their other branches as well. My car was broken into, while parked in the VA Chiswick Riverside carpark which you would expect to be secure, considering this is their Collection Club. Cost me approximately GBP1000 in damages. The CCTV footage was not handed over and their compensation of 1 month's credit was a joke. Their local director was not empathetic to say the least.

There have been similar incidents in the past which have clearly been brushed under the carpet and security measures have not improved. Food for thought….

On a different note, their selection of classes at VA Riverside is quite monotonous compared to David Lloyd's or Equinox or even the Hogarth Health Club. It is an ideal space if you enjoy either screaming toddlers or the quiet hum of retirement. If you visit either Chiswick Park or Riverside Dukes Meadows in the evening, the ladies changing rooms are unclean.

When I visited their Kensington branch, their pool was not as clean as it should have been. The unisex steam room was not hot either.

I have been trying to resolve an ongoing issue with Virgin Active for months. I have repeatedly contacted them because I believe I have been overcharged and I have also been trying to cancel my membership.

Unfortunately, despite sending many emails and having multiple case references opened, I have not received a clear or effective response. The same issue keeps continuing, and I am left having to chase again and again with no proper resolution.

This has been extremely frustrating and disappointing. I would expect a company like Virgin Active to respond properly when a member is trying to cancel, query charges, and resolve account issues. Instead, I feel ignored, despite making repeated attempts to deal with this through the correct channels.

I am now asking Virgin Active to urgently review my account, confirm my cancellation in writing, explain the charges applied, and refund any incorrect overpayments. If this is not resolved promptly, I will be considering formal action, including taking the matter to court to recover any money I believe has been wrongly charged.

I am a former member of Virgin Active Crouch End who recently terminated my contract following a severe professional conduct issue involving an instructor on the gym floor. I had no prior rapport or relationship with this employee.

Women must be safe in fitness environments. A member's right to say no must be respected, especially by professionals employed by the gym.

My formal complaint (Case Ref: #483025) detailed a direct breach of professional boundaries. The subsequent administrative handling by Virgin Active exposed what I consider to be significant structural flaws in their customer relations protocols:

Evidentiary Vulnerability (No Gym Floor CCTV): The Virgin Active Data Privacy Team formally confirmed to me that they do not operate any CCTV cameras on the gym floor at the Crouch End club. While this protects general privacy, consumers must understand that if an employee breaches professional conduct or harasses you on the open gym floor, there is zero visual data to preserve. The corporate investigation will default to a "your word against theirs" scenario, completely prioritizing employee protection over member safety.

Initial Internal Deflection: When I initially flagged a serious conflict of interest and staff misconduct, central customer relations repeatedly attempted to route the grievance directly back to local branch management, forcing communication through the individual’s immediate workplace peers rather than a neutral corporate pathway.

Minimisation of Grievances: Early written communication from the company attempted to downplay the incident, framing public, gender-targeted misconduct on the gym floor as a mere routine "class delivery and programme-related concern."

Lack of Regulatory Verification: Upon checking industry credentials, I established via the sector's regulatory body, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), that this specific instructor is not an active individual member under their regulatory code of conduct.

Administrative Delays: Despite immediate notifications regarding a total breach of contract, it took roughly two weeks of persistent requests before corporate intervention finally halted the membership billing.

Management has since concluded their internal review. True to generic corporate form, they issued a template response stating they cannot disclose individual outcomes due to confidentiality. While they maintain the matter was addressed thoroughly, the public Crouch End timetable confirms the instructor remains fully scheduled for regular class delivery (virginactive.co.uk).

Prospective members should be aware that if professional boundaries are crossed, the operational process defaults heavily to administrative layers and protective protocol over transparent accountability.

PREEMPTIVE RESPONSE TO CORPORATE BOILERPLATE:
To anyone reading: Virgin Active's brand management team will likely post a standard, empathetic-sounding public reply below asking me to contact them privately or claiming they "take safety seriously." Be advised that this is a performative corporate tactic. The corporate investigation into Case #483025 is already officially concluded as of June 2026. Management has already flatly refused to provide transparent accountability regarding the instructor, citing internal HR confidentiality, while keeping them active on the Crouch End timetable. Do not be misled by a polite public response; the company has chosen to protect its corporate assets over establishing transparent safety boundaries. No further private communication is required as the factual record is complete.

Really stressed by the lack of response from Virgin active to my complaint. I’ve been a member for years on and off, and they sneakily added in a clause giving them the ability to increase my membership cost after the first year. This was never highlighted to me, or discussed, and I feel scammed. Despite saying they respond to complaints via email within 1-3 days, so far they’ve ignored three chasers, and a resolver case. I very much hope they’ll see this, get in touch, and correct my membership cost.

Absolutely appalling customer service line. On hold for 47 minutes, then the call is cut off 'because wait times are more than 30 mins'. When you try again the same thing happens!!! If you ever try and renegociate membership fee, they are not interested, which isnt fair as i have heard people pay a quarter of what i pay. Bizarre business sense; they would rather you left then help you out. If you need any assistance, they throw the rule book at you as they say 'no'. I am on hold currently for the 4th time today, still triyng to get through. Zero stars.

I’ve been a member for years, but standards have dropped significantly and it no longer feels like a premium gym. The facilities are often poorly maintained and not as clean or inviting.

More concerning is the behaviour of some members, who frequently shout, act aggressively, and show off in a way that makes the environment uncomfortable and intimidating. There is little to no effective management or staff intervention to address this.

Overall, it feels poorly controlled and not worth the membership fee anymore.

I am extremely disappointed with Virgin Active’s handling of what I consider to be a serious data protection breach involving my young daughter.

A member of staff disclosed information about my 3-year-old daughter’s Kids Club bookings, including dates and times she was due to attend, to my ex-partner’s girlfriend without my knowledge or consent. Given the circumstances surrounding my family situation, including concerns about safety, I consider this information to be highly sensitive.

What is equally concerning is the lack of response from Virgin Active after I raised this matter. Despite reporting the incident and expressing the seriousness of the breach, I have received little to no meaningful communication, reassurance, or explanation regarding what happened, what investigation has been carried out, and what steps are being taken to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.

Parents trust organisations with their children’s personal information and expect that information to be handled securely and confidentially. The apparent failure to protect that information, combined with the lack of adequate response afterwards, has significantly damaged my confidence in Virgin Active.

I hope Virgin Active takes this matter seriously, investigates it thoroughly, and improves its staff training and data protection procedures to ensure that no other family experiences a similar situation.

I received a £100 fine for parking in their car park for 30mins over time, while doing a long session in the gym as a paying customer and member.

Their tablet for entering car registration was not working. Local manager and central office (official complaints) both refused to help me waive the charge or reimburse it. Paying £68 a month to use this place, and getting a £100 parking charge for using it, is unacceptable. Disgraceful customer service, zero interest in their customers. Have ended my membership because of it.

If you're looking to join, I wouldn't bother. Sauna and shower areas also often smell of urine and faeces. Half the jacuzzis don't work. And good luck getting on any gym equipment at peak times. Absolute rip off and useless customer service.

If they have a tablet at reception to enter car registration (Not working), then clearly they do have a business arrangement with the "company who manages their car park" (MET Parking), so if they really wanted to, it would be no hassle for Virgin to contact MET (a simple email I'm sure) to waive the fine of their customer....but alas, no doubt, they will reply here again to shirk responsibility....

the worst gym in the world, discrimination, unhuman, umprofessional, liars.......and everything on the website is a lies .
incident happen 31/05/2026
after a long walk 45 min through arsena supporters we reach our destination, virgin active angel islington (333 Goswell Road, Islington, London, EC1V 7DG), i took my niece 11 years old for swimming as i promise her, and she was so excited and happy after 2 and half hours waiting for the road to reoppen and we can cross toward virgin active. but when we enter the premises, the way we been treated there was so disrespectful and discriminated specially when we informed them that we are not a member of virgin gym, and we only there for swimming only and i dont mind of paying any fee for that.
we been told that we cant access the premises at all for swimming and there is noway we can do this only if we should have a membership, and there is no other possibility. then they informed me to get access to swimming pool i should pay a fee of £162/ month and my niece a fee of £30/month, i told them i have a disability as broken L5/S1 and i dont want to access the gym and only want a membership for swimming pool, as i try not to break my niece heart, but they refuse, and my niece was beggin me with eyes watery to do whatever to let her swim and the virgin staff karl was there also, then he went to ask his manager Harriet, but it look like his manager doesnt care, and she refuse to let us access the premises unless we pay full membership which is total of£192. and she informed us that there is no way for a day pass, i left the premises with heart broken and my niece was crying with heart broken and it was too late to take her somewhere else as it was to late. they broke a 11 years old child and made her cry, i think in uk there is nothing call you obligate a customer to purchase a full membership for using the swimming pool one day, and you cannot obligate a disable person to use full membership and you guys know that he cant use gym, this is greedness and unhuman and discrimination.
i share this experience to show others how unprofessional and how they are unhuman and they have no respect for child or disable person, as i didnt ask them to let me in for free, but all i want is that my niece to have a day swimming as i promised her, but left with broken heart and crying and she had a worst experience ever that will stack in her mind forever, she is an 11years old girl, and sorry i am a disable person that cant use gym but was happy to pay a day pass fee to get his niece accessing the pool for swimming, i never felt my disablity like it was today, thanks to karl/ and to the manager Harriet

I have been a member of Virgin Active Wimbledon for 16 years. I recently raised a complaint about a sales person, a very new member of staff, when during an exchange of emails concerning fees increase, he sent me an email saying I am “ rude and ignorant”. I immediately raised a formal complaint, the first time ever. Then the nightmare started. Not only my complaint , after more than a month, never got any response but to add insult to injury, the General Manager , again a woman and a very new member of staff, sent me a letter of suspension. From a complainant I became accused of vague allegations against me. The last attempt to meet her turned , on 29th May, to a fiasco. Despite my insistence of getting a response , she diverted the issue and said it is only a week ago that she has been aware of my complaint. When I wanted to confront her with evidence, with ample emails to Customer Relations, and a more damning email directly sent to her with date that contradicts her statement, she said in front of my son, as a witness, that she does not care about it . This is called pure gaslighting. This has convinced me now to start legal proceedings .After 16 years of being a loyal customer , I feel disgusted about the way I have been treated and I will never go back there , with this new management in place.

Amazing service from daisy at Kauai
Super friendly

Removed multi club access without warning contravening the terms we were sold the membership under.

Their customer service team don’t care that our membership has changed overnight from access to Crouch End, Strand, Finchley Road and Angel - to just Angel with Finchley Road until it closes in August.

We were sold the Virgin club membership as having multiple access which is the reason we stopped our other memberships.

Without warning they have stopped out right to use the other gyms. We have the “choice” of paying another £60 per month or just sticking to Angel which itself is already impossible to get on a class list unless you are there to minute a class ends the week before! And Angel is often dirty (their swimming pool cleaning machine is currently broken), the lockers are taken up by members who leave their stuff locked up for months on end, the spa is mainly frequented by groups of men, and the instructors we have had so far have been average to at the least.

I am so upset and annoyed that we were specifically sold a membership which half way through they decide to change - or we can pay 60% more!

Terrible decision from HQ, no communication to members, clear indication that they just don’t care.

DONT JOIN VIRGIN!

After years of loyal membership with Virgin Active (Bank, Mansion House, Strand, Mayfair, Aldersgate and Moorgate clubs), my partner and I have been left absolutely appalled by the incompetent and deceitful handling of our exit process.

Here is how Virgin Active treats long-term members:

Broken Promises: We officially cancelled our membership on January 17th. We were explicitly assured that our Personal Training (PT) packages would terminate at the end of January.

Unauthorized Charges: Despite their verbal assurances, Virgin Active went ahead and took further unauthorized charges from our accounts.

Acknowledged Errors, No Resolution: We have clear email correspondence from Virgin Active admitting these charges were taken incorrectly and acknowledging our refund requests. Yet, we are still left completely out of pocket.

Left with Significant Financial Loss: Because of their administrative errors, we have been stuck with a combined total of 12 unused PT sessions that we should never have been billed for, costing us £750!

To be treated this poorly after years of loyalty is disgraceful. If you value your money and expect honest business practices, avoid Virgin Active. They are quick to take your money and entirely unresponsive when it comes to fixing their own confirmed mistakes.

I joined Virgin Active in January specifically because I was told in person that my membership would allow access to both Mill Hill and The Strand, which suited my work/home routine perfectly. My partner also joined on the same basis, and we cancelled our existing central London and local gym memberships to consolidate everything into Virgin Active.

At no point when joining was I told that the Strand, Crouch End or Clapham clubs would be moved to another membership tier, and I received no advance warning by email either.

Then on 1st May, I received an email advising that three clubs - Strand, Crouch End and Clapham - had been moved to a higher membership tier with immediate effect that same day, meaning I could no longer access the Strand club that formed a major part of the reason I joined.

I appreciate businesses can change membership structures, however removing a key benefit with immediate effect and no meaningful notice feels extremely unfair, particularly for existing members who joined based on Multi-Club Access.

I contacted Customer Services on 1st May and was advised I would receive a response within 1–3 working days. It has now been 10 days and I have yet to receive a substantive response to my follow-up emails, while continuing to be unable to use the club that was central to my membership decision.

At the moment, this experience has left me very disappointed with both the communication and the way existing members affected by the change have been handled.

It's amazing how badly Virgin is messing this up.
I've been a member at VA in Wimbledon for a number of years, and the experience has been one of "if we move, I won't be joining the local VA"
All decisions are made at HQ - from class schedule to room temperature. The app is not good - my local library has a better functioning, less buggy app than VA. Whenever I tried to send an email to customer service looking for help, it was utterly pointless.
The only good thing was the GM - she was very capable, hands on, excellent at solving problems. Her team was also very good - from front desk to the trainers. So it made things better since I could solve problems in the club without having to reach out to VA.
Yet recently the GM changed, her "deputy" changed, some people left and the experience is really awful now. I tried to have a conversation with the GM, and it was one of the worst instances of customer service I've ever had. She effectively told me that the gym has 2800 happy members hence there are no problems. She also told me she is the ultimate decision maker on everything, there is no one I can share my feedback with. It was shockingly bad. Our family will be leaving.
The experience does not live up to the price they charge - at all!