VA
Virgin Active South Africa
Unclaimed Business
VA
Virgin Active South Africa
Unclaimed Business
508 Reviews (last 12 months)
Does not respond to reviews
Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Virgin Active South Africa
Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Based on recent customer reviews, Virgin Active South Africa is facing widespread dissatisfaction across nearly every operational area. Members consistently report billing errors, cancellation difficulties, unresponsive communication, and deteriorating facilities. While isolated staff members receive genuine praise, the overwhelming sentiment points to systemic administrative failures, misleading sales practices, and a head office that members feel is unreachable and unaccountable.
TrustIndex
1.8
Jul '25 - Jun '26
Based on recent customer reviews, Virgin Active South Africa is facing widespread dissatisfaction across nearly every operational area. Members consistently report billing errors, cancellation difficulties, unresponsive communication, and deteriorating facilities. While isolated staff members receive genuine praise, the overwhelming sentiment points to systemic administrative failures, misleading sales practices, and a head office that members feel is unreachable and unaccountable.
The most common complaint about Virgin Active South Africa, based on Hellopeter's AI analysis of recent customer reviews, is Memberships, Contracts & Cancellations. Memberships, Contracts & Cancellations (1.1) is the most damaging theme. Members describe cancellations being ignored, debit orders continuing after termination, ********* sign-up tactics, fees increasing mid-contract despite fixed-rate promises, and accounts being handed to debt collectors after settlement.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I was ****med when signing up at Virgin Active Dainfern. The consultant’s selling point was that my membership would cost approximately R350 per month because I was taking a local membership and I am also a Vitality member. However, Virgin Active debited R1,450 from my account. Thereafter, I was informed that I still needed to pay an additional R799 to register for Vitality, which was never disclosed or highlighted to me during the sign up process. I raised the matter with the Sales Manager, who assured me that no further debits would be processed until the reimbur*****t amount had been depleted. Despite this assurance, debits continued to go through on my account. The sales consultant clearly knew what she was doing in chasing a sale and did not care about the financial consequences for me as a customer. I have since attempted to follow up through the call centre, the manager, and the sales manager, but unfortunately no one has reverted to me with a proper explanation or resolution.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I was ****med when signing up at Virgin Active Dainfern. The consultant’s selling point was that my membership would cost approximately R350 per month because I was taking a local membership and I am also a Vitality member. However, Virgin Active debited R1,450 from my account. Thereafter, I was informed that I still needed to pay an additional R799 to register for Vitality, which was never disclosed or highlighted to me during the sign up process. I raised the matter with the Sales Manager, who assured me that no further debits would be processed until the reimbur*****t amount had been depleted. Despite this assurance, debits continued to go through on my account. The sales consultant clearly knew what she was doing in chasing a sale and did not care about the financial consequences for me as a customer. I have since attempted to follow up through the call centre, the manager, and the sales manager, but unfortunately no one has reverted to me with a proper explanation or resolution.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am completely disgusted and frustrated by the shocking lack of accountability and customer service from Virgin Active. On 2 January 2026, my partner and I signed up for a membership. The sales consultant, Sizwe, gave us two options: a 1-year contract for R900 or a 2-year contract for R740 which includes first month a personal trainer free of charge as well as 3 months discounted 20% 30% and 75% of which ever options we do end up taking. We explicitly and clearly told him we wanted the 2-year contract at R740 each. Last month, the correct discounted promotional amount of R1,184 came off. This month, I woke up to an incorrect debit order of R1,260. It turns out Sizwe completely messed up our paperwork and captured our accounts as a 1-year contract at R900 per month! We are now being forced to overpay for a contract we never agreed to. What makes this even more infuriating is the pathetic "service" that followed. I have called the store repeatedly begging for help. The club manager personally promised to call me back to resolve this nightmare, but he completely ignored me and never bothered to phone. Virgin Active was quick to take my money, but when it comes to fixing their own employee's mistake, they completely disappear. I demand that a regional manager contacts me immediately to fix our contracts to the agreed 2-year rate of R740 and refund the money that was wrongfully debited from my bank account! To make matters worse, before the sales consultant left the company, we were explicitly promised that the Month of May 2026 would be 100% FREE for both my partner and myself to compensate for the initial signup issues. We were assured we would pay R0. Instead, Virgin Active has completely ignored this agreement and wrongfully debited R1,125 from my account for May. This branch is operating with complete financial negligence, making unauthorized deductions, and lying to customers.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am completely disgusted and frustrated by the shocking lack of accountability and customer service from Virgin Active. On 2 January 2026, my partner and I signed up for a membership. The sales consultant, Sizwe, gave us two options: a 1-year contract for R900 or a 2-year contract for R740 which includes first month a personal trainer free of charge as well as 3 months discounted 20% 30% and 75% of which ever options we do end up taking. We explicitly and clearly told him we wanted the 2-year contract at R740 each. Last month, the correct discounted promotional amount of R1,184 came off. This month, I woke up to an incorrect debit order of R1,260. It turns out Sizwe completely messed up our paperwork and captured our accounts as a 1-year contract at R900 per month! We are now being forced to overpay for a contract we never agreed to. What makes this even more infuriating is the pathetic "service" that followed. I have called the store repeatedly begging for help. The club manager personally promised to call me back to resolve this nightmare, but he completely ignored me and never bothered to phone. Virgin Active was quick to take my money, but when it comes to fixing their own employee's mistake, they completely disappear. I demand that a regional manager contacts me immediately to fix our contracts to the agreed 2-year rate of R740 and refund the money that was wrongfully debited from my bank account! To make matters worse, before the sales consultant left the company, we were explicitly promised that the Month of May 2026 would be 100% FREE for both my partner and myself to compensate for the initial signup issues. We were assured we would pay R0. Instead, Virgin Active has completely ignored this agreement and wrongfully debited R1,125 from my account for May. This branch is operating with complete financial negligence, making unauthorized deductions, and lying to customers.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I'm very disappointed with virgin active northgate been waiting for the refund for a month now and they keep on promising and sending emails but not the refund ... I hv never seen such a selfish and stupid company like this i wish people can stop supporting this stupid business as the suffering is unbearable...
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I'm very disappointed with virgin active northgate been waiting for the refund for a month now and they keep on promising and sending emails but not the refund ... I hv never seen such a selfish and stupid company like this i wish people can stop supporting this stupid business as the suffering is unbearable...
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Hatfield Branch – I honestly do not know where to begin. On Wednesday, 19 May 2026, I went to the Virgin Active Hatfield branch to state that I did not want to renew my membership and to resolve an additional charge that had been debited from my account. Upon arrival, I informed the staff that I did not wish to renew my membership and completed the relevant cancellation forms. I was then informed that my membership would only be cancelled on 17 June 2026, despite my contract renewal date being 31 May 2026. I found this odd but continued with the more pressing issue at hand, my refund application. Initially, the staff member assisting me was hesitant to process a refund because the system reflected a balance of R0. However, Mabina, who originally assisted me when I signed my contract on the 26th of May 2025, confirmed that two charges had in fact been made to my account during the month of June 2025 (one charge on the 1st and the other on my debit order date, the 15th). The reason the balance reflected R0 was because I had made a prepayment on the account on the 27th of May 2025 (which reflected on their system). To give more clarification, my contract was for 12 months/instalments, but I got the first month free, so I should have only made 11 payments, but I made 12. The gentleman assisting me appeared reluctant to help process the refund and stated that head office would need to be contacted. He eventually informed me that I simply needed to return with proof of payment for the additional charge, which I feel is not needed at all since their system does in fact show the prepayment made. The following day, 20 May 2026, I returned to the gym with my proof of payment. A personal trainer assisted me, and I explained the entire situation again. After reviewing my account, she informed me that the system reflected no refund due and suggested there had been no error. I then had to once again explain the situation in full and show all the payments, including the double charge made in June 2025. We spent approximately an hour arguing about whether I qualified for a refund, as she repeatedly insisted that I did not need one. During this interaction, she walked away multiple times to assist other members, which I found extremely rude and unprofessional given that we were in the middle of trying to resolve a serious billing issue. Eventually, Mabina intervened again and confirmed once more that I was indeed entitled to a refund and that she would escalate the matter to her manager for resolution. Another issue arose during this discussion. The personal trainer informed me that another payment would still be processed on 17 June 2026. This came as a surprise because I had already requested on 19 May 2026 that my contract should not continue after the 31 May 2026 renewal date. I then reviewed my contract and noted a clause stating that I needed to notify my branch 20 business days before the renewal date if I did not wish to continue with the membership. Failing to do so, the agreement would continue on a month-to-month basis. In my view, this contradicts section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act, specifically section 14(2)(d), which states that a fixed-term agreement will continue on a month-to-month basis unless the consumer expressly directs the supplier to terminate the agreement on or before the expiry/renewal date, which I did. In addition, Virgin Active also appears not to have comp**** with section 14(2)(c) of the CPA, which requires a supplier to notify a consumer of the impending expiry of a fixed-term agreement no more than 80 business days and no less than 40 business days before the expiry. I received no emails, SMSs, or any other communication informing me that my membership would expire on 31 May 2026. I was also never informed by the original consultant assisting me that an additional charge would still be processed after non-renewal (it is important to state that this is not a cancellation; this is a non-renewal, as my contract ends on the 31st of May 2026). Furthermore, there was no clarification as to whether I would be charged a full monthly fee for only 17 days of gym access (1 June 2026 to 17 June 2026). If that is indeed the case, then charging a full month’s fee for only half a month of access is completely unreasonable. Returning to the refund issue: Mabina informed me on 20 May 2026 that she would escalate the matter to her manager and that I should expect feedback within approximately one day. The 21st passed with no communication. On 22 May 2026, I returned to the Hatfield branch again to request feedback from Mabina regarding the refund issue. I was informed that she was not at the branch, and no indication could be provided as to when she would return. The receptionist took my number and assured me that Mabina would contact me on 23 May 2026. Today is 23 May 2026, and I have still received no feedback whatsoever. I genuinely feel that my issue is not being taken seriously and that Virgin Active staff have been extremely vague and unhelpful throughout this entire process from the non-renewal of my contract to the refund dispute. R495 may not seem like a large amount to some people, but as a student living on a R1 000 monthly allowance, this represents nearly 50% of my monthly income. Having that amount incorrectly debited due to what appears to be a system error, only to be repeatedly told to return to the branch without any meaningful progress being made, has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Hatfield Branch – I honestly do not know where to begin. On Wednesday, 19 May 2026, I went to the Virgin Active Hatfield branch to state that I did not want to renew my membership and to resolve an additional charge that had been debited from my account. Upon arrival, I informed the staff that I did not wish to renew my membership and completed the relevant cancellation forms. I was then informed that my membership would only be cancelled on 17 June 2026, despite my contract renewal date being 31 May 2026. I found this odd but continued with the more pressing issue at hand, my refund application. Initially, the staff member assisting me was hesitant to process a refund because the system reflected a balance of R0. However, Mabina, who originally assisted me when I signed my contract on the 26th of May 2025, confirmed that two charges had in fact been made to my account during the month of June 2025 (one charge on the 1st and the other on my debit order date, the 15th). The reason the balance reflected R0 was because I had made a prepayment on the account on the 27th of May 2025 (which reflected on their system). To give more clarification, my contract was for 12 months/instalments, but I got the first month free, so I should have only made 11 payments, but I made 12. The gentleman assisting me appeared reluctant to help process the refund and stated that head office would need to be contacted. He eventually informed me that I simply needed to return with proof of payment for the additional charge, which I feel is not needed at all since their system does in fact show the prepayment made. The following day, 20 May 2026, I returned to the gym with my proof of payment. A personal trainer assisted me, and I explained the entire situation again. After reviewing my account, she informed me that the system reflected no refund due and suggested there had been no error. I then had to once again explain the situation in full and show all the payments, including the double charge made in June 2025. We spent approximately an hour arguing about whether I qualified for a refund, as she repeatedly insisted that I did not need one. During this interaction, she walked away multiple times to assist other members, which I found extremely rude and unprofessional given that we were in the middle of trying to resolve a serious billing issue. Eventually, Mabina intervened again and confirmed once more that I was indeed entitled to a refund and that she would escalate the matter to her manager for resolution. Another issue arose during this discussion. The personal trainer informed me that another payment would still be processed on 17 June 2026. This came as a surprise because I had already requested on 19 May 2026 that my contract should not continue after the 31 May 2026 renewal date. I then reviewed my contract and noted a clause stating that I needed to notify my branch 20 business days before the renewal date if I did not wish to continue with the membership. Failing to do so, the agreement would continue on a month-to-month basis. In my view, this contradicts section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act, specifically section 14(2)(d), which states that a fixed-term agreement will continue on a month-to-month basis unless the consumer expressly directs the supplier to terminate the agreement on or before the expiry/renewal date, which I did. In addition, Virgin Active also appears not to have comp**** with section 14(2)(c) of the CPA, which requires a supplier to notify a consumer of the impending expiry of a fixed-term agreement no more than 80 business days and no less than 40 business days before the expiry. I received no emails, SMSs, or any other communication informing me that my membership would expire on 31 May 2026. I was also never informed by the original consultant assisting me that an additional charge would still be processed after non-renewal (it is important to state that this is not a cancellation; this is a non-renewal, as my contract ends on the 31st of May 2026). Furthermore, there was no clarification as to whether I would be charged a full monthly fee for only 17 days of gym access (1 June 2026 to 17 June 2026). If that is indeed the case, then charging a full month’s fee for only half a month of access is completely unreasonable. Returning to the refund issue: Mabina informed me on 20 May 2026 that she would escalate the matter to her manager and that I should expect feedback within approximately one day. The 21st passed with no communication. On 22 May 2026, I returned to the Hatfield branch again to request feedback from Mabina regarding the refund issue. I was informed that she was not at the branch, and no indication could be provided as to when she would return. The receptionist took my number and assured me that Mabina would contact me on 23 May 2026. Today is 23 May 2026, and I have still received no feedback whatsoever. I genuinely feel that my issue is not being taken seriously and that Virgin Active staff have been extremely vague and unhelpful throughout this entire process from the non-renewal of my contract to the refund dispute. R495 may not seem like a large amount to some people, but as a student living on a R1 000 monthly allowance, this represents nearly 50% of my monthly income. Having that amount incorrectly debited due to what appears to be a system error, only to be repeatedly told to return to the branch without any meaningful progress being made, has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I just want to give a huge shoutout to Virgin Active Steenberg. The service is amazing and the staff are so friendly and helpful every time I visit. They genuinely make me look forward to my workouts. Thank you for creating such a positive, welcoming environment! 💪 5 stars from me.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I just want to give a huge shoutout to Virgin Active Steenberg. The service is amazing and the staff are so friendly and helpful every time I visit. They genuinely make me look forward to my workouts. Thank you for creating such a positive, welcoming environment! 💪 5 stars from me.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Meyersdal branch — Absolutely unacceptable. Our vehicle was broken into while security guards were on duty. Members pay expecting a safe environment, yet ********s are still able to operate freely in the parking area. Visiting this gym in the evenings is clearly a risk, and management urgently needs to take accountability and improve security.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Meyersdal branch — Absolutely unacceptable. Our vehicle was broken into while security guards were on duty. Members pay expecting a safe environment, yet ********s are still able to operate freely in the parking area. Visiting this gym in the evenings is clearly a risk, and management urgently needs to take accountability and improve security.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am submitting this review due to the manner in which the refurbishment at Virgin Active Wembley Square is being managed under the oversight of Gym Manager Cindi Otto. The approach taken raises significant concerns regarding compliance with the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and the treatment of existing members. Members are currently being charged full subscription fees despite a clear and material reduction in the services available. Large portions of the club are inaccessible, classes are disrupted, and the overall facility is substantially diminished. Under the CPA, a supplier may not materially reduce or alter a service while continuing to charge the full contracted rate without offering appropriate remedies or alternatives that are genuinely equivalent. Compounding this, Virgin Active has declined to provide any transparency regarding the future membership category or pricing once the refurbishment is complete. These are material contractual terms, and withholding them prevents members from making informed decisions about their continued participation. The CPA requires fair, honest, and timeous disclosure of information that materially affects the consumer — not silence or deflection. Members have also been instructed to “use other Virgin Active clubs” during the disruption. This is not a reasonable or equivalent substitute. Other branches differ in location, accessibility, class schedules, capacity, and convenience. The CPA does not permit a supplier to downgrade service and then shift the burden onto the consumer to absorb the inconvenience, travel time, or reduced availability. Despite the material change in service, there has been: No reduced subscription, No accommodation for the disruption, and No indication that dissatisfied members will be allowed to cancel without penalty, all of which are required considerations under the CPA when a service is materially altered. The overall handling of this refurbishment demonstrates a lack of transparency and a lack of regard for existing members’ rights and contractual expectations. This is not consistent with the standards expected of a premium fitness brand, nor with the obligations imposed by the Consumer Protection Act.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am submitting this review due to the manner in which the refurbishment at Virgin Active Wembley Square is being managed under the oversight of Gym Manager Cindi Otto. The approach taken raises significant concerns regarding compliance with the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and the treatment of existing members. Members are currently being charged full subscription fees despite a clear and material reduction in the services available. Large portions of the club are inaccessible, classes are disrupted, and the overall facility is substantially diminished. Under the CPA, a supplier may not materially reduce or alter a service while continuing to charge the full contracted rate without offering appropriate remedies or alternatives that are genuinely equivalent. Compounding this, Virgin Active has declined to provide any transparency regarding the future membership category or pricing once the refurbishment is complete. These are material contractual terms, and withholding them prevents members from making informed decisions about their continued participation. The CPA requires fair, honest, and timeous disclosure of information that materially affects the consumer — not silence or deflection. Members have also been instructed to “use other Virgin Active clubs” during the disruption. This is not a reasonable or equivalent substitute. Other branches differ in location, accessibility, class schedules, capacity, and convenience. The CPA does not permit a supplier to downgrade service and then shift the burden onto the consumer to absorb the inconvenience, travel time, or reduced availability. Despite the material change in service, there has been: No reduced subscription, No accommodation for the disruption, and No indication that dissatisfied members will be allowed to cancel without penalty, all of which are required considerations under the CPA when a service is materially altered. The overall handling of this refurbishment demonstrates a lack of transparency and a lack of regard for existing members’ rights and contractual expectations. This is not consistent with the standards expected of a premium fitness brand, nor with the obligations imposed by the Consumer Protection Act.
Virgin Active South Africa has a TrustIndex of 1.8 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 508 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked Virgin Active South Africa across 8,332 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →