PHOTO: Brigid Taylor
A video questioning the new membership prices at Virgin Active has gone viral, with over one million views on Instagram as of 1 March. Levi Brown, a first-year BCom Investment Management student at Stellenbosch University (SU), posted the video on 2 February to highlight concerns that affect members nationwide.
Brown joined Virgin Active 10 years ago. Dedicated to his health and fitness, he frequented the Sun-Valley Virgin Active in Sunnydale growing up, and began to notice issues with the gym. After a three-week holiday last year, Brown returned to the gym and discovered Virgin Active had “upgraded” their facilities and increased his fee. When he realised the upgrades did not include fixing the problems he had been noticing for years, he felt inspired to make his video.
“The support has been overwhelming,” said Brown, when asked about the feedback he received. The responses in his comment section mirror those on Virgin Active’s own social media accounts. “Equipment on life support. Aircon on strike. R1000+ membership. Iconic,” was a comment left by Aucamp Van Der Ahee on a Virgin Active post on 12 February.
The company that offers “heartfelt service” according to its LinkedIn profile, has received a mass of online complaints from members about a lack of air conditioning, faulty machinery, upkeep issues, and poor communication regarding membership fees. “The problem is not only about the price increases,” said Brown. “It’s about value for money.”
Jacqui Walters, the head of customer service at Virgin Active, contacted Brown in light of the video’s growing success. With her permission he recorded their phone call, in which she admits that the video has “damaged the brand quite significantly”.
This is not the first time Virgin Active has faced scrutiny within the last 12 months. The luxury upgrades to the Virgin Active Green Point club impacted many of its existing members with the large fee increases, as discussed by Pippa Hudson on Capetalk.
The Virgin Active gym Stellenbosch, located in Eikestad mall, is a popular gym for students and residents alike. Winston Magaai, a sales consultant at the branch, confirmed that a standard membership fee for a one-year contract is R1480 per month. “Opting for an off-peak membership or Discovery Vitality can reduce this fee,” he said. The price of a daily pass is R475.
Virgin Active attributes its prices to “transforming traditional gyms into innovative social wellness destinations, offering comprehensive support for physical, mental, and social well being”, according to a statement the company gave to News24.
PHOTO: Brigid Taylor
“The hour before closing is the only time it’s ever calm,” said Lusanda Mrasi, a fourth-year student in computer science at SU and a regular at the local Virgin Active. He identified machine availability as the “most annoying” aspect of the constant chaos, but said the gym still offers good quality facilities and “most machines are fixed within a couple of days.” The automatic locks in the change room, however, are a different story. Installed during the gym’s most recent upgrade, they are “faulty more than half of the time”, said Mrasi.
Virgin Active’s website states that the 2024 upgrade at the Stellenbosch branch brought in a new Kauai, a dedicated co-working space, and a training room. Their existing facilities include a pool, a unisex steam room and sauna, and a variety of workout classes. However, Brown, who has visited the branch, noted that while the air-conditioner at the gym does work, it is often turned off. He has received “multiple messages from employees saying the gym chooses not to turn it on to cut costs”, he said. Virgin Active did not reply to any requests from SMF News for comment.
Brown said that the aim of his video was “not to take Virgin Active down, but make it a place we all want to be.”