American Family Fitness

This is the worst chain of gyms in Virginia. Do NOT under any circumstance join this gym. They pretend to be family oriented and here to serve the community , but in reality their management from the top (COO) on down is dishonest and arrogant; Especially at their Short Pump location. They could care less about their customers; they have become too big for their britches and they think they are too "big to fail.".. Now for the details... me and a half dozen other guys spent thousands of dollars on personal training in 2015 and 2016. Our trainer was the best; a world class athlete .knowledgeable friendly and a professional. The trainer was fired from American Family due to a grudge that the management had with him. The management then neglected to inform us that our trainer was no longer with the gym. Not a one of us received any offers to consider other trainers and training schedule even tho we spent thousands. This money I'm sure lined the pockets of the management. When we confronted the management they lied and said they didnt fire our trainer. They lied and said they called us all but we all had given the wrong contact info. They claimed that this is why none of us got get their call. This was obviously a lie... the reason they couldn't contact us is because we ALL gave the wrong contact info???? Yeh right. We called the management out on their lie and they cancelled my membership. The COO called me and he couldn't even get his facts straight before he called me. He said the trainer was still with the company and it was unnecessary for any of us to be called. He refused to reinstate my membership, but it doesn't matter. I wont spend another dime there and don't want any of their " trainers." Their lies and mismanagement cost the gym thousands of dollars in membership and training session revenues. AmFamFit membership roles have been dwindling as people have woken up and joined other local gyms. These gyms have better equipment , lower fees and honest management. more

Joined at midlo so that a friend could get credit. I did not take tour and explained that i would only use brook rd location. I live in caroline county and when brook rd location closed, the closest location was mechanicksville. Which was about 40 miles away. They would not freeze account or let me cancel. They said the 25 mile rule doesnt apply to me. It was about four month before they opened the temp. location. And that only have weights and cardio. more

I was a member at the AFF on Brook Road for two years, I completed my contract and ended my membership. Eight years later I am being told by a lender that I owe $224 to American Family Fitness. It is showing on my credit report as a bad debt. I am so upset since I pay my bills on time and I try hard to keep good credit. American Family Fitness is a cheat and are rip offs, please do not join this gym. more

I'm a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast - as someone who values the necessity of putting time and effort into one's health, I urge anyone looking for a gym NOT to sign up with American Family Fitness. Their facilities are usually more than adequate, but the way they treat members is nothing short of horrific. There are numerous hidden fees that go along with your contract, and they are always trying to get more from you by having personal trainers hound you to sign up with them (for extra), buying products, and other ridiculous things. The worse part is, if you want to get out of your contract, you either have to be moving far away, or disabled (with a doctor's note and all), after which they'll charge you $100 to cancel. Even if you have the legitimate reasons to cancel, they'll drag their feet and squeeze as much as they can out of you. If you're like me and simply want to cancel... Tough. They won't let you. You're stuck until the end of your contract to pay every month, whether you use it or not. I can understand the necessity of honoring contracts as well as needing to run a business, but AmFam's absolute refusal to work with customer's on an individual basis and consistent price gouging makes for a horrible place to go, even if you're just trying to get a quick workout. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THEM! more

Signed up for couple memebership in 1989.In 1990 paid more money to them and became what they called founder members and pay 25.00 "per Year" for life of the membership.The other party on the contract and I split after several years, but retained the membership. They stated back then as long as it was paid the memebership could continue, but neither party could remove the other or terms of the contract were void. I have paid dues for over 20 years - now all of a sudden since Im not the one listed as the primary they tell me I can not renew that the primary does. Oh and also gave the option to remove me and put his wife on after all this time. They can not locate the original contract...of course, but have proof I've been paying and are like so what. So I pay for 20 years and since his name is in box #1 gets to retain.... Im thinking of involving attornies at this point. This is unethical more

Started off with single membership for 49/month. Added 2-year-old daughter, up to 70/month. Before 30 days was up wanted to drop child off since she cried each time I dropped her at Kids Zone and they had to come get me out of gym to take her out. They said unless she gets disabled, moves away or job relocation they cannot drop her off contract. So I have to pay 70 dollars for the next three years for a single membership? Ridiculous and I don't think that is going to happen. more

American Family Fitness and their billing/membership junkyard dogs, National Fitness, will not let you cancel your membership in any kind of timely way. I moved far away from any AFF gym, and it took two months just to figure out what they needed from me in order to cancel my account. They'd tell me one thing, I'd get it to them that same day, and then I would not hear from them for weeks. They continued to charge me, and when I called to see why, they'd then tell me that what I'd sent at their direction was not sufficient to prove my change of address. They refused to refund any of the money they'd charged me, and their staff was atrociously ill-informed. A joke of a gym. Do. Not. Join. Ever. more

I signed me and my family up and a year later my husband has a torn rotator cup and cant work out- so I wanted to cancel but they said since I am the one who signed the contract and HE was hurt they wouldnt cancel the contract. They would drop him but no change in monthly dues. Some gift I got for him! I asked if I could pay a penelty and drop the contract and they said no- just had to pay out the full 3 years- like 8 grand! more

I tried to cancel my membership as we are about to leave the area. Called first asked what should do for the cancellation, a guy answered we should meet a membership director in person with proof of relocation which confirmed that apartment rental agreement is good enough. and then the director we went to meet told a different story stated that rental agreement is not acceptable. New driver license or bank statement with new address etc are only good for cancellation. I said we can't get those until we move out and settle down for some time but then we can't return in person just for cancelling this membership. The requirement is just a way telling us this fitness firm is not for it's member but for money out of it's members' pocket. Be aware of this and stay away from this company. more

Good: The Swift Creek Facility is clean, the staff is friendly as well.. Bad: However, I didn't like how much run around I got for changing from a three year contract to a year contract in which I planned to pay in full with cash. I was told I had to attend six more times during the trial period before I could change to a year contract, regardless of the cash up front I was ready to pay for!. Improvements: Within the trial period you should be able to change contract" types" without having to wait the 12 visits period of time that you normally have to attend in order to cancel membership.. Other: American Family is not about family, their motto is all about the money!. more

I finally got my money back that they stole. Call Nicole Fleming 804-744-6331 nfleming@amfamfit.com She sent me a check!!! more

The financial company has ruined my credit because I had to leave for military orders to Iraq. I gave them a copy of my orders and followed all the procedures to cancel. After my three year stint fighting for this country I came back to find out they were still taking money out of my account for three years! 3,500 dollars that I will never see again. Stay away unless you plan to be a member for life. more

The gym is OK, but like others have said, they will fight tooth and nail to keep you from canceling your membership. I joined there Arboretum location and then they moved 2 months later to a facility that didn't have a pool, hot tub, racquetball court, basketball court or anything and I had to fight like hell to cancel my membership. I joined Golds Gym, which took over American Families Arboretum location (the original gym I joined) and now I pay half as much. So far Golds has been great!!! So basically, if you join AFF, be prepared to stay there for a long time.... more

Just try and cancel your membership. Good luck. Were I used to work they did payroll deduction. Then because of complaints my company decided to drop them. They told members we'd have to use our credit cards to continue our membership. Then they continued to deduct from our payroll AND took it out from our credit cards. Double dipped. When we pointed it out they refused to refund the money. Said we shoudl have caught it. They are majorly homophobic, too. Poor Customer service all around!!! more

If you move they will not cancel your contract for several months. they just keep charging you. more

The gym is ok but, when we joined I asked the sales guy that if we moved would we be able to cancel and he said yes. That could be further from the truth. My wife called the place and theys told her we needed a utility bill and while we waited to get the first utility bill we were charged every month. We finally got it and submitted it. They said ok its canceled. They charged us again the next month and again the next month. I can't get them to stop hitting my account. DON'T USE THIS GYM!!! more

I was a member of this gym for a year. I was on the month-to-month membership. This gym is really great. The layout is very nice and the equipment very new (and always functioning). They often have contests and parties for the members and give away very nice prizes. The employees are polite and attentive when there are problems. I recommend this place. more

AFFis a GREAT place to join. Either buy an Entertainment book and use the 1/2 off joining fee coupon, or wait until they are running a special. I use this facility, although there is also one on Midlothian Turnpike close to Powhite. But this facility (Swift Creek) is cleaner and less crowded. The locker room is always clean, the staff is very friendly and helpful, and they have the best selection of group exercise classes that I've found. Pilates, yoga, step, cycling, water aerobics... you name it! They have a huge number of cardio machines and weight machines, as well as basketball and racquetball courts. I love it here! more