Activnation Reviews

Signed up for a year at the Preston gym, and not even a month later, they shut their doors. Now I'm stuck trying to get my money back from the bank. Watch out for these folks—they're running a dodgy operation.

Like plenty of others, I handed over cash for a year-long membership just weeks before my nearby Active Nation in Runcorn suddenly shut its doors. Even after reaching out to them several times, I haven’t seen a penny returned, and now they’re just ghosting me. So here I am, no gym to go to and £120 gone. Not what you’d expect from an organization that claims to be a charity.

The gym I used in Runcorn shut its doors on August 19, 2024, and there was zero advance warning. On the same day, I got an email saying the closure was effective immediately. I replied right away, asking if I’d get my money back since I’d paid £120 for a yearly membership that hadn’t even started yet.

They replied, saying they were sorting out refunds for those impacted. Then, on September 20, I got another message saying the first round of refunds had gone out and they were working on the rest. They requested my details to process my refund, which I sent over as asked. After that, I heard nothing back—not to that email or to the next three I sent. Looks like they’ve either stopped checking that inbox or are just ignoring anyone chasing up about refunds.

So, I’m still out £120, and since September 20, Active Nation hasn’t contacted me at all, even though they said they’d sort my refund. My brother’s in the same boat.

Honestly, this is a pretty shady way for a company to treat people. Right now, I feel like I’ve just been ripped off. I do want to say, though, I don’t blame the Runcorn staff—they lost their jobs with no warning too.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t trust this company. If you can join a different gym, I’d say go for it.

Yarborough Road – Looks like these gyms are closing up shop pretty fast. Honestly, I’m not shocked. I try ringing them dozens of times daily just to reserve a badminton court, but nobody ever answers. It’s like they don’t want your business or to actually help out. Might as well let someone competent take over and run things properly.

I had a letdown at the Preston location after being told I qualified for several complimentary passes, only to be convinced to pay upfront for a full year—something I wasn’t keen on but did anyway. Before I could even make my second visit, I got a message saying the gym had shut down and that I could get my money back. It’s been over two months now and I’m still trying to get my refund. My emails go unanswered, and actually reaching someone by phone is a nightmare. On the rare occasion I do get through, I’m told there’s nothing they can do and to just email again. I held off on posting a bad review because the company does charity work, but honestly, this is ridiculous. The way they treat customers is shocking, and I’d tell anyone thinking about signing up to look elsewhere.

I paid upfront for a year at the Runcorn Gym on August 12th, and it shut down just a week later. No heads-up—just a note on the door and then an email. I've been trying to get my money back ever since, but it's been a total dead end. I just sent another email to them, including Stuart Martin (the CEO), who seems to be out of the office, so I forwarded it to Roger Michie. Let’s see if he gets back to me because up to now, I’ve been ignored by the ‘Clubs’ email and only got a quick reply from Mr. Martin. I’m really upset about how we’ve all been treated; it’s just unacceptable.

Update - I just got an email saying my refund will be in my account in two days. I’ll keep you posted on Thursday.

Update - refund has now come through.

I paid for a full year upfront at the Runcorn Gym on August 12th, and just a week later, they shut down permanently. There was no heads-up—just a sign on the entrance and then an email. Since then, I’ve been trying to get my money back, but it’s been like talking to a brick wall. I recently fired off another message, this time including Stuart Martin (the CEO), but he’s apparently out of office, so I also sent it to Roger Michie. Maybe he’ll actually reply, because up to now, the ‘Clubs’ email hasn’t responded at all, and Mr. Martin only sent a short note. Honestly, the way customers have been handled is just shocking.

Update: Got an email saying the refund should show up in my bank in two days. I’ll check again on Thursday.

Update: The refund has arrived.

I had a really frustrating experience at the Preston gym. Initially, I was told I could get some free passes, but then they convinced me to pay upfront for a whole year, which I did, though I wasn't thrilled about it. Just before my second visit, I got an email saying the gym was closed and that I could get a refund. Now, 70 days later, I'm still trying to get my money back. They ignore all my emails, and reaching someone by phone is a real hassle. When I finally do get through, they just tell me there's nothing they can do and to send another email. I held off on writing a bad review because I know the company does charitable work, but this situation is just ridiculous. The customer service is unacceptable, and I strongly recommend looking for other options if you're considering their services.

Preston Gym shut its doors with barely any warning. I shelled out £120 for a yearly pass and now I'm just hanging around hoping to get my money back. Got an email on September 20th saying they'd sort refunds once they had our bank info. Still nothing has come through. Absolutely shocking service!

The Preston Gym shut down unexpectedly. I forked out £120 for a yearly membership, and now we're just hanging tight for our refund. Got an email on the 20th of September saying they'd handle refunds once they got our bank info. Still no sign of it!!! Absolutely ridiculous!!!!!

It's appalling how the management treats their paying customers. They shut down the gym in Preston with just a day's notice. Now I'm left waiting for my refund after paying for a whole year upfront.

It’s honestly appalling how the folks in charge treat their customers. They shut down the Preston gym with just a day’s warning. Still waiting to get my money back for the yearly membership I paid upfront.

Yarborough Road - Man, these gyms are closing down fast. Honestly, I’ve tried calling 45 times a day just to reserve a badminton court, but I can’t get through. They really don’t seem to care about taking your cash while offering a decent service. It’s high time they all got shut down and replaced by a company that actually knows what they’re doing.

Really disappointed with how Preston handled things. The gym shut down on August 28, 2024, and we barely got a day's heads-up. Had to scramble to join another place. I’d just forked out for a full year, but they haven’t given my money back or even replied to my emails. This is seriously unprofessional. I’d steer clear if I were you. Thinking about talking to a lawyer about this!

Got an email at 9:30 in the morning saying the Preston location was shutting its doors for good that same night at 8:30. Honestly, giving people basically no warning is just bad service. On top of that, I’d just forked out for a full year’s membership, and nearly two weeks later, I haven’t seen a penny of my £120 back. Had to pay upfront to sign up somewhere else, so I’m out of pocket, which is just not right. The lack of updates is driving me mad—when I reached out, all I got was an auto-reply telling me not to contact them again or it’d slow things down, and that they’d get back to me in 30 days. That’s not acceptable when they’re holding onto my cash. From what I’ve heard, the Runcorn branch got the same treatment, so it’s not just Preston. The way this has all been managed is a joke, and I’m absolutely livid. Wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone after this mess. The staff at the gym were always great, but the folks running the show clearly have no clue. Steer clear of this company!