Anytime Fitness Franchise Complaints: Add yours as a comment below! Love the Anytime Fitness franchise? Tell us why!
Are you familiar with the Anytime Fitness franchise opportunity? Please share a comment below.
Also read: SNAP FITNESS Franchise Complaints
If you are searching for the right franchise opportunity, we hope you brought a shovel.
Even the absolute worst franchise disasters seem to receive high rankings in Entrepreneur and accolades in the mainstream business media.
Do some digging to find out the truth – then post it on UnhappyFranchisee.com for others to see.
In 2011, CNN.com named Anytime Fitness one of its “10 Great Franchise Bets.”
CNN made this pronouncement based almost solely on Anytime Fitness’ relatively low SBA loan default rate of 2.7%.
CNN wrote: “Anytime Fitness, a chain of gyms, offers customers workouts at their convenience. The clubs are open 24 hours a day. Members can exercise even when a club is not staffed, thanks to proprietary access software, security and surveillance technology.
“Co-founders Dave Mortensen, Chuck Runyon and Jeff Klinger — who has since left the company — opened the first club in 2002 in Cambridge, Minn. Less than 10 years later, there are nearly 1,600 clubs nationwide with more than 1.1 million members.
“More than half of the club owners have more than one location. Running an Anytime Fitness gym involves relatively low overhead, because large numbers of employees are not required. “
“…Of 147 SBA-backed loans between 2005 and 2010, there were just four defaults.
Despite the CNN’s implication that only four Anytime Fitness franchises have failed, a quick Google search reveals a different story.
Anonymous writes Maplewood, MN Anytime Fitness closed yesterday ( 5/25/11 ) and I showed up to exercise since management did not have the courtesy to notify any of the members.
Yelp reports Anytime Fitness – CLOSED 2501 7th St W St Paul, MN 55116
ABC57 reports SOUTH BEND, Ind.– Anytime Fitness is closing its doors at Eddy Street Commons.
Rasmus Auctioneers wrote: Anytime Fitness at Broadlands Center. Rasmus will make a complete liquidation of cardio, excess circuit, plated, strength and excercise equipment, office & business assets by internet only auction
Union County Weekly wrote: Stallings Anytime Fitness on Idlewild Road closed its doors on the last day of the year
Anytime Fitness franchise owners Chad and Jenni Riegel wrote: Dear Anytime Fitness Member, We regret to inform that we are forced to close anytime fitness – New Haven on August 31, 2011.
bcintron wrote: I was a member of the E. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV gym for three months, the gym was only open for about 5 months.
We could go on…
Anonymous writes:
All is not what it seems. A great concept except ATF wants all the control by making it mandatory to us ABC Financial. ATF owns ABC and this to me is a conflict of interest to the gym owner. As long as they have their hands on your money the only people that make money is them… this is not a easy business and far more difficult than what they try to make it out to be.Plus on average I would say that between the two of them you will be paying about 10-12% of your gross income to them which doesn’t leave much for you.
Bend Over Chuck writes:
BE PREPARED FOR THE MASS CLOSINGS OF BOTH FRANCHISES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. Besides a weak business model and crappy customer service most 24/7 clubs throughout the country are performing business contrary to the current state, county and city laws and regulations. BUYER BEWARE!
ANYTIMEASSHOLES writes
The owner of the anytime fitness in Ortley Beach New Jersey had the franchise for about 5 years. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating incurable disease. The franchise could not turn a profit so he had to close down when the franchise license and the lease on the property expired.
How did ANYTIME respond? By harassing the owner, sending threating letters from their scumbag ambulance chasing attorneys and threatening to sue the owner. They sent a private investigator to New Jersey to look for ways to screw the owner further. For what? Instead of letting him close the franchise and move forward with his life, made complicated by multiple sclerosis, these scumbags from anytime and their lowlife lawyers had to harass him and make his life difficult….
Anyone who wants to do business with these lowlife scumbags deserves all the bad experiences they will bring . They are the lowest of the low and don’t deserve to be a part of the American franchise field. They and their lawyers are the lowest form of life on the planet. They are all greedy un-caring scum.
NO HEART, ANYTIME wrote:
This company’s leader is Chuck Runyon CEO. The company is all about one thing and one thing only, MAKING $$$. The owners and management have signed contracts with their franchisees and they are going to enforce the letter of the law! Franchisees are getting screwed and passing this behavior onto their members. It is a vicious cycle. Corporate is making BANK while franchisees are wiping out. It is tragic for all of the franchisees who bought into this business model based on the information AF corporate sales provided. Does anyone really know how many AF’s are even making money?
ARE YOU AN ANYTIME FITNESS FRANCHISE OWNER OR FORMER FRANCHISEE? ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE ANYTIME FITNESS FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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View Comments
I recently as of yesterday won a 3 month membership. Signed up yesterday and was givien a schedule of classes which I was very interested in the Zumba calsses which only 1 was offered at this location (disappointed) and showed up the next day (for class) to be told, "Oh well she must not be showing up so no class". What kind of establishment gets away with that?? Any thing you would attend and pay for?? I find it irresponsible and neglegible in so many ways to your customers. Even if I have a free membership, someone paid for it and I wonder if the cause it went for would ever consider your establishment ever again once they discovered your true practices. Please, think very hard about what is being presented to you and please may some changes for the better.
New Member with a mouth!
Anytime Fitness will 'sell' you on the business, once you sign the agreement your life will be over. MAKE SURE YOU PICK A GREAT LOCATION...
Remember they get paid first, around $1100 monthly whether your losing money or not. Try to get out and they will sue you into bankruptcy.
DONT DO IT.
Hi,
I've been member of Anytime fitness at the location in Brownstown , mi from almost more than 5 years. The staff is really roude , can u imagine during these 5 years nobody even talked to me ever. No one even said "Hello "ever. They just keep themselves busy talking and chatting with each other or their other clients. But honestly I always come home depressed & I prefer to go at the time when no one is there. At least staff should have some professional courtesy to the members.They should make a person feel comfortable in gym, because some people like me are not used to go in crowd. I hope you will consider my concern.
Thanks!
To clarify on some of the comments above... Anytime Fitness does NOT own ABC financial. As a franchisee I also want to add that Anytime Fitness does a fantastic job of supporting their franchisees. For example, they offer Vitals Training all over the country on a regular basis that is free for all franchisees and their staff all the time. It includes motivational speakers, communication experts, sales and customer service training. Its the franchisees that don't follow the business model, or are not present in their gyms, that fail. I am a successful AF franchisee having sold my first location for a nice profit after only 2 years, and operating my second for 5 years now not wanting to sell it because it makes me and my family a great living.
At Heidi,
please feel free to give me a call, i am actually looking for an anytime fitness club owner.
Thank you
[redacted]
I have been looking into franchise opportunities and was impressed with the Anytime Fitness rankings on Entrepreneur.com, etc. After speaking to the sales folks as well as finance, I can't see how a franchisee can make any money. I'd be curious to hear from Heidi or another franchisee about membership numbers and monthly costs @ her/their clubs. Based upon the average numbers provided by ATF for end of year one, it is not lucrative.
Like most things, they are what you make them....and there are no guarantees in anything , except death and taxes. A franchise is only as good as its reputation, franchisees,etc. As an owner, I have found AF to be helpful,professional, pro-growth, proactive, and very responsive. Every type of franchise will certainly need to have some form of required infrastructure, policy,procedure,financial system,accounting process,or equipment standards; without it, you wouldn't have a franchise...you would have a loose confederation of like-kind operations pulling in infinite directions. A gym is only going to be as good as it's ownership and staff. If you think a gym franchise has its issues....try operating as an independent.
My business partner and I are looking into buying a resale AF franchise. Any ideas, what have some of the current owners seen in the market that does not show growth in the next 5 years? Also, what are the monthly fees besides the $449 monthly royalty fee?
Thanks!
Hi I'm a manager at AF, I pay the wages,suppliers Etc and I can assure you they do make money. There are non that I've heard of not making money. The average roi is 23 percent. I went to the annual conference last year a d people who own 3 clubs can make about 800k a year. I will agree with Heidi that the head office offers amazing support for marketing, it etc. the back of house franchise support is very good. They want you to genuinely succeed. As for the ones that failed they were most likely run badly. I will say this also- there are people who bought into the franchise because they thought it was a good business idea to make money. some of these people are not passionate about fitness- obese lazy and don't exercise themselves. so dealing with people who are hard work and wanting to cancel etc if you're not passionate about the industry will drive you nuts. These people would have been better off with a dominos franchise. As for the girl who got the 3 Month membership for free and is bitching and moaning on this site? You're a negative and ungrateful person, even if you paid a membership the club doesn't want members like you bringing everyone down. You shouldn't even be posting on this site it's for people who work in the franchise if you want to bitch and moan that's what social media is for.
If you are Heidi or Lee, I want to hear from you. I opening a club ASAP and want as much info as possible. I used to work in two ATFs in AL and loved it! the Owner was a douche, not a fitness junkie like Lee said, but I AM! I am a personal trainer in los Angeles and a group fitness instructor. I have worked with some of the best and most exclusive gyms out there and the worst, and understand what makes a place profitable, its not the business model, its the people running it. Contact me ASAP please @ [redacted]