If you're like many Americans, you may have vowed to get healthier in 2021. After all, 26 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions include exercise at the top of their list, according to a survey on 2021 resolutions from Offers.com. Not to mention that, according to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, 12 percent of new gym memberships for the entire year are activated in the first two weeks in January. And while the pandemic has certainly impacted the amount of people who are signing up right now, Best Life set out to find which gyms are worth the effort and which you should stay away from, counting down to the worst gym chain in America.
To determine the worst of the worst, we looked at 20 of the biggest gym chains and fitness centers in the U.S. to see how they stacked up against each other. To start, we consulted the Better Business Bureau to see what grade each gym was given (we assigned a numeric value to the letter grades), as well as how many stars they got based on customer reviews. Next, we gathered the customer service rating for each gym from Comparably, a site focused on workplace transparency and accurate brand assessments. Finally, we incorporated the average number of stars given to each brand based on consumer reviews published on the widely used platform Trustpilot.
After gathering all the data, we gave each of these four metrics* a weighted value before running them through our exclusive algorithm to see which fitness brand scored highest on our 100-point scale Failed Fitness Index. Read on to discover the worst gym in America and see where your favorite fitness destination landed in the mix. And while we are on the subject of bad brands, This Is the Most Hated Restaurant Chain in America.
*In several instances, certain data was not available for some brands, which we indicated with "N/A". This was accounted for in the algorithm to ensure accuracy in each brand's score.
Read the original article on Best Life.
20 | SoulCycle
ShutterstockBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: N/A
Comparably consumer review stars: 4.7 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 0.00
And to learn more about another business consumers aren't happy with, This Store Has the Worst Customer Service in America.
19 | Snap Fitness
digitalreflections / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 2 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 4 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.2 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 13.99
18 | Wellbridge Athletic Clubs
iStockBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars:1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: N/A
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 37.5
17 | Lifetime Fitness
Eric Glenn / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.32 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: N/A
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.8 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 38.46
16 | Curves
Martha Almeyda / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 4.7 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.7 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 42.13
15 | World Gym
AlamyBetter Business Bureau grade: B-
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: N/A
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 52.08
14 | Lucille Roberts
lev radin / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.5 out 5
Comparably consumer review stars: N/A
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 56.25
13 | Orange Theory
BrandonKleinPhoto / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: D-
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.41 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 3.9 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 58.78
12 | XSport Fitness
iStockBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 1.5 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 59.12
And for the place where shady business is the name of the game, This Is the Most Corrupt State in America.
11 | Anytime Fitness
melissamn / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: A-
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 3.6 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.6 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 66.00
10 | 24 Hour Fitness
Shutterstock/Philip Arno PhotographyBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.17 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 2 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.3 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 66.96
9 | LA Fitness
Eric Glenn / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: A+
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.13 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 2 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.1 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 70.31
8 | Gold's Gym
iStockBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.67 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 2.7 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.3 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 71.72
7 | Vasa Fitness
ShutterstockBetter Business Bureau grade: B-
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: N/A
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 1.5 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 77.08
6 | Town Sports International*
Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com*Owner of New York Sports Club, Boston Sports Club, Philadelphia Sports Club, and Washington Sports Club
Better Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.03 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 4 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 78.60
5 | Planet Fitness
Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.06 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 3.7 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 4.2 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 79.51
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4 | Crunch Fitness
Raymond C. Eichelberger / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: B-
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 2.1 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.1 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 85.35
3 | YouFit Health Clubs
Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.2 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 1.5 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 89.12
2 | Equinox
Michael Vi / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 3.7 out of 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.2 out of 5
Failed Fitness Index Score: 91.02
1 | Retro Fitness
Rosemarie Mosteller / Shutterstock.comBetter Business Bureau grade: F
Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5
Comparably consumer review stars: 1 out 5
Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A
Failed Fitness Index Score: 100.00
And for the place where people are all about themselves, check out This Is the Most Selfish State in America.
