American Family Fitness Center — Local services in Town of Vestal

Before walking into this gym, I had just seen Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger. This documentary was set in the 1980s at the height of Arnold's time as a bodybuilder defending his title for the 5th time as the greatest bodybuilder in the world. He was up against up-and-coming Lou Ferigno in a grueling battle that could only be resolved by sweat, muscle, steel... and a few dietary supplements. Scenes feature grunting men moving massive amounts of weight in nondescript warehouses, Lou Ferigno crying, and Arnold comparing the post-lift pump to an orgasm. I say all of this because this gym is locked in the period, the atmosphere of Arnold's rise and I absolutely love it. When you walk in you will be hit by a few things. 1. Painfully red colored padding accompanied by metal plates older than my dad. 2. Signs in all caps screaming at you to put weights back and to not touch things 3. Neon lights lining the ceilings as if it were a force field, sealing in the scents and sights of the 1980s 4. The owner of the gym beckoning people to add him on Facebook with several strategically placed signs (yes, they're in both bathrooms too). This is in no way a perfect gym, but that's the point. Do you need a tetanus shot? Yeah, probably. But here's the thing... Here's why I gave it five stars: you can't hide behind the polished nature and lavish amenities other gyms provide. You can't hide behind the pretense of a $35/month membership too busy to go to after work. You take a look around and you'll see the extras in Pumping Iron: strong, dedicated individuals who go to the gym not to flex the glamor muscles, but to fully enjoy the rigor and the pump, Arnold calls it something else. Also it's cheap as hell, about 120/year, buy it one year at a time to avoid...

Highly unprofessional workers. I dealt with Karissa, Vika and Emmy. Karissa was kind in the beginning and then proceeded to laugh at my question to only call over Vika who proceeded to speak condescending and rude. Before I could even explain my situation or frustration she goes "are you going to be nice or rude because I'm trying to help you" she wasnt helping me with anything. She used that line from a customer service video she just watched in training the other day. I asked to speak to the owner and was told he does not work there and I could "try" and Facebook message him with my concerns. I asked about a phone number or email and was not provided one. I went outside to speak to my lawyer about the situation and was advised to ask for a general manager or someone local. I came in to ask for one and Emmy, the general manager, couldn't even be bothered or to get up from her desk and speak to me directly. She just said "it cant be waived" regarding the large fee they were asking to cancel. I moved out of the area and prior to this event I havent been able to get back to this location. The fact that this place of business is not willing to understand and help people out is down right wrong. I have been in customer service for over 12 years and I know that there is always a refund or waivers to be made in any instance. I had been a member here for 3 years, paid my dues on time and never had any issues. The work out equipment rarely worked and everything is extremely out dated. I could have been encouraged to stay but the rude, young girls at the counter lost it. My advice is to higher professionals and not college girls looking to make a quick buck during the semester. Stay away from this gym if you not looking for a hassle. Off to...

Really enjoyed this gym up until recently. Went in two days in a row, both days my card wouldn’t work for two different reasons. The first day the employee tried telling me my membership expired, even though I just paid it. She said “our system glitches let me fix it” The second day I was informed a note was placed on my account for “leaving weights on the floor”. So apparently they pick and choose who they speak to, the ONE time I left weights on the floor was when someone else left a machine loaded full of weights and I took them off to set them right next to the machine I was trying to use. Whoever the employee was that “watched” me do this couldn’t address me about it, but they can look up my membership and put a note on my account about it. Its not a problem when people load a ton of weight on a machine for it to be the next person’s problem, but it’s a problem if you try to utilize that machine after someone didn’t pick up after themselves. Didn’t realize I was a paid employee of this establishment and it was my job to put away equipment I didn’t use. Tried speaking to someone about this because it’s beyond frustrating and I got shrugged off and no answer. Definitely will be switching...