The sucky gym saga continues.
I signed up to this blessed gym three weeks back. Booked an appointment and the girl rang twice to make sure I was coming. Went to see it and as it had a creche for The Mint, I was keen to join. The girl who showed me around, Kaely or Keeley, was effusive in her praise of the place. The friendliness of the staff and the other clients, how the gym would be such a lovely place and I fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
Even as she asked me to sign a contract, I told her I couldn’t as I might be moving back to India in May. She popped in to see ‘the manager’ (for all I knew, she just went for a walk) and came back to say it was alright and all I needed was a month’s notice to cancel my membership.
And taking her word for it – stupid of me, I know – I signed up to L A Fitness, Brentwood.
Since then, they have done their best to raise my blood pressure levels.
I try to fix an induction but seemingly there is just one person who is capable and that person is either running a class or giving someone else their induction. I book a slot and then minutes before I leave home for gym, they ring and tell me they can’t do it. Accompanied by an inane “Can’t do it I’m afraid, when are you free”. No apologies for wasting your time, no desire to put things right for a customer, just a breezy “no can do” attitude. As the only times I can attend the gym are when the creche can take The Mint, it hasn’t been easy.
But I really felt I am wasting my time with these people when I went in to the gym last Wendesday for the promised induction. I had confirmed before booking the creche that they indeed had a slot for me for that Wednesday. I walk in, ask the girl at the reception, a Lydia Sparrow, where I should meet the trainer, when she gives me a puzzled look that sent alarm bells in my brain. Sure enough, she looks at her appointment book and goes “Sorry, darling, there is no entry here, when are you free?”
I was proud of myself that I didn’t harangue her for wasting my time; just kept giving alternate timings, according to the gym free slots. Friday at 9.30. No, sorry, when am I free. Monday? Tuesday? No sorry, no can do.
So I walked out.
For the past week, I have been trying to get in touch with Keeley or Kayley and trying to cancel my membership. Which is easier said than done. This girl, who was so eager to make sure I kept my appointment to sign up, is now nowhere to be found. I ring the gym and the bright voice of Lydia tells me “she is not in the building” or “she is on the phone”. I leave messages, asking her to call me back. “Sure darling”, answers Miss Sparrow. But of course no one responds. For all I know, Keeley or Kayley is standing right next to Lydia.
So I ring the Head Office asking for my membership to be canceled. Sure thing, I am told. Just pay up the year’s fee. Whatever happened to my one month’s notice, I ask. Well, there’s no mention of that anywhere. Unless I can produce this Kayley / Keeley, it is just my word and no one’s going to believe that, now, are they? Considering I have left multiple messages for that elusive person, only to be told “dunno darling” when I ask when I can expect her to contact me again, chances of this Kayley person ringing me and telling me yes she had authorised a month’s cancellation notice when I signed up are slim to none, I reckon.
Till now, not ONE person has asked why I am cancelling my membership. Even after I walked out of the gym, Lydia Sparrow wasn’t even concerned; am doubtful if she took the time to report it to the manager cos so far, no one has rung me up to apologise for the confusion and a guarantee that things will be straightened.
Clearly this was a gym that doesn’t value me as a customer. All they need is my money. And they have it. The customer can go jump.
Updated to add: Just heard from Kayley (not Keeley) who just got my million messages and rang back. The first person who asked me WHY I was upset, WHAT made me want to get out within a fortnight of signing up. We had a long chat where I ranted and raved and poor Kayley apologised a gazillion times and promised to speak to the manager and smooth things out. She rang back in 10 minutes to say I will get my induction on Monday and the creche will take the Mint then. Oh and the gym will give me the £4.50 gym voucher.I agreed.
So there you go – sold my soul for £4.50!
haha… i still dont understand why you need an induction ceremony at your gym. go in there and work out.
Not a ceremony da, just need a bloke to tell me “walk on the treadmill for 20 mins, cycle for 5, cross climber for 5, then go on the rowing machine for 10 mins” etc. You know? Give me a workout tailored for ME to target my problem areas.
uh, ‘problem areas’. you need to get a shit-ton of exercise. go get it. stop giving excuses.
At the end of all that bloody natakgiri, least you got a voucher! Phew.. though personally I wish I could wrench the neck out of those suckers who value not a wonderful (and I say over-accommodating customer)
Ha ha! True! Shall I tell you how it panned out? I couldn’t go as my son fell ill! The cosmos is conspiring against me exercising!
Argghh, that sounds terrible. Also now that you got Kaylee, can you get it in writing that you are on a month to month contract so that when you call corporate next time, you will have proof?
uh oh! I had a similar problem. I had signed up for Ballys and they wouldn’t just let me cancel it. I should have read the frigging contract. But then, I found out that, if you move your residence and say there is no Ballys within 25 mile radius, then they will let you cancel it. I contacted a friend of mine in Austin, TX where there was no Ballys around and was able to cancel it. Sorry – you had to go through it.
Happy New Year to you and your dear family ChezMoi. And when did ChezMoi become Lavanyad ?
Arrr…I sorta forgot to follow your blog.. I will try to catch up.