disappointing (Esporta Health Clubs (Islington))

Member Name: amesybaby

Product:	Esporta Health Clubs (Islington)
Date:	18/04/06 (1039 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: location

Disadvantages: expense/service

esporta for a long time now has been getting worse and worse. i have been a member for a year but visited as a guest for many years previously. when it first opened it was great and you certainly felt that you were getting your moneys worth. however, in the year that i have been a member the cost has gone up from £75 to £80 and if i could see benefits for this i wouldnt mind, however the club seems to take more money from you yet give less back. the lounge area which was once comfortable and nice is now half the size that it once was in order to build a spin room. this would not have been so bad if the area in the gym where the spin bikes used to be had been put to good use. however, this area of the gym is completely disused-there havent even been any stretching matts put down. so for the members who regurarly go to the spin classes it is great, but for the rest of us we have an unused area of the gym and a much smaller lounge area yet we are paying more.

to add to this nothing that ever breaks is fixed. the coffee machine was broken over the entire summer. having a good coffee machine is a perk to the gym for me-who doesnt want a coffee as they get changed after a long day at work? or what about if you wanted to have a coffee with a friend? the drinks machine was also broken for months on end. posters are also put up to encourage the members and to stop them complaining about certain things yet these posters normally miss out some major disadvantage to what is going on. i.e when the spin room was being built and there was still no coffee or drinks machine or sitting area there were posters everywhere promoting epsortas new lounge and cafe area-the poster made it sound like members were in for a real treat. however, a month after the initial completion date for this our new refreshments arrived- a vending machine-for all your nutricious snacks at a pretty hefty expense and a smaller sitting area with exactly the same kind of chairs and tables. a month after this the same bog standard coffee machine was reinstalled-i expect when i go to the gym tonight i will find its broken.

the gym staff are helpful and friendly but there doesnt ever seem to be any consistency with management so if you were to complain there wuold be no point because the managers seem to change over so regularly that they cant keep track of the complaints even if they wanted to-which i dont think they do to be honest. i have witnessed a manager shouting at a member in the main lobby area as other members arrived telling her that she was rude and not as nice as other members. this is no way to treat a paying customer-do they train their managers in customer service and interpersonal skills?!

the other inconvenience is the way they run their classes. you have to phone up 48 hours in advance to book in and if you dont book by 8am you dont stand a chance. however, even if you do book you are likely to find that when you arrive someone who hasnt booked has pinched your place and the instructor does not make the other person leave-they make you leave. if you get to the gym for a 7am class this is irritating to say the least.

the only reason i am still there is because its 10 minutes from my house. if you are looking for a gym then i suggest you look into going to another one in islington-there are plenty of them and probably all at better prices.

Summary: if you are looking for a new gym dont go to this one