A new David Lloyd gym at Shawfair near Dalkeith has come in for a slew of criticism by furious members, with some claiming they have stopped going because it is too busy.
The gym opened in August and boasts luxury gym, pool, spa and recreational facilities but for many members the initial shine of joining the plush club has worn off with a rash of complaints on social media channels.
The litany of issues raised my fed up members include being unable to park, with visitors forced to use a nearby Park ‘n’ Ride facility and walking to the club, abuse of parking spaces reserved for disabled guests, overpriced food, queues to use the spa, overselling memberships and a packed gym area which makes it difficult to train at peak times.
David Lloyd management say some of the issues are down to the post-Christmas January peak demand and they are addressing matters by introducing a waiting list to manage capacity, while some members blame the complaints on “whingers”.
However, in an unscientific poll posted by a member on Facebook, only 56% of those who answered said they would renew their memberships, with 10% saying “cheerio” to David Lloyd, while the remaining 34% were “on the fence” about continuing as members.
The majority of unhappy members say local staff at Shawfair are excellent but blame corporate greed on signing up too many members to boost revenues at the expense of user-experience.
Jay Bee, a member since the gym opened, said: “I haven’t used the gym for the last four months as it’s just too busy now and not enjoyable. My husband and I are just waiting for our 12 months (membership renewal) to be up, then we will move on.
“We were told the cap would be 3,000 members but this clearly was a sales tactic, more fool us. The staff are great but the corporate greed has ruined the place.”
Michael Bryant added: “What was a 5-star facility is now overwhelmed with numbers and has been for months (not January bump) yet still registering members daily. The club is becoming overcrowded, overused and also needs maintenance already.
“Worst of all is the daily and constant abuse of disabled parking that the club management don’t deal with. Greed over member experience it feels.”
Ryan O’Donovan complained that memberships have been oversold, saying: “Majority of times the club is packed, you’re unable to get a parking space let alone use the facilities. This is all despite assurances they would keep membership low to ensure it was not too busy. Not worth spending £150+ per person per month if you can’t use the facilities.”
And Sasha Bey was reprimanded for bringing in her own food to the club. She said: “Absolutely ridiculous. A health club with a restaurant where the food isn’t even remotely macro friendly and is so overpriced for what it is. Maybe work on fixing your food options and pricing before telling people not to eat their own healthy meals in a health club.”
However, member Scott Allan defended the Shawfair club, saying: “I think 90% of the ‘issues’ are folk just being unreasonable whinging melts.”
David Lloyd said they are assessing car parking at the club and will be introducing a ticketing system to address the complaints around disabled parking, while extra group classes have been added to the timetable in response to high usage.
A spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs said “January is our peak season, and we’d like to thank our members for their patience during this time. We’ve put measures in place to make sure our members have the best experience possible during the busy period.
“There is a waiting list at the club to manage capacity. We’re currently assessing our options for car parking, including more spaces in the future and encourage visits during off peak times where possible. We’re also now hosting extra group exercise classes at quieter times for members. We’d like to remind members that our club General Manager is always on hand to discuss any member concerns.”
