Very unwelcoming experience for out-of-town visitors
A couple of friends and I were visiting from out of town and came here on Friday night because we wanted to play volleyball during the open gym. Since we had never been to the facility before, we called ahead to ask how open gym worked and were told that it was from 6:30-9:30 PM. Based on that information, we arrived around 7:45 PM.
Once we got there, we asked multiple people how the open gym worked and were told that the owner should be by the whiteboard for people to sign up. We spent about 15 minutes walking around and asking different people, trying to figure out where we were supposed to go. Around 8:00 PM, we finally found the owner in an office area.
I walked in, said hi, and she looked at me and immediately looked back down without responding. I then explained that I was there for volleyball. Her response was, "It started at 7, you know you're late, right?"
She then asked if I had already signed up. I explained that I had not which then she responded with, "So you didn't do it online?" in a tone that felt very condescending. I said no, and she told me, "You can't play then," before walking back into the office clearly annoyed.
I followed her into the office to try to understand what our options were. She then told me that we could pay $13 per person and would only be able to play three sets. This was confusing because just moments before, I had been told that we couldn't play at all.
At that point, my friends and I decided to pay anyway because playing volleyball here was part of our vacation itinerary and we had specifically made time for it. However, the entire experience felt unnecessarily difficult and unwelcoming.
I completely understand having rules, online registration, start times, or limited play time. The issue was the lack of communication and the way we were treated when we were simply trying to figure out the process as first-time visitors. We had even called beforehand and were given information that led us to believe we could arrive during the 6:30-9:30 open gym window.
For $13 per person to only play three sets, the experience also felt overpriced, especially considering how unwelcoming the interaction was.
Unfortunately, what should have been a fun part of our vacation ended up being a frustrating experience. We will not be returning. read more