HIGHLY UNETHICAL & ILLEGAL! read below!
Where do I even begin...
Let's start by making it clear that this review is specific to the Fitness First London Bridge Cottons location. I've been a Fitness First member for years, both in the UK and Australia, and my overall experience has been positive. Sure, some facilities are a bit dated, and repairs on the sauna or steam room can take longer than expected, but having been a member of several other gyms over the years, I know these issues are not uncommon.
However, my experience at the London Bridge Cottons location was truly unforgettable--and not in a good way.
My partner and I visited the site for a tour having recently moved to the area and it seemed great at first and we were excited to look around! The tour was led by an official Fitness First sales representative named Jake. who promised us an exclusive deal: if we signed up on the spot and canceled our current gym memberships, he would enroll us in a "student membership" for six months at £85 per month, rather than the standard £120 per month option for a 12-month membership (we clearly told him we were not students). Jake assured us--complete with a wink--that he would "sort it out."
It seemed like a good deal, so we signed up!
Fast forward to month number two, and we discovered that our memberships had automatically increased and had been switched to the standard £120 per month rate. When I called to query this, the manager, Hatim Al Abbadi, told me to come in and discuss it in person which I thought was a bit odd. When I met with him (in person) he explained that Jake "was no longer working at Fitness First" and admitted he couldn't discuss the situation over the phone "in case it was recorded." He then confirmed that Jake had lied to us and signed us up on false pretenses, referring to him as "a typical sales rep."
Despite acknowledging the issue, Hatim informed me that we were now locked into the full 12-month membership at £120 per month, rather than the 6-month, £85 membership Jake had promised and signed us up to. He vaguely assured me that he would try to "sort it out" at some point later on down the line, but, for some reason would need to wait for new members to sign up.
Weeks went by as I repeatedly contacted the gym for an update. Each time, I was told by reception that Hatim would "get back to me ASAP." He never did. I called over 10 separate times, not so much as an email back.. When I went back to the site in person (after calling ahead to confirm Hatim would be there) I was told he was now "off-site all day."
To make matters worse, I recently underwent spinal surgery following a back injury, which will keep me out of action for at least a year. Naturally, I needed to cancel my membership. Despite sending over 20 emails, calling numerous times, speaking to 8 different staff members, and filling out 3 separate cancellation forms, no one responded. I had to call head office consistently for over 3 weeks and speak to accounts and beg them to patch me through to memberships in order to rectify --this, despite providing direct proof of my surgery from my spinal surgeon in various emails & a doctors note confirming I'm
no longer able to gym for foreseeable - addressed to both the membership team and the Cottons London Bridge team.
The level of incompetence and unprofessionalism I've encountered here is unlike anything I've experienced before. To have an official sales rep sign new clients up under false pretenses, only to change the terms after signup with no option to cancel, is not only unethical--it is, quite frankly, illegal. read more