BAD SERVICE

After many years off being a member at Virgin Active Athlone, this is the first time that I have been so belittled by a staff member at your Virgin Active Branch in Athlone, namely the Club Manager.

I’ve been gyming at your Athlone Branch for many years and have always included my children.

My daughter who is now 18, always accompanied me to gym, and practically grew up at the gym.

Now my son is accompanying me and is enjoying swimming at the Athlone club.

I was confronted this evening in front of all the people in the ladies’ showers, about my son showering there by the Club manager.

I explained to her that the shower water at the disabled shower rooms/ changing rooms are cold and have been cold for a while, which I have complained to the staff at the front desk many times and to date the water is still cold.

She spoke to me very abrupt, and unsympathetically, as though my son and I am not a paying customer of Virgin Active.

The staff at the gym is more customer service orientated than the Club Manger.

I am not happy with the way my son and I were treated, and this type of behavior I have never experienced at Virgin Active Athlone.

As Club Manager, it is your duty to know what is happening at the gym that you are managing and to see that all your gym members are happy and satisfied.

I asked her what I must do if the shower water is still cold in the disabled shower rooms/ changing rooms, I was told that my son should not be in the ladies’ showers period, she can arrange that guys escort my son to the men’s changing rooms.

How can I let strangers take my son to the men’s changing rooms, I am not comfortable with this.

My son swims in the evening, is he not allowed a shower same as the other club members.

I am paying R119 per month for his membership.

His father is not able to bring him to the gym as he is working.

Are gym members that are mothers with sons or fathers with daughters, or grandmothers with sons and vice versa, not have the same rights as other gym members?

Why are the facilities that cater for the above gym members not in working order and checked up on regularly.

Why was I not told on joining the gym that these facilities do not work, and that my son will not be able to take a shower, just like all the other club members.

I am very disappointed as to how the Club Manager dealt with me regarding the above, I would have never dealt with any person the way she did.

She did not have a care in the world if I cancel the gym memberships.

I worked in customer service for many years, and this is not the way that we treated our customers.

Please assist in this matter above, as you cannot expect me to pay gym membership fees and then my son is not able to use the facilities and for us to be treated in this manner.