Concerned members regarding underage, unsupervised kids in upstairs, studio, weights and cardio section of Virgen Active Vanderbijlpark, especially over weekends.

No e-mail address for Virgen Active. Therefor complaint to Hello Peter.

Head office: Virgen Active 5 August 2018 Manager: Virgen active Vanderbijlpark -Mikael Cope

This has been a reoccurring problem at the Vanderbijlpark branch and we have filled in numerous written complaints over the past 5 years and nothing has ever been done. It has really escalated in the past 12 months to where we now have to report this matter to Head office. Not just is this a huge problem, but hardly ever is there a Virgen Active staff member around. I have to go and fetch them downstairs. Once a female staff member witnessed this chaos and did absolutely nothing. When I enquired, then only did she reluctantly react. I have spoken to so many managers before Mikael and I had this conversation with Mikael more than once. My last conversation with Mikael regarding this matter was on Sunday 22 July 2018 complaining about the kids under the age of 8 going haywire on the brand-new machines we have received just the day before, after having the old ones for more or less 18 years. Please feel free to watch Vanderbijlpark branch CCTV cameras. For instance on that specific day (22July 2018) , x2 , 8 year old twins were climbing on top of the brand-new skiErg machine, to get hold of the ropes , as they were to short, with no parent anywhere insight. When I told the female Virgen active staff member about the kids, she said they were supervised. How? The kids were busy on the new skiErg machines and the parents were totally on the other side of the gym at the free weights section. That is not supervision. Besides the kids that went crazy on all the new machines, they are forever running around all over the place. We all gym to get rid of our stress and are focussed to finish our gym session. It is seriously hindering with all these unruly kids around. There is not one area where they don’t roam free. Shocking stories. I read in the rules that the powerplate is off-limits. Yet I see little kids on a regular basis using the power plates. The best was a child of about 7, climbing right on top of the calf machine, while his dad was doing calves. The rules state the following: “junior members under the age of 14 may not use the kettlebells, skipping ropes or boxing equipment” Yet small kids run around like crazy between the new boxing poles the gym received, playing hide and seek. Must a child first be seriously injured before someone listens? On 22 July 2018 when I complained to Mikael about this situation, he gave me a very unsatisfactory answer. He said: “Yes, but the parents threaten to terminate their membership. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Didn’t they sign a contract, like all of us did, concerning rules? So isn’t the opposite also true, that most members enduring this kindergarten in the gym will terminate their contracts then as well because it’s so annoying. I signed up with the gym more or less 20 years ago, when kids were strictly not allowed on machines or use gym equipment. I have read the rules again today about underage children in the newest membership clause and all of the things I mentioned, according to Virgen active are strictly forbidden. Yesterday 4 August 2018 we exercised between 10hoo and 11h15. Please feel free to look at the CCTV footage. More than 8 kids, most under 6 years were playing all over the top floor between machines. There was not one Virgen Active staff member on the floor at those times. I must mention that most weekends it is not the norm to see staff on the top floor. Again 2 kids, 4 years old were running on the air runner. For me this is one of the most dangerous machines in the gym. Even for me as an adult I find it scary and dangerous. Then today 5 August 2018, we started off at about 10h15 with a male Virgen Active staff member upstairs. There were kids in the studio going absolutely insane. I could hear there through my iPod music, throwing *****, hopping on ***** etc. We all know that it took us forever to receive new equipment. This male staff member went downstairs and at exactly 11h04 a child not older than 3 years were running on the Air runner. We are a lot of members that are at wits end with all these small children that are: a) Upstairs and b) Without supervision. c) Using dangerous equipment.

We have followed the correct avenues. a) Written Virgen Active complaints, then b) Spoke to staff members. c) Spoke to the different managers over the years.

Members will continue bringing underage kids upstairs especially over weekends, if they are not reprimanded of the specific rules concerning children. In our opinion this particular problem has escalated out of control. No one enforces the rules. Is this why Virgen Active all of a sudden have so many members? Empty promises about kids? In the past there were notifying signs all over about kids and ages. Nowhere in the gym, do I see any of these. Below are some of the rules stipulated in the members agreement currently on the Virgen Active member’s page and this is clearly misread and misunderstood by parents, staff and management of Vanderbijlpark branch.