A disappointing experience

Yes, I’ll admit I’m “going full Karen here”, but I need to share my recent experience at Zone Fitness Clubs, Melville (Campus Square).

Having been a long-time member of Virgin Active SA previously, I was excited to try out a new gym when I moved to Melville. When I heard it was a family-owned business, I was even more eager, as I always seek to support other local businesses (as a business owner myself). Unfortunately, my experience at Zone Fitness has never lived up to expectations, and the most recent incident took things to a new level.

As I usually do, I like to visit the gym close to closing time, as it’s a nice and peaceful time to exercise. Today, I was finishing my last routine at around 14:57 (according to my watch, though I understand the gym may have a different clock), which is still within operating hours. A staff member approached me rudely, demanding that I leave immediately. I acknowledged the staff member and explained that I was just finishing up my last exercise, which only seemed to make them more irate and intense - leading to an extremely uncomfortable-feeling altercation.

I understand the importance of adhering to closing times, but respectful communication is key to making members feel valued — a simple, “Sorry, sir, but we are about to close” would have gone a long way here. Surely there can be a brief grace period for members to leave the gym? Why the intense rush to clear out immediately? This whole experience made me feel unwelcome and like a nuisance.

I genuinely hope that Zone Fitness considers investing in customer service training for staff. As a family-owned business, surely the goal should be to make customers feel like family members themselves? I can honestly say I have never felt like part of the family at Zone Fitness Campus Square. I want to give Zone Fitness another chance because I truly value supporting community-focused businesses and hope to see positive changes in the future and perhaps the issue is isolated to only this one branch - here's hoping!

Zone Fitness Clubs, thank you for your attention to this matter!