I have been a member of Nuffield, Ilford for more than 11 years now. I only use the swimming pool twice a week. I can honestly say that things have never improved over that time, but I have just accepted it for this long. They used to have a spa pool and this was a crucial part of the set up for many for lots of reasons. They decided to permanantly close it. That lost them a lot of members. Then they increased the membership prices ... !!! ... There are regular problems within the pool / changing rooms which take months to fix. The aircon in the changing rooms has been broken now for most of 2024 and still isnt fixed. The kit dryer was out of action for months. Some of the showers have been not working properly for a while. Locker doors missing, etc.
It is right on my doorstep so it is really convenient. The last straw for me is when they notified me they are putting the membership up to £73 a month for me from Jan 2025, I currently pay £67 and still feel ripped off. So I am going to be paying £9.22 per swim.
I have spoken to management about the situation but they have no interest in keeping me as a customer. I do appreciate that their model is that you pay your fees and can use it as often as you want in the gym and pool. You can not pay for seperate things. That is the problem. If I went 4 times a week it would be a bargain. They need a sytem where you can just pay a membership for swimming. I have no problem with any of the staff, they are all polite, but they have to abide by the company rules.
It really would have made sense to keep me as a member paying my current fee, still knowing that I am not using 70% of what I am paying for instead of ripping me off more. I am going to serve out my notice and leave at the end of January.
The Olympic Pool at Stratford is the best in the country, they are doing a £29 monthly membership which includes use at any time for the gym, extra classes and pool, and is maintained to an excellent standard. So I will be paying £3.62 per swim vs £9.22 at the Nuffield. £29 per month vs £73 per month for a centre which never improves. Decision isn't rocket science.