Many of you heard brief outbursts of unhappiness from me over the past six months in regard to the gym i used to attend.  I am sorry to say that i left that gym i loved so much for so long, and even more sorry to say that they treated me wrong. When i sent a letter to explain my position to the owner i heard nothing, no contact no acknowledgment of this letter… Nothing.

I am publishing this letter not because i didnt get my money but for the simple reason that i heard NOTHING back from the owner, not a call not an email, nothing.  I will never EVER endorse or recommend this gym or club ever again, in fact if someone asks me about it i will tell them that if they are looking for people who are friendly, if they are looking for a club where you feel a part of something – this is not the club, these are not the people who will treat you with the respect you deserve.

Terry Cooper
Club Coops Owner
751 Beams Rd Carseldine
Brisbane Queensland
Australia

Dear Sir,

I am not extra ordinary, I live my life the only way I have been brought up to live it – openly and honestly, I do what I can for others and as hard as it may be I like to believe the best in people, trust people, and give people the respect they deserve.

But it seems in this case it hasn’t paid of, it seems that in this circumstance even through politeness and courtesy, giving not only a second chance, but a third, fourth and fifth chance wasn’t good enough, wasn’t the right thing to do, being open and honest didn’t rectify the situation nor bring me any just result when I polity opted out.

I know you know the situation from your side, but as you know there is always two sides of the story, and this sir is my side, this sir is why on Wednesday 18 May the manager of your club made a young mother cry, and why I have decided to leave, why after 4 good honest years you will not see my smiling face anymore, why after four good years you will never hear me recommend or talk about your club or gym again.

For three years I woke each day at 5am, drove to your club and at 5.30am on the dot I would be on the treadmill running, on the cross trainer sweating, or on the rowing machine trying to beat my last stroke per minute rate, the machines weren’t that crash hot, they weren’t the best out there, but the staff were friendly, the manager would always smile, and the trainers would always stop for a minute and say hello, how are you.  When it comes to going to the gym I am not the ‘chattiest’ exerciser in the world, I go I train and I leave, I get it done and I get out of there.  For three years even though I wasn’t a chatty gym goer I still felt like I belonged and I still felt like someone gave a dam when I showed up…. But that all changed when management changed.

The gym closed down, the old machines were replaced by new ones, the floors redone – the gym looked great, I was excited and I began the new year in the new look gym enthusiastic about the days ahead.  That was until the staff changed, no longer did I get a hello, no longer was there enthusiasm about having the gym raring to go at 5.30am, no longer did I feel like anyone cared that I was there, sure the gym ‘looked’ good, and sure the trainers fit the ‘gym appearance’ but apart of me felt like no one really cared anymore, no one said good morning with a smile.  Somewhere inside of me I still thought that it would get better, that the new trainers just needed a moment to settle in and get to know everyone, so I signed on for another 15 months.

I took time off, I had my baby and when finally I got the all clear from my doctor once again I was excited about my return, I was thrilled to be going back to old friends, to have somewhere that would support me while I lost my 15kg of ‘baby weight’.  But it wasn’t to be.  I began in the afternoons where sometimes I would get a hello from the lovely ladies at reception, but where most of the time I was lost in the crowd, so I decided to change back to the mornings a time where I knew my ‘gym friends’ were going to be there for a little chat, at a time that more suited me and how I liked to exercise.

With a baby this was hard, I had to organise my time so that it worked in with my husbands, so that he could still leave for work on time and so that my babies routine could stay the same, I knew that 30 minutes of training in the morning is enough, I am bright and fresh first up so I can kick these kilos away and be home by 6am for my baby and husband.  But again, it wasn’t to be.  Instead of opening each and every morning at 5.30am with enthusiasm and excitement for the day ahead your trainers would be late, and if not late turning up in the car park at 5.30am dragging their feet, shuffling along heads down sighing to the fact that 10-15 people were annoyed that they were not already in the gym working out.

I sent an email, I explained my thoughts, and it was my opinion that a gym should not be opening 5-10 minutes late; it should be open and ready to go at 5.30am.  I ask you now sir, just as I asked the manager back then, if a coffee shop states a 5.30am open time – you expect a coffee at 5.30am -right?  The barrister will not turn you away at 5.30am and say “sorry the coffee machine is not hot yet” no they get there 5-10 minutes early and open the shop ready for opening time – I would expect the same of a gym.  Do not get there at 5.30am for a 5.35am start, get there at 5.25am with enthusiasm and be raring to go with a smile at 5.30am, I don’t think that is a tough ask.

The email was read, and I was addressed in person, we had a wonderful chat and I thought that the situation would be rectified… And once again I say – it wasn’t to be.  No one was enthusiastic, everyone seemed grumpy, the attitude from the trainers at 5.30am seemed to be “humph, why do I have to be here?” and it happened again – the gym not opening on time, my standing in a car park of people wondering when the gym would be open, wondering if I would get a work out in before I had to be home at 6am.  I called up, I was polite, I said it was unacceptable, my complaint was heard and once again I was told it would be rectified.  But again sir I say, it wasn’t to be… No no no… It happened again, and again and again… I even heard one of the excuses to be “there was traffic” now before I say something will regret I would like to know sir, in whos’ world is there traffic at 5am, and did you seriously accept this as an excuse?

Last Monday I sent my final email, I said it wasn’t good enough, I had had enough, how could I stand there in the cold wondering if the gym would be opened on time, how could I wake up each morning wondering if I would be home on time for my baby, for my husband to be at his job in time?  How could I live my life not knowing if the one thing I loved doing each day, the thing that I had saved up for, spent my money on, was going to be available for me?  It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t the way it used to be, and I had had enough, I didn’t want to deal with that anymore, I just wanted to know that one thing could be constant – a 5.30am start.

Sir, my email was ignored, I was ignored, and honestly that made me even more fed up, that made me begin to think that maybe my business deserved to be elsewhere… And to be honest I have NEVER in four years even thought to look at another club, NEVER in four years have I even googeled gyms in the area… Not until finally my husband told me that maybe I should look elsewhere, that clearly this situation was making me unhappy…

So on Monday, one week after my email, I called the manager and told him enough was enough I wanted out, and I wanted a part refund of my membership that I had so readily handed over not so long ago when I thought things would be just great.  He was understanding once again.  I said that I had been patient, I had been understanding, and I had accepted the excuses time and time again, but now I had had enough, it wasn’t good enough for me.  Your manager then told me he would have to get back to me, I figured this fair enough and told him I would expect his call on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning came and went, I called – no return call.  Tuesday afternoon came and went, I called – no return call.  Tuesday evening I went to the gym – the manager was sick… Two calls, a day of waiting for a call, and no one told me he wasn’t there… Proof to me that once again, no one cares about the girl who paid in advance, you have my money, so who cares?

I tried once again on Wednesday 18 May.  I called, and called and called, and finally I got a call back – no refund.  The excuse being ‘if we refund for you, we have to refund for everyone else’

This time I got mad, I was mad, I was furious, I said things I didn’t mean, I turned into a person who I am not, simply because I felt that giving your club the benefit of the doubt for five months brought me to nothing, that being patient and giving your club a second chance over and over and over got me no where.

I don’t care about ‘the other members’ that have paid up front; I care about the six months of membership I am out of pocket.  I care that even though time and time again YOUR CLUB failed to be open at the contracted 5.30am time I seem to be the one that suffered, and not just financially, not being there at 5.30am affected MY workout time, the only time I have to myself, the ONLY 30 minutes a day I get for me… My time is precious and THAT is what you were taking from me, that is why I care, that is why I have chosen to leave.

I don’t want free time at your gym, I don’t want my membership extended, I don’t want to be a part of an unreliable club, of a club that I don’t know for sure will be open on time.  I don’t want to be a part of a club that doesn’t care, that lets its staff members literally drag their feet into the club with no motivation or enthusiasm I want my money back, I dont want to be apart of your club anymore, I just want to go without fuss so that each morning I can wake up knowing that the gym I choose to attend will be open come rain hail or shine, or be as it may traffic at 5am…

Sir, I ask you to have a heart, to think about who is at fault here, to realise that what I am asking is not unreasonable – but acceptable, and to think that if your reasoning for not refunding my money is simply because ‘everyone else will want a refund’ then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with your club – if your entire database wants out, then obviously there is a problem, a problem that should have been rectified the first time I complained.

I am not extra ordinary but in my humble opinion I deserve to be treated better than less than ordinary, I deserve a part refund for the time I will no longer be attending your club.

Kind Regards,

Cheryl Schull