Cannons Health Clubs

After visiting the centre in St Albans today with a small group I can only encourage people to move away, or not join, this centre.

The staff were extremely unhelpful, rude, officious and unwelcoming to me and my group.

The members were also snooty and pretentious.

I wouldn't personally join, or indeed visit, this disgusting centre again even if you paid me!

I've been a member of Nuffield gym in Bristol for years and have always found members of the reception staff to be unfriendly, rarley greeting you when you enter the club. However, it's now the trainers on the gym floor who are ill mannered. One trainer/manager in particular who's been there for years has progressively become surlier, unfriendly and even aggressive. He creates a bad atmosphere which several other members have commented on. Couple this with the smell of food being cooked in the downstairs restaurant and it makes for a rather unenjoyable experience. I thnink there are gyms around with friendlier staff that are worth e ploring.

I went to join and then was told I needed to pay a joining fee which was fine, but then I had to set up a standing order which again is standard. But then I need to sign of 12months with no cancellation notice. I did as the gym as close. Then I was in a car crash and now unable to walk, I sent them a doctors letter and even made a vist in person and still they wont let me off the 10 months I have left. If i last that long!!!

Dirty, uneducated staff and money grabbing company. They take your money, put your life at risk and don't want to know.

The smell of sewage permeates the air; the changing rooms are dirty; the loos are genearlly unflushed; there aren't any staff and those who are there don't always know what they are doing. The directors don't want to know they just recited the riot act to you ie you pay or we sue you when you try to leave. There is no customer care, little professionalism and a lot of red tape - they'll do anything to ensure you pay them but they'll do nothing to ensure your safety. Managers don't know what to do when the fire alarms sounds! It's evil!

I was a member of Cannon Gym Chichester and had no problems until it was taken over by Nuffield when it became a nightmare.

The pool very often cold, lockers broken, changing room curtains missing, lack of hairdryers, light bulbs missing etc etc.

There are only a couple of staff who are helpful,the rest treat the members with contempt.

They are not consistant with there monthly charges, some people who joined the same time were charged less.

Having joined in November and was told the contract run out in January therefore I could not cancel membership till then.

A couple of us are now being pursued for payment of a months notice when we were clearly out of contract.

Leatherhead branch. Having been a member for over 9 years, once this gym changed to Nuffield Health the whole atmosphere altered. It's all about cash now and people do not matter. I cancelled my membership, a letter delivered by hand and with plenty notice but they now tell me it has to be sent by recorded delivery. This isn't in the T&Cs and wasn't when I initially joined. They claim I could have inspected the new T&Cs if I had wanted to but how are we supposed to know they have changed!!?? They are claiming a further payment and since I am refusing to succumb to their bully boy tactics they have referred me to a debt collection agency (a nasty one) and to a solicitor (who won't give me a name to deal with). An unscrupulous lot through and through. Don't go near them.

This review is specifically about the Bristol Nuffield (Cannons) Health and Welness Centre:

Very well placed in Clifton, but inadequate parking means I rarely get a chance to use the facilities to their fullest. Swimming pool, steam room etc perfect for relaxing after a hard day, and a broad range of exercise classes. Nice fitness arena with a good variety of equipment.

Generally a nice gym let down by some of the staff. Receptionists rude and fail to acknowledge you when you enter or leave the gym, personal trainers disinterested and looking bored, management don't seem to care.

Nuffield Health Centre Letchworth claims to be interested in their members, to monitor and encourage your progress. This is utter nonsense.

These people are interested only in your money. Once they have you signed up you barely merit a grunt from the gym staff, the manager is rude, obnoxious and in desperate need of customer care training and frankly should not be in any position of authority.

The changing rooms, especially the loos and showers leave a lot to be desired. Damaged lockers, rubbish and worse on the floor. If you have the audacity to report this nothing happens.

The gym staff never seem happy in their jobs and staff turnover appears very high which gives no continuity of support.

I genuinely believed this was perhaps a 'rogue' club in terms of the ethos Nuffield espose on their website. Sadly the rot clearly starts at head office - the customer care team are misnamed - they are not interested in customers and quite clearly have no intention of investigating or resolving concerns.

There are many better value, cleaner, friendlier gyms and I would urge anyone who has a genuine interest in getting fit and improving their health to choose an independent health club rather than this top heavy excuse for money grabbing.

i joined nuffeilds plymouth on a pay monthly membership about a year ago and firstly they set up two direct debits (good for them,bad for me) taking £110 for the first month instead of the agreed £55.the person i spoke to at the club seemed very casual about it all like it happens all the time.they would not return the outstanding sum to my card and would only issue a cheque.which involved time out to visit the bank.following this i have found the changing rooms to vary in their cleanliness, sometimes smelling strongly of urine and peoples bits left in the showers.even used tampons! when i told the desk staff about it they just shrugged and said that tampons were always left in showers and there was nobody in to clean the ladies so i can only assume they got left 'til the following day!equipment is often left broken for long periods,the sauna caught fire (with people inside!) about month ago and is still out of action. during the summer months the pool air and water temperture became dangerously hot for anyone wanting to have a good swim session. when i spoke to the desk staff i was met by the usual shrug and told it always gets like that because the windows dont open and there is no air con' the situation didnt change so i left a message in the comment book asking if the temperture could be reduced.later someone had written underneath in large letters, "THE POOL IS THE CORRECT TEMPERTURE!!!",obviously the customer is not always right at nuffeild.the club boasts a freindly atmosphere but i have found that most of the time i come and go with out any aknowledgement.the guys on the desk are usually fooling around amongst themselves or there is nobody around at all and the P.Ts are usually just doing there own session.once i used the club outside of my off peak hours and was pounced upon by the desk staff who gave me a right dressing down but let me go in 'just this once' i was suprised since the members are not exactly queueing out the door.(i wonder why?) then on leaving the same staff member followed me out the door holding up my membership and quoting the terms and conditions.(ironic really since my presence at the club had gone virtually unnoticed until that moment never)at a later date there were no towels so i was unable to do my session during my off-peak hours so commiting the ultimate sin i went along later out side of hours and i was challenged by the same staff member,i mentioned the towels and asked why members had not been emailed about the situaton she told me that a select few had been told. which raised the question,who are the select few and how does one qualify? but by then i'd had enough and felt i had no other option other than to cancel my membership which they seemed only too keen to accept and completely missed a prime oppertunity to sell me a 12 month peak time membership which would have cost me less and i would have accepted but they only seemed interested in blindly banging home there point about off peak times,thus loosing another member. i feel the staff lack any form of p.r training and their aim is to get by with as iittle out-put as possible.i have only mentioned a few problems here as the whole list would be too numerous but my advice is to avoid this club.there are other better ones out there.

This leisure centre offers great value for money at only £19.95 per month. This gives you unlimited use of the gym PLUS if you fancy mixing up your routine you can take a class, go for a swim or visit another gym LONDON centre for just £2.00 per visit.

For other great gym membership deals in the area check out other gyms in merton here http://gymsinlondon.com/gyms-in-merton.html