Fitness First UK Avaliações 1.708

Trying to cancel my membership and they are refusing to do it even though i meet 2/4 of their provided reasons of being able to cancel the membership.. avoid at all costs

Nothing more than thieves, subscription embedded into emails that were nothing to do with fitness first linked into my apple pay and debited my account fraud seems to be the gameplan , be careful dealing with this company highly untrustworthy, issue is currently with my banks fraud team

They make it extremely difficult to cancel their membership! Customer service is a nightmare to deal with.

They send your information to debt collectors without contacting you first. Even if you have valid evidence to support they drag it out so they can keep making money from you.

Giving members, employees, and Personal Trainers just seven days’ notice that the club will cease operations is wholly inadequate. For many people, this is not simply a gym closure. It is the loss of a workplace, a source of income, a community, and in many cases a significant part of their daily lives.

The treatment of the directly employed staff and self-employed Personal Trainers is particularly disappointing. Many of these individuals have dedicated years to building the club, retaining members, creating a positive culture, and representing the Fitness First brand. To leave them with just one week’s notice to deal with the consequences is incredibly disrespectful.

What makes this even more difficult to understand is the apparent double standard. Personal Trainers operating within Fitness First are expected to provide four weeks’ notice under their agreements. Yet Fitness First believes it is acceptable to provide only seven days’ notice when closing an entire club and effectively removing people’s livelihoods. That inconsistency is impossible to ignore.

The lack of transparency surrounding this decision is equally concerning. Members have been informed that the club is closing, yet no meaningful explanation has been provided as to why. A closure of this magnitude deserves honesty and openness, not vague statements and silence.

Many members are aware that there is reportedly still approximately 18 months remaining on the club’s lease. If that is the case, there are serious questions that deserve answers. Why is the club being closed now? What alternatives were explored? What efforts were made to save the site? Why has there been no clear communication with the members and staff who have supported the business for years?

The timing of recent management decisions only adds to the confusion. Members were aware that interviews were being conducted for a new General Manager position, suggesting that Fitness First intended to continue operating the club. Then, seemingly at the last minute, the decision was made that a new General Manager was no longer required. If the closure was already being considered, why were those recruitment processes taking place? If it was not being considered, what changed so suddenly that an entire club now has only seven days left?

There are also legitimate concerns about the leadership and strategic decisions that have contributed to the decline of the club.

The appointment of Gwen as General Manager raised concerns among many members due to a perceived lack of relevant experience. During this period, the club appeared to lose momentum, member engagement declined, and standards slipped. At the same time, there appeared to be little to no meaningful investment into the club in the months leading up to the closure announcement. Facilities were not improved, issues were not addressed, and there was no visible effort to modernise or revitalise the site.

Beyond local management, Fitness First as a business must also take responsibility for its outdated operating model. The fitness industry has evolved significantly. Competitors have adapted by offering more flexible rolling memberships, more competitive pricing structures, longer opening hours, and services that reflect modern customer expectations. Fitness First has largely failed to evolve at the same pace.

It is therefore difficult to accept the implication that the club itself has failed when there has been limited investment, questionable leadership decisions, and an increasingly outdated business model imposed from above.

Many members have shown extraordinary loyalty to Fitness First over the years. I personally joined in 2016 and have remained a member ever since. For nearly a decade, I have paid my membership fees, supported the club, recommended it to others, and built my training routine around it. I know many members who have done exactly the same.

That loyalty appears to have counted for very little in the end.

The Basingstoke club has always been more than just a gym. It has been a community built by members, staff, and Personal Trainers who genuinely cared about one another. The decision to close the club may ultimately be a commercial one, but the way it has been handled demonstrates a complete disregard for the people who helped build and sustain it.

At the very least, members, employees, and Personal Trainers deserve a full and honest explanation for why this decision has been made, why it has been announced with such little notice, and what support will be provided to those most affected.

The current communication simply is not good enough.

Absolutely disgusting how you've treated your members and staff at Fitness First Basingstoke. Close it with a week's notice. Notifying staff and members in the same day after years of loyalty. Staff have no jobs and didn't have time to find a job. FF have not invested into standard equipment for years and the place has gone into decline. Wouldn't recommend Fitness First to anyone. Massive shout out to the staff at the gym that have worked so hard and professionally all these years and continue to do so even in their last week there.

Trying to cancel is a nightmare. You have to contact an email and takes 7-10 days or longer to get a reply. Been quoted nearly £200 just to cancel. The whole thing is really stressful.

The gym is clean, well maintained and staff are always very helpful. The only slight gripe is the lack of air conditioning in hot weather - as the UK gets warmer we need AC!

A friend recommended Fitness First Bishopsgate so we could train together for a long-distance swimming event. Before joining, I visited a few times as a guest and unfortunately noticed ongoing issues around the pool and steam facilities.
The staff are always very friendly and polite, which I genuinely appreciate, however the maintenance and cleanliness standards around the pool area seem to need much better attention. Pool water clarity has often appeared poor, floors and shower areas are frequently not cleaned to a good standard, and some maintenance issues (steam room door, showers loose fittings, worn fixtures) appear to remain unresolved for long periods rather than being proactively addressed.
It feels less like a staff issue and more like a management and maintenance oversight issue.
Hopefully the club takes member feedback seriously, as the facilities themselves have great potential and the staff are welcoming.

Booked a bio-age assessment with Ellie at the Hammersmith branch and learnt so much. Really impressed with the equipment that remembers your details for a personalised session. Ellie was super friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth a go!

The worst gym I have ever used by a long, long way. I was a member at Cottons London Bridge, which is supposedly in their top tier.

I used Cottons and other gyms over my subscription. All of them without fail are full of broken equipment, dirty facilities, and rude and unhelpful staff. The pools are constantly under maintenance and it's as if the changing rooms have never been cleaned or maintained.

The subscription system is also completely predatory. I tried to raise the above issues with the staff multiple times by email and got zero response. When I eventually tried to cancel my subscription over it, they tried to charge me ridiculous fees and when I challenged the fees they threatened to send a debt collection agency.

Disgusting organisation which I can't wait to see go bankrupt.

Been a member for over 18 years, and as a "loyal member" have now been informed there will be a 67.5% increase in membership fees... but not to worry as it's cheaper than a new joiner...
So very disappointing way to treat a loyal member.
Particularly so when feels that when I go in there is not enough equipment to do what I wanted to, the sauna/ steam is typically out of order...

As a long-standing member of Fitness First Baker Street, I was disappointed by an incident involving the manager after I politely raised a hygiene concern, which left me feeling uncomfortable and led me to cancel my membership.

Like many other reviews seem to repeat (I wish I had checked first!), the salespeople here will mislead or lie to you to get you to sign up to a fixed 12 month contract.

After taking the tour, Umar put an iPad in front of me to sign a contract at the signature page. He was being very pushy for me to hurry up and I thought that instead of reading a lengthy contract, I would just ask him to make sure I was not committing to a 12 month fixed term contract. Umar directly lied to me when I asked this question and confirmed that I would be able to cancel after 3 months, as thereafter I would be on a rolling contract, so I signed. When it came around to cancelling low and behold, I was locked in.

Complaining goes nowhere. The Cottons desk team give you an email address that does not respond after multiple chasing and now I'm taking advice from citizens advice. I believe their business model is to essentially scam people, and then when it comes to complaints, just mess people around enough so that they just pay the extortionate cancellation fee instead of going through a deliberately exhausting process to challenge the fees.

I've reported them, and specifically Umar, to Trading Standards and encourage others with similar stories to do the same.

The gym itself is "ok", with a lot of equipment, but its sometimes quite a poor experience and rarely worth the fees they charge. Its usually very busy, with broken equipment and unclean changing room facilities.

Please avoid.

Easy to renew great value for money

All they care about is money , when you want to cancel your membership , you will be faced with so much fees , that you weren’t aware of , but according to them it’s in the terms and condition . Stupid company , do not go to this gym , avoid it like the plague

I had a very disappointing experience at Fitness First due to the behaviour of an instructor, Nicolas.
During a class, he spoke to me in a rude and dismissive manner in front of other members, which I found humiliating and unprofessional. He also treated my friend disrespectfully when she was simply trying to help me.
This is not the first time I’ve experienced this kind of attitude from him. As a paying member, I expect to be treated with basic respect.
Unfortunately, this experience has made me reconsider my membership. I hope management takes this issue seriously.

Umar from fitness first cottons quite possibly the most unprofessional and unhelpful person

Wasn’t interested in resolving issues, felt like I was going insane but happy to see the comments have had the same issues so feel less insane

Very aggressive on the phone, in absolute disbelief at this behaviour from a higher market gym

Long story. Currently disputing because of nefarious behaviour from fitness first onoff cottons.

Absolute joke. Sack him now.

Great membership renewal experience with Gemma. Made is easy and worthwhile to renew.

The Cottons branch is poorly managed

Issues are escalated to Umar, who wastes your time by attempting you to convince you he's resolved them, but he takes no action. He also says that he'd call you back, but he never does. He does not reply to the emails either

Loving every class!!! Excellent support from the staff and trainers!!! Always happy to be at Fitness First ❤️❤️❤️❤️