Bastards
This month Blackpool Council have, in their infinite wisdom (and no doubt in conjunction with some handed down Government bollocks), decided to launch a promotion to encourage people to use the local leisure facilities. Yes, you can use any Council operated facilities such as gyms, pools, and other fitness classes for a round figure of £20, all inclusive.
This is great news, isn’t it? Yes and no.
Good for the people that take the offer up, but for those already paying £25+ per month on a direct debit, absolutely terrible. The gyms are now so busy that I, as a direct debit subscriber of 18 months at Palatine Leisure Centre, cannot now get on all the equipment I want during the course of a session. How is this fair?
I don’t expect to be able to walk straight onto anything I please but over the course of a gym session I’d like to do at least everything that’s on my programme. This month it’s been pointless going. I accept that people need a spur to join a gym. I did. But I get really pissed off (as David Cameron would say) at people that are paying less than I am and probably wont sign up to a direct debit hogging the cardio equipment so nobody else gets a look in. There have been queues for it every time I have been and unless I want to stand there indefinitely whilst some fat bloke sweats off his lunch I just go home and eat loads of chocolate bars and crisps.
This offer is a particularly poor judgement by the Council. Why not have this deal but people can only go at off peak times, i.e. between 10am and 4pm? The gym is busy enough at peak time without more and more people taking up this stupid offer and having inductions. Even today there were more having inductions.
They did a similar thing last year and I wrote a letter of complaint to the Council about it. Unsurprisingly I didn’t get a response.
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Out of interest, did you get a rebate for the time the gym was closed for refurbishment?
I stopped my membership because I didn’t feel it was offering particularly good value for money. Other gyms offer a personal trainer service, but Palatine don’t – even when you offer to pay for it. I also found the staff wandering off out of the gym was a bit shoddy, too.
I think it’s meant to appeal to the sort of person who wants to get themselves in to shape, but doesn’t want to go somewhere full of guys on ‘roids. Motivation is a very important factor for someone starting out with a fitness plan, but again, the staff are very ‘hands off’ in this respect – nobody asks how you are getting on, if you need any help or gives you any words of encouragement. I can imagine that being left to your own devices as a beginner would be something that leads many people to lose interest and give up early.
My biggest gripe is free swimming for the under-16s and over-65s, though. It makes any actual swimming impossible. During the day, a flotilla of old women dodder around the pool doing a slow breaststroke, treating it as a social. In the afternoons and evenings, kids and families fill the pool, floating with no sense of direction, kids jump in to the pool around swimmer – it’s impossible to swim.
So, Labour gets its headlines, but nobody actually gets fitter through free swimming. In fact, because fewer swimming as a fitness activity gets done, fewer people get fitter as a consequence of free swimming.
Then there’s the state of the pool itself. The bottom is absolutely filthy, with medical waste, chewing gum and various other bits on the bottom. The changing rooms get cleaned once daily, whilst only half of the showers are in working order. Frankly, nobody at the leisure centre appears to give a shit about the state of the place or the people who want to use it for constructive purposes. And why should they? There’s no incentive to do a half decent job…
Can you imagine if it was a Bannatyne’s venue? Would you ever see a Bannatyne’s gym covered in pigeon shit on the outside and a laidback attitude towards cleanliness and hygiene?
Now I’m worked up!
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No, no rebate because it was still possible to go to the joke of a gym at Stanley Park because they had already put the new equipment in there. I went once and decided I wouldn’t be going again after being hounded off the cross trainer by a “fitness instructor” for being on for over 10 minutes.
The staff are generally quite pleasant at Palatine but don’t do a lot other than show you how to use the equipment when you have an induction. From then on you dont even see them but stupidly there always has to be someone there, so the opening hours are rubbish (closes at 4pm on weekends).
I also hate – as you mentioned – going to a gym with total muscle heads grunting whilst pumping iron, but Palatine is getting a bit that way except with stupid kids that mess about in there. I’m not a fitness freak by any means but things like teenagers snogging for 10 minutes whilst one of them’s sat on some equipment I want to go on really cheese me off.
Believe it or not, I’m not the kind of person to go ballistic at people like that, I just sigh and think about the saving compared to Bannatyne or wherever. Cannot be bothered getting involved and would probably end up getting bollocked by one of the PCSOs that often wander in there.
Their swiping in policy is completely retarded as well. In this day and age every gym has a swipe in so you don’t have to queue. I have been stood at Palatine in the queue for 15 minutes waiting whilst both of the desk staff are signing new people up and making members wait. They do it so laboriously as well, it’s unbelievable.
I haven’t been in that pool because I can’t be arsed with all the things you have outlined. Someone at work goes to the one at Bispham and says that’s the same.
I did have a look round that Bannatynes just after they built it but it was totally rammed and expensive. Perhaps I will take another look, although I don’t like the fact that they don’t publish the cost and that you have to commit for a long time.
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Well, the staff should be in the gym and most of the time they are, but a few of them wander off every now and again. They’re friendly – but I just wish they could be a bit more proactive. I think it would help people make a proper commitment to their fitness. Still, I suppose if I was in their shoes, I’d be trying it on with all the young female members, too…
I’d only really noticed the teenagers towards the end of last year – before then, there were very few of them.
Like you, I just end up resigned to the way things are… seemingly preferring to vent on a blog instead of making a scene.
Bannatyne’s is expensive – and I’ve never understood how gyms felt the need to have a ‘joining fee’ – but there are other gyms that are good and offer reasonable value for money. Reform is supposed to be quite good, as is FX Leisure (albeith in Poulton).
Lots of these places do one day trials – why didn’t the council offer these instead of £20 month-long memberships?
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Haha, funny you should mention that about the staff trying it on with the girls: I always used to think that as well. I think the couple of lads that used to be the worst for haunting them have gone now. At least, I’ve not seen them for donkeys and I’m there 3 or 4 times a week.
You’re right about the teenagers, too. I have to say a lot of the “regulars” that I have seen for the last year or so seem to have disappeared of late.
I think with Bannatynes it’s like getting car insurance. There’s a price they wont go below and the joining fee tends to be waived if it’s the decider. After you’ve had a tour there, they want you to sit down round a table with their sales girl and it’s like you’re about to ask them for a mortgage.
Is Reform that one on Newton Drive opposite the No. 4? I saw on a sign outside there recently that they have the Technogym stats thing that Palatine used to have before they replaced it with the crappy Life Fitness system they have now that doesn’t tell you anything.
You’ve got me thinking about trying somewhere else.. !
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Reform’s the one on Cookson Street/ Milbourne Street in town – it even has a car park now, although it probably isn’t a problem in the evening, anyway.
http://www.reformhealthclub.co.uk/
Works out about the same price as Palatine and has a few more facilities.
The one on Newton Drive is Helio. I think it might be a bit pricier and doesn’t have a pool area.
The two others I can think of are Spindles at the Norbreck and the one at the Imperial.
DeVere’s gym is a bit pricey for what it is, IMO.
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Oh right, I have seen it. It looks like a right dump on the outside but looks really good on the site.
How do they fit all that into that crappy building?
I’m not really bothered about classes or a pool but sauna and spa would be pleasant. That Helio place is only £15 a month for the gym which seems reasonable too.
Used to go to one on Riversway in Preston called Carrefour. It was expensive but really nice. They even had this ‘cold room’ that had air con turned really low, was rammed with cardio stuff, had no lights, pumping music at almost night club levels and enormous TV screens with Sky on. A world apart from Palatine…
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I’ve always wanted to give Gymbox a try – http://www.gymbox.co.uk/the_rave_class.php – only available in London, sadly
It’s not a huge gym at Reform, but they fit enough inside it and it wasn’t crowded when I tried it out. They’ve managed to expand it, from what I’ve seen.
I didn’t know Helio was that cheap – I think the prices must have come down!
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That looks ace! Wonder if they have had the riot police and copper chopper invasion for being like a “rave”..
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If it ever happened up here, it would be the Town Hall Taliban and Mullah Coglin putting a stop to it, rather than the plod…
Did you have a gander at the Chav boxing one? Thought that might be more up Herbert’s street
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I liked the chav fighting one, but they could have dubbed some cartoon batman style “biff!” and “sock!” sounds on when he’s pretending to hit him on the floor! haha!
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They’re being a tad disingenuous if they’re implying you can get in shape for summer with a one-month membership, aren’t they?
I could moan all day. I wonder if I lose more calories that way?
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Gyms are always like this though – I’ve quit them permanently because you get into a routine then some idiot decides to have a promotion and you can’t do that routine for weeks. Personal trainers are usually crap no matter where you go. Get a good “at home” routine going – it saves a fortune and is far less annoying than spending all night queuing up.
Palatine of course is probably chock full of people from St Annes and Lytham now that we have no public pool – certainly school swimming lessons have moved to Blackpool pools from here – not great for Blackpool residents though.
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I hate Duncan Banatynne and his gyms and everything it stands for. It’s a complete joke. I took the gym to court, for illegally taking money from my account. I paid an annual subscription but was reinstated as a new member annually, unknown to me. I believe they will do anything to gain a membership signature. Members should be aware the law does not exist to protect the members, as you sign a contract and should have known what you were signing.
I hate Banatynne with a passion. Eat shit Duncan and your dirty gyms. You’ve had my money once you’ll never get it again.
Jennifer
hate Duncan and his gyms and everyrhing it stands fir it a complete joke. I took the gym to court as i believe they
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