Fitness First UK Avis 

Fitness First Milton Keynes is getting worse. Don't get me wrong decent enough gym. It started going downhill when all the machines from upstairs were brought downstairs and crammed into space that's not really there. The cardio machines, particularly treadmills, are out of order for months at a time. In January, the busiest time, there were 4 treadmills, a bike, a stairmaster and belt squat machine out of order. We're down to 3 treadmills out of order now. Would it not make sense to replace? As the same machines break down time after time. Try and complain and get a big standard response. Firm is waiting for parts. Well forget the parts and get a new machine. And while you're there move some machines back upstairs.

Generally the club is quite well run and the staff are friendly!
Late last year we all had an email saying new showers were going to be fitted so there would be no showering facilities for 2 weeks , no form of compensation was offered for this , a free guest pass would have been nice ?
In the end it took 3 weeks
They looked nice but mostly only had cold water coming out , I complained ,!others complained, I was then told some 6 weeks after installation that they were fixed
Got a few weeks that seemed to be the case unless you choose one of the first 3 showers out of approx 9 , then the water is still cold !
The ones with hotter water very rarely have soap , I presume because they are the only ones hot and no one refills the soap during the day
Surely after they spent so much getting new showers they should work ?
Additionally the poolside showers 3 in total only one works , this has been the case for over a year ! Come on fitness first Bangor get your act together!

I have been with fitness first for several years over 10 years in fact. The standards have on worsened and have reached a point of no return for me. The clubs are not really upto standard, machines have been out of order for weeks on end even months. They are happy to increase the prices with no change or worsening services. Spar areas badly neglected. Pegs missing , non labeled wash bottles in the shower areas. Gym equipment ripped, often multiple machines out of order.Just shows a clear disregard of the members. The worst part of it is the member service team. You can no longer speak to anyone directly over the phone. You have to send them an email to them members services then wait a WEEK for someone to email you back. Honestly, if the staff who respond to you in member services were trained in customer services, maybe things may have been different. Unfortunately they are not and are quite possibly the worst rudest staff I have come across in a longtime. They speak to you as if they are certain that there are no consequences to their actions or responses. Seriously stay clear. I would WARN everyone to stay clear. It's a shame because the gym staff are nice and hard working, but very poor management over the years and for me it's reached it's peak. I will be cancelling my membership and wont look back.

Genuinely loved the facilities and classes for a long time, but I won't be renewing after a long list of issues that never got resolved.

The biggest was a misleading renewal process - three ignored requests to update my home club, and a complaint that went nowhere. Renewed in February assuming my access hadn't changed. It had, but nobody told me. Their solution? Pay more for the upgrade or suck it up. Their response to my complaint was the same paragraph about contract terms, twice, followed by "this is our final stance."

On top of that, I've repeatedly been to classes where members show up to classes without booking, leaving them dangerously over capacity. For classes involving barbells this is a serious safety issue, which also was completely ignored by the teams.

Too many issues to ignore, try another gym!

The team at this gym are absolutely great.
The classes I've ben to have been really motivating and energetic. They have a steam room pool and a sauna.
I had an able session which shows you your body's bio age and how its performing and received a free training plan.
So far so good.

Have been really happy up until I found out they’ve changed their tiers. I use to be able to go both to the streatham gym classes and Balham. I’ve now moved closer to Balham and have discovered they’ve moved it to a higher tier even though the gym is much smaller than streatham. Cancelling because of this.

I joined the London Bridge Cottons branch in December after being verbally told I would receive three months at half price if I signed up that day. This was presented as a time-sensitive offer, and I felt pressured to proceed immediately in order to secure the deal.

However, when my third payment was taken, I was charged full price. On reviewing the confirmation email, it stated that the discount applied for two months, not three.

While I appreciate that the written terms reference two months, the issue is that the membership was sold to me on the basis of three months at half price. That representation directly influenced my decision to sign up.

I have contacted Membership Services several times to explain the situation and requested either the additional discounted month or a goodwill resolution.

Unfortunately, I have been told that because the written confirmation states two months, nothing further can be done.

The most disappointing part has been the refusal to acknowledge that the verbal representation at the point of sale may have been misleading. There is a real lack of accountability and zero apology.

I would advise anyone joining to ensure that any promotional offer discussed in person is clearly reflected in writing before signing.

I hope the company reviews its sales practices to ensure clearer communication for the future

Joined nearly 2 months ago as it was closer than the Nuffield health I used to go too. Used a referral but that didn't work. Had to prove student ID twice. Haven't been able to log into app since joining, can't book gym tour or personal trainer, so haven't used gym, as you also need QR code on app to go in, which means I have to go in and plan this faff into it everytime. Have to go on site with laptop or call over phone, so most things are booked out by time I check for classes. I can't cancel classes when I get sick (I'm recovering from an injury) as I can't get an app, had my account marked for missing classes. I explained I'm on oral morphine and other meds and can't keep calling. They said the forgot password part of the app is broke so now only option is to keep calling or just emailing until I get a reply until their IT fix the issue. However, I'm now totally locked out of my account after only getting back in a few days ago while they fix it, so I cannot book any classes unless I tell them specifically what I want to book. They won't refund or compensate for the 2 months this has been going on, blaming my injury and mobility for my lack of attendance, which granted impacted it, however, I signed up to a gym with ease of access for this reason, and the issues managing my account and classes is why a massive obstacle for someone with enough on their plate right now. My physio signed me back to the gym and is encouraging it, now I'm paying for a service I can only access if I call and hope the classes aren't booked out when I do as I can't manage it myself due to their IT issues. I'm looking to move providers now.

Been at Fitnessfirst Stretham for over 17 years
The managers change quite regular, but the latest manager is rude and unwelcoming
E has upset a lot of people since he’s arrived and also be punched in the face in the reception area which most of us feel unacceptable as did not experience nothing like that before I don’t know if he’s been suspended but we hope he does not come back as we don’t tolerate violence in the gym and apparently he was punched when he was working at Brixton so this man is not good as this could occur again
I am actually thinking about leaving after 17 years and I know quite a few colleagues who go to the Gym are saying the same thing but we are waiting to see if he comes back as if he does come back I will definitely be leaving Streatham gym

When you want to cancel your membership...this is where the problem lies. This seriously needs to be investigated. Absolute scammers.

Atrocious business practices. I have been a member for several years, first starting at their Tottenham Court Road branch, and then moving to their Marylebone branch after the former closed. The new facilities proved really subpar, with tiny and cramped changing rooms, small lockers that can't fit anything, showers that run cold or not at all, leaking ceilings and water fountains that require constant servicing. They then proceeded to increase my membership, already considerable, by 26% from one month to the next. Having been a member for a while, I spoke with some gymbuddies and they confirmed that this increase was completely arbitrary and not all long term members have been subjected to one. I would stay away from this business, and gym elsewhere. There are so many far better gyms out there, both in terms of value and of product offering. The staff is lovely and not to blame for the absolutely abysmal business practices of the company at large.

The gym itself is actually good — facilities and workouts were fine.
Unfortunately, the experience completely falls apart when you try to leave.

I was on a rolling monthly membership, sold as something you can “cancel anytime”. Like most reasonable people, I cancelled my Direct Debit believing this would stop payments. Instead, my membership stayed active, arrears built up, and I was later told I could not cancel unless I paid the arrears first.

To make matters worse:

My account access was blocked once arrears appeared

Cancellation could not be processed while in arrears

I was then required to pay an additional future month just to be allowed to cancel

So in reality, you are forced to pay to leave, even on a monthly contract.

Support is slow, obstructive, and relies heavily on policy rather than fairness. I sent various messages to the gym manger for support which were ignored. The way this is handled leaves a very sour taste and completely overshadows what was otherwise a decent gym experience.

I would strongly advise anyone considering joining to read the cancellation terms very carefully and not assume “rolling monthly” means what it sounds like.

I won’t be returning.

Don't waste your money and get stuck in unreasonable contracts. The gym is way too small for how many people they have subscribed, the classes are mid, often with bored looking instructors that finish the class early, who probably can't be bothered. The gym has undergone refurbishment and I honestly can't see the improvement. It is overpriced and they force you into a minimum of a 6 month contract with a leaving fee! Consider somewhere else.

I am a member of Fittness first Streatham. I’m giving a shout out to Mary’s Zumba classes which are excellent and a shout out to Ade’s Body Balance classes which are amazing!! After each class I have a swim in the lovely pool , followed by sauna and steam room. Highly recommended.

I needed help with my membership and Naomi helped me through by email very quickly and fixed my issue very quickly and nicely.
Thank you very much for helping me

Fitness First is an okay gym - I go to the Tooting branch. I feel like it is a bit small and there is always far too many people in there

great customer support through WhatsApp. A real person gave me advice live on how to renew my membership in the best way.

Just to say, very ususal experience at doble or triple price than others beside the steal you with abusive and illegal clauses. I want to cancel my membership so I went to the gym. Must to say I’m there for more than a year, I went to cancel mi membership which was paid on 1st of December , it means still got 20 days more to go, but what a surprise you have to pay over the next month to cancel. So I cancel today because whatever the reason and I have to pay 12 days from January ?????? Is that legal???? Is just another useless company who can make profit from their activity and need to steal their customers Enjoy your 20£ , embarrassing company,

I’d like to share some feedback about the Open Day event. It felt mostly like a show — there was no real recruitment process, and no staff were actually hired. This wasted people’s time and gave the impression that the hiring process wasn’t transparent. Please be clear in future if there is a genuine recruitment opportunity or not.

My experience with this company has been disappointing from day one. I was overcharged at the start of my membership, the Baker Street gym often had no hot water, and when I raised this, a staff member told me it was “not their fault” because management had emailed members. Towels regularly had an unpleasant smell.

The issues became worse when I tried to cancel. From 27 October onward, I emailed several times requesting cancellation, yet my messages were ignored. When they eventually replied, the responsibility was shifted back onto me — first claiming I had emailed the “generic” address, then explaining that Chelsi could not respond because she was off. No one acknowledged the clear communication failures on their side.

I also reported that my app did not show the cancellation option. They were aware of this problem but did nothing to resolve it, leaving me unable to cancel through the required process. Despite that, I was still charged for an additional month, even though my login was inactive.

A simple cancellation request turned into 6 weeks of unanswered emails, conflicting explanations and misplaced blame. The lack of accountability and consistency, combined with earlier service issues, shows very poor customer care. I can’t say all Fitness First gyms are the same, but I would certainly avoid the Baker Street location at all costs.