Serious privacy concerns and poor value for moneyI would not recommend this gym for women or based on my experience.I signed up for 16 sessions and ultimately left after 12 sessions at London City Gym. My personal trainer was excellent, so my concerns are not about the trainer, but about the wider business and customer experience.1. Male trainer entering the women’s changing room without permissionThe most upsetting part of my experience. On one occasion, after my session, I was alone and undressed in the women’s changing room. While staff were holding a team meeting nearby, a male trainer knocked and then put his head around the corner before I had time to respond, to ask me to turn down my podcast.I found this deeply inappropriate and distressing. Regardless of the reason, a male member of staff should not enter or look into a women’s changing room while a client may be undressed. It showed a serious lack of judgment, respect for privacy and customers.To their credit, the manager and regional manager followed up quickly and refunded my remaining sessions. However, they refused to refund my £350 membership fee, citing their terms and conditions, emphasizing that they had already given me money back for unused sessions and this was in fact against their policy. Given the seriousness of the incident, I found that disappointing, and it reinforced my impression that commercial considerations were prioritised over customer well-being abnd safety..2. Sales-driven culture over customer experienceIt felt like the business prioritised sales far more than customer care. After sessions, there were team meetings held outside the changing rooms focused on company sales performance. I appreciate that every business needs to make money, but hearing repeated sales discussions in that setting gave the impression that revenue mattered more than the client experience.I raised this concern with my trainers, who passed them on to management, but nothing appeared to change. That made me feel that customer feedback was not being taken seriously. 3. “World’s leading personal trainers” claim An exaggerated marketing statement rather than something clearly supported. If a gym makes a claim like this, I would expect to see evidence of exceptional qualifications, recognised industry standing, or some form of external credibility behind it. Without that, it creates mistrust rather than confidence.4. Cost and value for money The cost worked out at around £165 per PT session, which I do not believe represented good value. A significant amount of session time was also spent on weigh-ins and measurements. In the first session, around half of the time was taken up with this, and then every two weeks a further 30 minutes of session time was used for repeat measurements. I understand the importance of tracking progress, but at this price point I do not feel that paid PT time should be reduced so heavily for assessment and admin-style check-ins. If these are considered essential, they should either be built into longer sessions or provided separately.I would also have expected a higher standard of equipment for the price. There is technology available that can measure body composition and other metrics far more efficiently than doing it manually. If a business presents itself as having the world’s leading trainers, I would also expect it to provide them with the best tools and equipment.5. App not well suited to UK users The food tracking app did not seem properly adapted for the UK market, as it did not recognise UK supermarkets or restaurants. At this price point, I would expect better functionality and localisation it is available on other apps.Overall, while my trainer was very good, the wider culture, privacy concerns, poor response to feedback, and high cost meant the company experience did not feel professional or customer-focused.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
