David Lloyd gym

[Dragonnightmare]

Any other David Lloyd members about?
Especially those with DC who are also members.

Is it just my club (SE London) or have the fees really increased?

Both my DC had birthdays over lockdown and suddenly they want £35 EACH for their membership. Previously they were charged £1 and £17.95 (or thereabouts, I can't find the exact amount at the moment). I expected some fee increase but maybe to £15 for my youngest and maybe £25 for my eldest but this seems a huge rise.

I emailed to find out where I missed the update about fees - why are they so damn secretive about their fees? - and the response was so rude. Telling me to lump it. The cancellation period is now also 3 months when I am pretty certain it was a month when I enquired last year.

The problem is my DC love their swimming lessons (another £66 a month, kerching!) and I cannot find any other swim schools that are taking on new joiners at the moment (I actually joined a waiting list elsewhere for my son last year as I was getting a bit fed up of DL cancelling lessons all the time but then lockdown happened and they have frozen their waiting lists).

I have never put them in any of the activities - there seem to be maybe one each of the weekend days they could do at the same time - are they any good?

Is the fee increase across the board or just my "club" 🙄?

I’m guessing you are paying London prices!

We are just outside London and we have been offered a new package - £71 to £69 for DS(5) and I for Platinum membership (free towels, 10% off swim lessons and the cafe, guess pass each month etc).

Me - £56 to £59 (upgrade to Platinum)
DS(5) - from £15 to £10/month
Total: £69 for Platinum membership

Swim lessons for DS are £33/month I think but then we will have the new discount applied too.

Maybe shop around other gyms. I think our branch is offering the deal as a brand new council leisure facility has just opened, plus Covid has probably resulted in quite a few cancelled memberships.

Also DS once did a morning weekend club for an hour or two but he didn’t like it and refuses to go back. It was just arts & crafts and occasionally going to a room to kick a ball about etc. I have to say at drop off and pick up it seemed to have several bored-stiff-looking young adults staffing it, just standing around watching the kids. I’m sure they aren’t all like that though.

@fromheretonowhere Thank you for your reply.
Wow! That is so much cheaper.
Ours is now £90 each for me and DH and £35 for each of the DC - £250 per month plus £66.66 for swimming lessons.
I dread to think what platinum would be.

Yes - that is the general feeling I get about the kids clubs.

The problem is there are no local gyms like it - plenty of no frills pure gym places with no pool or the local council run pool/ gym which aren't great around here as they have all been crammed into tiny spaces where the council have sold off their sites.

I joined David Lloyd as a mystery shopper (3 months free if I completed questionnaires about customer service etc). I do like it. You can join one club and then use all the others so would it be worth moving your membership to a cheaper club and then using your closest one?

Our DC (teens) have always been charged to us £35 pppm.

Omg I'm in London and pay £150 for me, £110 for DH and £43 each for the kids. Platinum membership.

It's extortionate but I love it too much to give it up and there's no other alternative that's a 3 min drive like this one is.

@JanetandJohn500 you have to use your "home" club a certain percentage of the time.

@HeartZone my youngest has just turned 3. I can understand the fee for teenagers.

@ilovewinterpansies WOW that's a huge fee - I hope the club is cleaner and nicer than mine! That's the thing, there isn't a better option nearby.