Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To be really fed up about the club changing its child free times?

101 replies

Sixweekstowait · 28/12/2016 17:14

I belong a leisure club (which is attached to a hotel) which I joined for two reasons - the easy to enter swimming pool and its rules on limited sessions when children are allowed. Swimming is the only exercise I can do because of my disability. The child sessions are 3-5 weekdays and 9-11, 3-5 Saturdays and Sundays. I went along this morning to find the pool full of squealing excited youngsters and parents shouting and yelling to each other, and with no concept of lane etiquette. I had picked up the flyer about revised opening times over the holiday period before Christmas and there was nothing about changes to child sessions. When I complained, it was finally decided that until the new year, children will be allowed at any time. I feel very marginalised and discounted - AIBU?

OP posts:

ilovesooty · 28/12/2016 17:59

I can see that the OP would have felt marginalised and disrespected. If the access for children was to be altered for the holidays members should be made aware. If you have a disability it's doubly hard to turn up and be unable to access what you're paying for when your options are already limited.

EweAreHere · 28/12/2016 18:00

YABveryU.

It's the holidays, children are out of school, it's cold out, and parents are trying to get their children moving, active.

Lots of pools have term break changes to their schedule to acknowledge that children will want to swim, etc. Get a grip.

SaucyJack · 28/12/2016 18:01

She wasn't unable to access the pool sooty.

I'd have far more sympathy for her if it was an accessibility issue, and just not the fact that she doesn't like seeing kids out in the school holidays.

Meh.

Miserylovescompany2 · 28/12/2016 18:03

I hope you get an adequate response to your complaint OP. You've paid your subscription, yet, because they've changed the goal posts you have lost out through no fault of your own. So, no, I don't think it's an unreasonable request to ask for some of the monies paid to be refunded.

LunaLoveg00d · 28/12/2016 18:04

We're gym members and there are times that we can't take the kids into the pool. At other times, the pool is divided half into lanes and half for free swimming.

OP is not getting what she signed up for. She is paying for adult-only swimming, and they have changed their rules without notice and she is no longer getting that. I would be looking to cancel my membership and move it elsehwere, without any cancellation penalty being imposed. They've changed the deal without telling you.

ilovesooty · 28/12/2016 18:06

Saucy I meant that she wasn't able to access it in the way she's used to and the way she expected and she'd not been advised beforehand that the environment would be different.

WankersHacksandThieves · 28/12/2016 18:07

During the holidays I would have expected a weekend service of availability of the pool for children/families. That would give them a choice of a morning or afternoon session two hour session and still allow plenty of time for members to swim child free.

YANBU to complain that they made the family swimming times unlimited. YABU to insist that families should do some other activity just because they can. Maybe they wanted to swim and don't normally have access to a pool?

Original poster

Sixweekstowait · 28/12/2016 18:07

This is a private facility with rules I signed up to. I don't take my dgc outside of the permitted hours. If the hotel wanted to change the rules, can someone who thinks IABU explain to me why it was perfectly reasonable to change the rules without informing the members? Its hardly as if Christmas was a surprise. If parents take their children to hotels which are not advertised as family friendly, they should work out what to do with them and not expect rules to be ignored.

OP posts:

Chottie · 28/12/2016 18:08

The gym I attend has adults only first thing in the morning for lane swimming.

hoddtastic · 28/12/2016 18:10

it was noisy. That seems to be the complaint here.

Maybe get your own pool if you want exclusive use of it?

YouTheCat · 28/12/2016 18:10

YANBU

That would really piss me off.

WorraLiberty · 28/12/2016 18:10

It's a bit of a pisser OP, so I can why you'd be a bit fed up.

But feeling 'marginalised and discounted', due to one visit being full of kids and parents at holiday time, is a bit of an OTT reaction.

WankersHacksandThieves · 28/12/2016 18:14

I think you need to direct your anger from the children and parents using the pool OP, this is the hotel that has caused this problem. They've either deliberately changed the rules, not changed the rules but not made the families aware of them, or not changed the rules but not enforced them.

YouTheCat · 28/12/2016 18:14

I don't think it is an over reaction if that is all that is available for the OP regarding leisurely exercise.

If she didn't have a disability there'd be loads of things she's be able to access. I expect there are plenty of activities these children could be doing and don't see why the hotel can't stick to the advertised child times during the holidays.

TrustySnail · 28/12/2016 18:16

I think the issue here isn't so much that the hotel has relaxed its rules over Christmas, but that the OP wasn't told this when she took out pool membership (or notified afterwards and given the option to cancel membership/accept a reduction of fees).

I would be worried that the same thing might happen at half term, Easter and summer holidays.

It's up to the hotel to balance the needs of guests and leisure members - OP is not being at all unreasonable to have expected notification of a change in policy.

Original poster

Sixweekstowait · 28/12/2016 18:17

Its not one visit - its the rest of the holiday. And unless you live with a disability worra, i don't think you are in any position to criticise me for feeling marginalised and discounted. Just walk for a while ( with great pain and discomfort and limitations) in my shoes and then we can discuss my feelings further. And, although Im not normally 'a slippery slope argument' sort of person, I think that this is a danger in this sort of situation. There is no other pool I can go to in the area - I can't get in and out of the local authority pool. Marginalised - moi?

OP posts:

AgentProvocateur · 28/12/2016 18:18

YANBU and you're not overreacting either. Hope you get a decent response from the hotel's HO.

JennyHolzersGhost · 28/12/2016 18:18

I'd complain. This isn't a local authority pool in which everyone has to bite the bullet and muck along. It's a private health club and they didn't state the change of rules clearly.
My gym has banned kids entirely. It's brilliant. Weekend mornings in the pool are so peaceful and relaxing.

Megatherium · 28/12/2016 18:19

You need to check the small print on your contract carefully. I suspect there may well be something in there saying that swimming time arrangements can be changed at the management's discretion.

WankersHacksandThieves · 28/12/2016 18:20

I would also add, whilst supporting your position, I have been on the end of some pretty rude behaviour from club members when legitimately using a hotel pool.

This was many years ago but we got all the tutting and loud whispers etc from a group of elderly members who were obviously used to having the pool for their exclusive use in the early morning.

We were early risers and so decided to go to the pool before breakfast (as soon as the permitted family time started) Think pool was open from 7 and family hours were between 8 and 10.30ish and another slot in the afternoon, so we went at 8. It was quiet, my children were well behaved but were only aged around 3 and 4 at the time, there were lanes but the people didn't want to use them as they wanted to swim and chat - fine, but don't take up the whole pool and treat people like shit.

Original poster

Sixweekstowait · 28/12/2016 18:21

Trusty - well put. And it is the hotel I am annoyed with - although I do think ignoring lane etiquette as an adult is not exactly OK or leaving your flip flops blocking the steps to the pool so I had to move them with my stick so as not to fall over

OP posts:

RichardBucket · 28/12/2016 18:22

can someone who thinks IABU explain to me why it was perfectly reasonable to change the rules without informing the members?

I'd like to hear that explanation too. I don't buy that it's "common sense" at all.

WorraLiberty · 28/12/2016 18:23

Its not one visit - its the rest of the holiday. And unless you live with a disability worra, i don't think you are in any position to criticise me for feeling marginalised and discounted.

Then why did you fucking ask?

I feel very marginalised and discounted - AIBU?

Surely you should have added, Only those who live with a similar disability to mine, can answer my AIBU?

Original poster

Sixweekstowait · 28/12/2016 18:24

I did check Mega -it said that the opening hours of the actual pool could be altered - as they have been this week- but there was nothing at all about the hours for children

OP posts:

Moreisnnogedag · 28/12/2016 18:26

I too think you need to dig out your contract. I imagine there is a clause saying they can change the times at managers discretion with no notice.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5