SERVICES / CUSTOMER SERVICE:

~ Front desk/Reception Staff are often run by teenagers on work experience (without any knowledge, or ability to help anyone).

~ Front desk staff’s attitude is terrible including raising their voices to costumers (awful, appalling, angry, unexperienced, uncaring, kissing their teeth, disorganised, disinterested, and unpleasant etc...)

~ Front desk staff always rude, often on their phones with a queue of people waiting, short tempered and blunt and always direct customers to their useless website.

~ Better website does not provide answers to all parents' questions. It is difficult to use which means that they are not investing in the customer experience.

~ Front desk staff using inappropriate tone with customers complaining about having to wait for 15+ minutes for them to figure out how to take a payment.

~ Front desk staff are incompetent and have no customer service training.

~ Front desk staff complete lack of professionalism and talking to customers in a dismissive sometimes brutish manner.

~ Party organiser never available for complaints (always on a course).

~ Duty managers also rude to customers.

~ No senior management in place to support incompetent duty managers and staff members.

~ Customer Service hanging up on parents after they have been waiting for an hour on the phone. 

~ Many customers reported having felt humiliated, intimidating, not listened to, and belittled when airing any concerns which have been over membership issues, cancelled sessions, parking, accessing the building etc...

~ Customers are asked to call the centre but it's impossible to call a "specific centre" (Streatham 020 886 7758 ~ 3 beeps and the line cuts off).  And at the main centre (0330 1231 500) staff says, "call customer service" and customer service says, "speak to your local centre".

~ Foundation swimming class on a Sunday is cancelled every other Sunday. Reasons given; they fail to rota in a lifeguard. Very disappointing for the children and they are met with rudeness and a dismissive tone and if parents dare to complain they are again referred to their useless customer service or Better website.

~ Customers reported receiving cancellations messages as they were parking their cars on the premises… And sometimes no messages at all and find out only when they checked in at the front desk and they never received a replacement lesson or a refund for their missed classes.

DISABLED / SEND CHILDREN:
~ Many SEND children refuse to go back to that facility or swim again because they have been traumatised by their terrified tutors… Maybe we should all listen to them… No children should be made afraid of swimming… That is a tragedy!!

~ Front desk staff using inappropriate tone when customers are complaining about having to wait 15+ minutes with an SEND child (ASD children cannot wait long).

~ Front desk staff have no inclusivity training for Disability Sessions for children. 

~ Front desk staff treating parents with SEND children with disrespect and no empathy whatsoever.

~ Front desk staff do not have training to process payment using appropriate codes (especially for disability sessions).

~ How about diversity and equality? Disability regulations should be in place. Parents have no disability rights access!

BULLYING / HEALTH & SAFETY:
~ Parents are not allowed to ask any questions or face the wrath of the front desk staff.

~ Swimming tutor shouting at asthmatic children when they had to stop swimming as they could not breathe!

~ Swimming Tutor shouting aggressively at one child and made him cry and 3 other boys (during a school lesson).

~ I cannot believe that local primary schools still takes their pupils there for swimming lessons. Can they not read online reviews about this facility? In any circumstances how can a local school allow ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC to be rude to their pupils? Are they waiting for a child to die before taking actions and report this Centre to Lambeth Council?

~ A 4-year-old had her first lesson in a class of about 10 other children with only one teacher in the water with them. She spent the class going under, taking on water & crying as she was so scared whilst the teacher hardly paid any attention apart from to roughly ask her why she was crying

HOW ARE OUR TEENAGERS TREATED:
~ Gym classes for teenagers where parents paid for membership were told they can only get half an hour as adults take priority over them.

~ Teenagers are treated like 2nd class citizens when they check into reception to meet their parents already inside the premises and are refused entry.

~ Another parent said, my daughter left the leisure centre and when I got home, she said the lady at reception was rude when she was enquiring about skating. 

INJURIES:
~ A couple of years ago a lady's niece suffered a head injury on a Friday at camp and parents were only told on Monday evening about the incident.

MEMBERSHIPS & CONTRACTS
~ Cancelling parent's contract for their children's swimming lessons without warning/notice and no refund provided.

TRAUMATISED CHILDREN & PARENTS:
~ Children are refusing to go on the ice to skate when they see the state of it and parents paid £30 and didn’t get a refund.

~ Parents with mental health issues are having to abandon this amazing facility on their doorstep as they cannot deal with the staff’s ongoing verbal assaults…

REFUNDS:
~ Parents are having to wait 4 months for a refund when ice skating sessions are cancelled.

~ Swimming lessons are often cancelled and there is no way of getting a refund as it is impossible to speak to someone without being verbally assaulted by front desk staff and duty managers.

~ They take bookings and money and then cancel classes entirely as they realised, they couldn’t staff them! Some parents are owed over £100 refunds and are still waiting... No one reachable at head office or the local centre. 

PREMISES:
~ The place is badly run, dirty with some seriously rude and unhelpful staff. 
~ The changing rooms and soft play are filthy.
~ Damage / broken un-removed mini balls in the play area are a hazard for toddlers.

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR FROM STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILDREN’S SAFETY:

~ "The wardens on the ice rink rather than keeping an eye on the busy ice rink, were skating from one end to the other at full speed to show off to their friends and not even stopping once so that they intentionally sprayed ice everywhere. When a parent raised the matter with one of them, he laughed at her (literally) and as they were talking a skater got injured so badly that he left the rink on a stretcher. An ambulance was called, just to show that incidents can happen, something the staff on the rink seem not to care about."

~ After 8 years a parent switched to Clapham. The final straw was when the swimming teacher (duty manager) was not watching the children in their lessons in the big pool. She just walked up and down texting and on her phone. The parent has video footage of this.

~ Children in destress in the swimming pool are shouted at by staff and pushed back in. 

COUNCILLOR’S STATEMENTS:
"Councillor Donatus Anyanwu, cabinet member for the voluntary sector and leisure, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the leisure industry with restrictions causing disruption and uncertainty. In order to guarantee stability, we are proposing to extend the current GLL for a further year."

~ Councillor Donatus Anyanwu, I cannot agree with your statement having lived in Streatham Vale since 1995, taught 300 pupils ICT weekly for 11 years at a local Primary school, done online voluntary work for many local groups, charities and children’s clubs before becoming disabled in 2009… I understand that the dysfunctional state of the Streatham Leisure Centre had been going on for the last 8+ years. Not everything can be pinned on "The Covid-19 Pandemic..."

“Councillor Donatus Anyanwu, cabinet member for the voluntary sector and leisure, said: “We believe by taking back the management of leisure centres, we would be in a better position to achieve our aims – providing more employment opportunities, reviewing our concession pricing, nurturing local talent and working towards carbon neutrality.”

Furthermore, I do believe this rude culture is so natural and acceptable to them that it must be filtering down from the top. Sounds like they treat leisure centre customers like Lambeth Council treat their residents, with contempt (especially the disabled ones...) I have 5+ years of email complaints history to prove that... 

Will GLL staff get "tupeed" over to the new contract in April 2023? If so, wouldn't the problems STILL remain?

RESULTS:
~ 100’s of parents and very few good staff have left the Leisure Centre and gave up on this amazing centre on their doorsteps... And they chose to travel miles to another facilities. Those dedicated parents stopped using the centre as it was more stressful than it was worth even if it meant disappointing their children.

~ Children are missing out on opportunities because customer service experiences are so off putting. For example, West Norwood does not offer deep water swimming or diving lessons but Streatham does!

~ Some parents are happy with their children’s lessons as they stay clear of the staff… However, they still see what is happening to other parents around them and are also planning on leaving this leisure centre… 

~ Parents have been complaining and writing to their Councillors and MP's about this place for years (prior to Covid-19), why hasn’t anything been done about it??

TESTOMONIES:
“I cancelled my children’s swimming lessons there last month after about 5 lessons in a row as they were led by a man whose sole approach was shouting at and belittling the children, he even (according to them, I wasn’t there) got a child to get out of the pool and pushed him back in.

His nit-picking and shouting made it deeply unpleasant to be there and every instruction was yelled and accompanied by ‘come on come on come on, what are you waiting for!’ For a fun lesson to teach kids a life skill it was ridiculous.

I had complained to the duty manager about the horrible stressful vibe in the lesson and although he was quite pleasant, he said effectively the staff are zero hours workers, they pick and choose which shifts are available at local centres and there is no way to instil culture or group practices in them as they just bugger off elsewhere and don’t care. Not an excuse at all but perhaps true. They don’t deserve to have the license to run the place.”


SHORT NOTICE OR NO NOTICE OF CLUBS CANCELLATIONS:
“Holiday club cancelled on a Friday afternoon, when holiday club there was supposed to start Monday. I had an email from them stating they discussed that beforehand with me and when I challenged them and said it isn't true I just got fobbed off. 

Calling costumer services or being there in person, nothing would get me an answer from them. I am working as a nurse and am by myself with my child so I felt very fobbed off and not taken serious with my concern that people like me and other working parents rely on paid and booked childcare.”

"A parent paid £100 plus fees in October 2021 for swimming lessons for her two sons (6 & 7). First lesson there were no one at the gate or reception and they still managed to join the class even though they were late for no fault of theirs.

The following week the parent was late (few minutes) and the receptionist stopped her and told her that she will have to miss the lesson as they were supposed to come 15 mins prior to the lesson. The parent explained that her little one is special needs and had a meltdown, but the receptionist would not change her mind... The receptionist also denied what happened the previous week.

The receptionist went on to threaten the parent and told her if she does not leave, her boys will be “kicked out of the lessons”. The children were watching, and they were shocked. So, the parent asked to speak to the duty manager at which point other staff members gathered around and insisted that she leaves the premises, or they will call police.

At this point the parent said that she doesn't expect anyone to speak to her like that and in front of her children. The duty manager replied, it doesn’t mean anything other than your sons will be dropped out of lessons!

The parent couldn't leave the premises/reception as her other son's class was due to start soon. They said, we will have both boys removed and you will not get a refund.

The parent got home and contacted the customer service via email to raise the matter but the only reply she got is that she had been banned for 6 months and no refund will be issued at all."

DOUBLED STANDARDS:
~ They can cancel classes within minutes of them starting (after parents have already left their homes and travelled to the centre) or when parents are already undressed and by the pool, but parents cannot be a few minutes late. Apparently they must be 15 minutes early before lessons or they will be denied entry and no refunds!

~ Parents have been turned away and without any refunds for being 10 minutes early instead of 15 minutes before the lesson starts.

~ Swimming lessons are often cancelled but front desk staff does not advise the parents in advance. They often find out when they arrived by the pool, undressed with their toddlers/children crying because they do not understand what is happening!

~ Or having ice skating lessons cancelled as soon as your child steps on the ice!!

OUTCOME:
~ First impressions start at the front desk even if everything else is fine. LAMBETH COUNCIL needs to put their best NEW staff at the FRONT DESK NOW and have good duty managers and also one senior manager on site who understands what a good receptionist should perform and how duty managers should address and deal with customer's complaints.

~ Front desk staff should be trained in inclusivity training for Disability Sessions and learn how to process payments for SEND sessions.

~ All tutors/trainers/teachers and staff responsible for OUR CHILDREN SAFETY should be retrained and their DBS should be rechecked.