David Lloyd Colchester

If I could give 0 stars, I would. While the staff and members themselves were friendly, the overall experience and management handling were extremely disappointing. From the first visit, there was strong pressure to sign a 12 month contract with no real space to think. The club was often overcrowded, the sauna was noisy and not relaxing, and the restaurant experience was particularly poor on multiple occasions, cleaning staff started hoovering around us while we were eating, which was completely unprofessional. Privacy was also a serious concern, with staff frequently walking through the family changing rooms as a shortcut, which made me and my wife very uncomfortable. These are management issues, not individual staff faults. After cancelling clearly within the 14-day cooling-off period, the situation became worse. Emails were ignored, phone calls were difficult to get through, and promises of confirmation emails were not kept. There was not a single apology at any stage. Responses to feedback felt dismissive and for show only, with no real intention to resolve the problem. The handling by the Colchester sales team came across as arrogant rather than customer-focused. Although I eventually received my refund, it only happened after a long delay, repeated chasing, and unnecessary stress. Taking money was quick; returning it was not. For a premium-priced club, this level of customer service is unacceptable, and there is clearly a lot to be learned about how to treat and communicate with customers properly. This is not the standard I would expect from a club with this reputation, and I would not recommend it based on my experience.

If I could give 0 stars, I would. While the staff and members themselves were friendly, the overall experience and management handling were extremely disappointing. From the first visit, there was strong pressure to sign a 12 month contract with no real space to think. The club was often overcrowded, the sauna was noisy and not relaxing, and the restaurant experience was particularly poor on multiple occasions, cleaning staff started hoovering around us while we were eating, which was completely unprofessional. Privacy was also a serious concern, with staff frequently walking through the family changing rooms as a shortcut, which made me and my wife very uncomfortable. These are management issues, not individual staff faults. After cancelling clearly within the 14-day cooling-off period, the situation became worse. Emails were ignored, phone calls were difficult to get through, and promises of confirmation emails were not kept. There was not a single apology at any stage. Responses to feedback felt dismissive and for show only, with no real intention to resolve the problem. The handling by the Colchester sales team came across as arrogant rather than customer-focused. Although I eventually received my refund, it only happened after a long delay, repeated chasing, and unnecessary stress. Taking money was quick; returning it was not. For a premium-priced club, this level of customer service is unacceptable, and there is clearly a lot to be learned about how to treat and communicate with customers properly. This is not the standard I would expect from a club with this reputation, and I would not recommend it based on my experience.