Recently I ran into a friend of mine that I had not seen in a couple of years.
It was great to see him looking well as I know that the rescission was not kind to him and like many, myself included he struggled to keep his head above water. We talked about that over a cup of coffee and we both agreed that we had come through it a little wiser and stronger. He mentioned that one of the things that he and his wife had done was they had started to take care of themselves a little better. Throughout the recession their money had gone to looking after the children and everyday life, but now that he was on the other side of the struggle they had used some of the families hard earned money and joined a health club with a family membership.
I was surprised when I asked him how it was going to hear that he was leaving the club when his contract was up and I asked why.
He told me that on three separate occasions he had tried to get a cup of coffee and all three times he had been met with bad customer service. The first time was at 9.20 pm and the person behind the coffee bar had pulled faces and huffed a little and then told my friend that the coffee bar closed an hour before the club shut. He had seen other members being served and could not see the problem. She gave him the coffee but not without making him feel like it was a huge favour.
He then told me that on the second occasion it was 9.10 pm and he was told point blank that the coffee machine was shut down. He said he had given the feedback that the club was for the benefit of the members and not the staff. Most recently the straw which broke the camels back for him was that he and his daughter had gone to the club so that he could swim and his daughter was going to time him in preparation for an upcoming race. When they arrived the pool was full and upon enquiring he was told that it was the swim club and they would be finished at 9pm, Wonderful he thought time for a cup of coffee. Once again he was met with the excuse that the coffee machine was shut down an hour before the club closes. What did you do I asked? I'd had enough at this point and given that it was 8.37pm and the club closed at 10pm I walked up to the front counter and informed the front desk manager that when my contract was over I would be leaving the club along with my family.
Wasn't this a little harsh for a cup of coffee? I protested. Lee, he said. I, like many have struggled throughout this rescission and now that I have a little spare money to spend on my family I have come to understand that they deserve the best that we can afford and if that means that we join another club where we can get a cup of coffee at our convenience and not the clubs, then so be it.
Just out of interest I asked, how much is your membership to this club? £150 per month for my family he told me, then he asked why?
I did the math and said that cup of coffee just cost that club £1,800 a year.
Maybe next time they might think about putting the emphasis on the customer and not on the club rules.
Work Hard, Play By Your Rules Not Theirs!
