Total Fitness - Sandyford: Anyone got experience of this gym in Sandyford?

Anyone got experience of this gym in Sandyford? Friend is thinking of joining and given negative reviews on this site about the one on the Malahide Road, I wondered if this one was any better. Thanks in advance.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Is this the one at Lamb Doyles pub?
If so it's just the same as the rest of them.
Good facilities, reasonably clean but nowhere near the level of advice and support that you will get in a small Gym.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

I've been a member since it opened. The gym is well equipped and spacious, like most gyms it is busiest around 6.30pm to 8.30 pm but even then you rarely have to wait to use a piece of equipment.

The pool area is nice and the hydro-therapy pool is great for a post workout relax.

The staff are not particularly friendly nor is it the cheapest gym out there but it is the closest gym to me and from experience I've found that if a gym isn't convenient to get to then I'll eventually drop out! The instructors are just about OK but that has been the same in all but one of the gyms I've used in the past, the now closed Dundrum Gym.

If your friend joins and they decide to pay by direct debit then they should be aware that Total Fitness don't send out a reminder when your year is up to see if you want to renew, they very kindly roll it over! So if you do want to cancel they get another month's fee out of you, this is a bit of sharp practice that seems to be common in the gym business.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Total in Sandyford is good, not overcrowded like Westwood or Riverview and cheaper. It is a bit too big & impersonal though. Lots of noisy kids during holidays & senior citizens beween 1000 & 1600 on weekdays. I have been a member almost since it opened & it gets mixed reviews. Used to be at Westwood but left because it got too crowded & machines were almost touching each other & the small pool was always packed.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

I've been a member since it opened and use the swimming pool/hydrotherapy pool and sauna, though did a year on the machines. I agree with what everyone else has said about the place.

Changing rooms can get a bit busy but they have private changing cubicles so that means you can have a bit of peace. Plenty of room so never really a problem.... I use earplugs for swim and that helps with noise of kids and anyway they are not allowed in main pool as have their own one. Howvever busy it is I have never felt the main pool crowded. Always three lanes for lap swims of different speeds.

Occasionally water is not hot in showers and that is not fun.... Plenty of showers - individual cubicles. Ladies have separate sauna in changing area.

There is a nice restaurant, new management recently. Nice freshly made soup for example and a newspapers to read.

Massive parking area - only fully used on busy evenings

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

I've been a member for some years. In October 2007 my locker was broken into and my wallet, phone, watch, driving license etc stolen. The lock was not found. I was not the only one with this experience. Total Fitness did allow me access to a phone to cancel all cards etc. Thereafter their indifference was increddible.
It left me feeling very upset and vunerable. I had to requested that the Gardai be called. Be careful of you possessions.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Been a member there for just over a year, was in Riverview for about 15 years before that so knew a lot of people and staff, even so i find TF to be fairly unfriendly in general but the facilities are good. Apparently they are supposed to follow up on your programme but this has only happened to me once.

There are a load of personal trainers knocking around, so i guess they have a minimum assistance regime from the gym staff leaving the PT's to make some money.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Management are long on promices and short on deliver. Complain about theft, hygene or safety and you could be asked to leave.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Probably the best thing about the gym is the range of equipment - I have not seen a range as good in other gyms in Dublin (or many in the US and I travel a lot on business) and also not in the other TFs on the Malahide Road or Blanchardstown. One irritation I find is the management of the centre - there are tons of car parking spaces with quite a few spaces for people with special needs but these are usually obviously occupied by people who are perfectly able! I can never understand the need for a perfectly healthy person to get closer to the door of a building in which they are about to run a few miles on a threadmill or swim a few hundred metres! Nothing ever appears to be done about this despite there being an attendant in the car park many of the times I go there.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Don't bother with trying to get a treatment in Wellbeing, their reservation system bears no relation to reality. I've made two appointemnts there and on the first occasion was told I had missed my reservation, then 15 mins later called back as my slot had come "free". Then on a second occasion, was kept waiting for 45 mins and when I complained, asked would I like to make another appointment.

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

daithi1202 said:

One irritation I find is the management of the centre - there are tons of car parking spaces with quite a few spaces for people with special needs but these are usually obviously occupied by people who are perfectly able! I can never understand the need for a perfectly healthy person to get closer to the door of a building in which they are about to run a few miles on a threadmill or swim a few hundred metres! Nothing ever appears to be done about this despite there being an attendant in the car park many of the times I go there.

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Good point - Have you complained to the management about this?

Re: Total Fitness - Sandyford

Total Fitness Sandyford are advertising on line membership, 15 months for 450 euro. Existing members are not happy with this as they are paying 585 euro for 12 months. Members who have complained and threatened to go to other health clubs are now been given this reduced rate. If you say nothing they will charge you the same for the next year.

Recession hits total fitness sandyford

the shop units are closed which does not look good. It is easy to see memberships are down. Sauna and steam room constantly breaking down. They had an open weekend to get new members not very sucessful. They need to drop their prices

Total Fitness Sandyford

Membership numbers have crashed, people are leaving and joining other gyms because they are cheaper and the staff are more friendly.Lockers in the mens changing room have been broken into,Cars have been broken into. The reaction of the Managers is a disgrace they did not want to know anything about it....would not recommend this place.

2 friends of mine have just left this gym. They both went to renew their memberships and the staff member dealing with them refused to budge the price down at all (they have both been members for 3 years). One of the guys explained his gf had gotten a cheaper rate and he just wanted the same deal - but no go. So they left and went somewhere cheaper.

Both of my friends were more shocked at the attitude of the staff than the fact they wouldnt budge on price. The said the guy was just not remotely interested in holding onto existing members, no interest in any kind of customer loyalty etc... Just an attitude of 'pay up the full amount or get out and stop wasting my time'.

Paul

Total Fitness Sandyford, my car was broken into there last week and when I reported it to the manager on duty his reply was did you not read the signs in the carpark.I than reported it to the Garda and when they called to me in Total Fitness they said 4 cars a week are getting broke into in the carpark.If you drive around the carpark you will see all the different glass on the ground were the windows just get broke with a rock.The security man on patrol also told me he has problems most nights with kids coming up for the estate below the gym looking to do damage to cars.

was looking at joining back to Total fitness, Sandyford
they are quoting me €682 each for 12 months for both myself and my boyfriend
with no discount for 2 of us joining./..
how can prices increase so much in just a year?

Total fitness Sandyford

Hi I have been a member of this gym for the past 2 years. I like the amount of equipment and am lucky in so far as am able to avoid the busy periods and enjoy the lull periods. However my membership is due for renewal in the next few weeks. I was informed by a staff member that rates have gone up. I find this shocking. How can a gym that is clearly losing business (just look at the vacant shop premises - by the gym entrance) up its prices in the middle of a recession. I am going to talk to management about the prices and am hoping for a bit of leeway. Failing that I'll take my custom elsewhere. They have already lost my boyfriend and parents custom due to inflexibility regarding pricing. Their loss

Woeful

I have been a member in the sandyford branch for over three years now. Over the last five or so months the standards have dropped drastically. Theres machines that have been broken for months, weights are just slung around the place (i know this is the members but the staff used to replace them in their clean up at night), the sauna is constantly broken, the plunge pool is rarely open for use and they seem to have developed a problem with keeping their staff. Theres constantly new faces appearing. I was refused entry a few weeks back because (for the first time) i didnt have my card. They have all my details and even a photo of me on their system! The guy then charged me in. This is not a cheap gym so in my view this is unacceptable. I emailed their head office about it only to get the response that he was right to do so as it is now company policy. Out of curiosity i enquired about rejoining as my membership is up in June. €682 i was quoted! How can they justify a price hike in this climate and considering they don't even maintain the place to the standards i originally joined to?

Also after reading the previous comments i am very apprehensive about parking there again. My car was broken into there last year but the then manager assured me they we're going to get in a security guard. I'm not taking the risk is this guy in incapable of doing his job.

Has anyone heard a rumour that total fitness might be going into receivership?