South Shore YMCA | Staten Island — Attraction in New York

This place is the worst when it comes to membership cancellations. During Covid 2020, the gym was completely closed. I was told to go online fill out paperwork and email it back. Which I thought I did apparently they told me I filled out bostons paperwork and that the y is no way affiliated with each other. Me thinking I canceled the membership, they continued to take money out of my account for a year. When I discovered they were taking money out of my account I called for a refund. They offered me one month refund. I wasn’t happy at all about this, we all suffered enough through the pandemic and now this establishment wants to keep $800 of my money. I called very upset and the director didn’t like “my tone” and refused to refund me. In no way did I curse or call names I was simply upset that they wouldn’t refund my money during a time when you couldn’t physically go into the gym to close account. I thought I did what I was supposed to do on my end. I said I feel like I’m being scammed here , I don’t have money to give away. She proceeded to tell me if I didn’t have money to give away , that I should’ve dealt with my banking better. Then proceeds to tell me she lived through the pandemic and worked through it( in a fully closed gym) considered herself an essential worker. When my husband is an actual essential worker.I was extremely upset my head was other places as my husband had Covid and being home with 2 kids for a year and a half, my mind was not in my banking statement. I called for a refund, they wouldn’t give me back my money , I didn’t curse or call names but extremely upset and explained how I felt I was being scammed , I ve tried to get in touch with directors boss and no reply or response. Stay away from this extremely unprofessional establishment who thrived off scamming and taking money from people during a world pandemic. Who refused to do the right thing and give back...

Honest review? Terrible gym. USED to be OK when their hours were from 6am - 11pm and when they had not removed half of their overall equipment in their lower branch downstairs. The downstairs equipment at least gave people some flexibility they needed when most of the machines upstairs were occupied. In addition, many of the machines they used to have before their displacement were unique among gym goers. Unfortunately, now, you will have to spend more time waiting to use a machine when there were initially more options, along with having to deal with the displeasure of navigating huge, unnecessary crowds across the top branches due to taking away these machines from their customers. This is a terrible discourtesy to people who spend their hard earned money to come to this place and workout. For the price someone has to pay, they should at least expect a greater variety of machines for use. Lastly, the hours of operations are HORRENDOUS. They used to be open until 11pm, and then changed their open hour times to only 10pm on weekdays, and 9:00-9:30 on weekends! Terrible! What about the line of evening customers who depend on coming later for a good workout? Furthermore, they seem to have given top priority to seniors who want to play ping pong (who probably pay less) and are careless about who they bump into and hit during the game, over serious customers who pay considerably and come there to work out, hence why they probably took away their machines...

While I appreciate that the facility strives to accommodate all age groups, several issues have made it increasingly difficult for paying members to enjoy their workouts. Many senior members enrolled through programs such as SilverSneakers and AARP frequently occupy large areas of the gym, particularly the track and common workout spaces, in a way that disrupts other members’ ability to train effectively. For example, the walking track often becomes a place for social gatherings, making it nearly impossible for those wishing to run or exercise at a faster pace to do so safely. Additionally, the temperature balance throughout the facility has become inconsistent—certain rooms are uncomfortably warm while others are overly cold, seemingly adjusted back and forth based on continuous complaints. This inconsistency affects the comfort and performance of all members. Lastly, parking availability has become a challenge due to early hours of use by specific groups, leaving limited space for full-paying members during regular morning and midday times. Considering that members enrolled through external senior fitness programs often have subsidized memberships, I strongly encourage management to review pricing and accessibility policies to ensure fairness and value for those paying full membership rates. I truly value the gym and would like to continue my membership, but I hope these concerns can be addressed to create a more balanced and equitable experience...