Goodlife Health Clubs Toowong — Local services in Brisbane City

I felt being targeted, discriminated and unfairly treated by Goodlife Toowong.

Earlier in the morning of Sunday, 30 June 2024, I went to Goodlife Toowong with friends (3 members including myself and 1 guest who completed online guest registration upfront). We usually go to another club which is staffed on Sundays. We are fully aware that if we’re bringing in a guest, the guest must complete online registration first and see a staff member at the reception. This was the very first time we’re here because we wanted to go to a group class held here.

We got into the lift from the underground carpark with other people who were also going to the club, including a lady who we later became aware of is the club manager, Frances. As what we normally do at the other club, we touched on our access cards at the entrance. However, we were asked by Frances to wait at the reception as she needed to “sign us in manually” due to the new tailgate system (which I couldn’t really understand why and what that was, or maybe I misunderstood what she was saying). There was a gentleman in the same lift with us, but Frances did not ask him to wait at the reception for the manual sign-in and I wondered why.

We patiently waited her to log into the system. Subsequently, the ladies at the reception (there was another staff member already at the reception when we got there) brought out another machine for us to touch on. My friends who are members touched on with no issue. However, when my non-member friend advised Frances that she was a guest and had already registered online, Frances told us that a tailgate fee of $100 would apply because Goodlife Toowong is unstaffed on Sundays.

I understand that members cannot bring in a guest when the club is unstaffed, but as we don’t normally come to Goodlife Toowong, we didn’t realise it is unstaffed on Sundays. Also, the fact that there was a staff already at the reception just didn’t lead us to think that the club was unstaffed.

Frances said it’s printed on the front panel glass that this club is unstaffed on Sundays, and the tailgate fee applied once my non-member friend stepped into the club premises. I said to Frances that we simply didn’t realise it, and we could leave straightaway, but she insisted that the tailgate fee would be charged regardless.

Yes, Frances was doing her job and complying perfectly with Goodlife’s terms and conditions. However, as I said to Frances, I thought it was really unfair as we had never been here before, we’re simply not expecting Goodlife Toowong is so different to the club we usually go to (which is also located in a shopping centre), and thus we didn’t look at the hours noted on the panel glass specifically.

I asked if she could waive the tailgate fee for this instance. She said she couldn’t, but she had another option for my friend, which was to join the membership on the spot so that the tailgate fee would not apply – to me, it sounded purely like taking an unfair advantage of my friend.

Also, I was really nervous when trying to explain things to Frances, so I unintentionally cut her off a few times. She asked me to stop talking in a really condescending tone.

Additionally, I noticed that while I was trying to explain the situation to Frances, there were other people coming into the club. Neither Frances nor the other staff member asked them to wait at the reception for the manual sign-in and I wondered why.

I felt Frances was targeting us from the outset, waiting for us to step in the premises, and then to use all means to charge us the tailgate fee.

After all, we’re not trying to sneak in. We’re completely honest that we’re bringing in a guest and presented the guest registration to the staff members. If it was not allowed, I would appreciate it if Frances could simply tell us the fact and ask us to leave, rather than showing a condescending attitude and pushing my friend to take out gym membership “to get the fee waived”.

Or was it a hard sell at the end of...

I received a terrible service from store manager Frances in Goodlife Toowong. And I felt being discriminated.

I usually go to gym with my husband on the weekend, and sign up as a guest with no issue. We usually go to another club which is staffed on weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. I understand guest has to be in when the club is staffed, and I always make sure to register upfront and show the staff.

I went to Goodlife Toowong with my husband and other 2 friends who are members on 30/6/2024, the last day of financial year. It was our very first time there. When we arrived Toowong shopping center, four of us and other 3 people, including the store manager, Frances were in the same lift going to the club.

When we got the club, I noticed the entrance door was close. But there was a staff on the reception already, so I though they are staffed today. A club member touched access card on the entrance, the door opened, and all 7 people went into the club. I was walking to the staff on the counter and about to show her my registration ( guest has to register and fill out the form online). Frances walked behind us, and she said something to us( but not to other 2 club members) : they have a new tailgate system, and have to sign us in manually. We patiently waited her to set up her system at reception. And she asked 4 of us to scan our membership cards. My husband touched his card with no issue, by the time I showed her my registration and let her know I’m a guest. She said to us, we are unstaffed today, so either you have to sign up a membership today or pay $100 tailgate fee. I explained to her, sorry this is our first time in this club, we didn’t know you are unstaffed on Sundays, I can leave and Im not going to go in. Then she said: now you know! And there’s printed on the front panel glass that this club is unstaffed on Sundays. She thinks I was trying to sneak in. So the $100 tailgate fee will be applied as soon as I stepped in the club.

Frances had attitude when I was trying to explain, like she doesn’t really care about the reasons. All she cares about was to get me to sign up membership or pay $100 tailgate fee. I felt I have been forced to signed up a membership that I don’t need, as I only use gym on the weekend. According to AUsactive, it’s illegal to force people to sign up fitness.

I noticed there were group of people came in to the club, Frances and the other staff member didn’t ask them to show their cards and have to “checked in manually”. I wonder if they are using new tailgate system, why it isn’t applied to everyone?

I do really think her customer service skills have to be improved. Especially when my friend was trying to explained the situation, Frances was rude and said to her, stop interrupting me, let me finish my sentences. I used to work in retail industry, the service I received from Frances was not a good customer service like, not even close.

I wonder would it because today is the last day of financial year so she wants to sell desperately to increase...

I am very disappointed with Fitness First. I haven't been to a gym in years but I was expecting professionalism from a gym that has so many branches around the world. When I went to the gym in toowong I wanted to know what they had on offer and how it all worked. They briefly explained the different types of memberships, showed me around but for someone who asked for information they shouldn't have pushed me to sign up straight away without mentioning a guest pass. The fact was that after I had my first class, I could see straight away the style of classes was not for me. I tried a second time but definitely found the yoga and Pilates both too easy for me. I decided to cancel my membership and it was only then, I was informed that I could have downloaded an online free guest pass that would have given me the possibility of doing a trial in the gym without signing up for a membership in the first place.

It only took a couple of minutes to sign contract with the gym but the issue is cancelling the membership. I notified them within the period of 14 day trial that I wanted to cancel the membership but I was told that a supervisor would call me the following day regarding this matter. No one called me back so I had to go back to the gym to ask for the cancellation. Again the reception had to ask for the supervisor to do this and after waiting for a long while the supervisor finally gave the heads up to proceed with the cancellation.

Upset with this situation I asked to make a complaint but for that I had to call to a call centre of "Membership account enquiries". After speaking to this person and explaining my situation I was asked if I wanted to extend the 14 day trial to a full month in a sort of compensation. All I wanted was to cancel my membership and I was still asked if I wanted to extend it?? After this call I was supposed to get a call back from the costumer services to have a look at my situation but after waiting more than a week I don't think that anyone is ever going to call me. The fact is that if I knew about the free trial I would have never jumped into a contract, I don't recommend this gym to anyone because if anything goes wrong it's very hard to be contacted or get...