Meriden YMCA — Local services in Meriden

This will be a long review.

My family and I moved to the Meriden area last summer, and since then, we have been using YMCA services with a family membership, including the before-school program. Until today, the lifeguards had been amazing, and the front desk employees were satisfactory, with minimal interaction. The staff for the before-school program has also been great, and we have encountered no issues.

However, I wish there were a zero-star rating for today’s experience. The supervisor and the lifeguard on duty were extremely rude to my two daughters, my son, and my wife.

As usual, our family went to the YMCA for open swim in the pool while I worked out upstairs. My daughters enjoy swimming with goggles that have a nose cover, which essentially functions as a mask.

On February 15, 2025, we went to the YMCA in Meriden, and the lifeguard approached my wife and told her that the girls were not allowed to enter the pool with their goggles. He claimed that the rules had changed as of February 1. Since my wife had never seen this lifeguard before, she asked him to confirm this with management. He told her to go and check herself and added that the girls would have to take a test to use the pool anyway. Consequently, my wife had to leave the pool area with the girls and speak to someone at the front desk. The staff member there explained that the rules had indeed changed and that no masks were allowed. When my wife asked to have the girls tested without the goggles, the lifeguard refused and insisted they could not use the pool.

Afterward, when my wife returned to the front desk to ask for the lifeguard's name to file a complaint, they surprisingly did not know his name and were unwilling to share it. Another staff member approached my wife, claiming she had seen and heard the lifeguards doing everything correctly, even though she was not present during the incident. This person identified herself as the supervisor, and notably, none of the employees had name tags.

My son came upstairs where I was working out and asked me to come downstairs due to a disagreement. When I arrived, I witnessed the supervisor being extremely rude and lacking any customer service skills. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was an element of racial discrimination in her response, particularly given her aggressive demeanor and her overprotectiveness of the lifeguard.

Feeling extremely unwelcome and uncomfortable, I decided to cancel our membership on the spot.

If management is reading this, I urge you to take action regarding these issues. Based on other reviews, it seems poor customer service is a recurring problem. I would even offer my services to help implement training for your staff on how to treat customers appropriately in various situations. The YMCA was a place where we thought we could teach our children how to lead healthy lives, but today’s experience has...

Customer Service Review Only

Customer Service: Per many other reviews, the front desk attendant is condescending, rude, and highly unprofessional. The expectation isn’t to be cheery and outgoing, just don’t be negative, off-putting or hostile, and make at minimum some effort to assist.

Demeanor: It’s like they look down upon the community they serve. It’s extremely disheartening.

Data Management: If you cancel, save a copy of the form, because they will continue to charge you and make no attempt to locate the document. Per the Community Manager your form is just thrown in by last name letter, anything after that such as Ba… Be… is not considered, making file recall impossible.

Recommendation: I would look elsewhere if at all possible. But don’t take my word for it, go in yourself and determine if this or the other similar reviews...

I wish I could give zero stars because the meriden ymca doesn't even deserve 1. My daughters godson started flag football there this year and it was a total joke. This is supposed to be an instructional league however the kids weren't taught anything...other than that you only get playing time if you're the coaches children. The coaches kids are never on the sidelines. One of the coaches has a serious problem keeping his hands to himself, as he continuously grabs the kids by their shirts and drags them around the field to put them in their positions. Not to mention the way the coaches yell at them at practices...screaming that they don't know anything...maybe if one of the coaches didn't bring his covid positive kids to practice the team wouldn't have missed 3 weeks of practice and games and might have a better understanding...