David Lloyd Norwich - Norwich

Aimee H.

"If we have to close facilities or clubs for reasons outside our control, we will try our best to provide other facilities or consider whether we should pay you any compensation."

These is Section 19 of our contract with David Lloyd (google David Lloyd terms and conditions for your own copy). Tell me - where has there been any other facilities provided due to the THREE WEEK poolside closure? But lucky us - they'll "consider" if they should pay us any compensation. Spoiler: they haven't.

Below is what the pool currently looks like. All builder's merchants and factories are closed until the 1st week in January. You tell me if this looks like it's going to be fixed anytime soon.

I suggest everyone takes them up on writing to the head office to complain as per their own T&Cs, but since we all know it's David Lloyd HQ aka a private equity firm trying to fluff up their profits before they sell up, we all know we won't get anywhere. I'll be cancelling my direct debit and if anyone tries to take me up on the "breach of contract", I will gladly show how they've thoroughly and completely breached their end.

Laughable that they say to reach out directly in the review comments when all they do is ignore you when you do so. They only bother when it's public-facing criticism. Reach out to me if you're going to formally let be out of my contract.

Support local gyms that actually care if they provide any sort of service to their paying customers.

(Shout-out to the front desk staff who are fantastic, you must have had a rough last couple of weeks at work!)

Ben B.

I have been a long standing member of David Lloyd in Norwich and a previous member of Virgin when they ran the site.

Over the last 12 months the club has become increasingly badly managed with machines in the gym often out of order for long periods without timescales for repair provided. There are leaks and areas of the changing rooms constantly requiring repair. In December the pool and all poolside facilities were suddenly unavailable with limited information promising access within a short timeframe.

However the pools and poolside facilities including Sauna, steam room and, spa pool were not reopened even during holidays so my children could not really benefit from their membership and 50% of the services we accessed were unavailable.

My request for compensation for these main features being unavailable for my family membership was dismissed. I was subsequently given 20% off the family membership for January and advised I could suspend my membership until the pool reopened. This would not have worked as I had already cancelled my membership due to the substandard management of the club and services.

I requested a refund for my membership for January and an early termination of the family membership with January’s fees refunded as we have not been able to use the club at all. The club simply did not respond until I escalated my request and then cancelled the family membership immediately without reimbursement for lost time and services. Throughout this time I was repeatedly called by a sales department offering me money off to change my decision about cancelling my membership.

The customer services department simply stated that the general manager had not left a note on the file so no refund was available.

I strongly advise people to be very cautious about joining this club, the premium prices are not matched by the facilities, by the management or by the customer service towards loyal many years customers.

Jonathan L.

Don't waste your money. So many times I would turn up, often with friends as guests, to find things not working or long, cold walks to the pool from a temporary changing room. The entire wet area, the only reason I go, has been shut since 9th December. DL's response was to give a derisory 20% discount for the month of January as compensation. They also offered for people to freeze their January membership and reinstate it when the pool opens (April, maybe). As I'd already given in my three months' notice to quit at the end of January, that option wasn't available to me unless I rejoined, in which case I'd have to give the three months' notice all over again. No thanks! Part of treating all customers fairly, apparently. My email exchange asking to take the last month of my membership when the wet area reopened was like talking to a brick wall. Be aware of DL speak: 'unable' means unwilling, 'can't' means won't and 'sorry' means nothing at all. Goodbye to four guest passes plus another four anniversary guest passes, each valued at a nominal £25. Avoid.

Daniel C.

I would like to express my dissatisfaction with the ongoing issues at David Lloyds Norwich, specifically regarding poor communication with customers and the lack of clarity surrounding the refurbishment process.

Firstly, the gym has been closed for refurbishment for some time now, and there has been no clear communication about how long this process will take or what improvements are being made. As paying members, we have the right to be kept informed about significant disruptions to the service. Unfortunately, the absence of timely updates or transparency has left us in the dark, causing frustration and inconvenience.

Secondly, the cost of membership at your facility is notably high, which sets an expectation for premium services and amenities. However, this standard is not being met. Even before the closure, there were frequent instances of equipment being broken and facilities not functioning properly. These issues were often left unresolved for extended periods, further diminishing the value of the membership.

It is unacceptable to charge premium rates without delivering the corresponding level of service and communication. As loyal customers, we feel neglected and undervalued.

As customer I would like to have clear and regular updates regarding the refurbishment process, including an estimated timeline for completion. Review of the membership fees compensating me for the period the gym is unavailable (fee reductions) to reflect the current lack of access to services.

Thank you

Alex J.

I really hate leaving bad reviews, but after emailing over a week ago and being ignored, and seeing all the other people below saying the same, it’s just not okay. I have been with David Lloyd’s along with my whole family since 2020. When we first started, they were prompt at replying to emails, and the club seemed really amazing. However, the moment we signed that contract, it’s just been a slow decline until.. well, this.. just as everyone else has said in the reviews, they have VERY little regard to customer service, giving you anything even slightly worth your money, or any ounce of loyalty to members. My honest feedback, is do not attend David Lloyd’s. we are still having to pay an exit fee (for my family.. that’s hundreds of pounds!) Even though half of the facilities are closed, which when 3 out of 5 of our family membership can only use the facilities that are broken, is just unacceptable. Not sure why they are replying “email us so we can talk to you about this” on everyone’s reviews, they don’t reply to anyone!

UPDATE: they asked me to email below, I’ve emailed… they still haven’t replied, don’t waste your time or money.

UPDATE: they finally replied, 20% off for a family of 5 who 3 of which can’t use any other than the facilities that are closed, is apparently totally fine.

Marta T.

I am extremely disappointed with the current state of the David Lloyd Club in Norwich. The pool has been closed for over a month with no clear updates or communication to paying members about when it will reopen. Theres been no mention of any compensation for this inconvenience, which is unacceptable given the high membership fees.

The gym itself is freezing cold! I needed a fleece jacket just to work out. Despite informing reception, absolutely nothing has been done to resolve the issue.

To make matters worse, the facilities are dirty and poorly maintained. Machines are often out of order, and some are barely functional. Shockingly there’s even grass growing from the roof, an appalling sight for a supposedly premium club.

This place is overpriced and severely lacking in quality. I would not recommend it to anyone. David Lloyd Norwich has completely failed to meet expectations, and as a paying customer, I feel let down on every level.

Remee H.

Extremely frustrated with David Lloyd Norwich, unauthorised payment taken despite cancellation!

I had a very frustrating experience with David Lloyd Norwich when I was considering joining as a monthly member. After being shown around the gym, I found it to be very basic for the price, and the outside of the building was run down. What initially enticed me was the promise of a refurbished pool area, but since it wasn’t going to be finished for atleast a few months, I decided against joining.

During my visit, Abbie, one of the sales staff, informed me that there was a 14-day grace period for canceling a membership without charge. She also explained that after taking my bank details, I had until the 5th of February to make my first payment in person, otherwise, my membership would automatically cancel. I appreciated this and spent the next couple of days to think about it as the monthly price was quite high.

However, after my visit, I was bombarded with calls from personal trainers, even over the weekend/evenings, which made me feel pressured and uncomfortable. Ultimately, I decided not to proceed, so I called the gym to inform them of my decision. I was advised to send an email confirming that I no longer wished to go ahead, which I did. Despite this, I received an email confirming my membership and details, which was confusing. I followed up with Abbie via email but received no response.

The next day, I received an email stating that David Lloyd tried to take a payment from my account, but it was unsuccessful. I called Abbie again, who told me to ignore the email and assured me nothing would happen. To my surprise, £94 was taken from my account. I immediately called the gym again, and the receptionist informed me I needed to speak with James, the sales manager. After speaking with him, he confirmed they had seen my cancellation email but was unsure why the payment was processed. I was told it would take 3-5 working days to resolve, but given the lack of communication and mishandling of the situation, I remain doubtful it will be sorted out efficiently.

I'm extremely frustrated by how this situation was handled. I never officially joined, never made any payment, and never set foot in the gym to sign up, yet my bank details were processed, and a payment was taken without my consent. I would not recommend David Lloyd Norwich based on this experience

Helen R.

My partner and I signed up to the Norwich gym specifically to use their pool area, which has been inaccessible since December due to the roof falling in.

Whilst we understand they need to close it down to fix it and it won't be available until April, their communication has been poor, and their offer of compensation is unacceptable.

We have been offered 1 month free membership from April, however the pool is unavailable for 4 months. I have emailed them asking what else they can offer as we shouldn't be expected to continue to pay full price for a service they are no longer providing, unfortunately they have ignored us.

Due to this we are now trying to cancel our subscription but we expect we won't be able to, as other people in a similar position have been told they have to pay an exit fee, which is pretty cheeky considering they no longer provide the services people signed up for, so the ethical thing to do would be to wave the exit fee.

It's a shame because it is a nice venue, and we likely would have stayed with them had they shown more consideration and concern (and offered a sensible solution or alternative).

Things go wrong but unfortunately their poor handling of the situation and lack of consideration for members has resulted in a lot of unhappy customers many of which will be taking their business elsewhere.