I pay £3.50 for an adult swim and £3.85 for am aquafit class.

Just for info, the Pools close at 6pm today.

Plus, there's a new class schedule starting tomorrow (on the fusion website) which includes a saturday pilates class and an evening aquafit class, which may please many.

Juliet

Evening aquafit!!!!!
great news!
thanks for info

I agree with Lillam - the atmosphere in the gym is great. much less competition and the plague of personal trainers, than I've seen elsewhere.

Has anyone tried any of the group exercise classes?

The new timetables are on the bottom right of this link >>

http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/...Hill_Pools

I went to the pools this afternoon. I got there just after 5.00pm and paid the £3.50 for a swim. I was a bit dismayed that they closed the pool (and the gym from what I could undertand of the PA announcement) at about 5.40pm, even though the timetable on the website says it's Lane Swim until 6.00pm. Someone in the changing room said it happens every week. In fact, when I left the building it was still only 5.50pm and the staff were ushering people to the door - including one chap who was trying to just read the notice board!

Is this general policy? Does it happen every night? Is it supposed to? If so, surely they should let people know if they arrive in the last hour (and maybe even offer a discount?). There's no mention of it on the website or the timetable (which says only that last admittance is "30min prior to closing").

Apologies if this has been mentioned before - this is a very long thread.

You should contact the manager through the fusion website. I suspect the problem may be that the staff are only paid until 6, but it's not really good enough if the timetable says its open until 6.

Yes, this happened to me this evening, Rob. Felt a bit conned. If the pool shuts at 5.45 then the time table should say that. I'd have arrived earlier if I'd known.
Also, if you are closing the building at 6, it's not on to pay the staff only until 6. Anyone who's worked in a place like that knows you never get out at closing time.

I am getting slightly frustrated with the pool and the lane swims. Quite often I am in the pool to start my swim at 12 and I find that the lifeguards don't bother to start putting out the lanes until about 10 past. The other day it was 20 past before all the lanes had finally been put out. They are also not bothering to put the lane cards out, resulting in a very frustrating swim. I know it all seems very petty but I feel if lane swim starts at 12 then you should be able to do exactly that!

I've noticed this sort of thing at FH Pools too. Perhaps phone calls or, better, letters to fusion-lifestyle making the point is the thing to do. It is a management issue.

The Manger
Forest Hill Pools
Dartmouth Road
Forest Hill, SE23 3HZ

Or there is a 'what was it like for you?' questionnaire on the pools webpage http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/...Hill_Pools and click 'feedback'. I think if some numbers of people did this then it starts to make the point.

Thanks - I will do that.

Sorry for the thread necromancy - but I just joined the pools today, had a nice gym session, then thought I'd enjoy a swim from 5pm. Did my thing and was out and changing, but surprised to hear at 5.35 a tannoy announcement that the centre was closing "in ten minutes". A faint recollection of this thread came to mind...

So it looks like, despite advertising closing time as 6pm on a weekend they still want everyone out by 5.45. Which effectively means you've got to finish up even earlier than that to be clothed and ready to go.

If they only want to pay their staff till 6, so want everyone gone by then, that's fine - but don't advertise as being open till 6! Why not just say they finish the pool and gym at 5.30? They just issued a new timetable, still maintaining this fiction. Crazy.

I've left feedback on their website, so will see if I get a response - but did anyone else pursue this? If so, any answers?

I just wanted to reiterate how irritating it is to have reminders about the pools closing before 6:00pm from three quarters of an hour beforehand. The time I can get there on a weekend is about 4:30 but it is rush, rush, rush and nag, nag, nag until you can get out. It is a massive turn-off.

I suppose that if I view the effective closing time on the weekend as 5:15pm then that would solve my problem. Trouble is, I look at the notice and take 6:00pm as being correct.

The next thing I am looking forward to is an argument about renewal. I joined, and paid, in June 2012 even though the pools didn't open until October. I rather expect the renewal notice to come through next month...

Has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of cleaning staff in the general changing area and toilets? In my old pool there was often a cleaner to be found mopping and disinfecting the floors and checking the loos.
I've often found the curtained off shower area to smell of pee, and the ladies toilets poolside are shocking.
There is rarely any loo roll in all the cubicles, and one toilet has been missing a seat for months now-its actually really unpleasant.
as the facility is less than a year old it is already appearing poorly maintained.

nottinghillbilly - what you describe is typical of the level of cleanliness (or lack thereof) in other pools managed by Fusion. I hate to say I told you so, but...

To be fair the gents' toilets have always been spotless and well maintained whenever I've been there - probably better than almost all other men's toilets you go in. Don't get me started on the level of service you get if you have to interact with a member of staff there though.

I was really upset by the level of cleanliness two weeks ago when we went on a Sunday: dirty nappies, pubic hair in the showers, can of coke, algae on the shower curtains and general hair and fluff everywhere. I don't really understand why it's so hard to have a cleaner which just roams between the different changing rooms like in other places.
Aside from the hygiene thing, the lack of maintenance upsets me. The pools are lovely and were a lovely added feature to the area.
But if they don't clean, things look grotty and deteriote rapidly. I mean, algae on the shower curtains is a simple fix. Shower heads only dribble, again simple fix. And what contractor builds diving boards/springboard (?) in metal that isn't stainless steel?? I don't know but I feel very sad that money is spent on having a swanky entrance instead of covering simple pool basics, i.e. hygiene.

The pools are suffering from the lack of a permanent manager at the moment although apparently a new one is being recruited.

They had apparently also set up some customer feedback sessions but noone went to the first one held in april. This was probably because it wasn't very well advertised and was at 6pm on a Friday, which I personally think is not a great time.

I am now in touch with the Council and the temporary manager about setting up one that people might actually go to. Hopefully more details soon.

In the meantime I would really encourage anyone to send their feedback to Fusion via their website.

There is a tab on this page >>
http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/...Hill_Pools

Satchers, I appreciate your efforts - and having had no reply to my message via their website about closing times I'll definitely do my best to head along when the next feedback session is scheduled.

I've just left there, and as of 9.30-ish there hadn't been any announcements regarding closing times etc. so maybe the message has been received.

Nevertheless, I have to agree with the earlier comments about upkeep etc. - *big* hank of hair on the floor this evening, and even just basic things like terribly squeaky doors (on the women's changing room and also as you enter the gym!) could be so easily remedied. It's a great facility, and as I am finding out it's very well used too - but it seems like these relatively minor things do need looked at. It's often the way that once a place starts to "drop" people behave worse and worse (why keep it nice when it's not nice?), and I'd hate to see that happen.

I've also tried to make sure the temporary manager is aware of this thread. It was a quite effective way before of ensuring that Fusion were aware of the issues.....