Fusion leisure - grr

[Fuschia]

Why am I surprised that after checking websites, calling off and on for 4 hours and even contacting head office (who also can't get through by phone or email) it looks like I won't be able to find out what time the baby pools are open today at Fusion Peckham (or the Bridge Leisure centre either)

Why doesnt Fusion lose these contracts, the service is so poor?

Are there no service standards in place?

[JulieP]

I also looked on the website for the holiday timetable at Peckham pulse - which was not there.

I did manage to contact them by phone which was a bit of a shock as they normally don't answer. They told me they had not done a holiday timetable for these holidays and there would only be one kids swimming session in the hydro pool today. This was an adult and toddler session with max age of 4. This was no good for us as kids older than this but not tall enough for the big pool. Seems an awful waste as the pool will not be used for lessons or schools during the holidays.

[Fuschia]

It is all so wasteful, and depressing when children are doing less and less exercise.

[DJKillaQueen]

Poor notification aside, have you spared a thought for the staff who might be taking time off at this festive period to do things with their own kids and families? Why do we expect everything to be open? It's Christmas!

[Sue]

It's not about "expecting everything to be open", it's about expecting reasonable communication about if and when things are open, either via websites or an answering machine message when you phone.

Other organisations manage it, and Fusion ought to be able to as well.

[Fuschia]

Of course things should be open today. It's an ordinary day. Two of my best friends have husbands who had to work on Christmas Day (fire brigade and hospital lab employees) but noone is suggesting Fusion open up their sports centres over Christmas itself, after all. And in fact both sports centres were open today. Just they had no details online, and weren't answering their phones. But they never answer their phones!

[DJKillaQueen]

Which is why I said issues with communication aside.

No it is not an ordinary day. It is the Christmass Holiday and in most towns and cities everything local authority run closes for the week. Sports centres are not emergency services so comparisons to firemen and hospitals are a poor analogy. Your complaint Fuschia goes beyond poor information as your comment 'It is all so wasteful....' in apparent agreement with Julie's complaint of the lack of activities on offer, shows.

[Fuschia]

Local government services are not closed.

And my reference to wasteful was referring to the fact that according to fusion head office, both Peckham pulse and the bridge leisure centre were open usual hours today, but hadn't shared a holiday timetable for the baby pools. It is wasteful to be opening the centres with normal staffing but not to be Offering and publicising swimming sessions for those who want to use the services.

[Fuschia]

Dulwich library - open normal

hours today, and clear info on their website

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/news/article/1077/christmas_and_new_year_opening_hours_for_libraries

[DJKillaQueen]

I accept the points refarding poor information (and don't think anyone can disagree with that).

I just think that to expect anything like a normal service over the Christmas holiday is unrealistic.

Local authorities have to keep emergency services open (even if skeletally staffed) but go outside of London, no-one would expect a Library or sports centre to be open at Christmas.

[JulieP]

Before I am cast as the scrooge of Christmas leisure services, perhaps I should add that my main reason for posting was to inform others that there is no holiday timetable for the pool - as it is very hard to get hold of such information and I happened to be lucky to get through to them. I thought that was the point of the forum.

However, I do think it is a shame that those of us who have to take leave now (me due to lack of childcare in these holidays) can't take advantage of local leisure services to do things we don't have the time to normally do.

When I was a student, I used to work extra hours as a lifeguard in the holidays. So with a bit of organisation, there is no reason why services cannot be provided while allowing staff to take some time off.

[Fuschia]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I accept the points refarding poor information

> (and don't think anyone can disagree with that).

>

> I just think that to expect anything like a normal

> service over the Christmas holiday is

> unrealistic.

>

> Local authorities have to keep emergency services

> open (even if skeletally staffed) but go outside

> of London, no-one would expect a Library or sports

> centre to be open at Christmas.

But they mostly are as far as I can tell

http://www.sportspace.co.uk/TopMenuRoot/HemelHempstead/Openingtimes.aspx

Anyway, Peckham

Pulse and the bridge are open, according to head office. Just no timetables published or anyone answering the phone, sadly that's not unusual for fusion

[JohnL]

I agree

This is the ideal time to try and keep facilities open

I volunteered to work over Christmas and there are always people

that will for their own reasons (I like to look forward to

going away in January :)).

JulieP Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Before I am cast as the scrooge of Christmas

> leisure services, perhaps I should add that my

> main reason for posting was to inform others that

> there is no holiday timetable for the pool - as it

> is very hard to get hold of such information and I

> happened to be lucky to get through to them. I

> thought that was the point of the forum.

>

> However, I do think it is a shame that those of us

> who have to take leave now (me due to lack of

> childcare in these holidays) can't take advantage

> of local leisure services to do things we don't

> have the time to normally do.

> When I was a student, I used to work extra hours

> as a lifeguard in the holidays. So with a bit of

> organisation, there is no reason why services

> cannot be provided while allowing staff to take

> some time off.

[Fuschia]

A large number of southwark residents don't celebrate Christmas anyway, being of other religions. I think the days when the country closed down for a week or more are long since gone, in

Part because of the diversity of society these days. It would hardly be reasonable if libraries were closed this week, for instance, if you were a Muslim taxpayer!

[Jeremy]

27th and 28th aren't public holidays. Lots of people are back at work. Public services should continue to run.

[Sue]

The only Bank Holidays at this time of year are Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Although some organisations (usually public sector) may have additional "privilege days", generally if you want additional days off at this time of year, you apply for annual leave in the usual way - which employees who want "time off at this festive period to do things with their own kids and families" are of course entitled to do.

And even where there are privilege days, depending on the service needs of the department in question some employees will work those days and have time off in lieu on other days.

It's totally ridiculous to expect everything to close down on days which are not bank holidays because "It's Christmas". It isn't "Christmas" - 25 December is!

And it is common sense that places catering for children's leisure activities should be open when people want to use them, including during school holidays.

Anyway, as is apparent from the thread, everything has not closed down.

[Fuschia]

-- moved topic --

[DJKillaQueen]

Most people take annual leave at Christmas which is why staffing is an issue for many areas (we are still a predominently Christian country even if people do not go to church!).

Yes it's true that London has many people who don't celebrate Christmas and they will see no reason not to work through the festival period. But London is very different to most towns and cities in the rest of the country. And perhaps having grown up outside of London I don't expect everythig to be there all the time as some Londoners do? I'm used to Christmas being traditionally a time of being off for the week and spending time with friends and family. But that's just me.

[Fuschia]

I have only Lived in London about half my life, and checking the places where I lived previously, their libraries and sports centres are open on 27th Dec. Anyway, my complaint isn't about whether the facilities were open (they were)

It's about them neither posting the times for swim sessions on the web, nor answering the phone to confirm

By contrast Forest Hill pool (which is also fusion) seem to have a much better service as they did pick up the phone and confirm normal opening hours for the baby pool, so in the end we went there, yesterday.

Arguing about whether facilities should be open is missing the point (they are open)

It's about publicity and communication. It's wasteful to me open? Paying staff and lighting etc, but not tell people what sessions are running (and in the case of Peckham , by the look of it, having the baby

Pool closed most of the day rather than adding in extra leisure sessions for the times school swimming and swim

Lessons are not operating.

Most of the costs to run the centre are pretty fixed - the marginal extra cost even

Of an additional

Lifeguard is peanuts compared with all the other costs being incurred just to have the place open.

[Pugwash]

Hubby uses Dulwich leisure centre - he knew before Christmas that this past week. the times of the pool openings had been changed as information was readily available before Christmas week.

[aicardo]

First world problems hey!

[KidKruger]

Well, there's been no earthquakes in SE22 lately smart Alec, so we may as well figure out why it's so tough to establish when the pool's open.

[Jeremy]

aicardo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> First world problems hey!

Thanks for putting things into perspective. You've really opened my eyes.

[Cora]

Just to let everyone know that the swimming timetable on fusion's website is NOT VALID until Monday....so don't go planning a swim on its information!!! Yes I know it says January timetable and we are in January but this is Fusion!

[mima08]

Having had the same problems of contacting PP in the past, I thought I was very impressed that I did in fact got a call back from PP with details opening times etc within 20min of leaving a message (via email, not phone). It would have been better for someone to answer the phone but at least they tried....

Best would have been to have the info available on the website/in the centres, of course: wonder what weird bureaucracy makes it so difficult for PP vs other centres?