Fusion still presiding over shabby shambles at EDLC

[Lee Scoresby]

Decided to swim locally rather than going to the Brixton Rec just now - silly me.

The usual grotty shemozzle - front-of-house bozo who had to be persuaded to look up from his reading, men's changing rooms a filthy mess, and the pool itself several times over capacity for swimming lengths - good for Fusion's coffers, lousy for ED swimmers. That was a brand new centre this gang of jokers was handed, just a year or two ago!

So what might be done about pool over-crowding? Well, more intelligent timetabling. Southwark could finally insist that Fusion runs the pool til 8pm on weekends like comparable facilities. Controlling numbers. And proper pool management.

Numbers - I know it's annoying to be turned away, or made to wait, but when the pool is allowed to get chokka-block, no-one can enjoy it. But then Fusion can't really 'manage numbers' can they? Ref their 'technique' during past summers at Peckham Pulse: Turf everyone out after 'one hour' (actually as little as 20m) and make everyone buy another ticket. No announcement whatever of this policy, anywhere. Hey, that's how Tony Soprano would do it!

'Dynamic' (moment by moment) pool management allows more people to exercise in the same space effectively. Interventions, for example, to disperse the hangin' about/ Adonis displays which block pool ends. But hey, Fusion doesn't do pool management AT ALL.

What's that? 'Time of austerity'? The truth is, 'austerity' is the perfect cover for entrenching and excusing all sorts of sharp practice and lousy service. Things SHOULD be much better. I don't believe it's about money.

The Dulwich councillors have a permanent advert on the EDF, and I'm sure they claim to read it, and to know what's going on. Well, wake up and smell the chlorine, Councillors! This rogue contract crew has had its claws into Southwark leisure facilites for years and years. I have posted in the past about Fusion's carry-on just at EDLC - no lost property system, absurdly long queues for tickets, seating ripped out for months, sky-high prices - a swim is TWICE what GLL charges at Brixton.

Well past time to really review all those contracts, rotate the officers who supposedly 'oversee' them, and indeed, nudge the cozy dozy council committees which nod them through time and again.

Lee Scoresby

[LPrince]

I completely agree - I also went for a swim today during the timetabled lane swim (4-6pm), and it was insanely over crowded. It was almost impossible to swim lengths, and I came close to giving up on the swim through frustration.

I go swimming at the EDLC 3-4 times a week, but usually on the weekday lunchtime lane swim or late evenings (8-10pm), and for the most part, those sessions are fine. Weekends are the big issue for me, and I agree that it is the restricted opening hours that seem to cause the issue. An 8pm close would likely make a big difference.

I also agree that the number of people in the pool at any one time should be capped - I would be frustrated for sure if I had to wait to swim, but not anywhere near as much as I was today in a pool so overcrowded.

On the staff front, I approached reception last week to let them know that one of water fountains in the gym (which never work) was leaking from the sides - I felt I was doing a good deed letting them know, and the response I got was a grunt, a look of 'why are you disturbing me' and no 'thanks for letting us know'. The guys who staff the gym seem friendly and helpful, but the office/reception staff are rude and largely seem to be completely disinterested in providing a good service.

The ladies changing room (swimming) is also poorly maintained - many of the lockers are broken, the showers are very temperamental - one of them doesn't even have a door. Shocking, as you say, when the centre is so newly refurbished.

[Twirly]

Not sure what was going on with your lane swimming today, but I've been asked to wait in the past as the pool was full, hung around for 10 minutes or so and was then allowed in just after I saw someone exit. Which is what I assume is meant by dynamic pool management? Although if the numbers are too high in the first place, and the lanes too crowded, this isn't going to help much.

I've never had a problem with the reception staff. They may not be the most dynamic team, but they've always been polite to me, and I've seen them deal with difficult customers quite politely in the past.

Do wish the clock in the pool would be fixed though - am blind as a bat without my glasses/lenses! Agree with the comments about the showers too.

[acresser]

It's not just the swimming it's also the ridiculously cold showers in the morning and the lack of urgency to fix simple things such as hair dryers in the ladies changing rooms - it's been broken since Christmas and still nothing has been done despite it being raised several times!

On the other hand late last year I complained via the website, which goes to head office about the booking in system prior to classes and how the process was actually delaying class start times - that's now been amended so perhaps the complaints need to go to head office before notice is taken.

[BeccaL]

Went to new pool at Forest Hill yesterday - lovely new changing rooms, hot showers, pool busy but not too busy, and that was 10am on a Sunday. Maybe worth voting with your feet?

[bloonoo]

BeccaL Wrote:

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> Went to new pool at Forest Hill yesterday - lovely

> new changing rooms, hot showers, pool busy but not

> too busy, and that was 10am on a Sunday. Maybe

> worth voting with your feet?

except this pool is also run by fusion....maybe someone should draft a letter of complaint that everyone prints off and signs and sends? i gave up long ago with ED pool as it was so riduculously busy, you can't train in there

[missbabs]

I wrote to them some time ago about water being too warm and chlorine triggering wheezing. And the reply was lame.

I swim at Tower Hamlets or Crystal Palace now. A lot of travelling but one can swim in the pools.

[stevo134]

BEWARE- I've been a member at EDLC for a while now, and generally am happy with facilities (gym, pool etc) although showers are a joke. Couple of weeks back myself and a buddy went along to gym followed by swim. Came back to changing room to find both of our lockers along with couple of other members lockers had been wrenched open and our phones and cash stolen. This was ard 5 pm on sunday. Reported crime to front desk, who seemed annoyed to be interupted. Police were called and we went into staff office (along with duty manager) to take down details etc. Police and manager chatted for a bit and then one of the policeman turned to us, and basically said that they are fairly certain that the those responsible for the thefts would have been the visiting group of young offenders that were due to use the facilities that day. Now,I am certainly a firm believer of innocent untill proven guilty, but for a local policeman to come out with this verbal statement, I found very suprising. It transpires this certainly isn't the first time this has happened. Manager said would be in touch the following day by email. After 1 week, no contact from EDLC and took a complaint email to get a responce. Manager assured us that CCTV footage they have (none allowed in changing room for obvious reasons) confirms young offenders were not linked, however I am still waiting responce after enquiring what evidence the cctv has bought to light. I'd be suprised if a fellow member did break into all these lockers at once (guess you can't be so sure thou), and if not young offenders programme, then I can only conclude that random public were able just to walk into entrance hall and into changing rooms under the noses of front desk staff (highly possible in my opinion). Have asked management to advise what they plan to do to try and improve security etc - again, no responce yet. So, really just a word of caution, the lockers are not safe. Would suggest leave valuables at home etc. Seems this happens a fair bit. Whilst I applaud initiatives that give poeple a second chance and help get them back on the right path (and as said, there is no evidence that the young offenders were linked to the thefts), I believe as a memeber, I should be informed this type of programme exists (unless I completely missed the info during joining process). Sorry for rant. Just feel annoyed that fusion seem so lacklustre and apathetic in attending to my needs and concerns. Anyone else had similar?

[healey]

I've never had any problems, but I try to avoid any of the busy times. Changing rooms seem clean enough and showers fine. The pool itself is very nice. I've been to far worse places for a swim, that's for sure.

[speedbird]

A real shame what is happening at Fusion, I'm told that there is a newish manager there that is just making the lives of all the staff a misery and so no happy staff, no happy customers. Such a shame as there is such potential for this to be a great community offering(for a fee), a great site and good gym in my humble opinion. I have asked for the manager on a couple of occasions now to give some feedback and I'm always advised he's tied up or not in there at that time. The staff are obviously not allowed to say anything, but you can tell from everyone there that they are tired of trying to cover for him. Can't see improvement till this one goes. If anyone finds out he does go, let us all know!

Good luck to the staff there too, been in that situation and it's painful.

[fatfightersforever]

Always found staff to be friendly and lovely, especially since I lost Blackberry there a couple of weeks and a staff member Adrian handed it in and kept it safe for me. Big thanks to him!!!

speedbird Wrote:

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

> A real shame what is happening at Fusion, I'm told

> that there is a newish manager there that is just

> making the lives of all the staff a misery and so

> no happy staff, no happy customers. Such a shame

> as there is such potential for this to be a great

> community offering(for a fee), a great site and

> good gym in my humble opinion. I have asked for

> the manager on a couple of occasions now to give

> some feedback and I'm always advised he's tied up

> or not in there at that time. The staff are

> obviously not allowed to say anything, but you can

> tell from everyone there that they are tired of

> trying to cover for him. Can't see improvement

> till this one goes. If anyone finds out he does

> go, let us all know!

> Good luck to the staff there too, been in that

> situation and it's painful.

[speedbird]

I agree with fatfightersforever, the staff all seem really helpful and nice. This recent manager never makes an appearance and all the staff seem to pick up all the problems a manager should. One of the gym staff told me the manager was trying to save his own job so he'd been set targets to save his own job. In the meantime, they are all under pressure. I feel for each of the staff, though this manager seems a tyrannical horror.

[Jack.asiliman]

I totally agree. The pool is always overcrowded and the staff uninterested. Particularly the reception staff.

[Twirly]

I've just sent a query about the ladies changing rooms via their website. This morning, another shower door was missing, and in one of the showers the controller has come off, so that's 3 out of 5 showers not fully functional - and I used one of the ones that does still work on Monday, but the shower turns itself off after 8 seconds (I was getting so annoyed with it, I timed it by counting!).

[speedbird]

The place seems to have gone to rack and ruin over the last few months, shame, such a brilliant property, huge potential and a great asset to the community.

[rgutsell]

I use the gym...its ok but overcrowded.

The floor supervision is non existent. Loads of "customers" sit on the equipment and use their mobiles. Machine blocking. I did see a "manager" asking two non active chatty people to move off the gym floor the other day. Way to go buddy!

Rgutsell

[Cassius]

I have always found the reception staff to be, on the whole, friendly and helpful, although I haven't been for a while. They are badly paid, work long hours, and have to take all the flak for when things go wrong further down the line - I've been guilty myself of getting fustrated with them when it's been the computer system, or the heating, or the class instructor not turning up, when NONE of those things are their fault.

[Ann]

Ditto what Cassius has said, I have always found the reception staff helpful and professional. I do also agree that the changing areas could be better maintained; there are now three of the ladies showers without a door and one without a temperature dial. Also only one hairdryer working that sounds like it's on its last legs!

For all that I think it is a great local resource and arguably the fact that it is so well used perhaps illustrates this?

The swim sessions can get crowded at times but in all honesty I'm not sure having to wait to swim would suit most of us; once you are in you can take your time. Swings and Roundabouts.

[cosmonaut]

I've always found the staff to be nice enough but that pool sure does get overcrowded. I've gone during both the weekday lunch swims and the Sunday afternoon slot and I've found that unless I'm there as soon as the lane swim session starts (when I've been able to get in about 15 min of swimming with decent space for myself before the crowd comes) I can't get in a good swim.

I'm still on a student discounted rate so my swims are only 60p a go, no huge loss if I can't get a 'good' swim in, but I'd be pretty irritated to pay full price for an overcrowded pool.

[Ann]

The clock has been replaced and is a larger version than before, pleased with this but has been too long broken.

[rgutsell]

Hiya all

Gym was full yesterday evening. Full, it seemed, of "exercising" beautiful young people sitting on machines, answering their mobiles, etc, whilst whimsicaly paddling the machines along, and watching TV. Never breaking a sweat.

I, on the the hand, go at every exercise set like a demented and sweaty maniac, determined to .....well....exercise!

Maybe us older people recognise the need to exercise and stay alive longer.

And maybe a good staff team would encourage machine blockers to "move along, please"!

Its good that the gym is well used. Not so good that the gym floor is not managed at all well.

Rgutsell

[mynamehere]

The ability to run an organization for profit and ethically and efficiently is not widely held in the public or private sectors. Fusion Southwark certainly does not have this ability. Having spoken to a wide range of staff and users and reading comments posted here, I am dismayed by what I can only ascribe to incompetence at the oversight and managerial levels. The latest in managerial incompetence, firing highly qualified long standing staff as a ?union breaking? maneuver, doesn?t make managers out of youngsters without people skills, curiosity or sector depth of knowledge. It is unacceptable to make long standing skilled female staff ?redundant? and then hire in unskilled replacements and think this gives you swagger. Harriet Harman has become involved in this new chapter of Fusion?s inability to run a business at the East Dulwich Leisure Centre and Councillor Veronica Ward is involved in Southwark?s Environment and Leisure. If you don?t want to see staff hurt when incompetent managers continue or get reassigned please contact: [email protected] and [email protected]

[speedbird]

Thank you mynamehere, I will write as I also have been made aware of this slaying of long standing three female staff members today. I couldn't quite work out why everything was such a shambles, so asked the question. This new(ish) manager has got rid of three competent, efficient and friendly staff members, so that he can keep his own job. I think this is wrong as he has said those staff members are too 'community minded'. They are focused on sales, sales, sales, which I understand is required to a degree, but when so much has been spent by the council on this property, Fusion need to find a balance.

I raise my hat to the staff at Fusion as a busy leisure centre, but 'community minded' is a good thing, not something that should be erased. The manager needs to know that despite this being a centre in London, we are all very 'community minded'.

[cosmonaut]

That's really, really disappointing to read. I hope the laid off staff members can find work with a better manager elsewhere. I don't think I want to spend my money there if that's how he's going to be. It's a shame, it's just a few minutes walk away. Guess I'll have to start going to Peckham?

[Kembery]

I agree with the above posting. Despite lots of representation and positive comments about the members of staff layed off - they have just disappeared! The public have had no opportunity to say goodbye and thank you! I have been a member for at least 10 years and have stayed at Dulwich because I liked the reception staff and always found them welcoming and helpful, even during the upheaval of the reorganisation. I cannot see how the dispensing of long serving staff for a newer unproven manager serves any purpose - I always value the continuity and there have been a succession of managers during the last 10 years.