Jackie Skelly Gym

I've gone twice with a member and only paid €10

Anyone else notice that are no staff ever around in the gym!! Its crazy, what if someone had an accident. I had to ask at reception this evening, and waited 10 minutes but she couldn't locate any staff!! The Personal Trainer was around, but he won't answer any questions. I only wanted to weight myself . I was trying to find a h/office to complain but no luck.

Another annoying thing about JS is that they seem to charge 45 quid to freeze your membership. They limit the freeze to 3 months and the frozen period does not contribute to your initial contract period.

I'm going to leave as soon as my contract is up, and I wouldn't recommend membership to anyone. I don't mind there not being gym instructors around as I don't use them but still the gym is mediocre at best.

When enquiring about freezing the girl on the end of the phone was absolutely confrontational about everything!?! It was crazy, they treat their customers absolutely terribly.

Does anyone know if you can give the 60 (yes 60) days notice 2 months before the initial contract runs out so that you can leave after a year as opposed to 1 year and 2 months?

Hi, I will also be looking to leave Jackie Skellys gym. I find that classes are often cancelled and when they do happen they start late and finish on time, not giving me the full time I have paid for!! I have complained about this to them before and said I would be looking for a full refund (I have unfortunately paid for the year!!) Does anyone else notice classes are often cancelled???

Its hard to believe that they are actively driving for new members up there with a leaflet drop at supermarkets, etc. The standard is so poor and the staff, hygiene , etc combine to make it one kip.I would like to complain directly to JS as I understand she is a decent enough person. But there is no customer service line at their HO. I believe theeir other centres are VG. In comparison to the big fitness centre in Sandyford of which I was a member the Greystones J Skelly is really poor. Vote with your feet.

Hi Peters,

I have a membership to transfer. I got a v good price from jackie skelly and have paid up for the year. There is about 8 or 9 months left on the membership at a cost of €50 per month (€400 or €450, depending on how many months are left). I will cover the cost of transfering it if you want to take this membership.

Let me know if your interested.

From yesterdays SIndo...

Debt collectors 'hunting' gym fees
NICOLA TALLANT

A TOP Dublin gym is employing debt collectors to chase lapsed members for their monthly fees.

Jackie Skelly Fitness say they have outsourced the work to a debt collection company for "extreme" cases of members who do not pay up after signing a year-long contract with the gym.

The chain has seven gyms across Dublin and a new facility in Drogheda, with a total of 20,000 members.

Mark Tooke, Director of Jackie Skelly, says that members sign a legal contract when they join up in the gym and must honour that.

"If people miss a payment we write to them and ring them. But in extreme cases when a membership hasn't been paid for around four months we outsource the work to a debt collection agency who follow that up."

A recent report found that a massive 80 per cent of people who join gyms as part of their New Year fitness resolution drop out. According to the report from Deloitte just one in five keep up the January spurt of exercise.

Membership at Jackie Skelly costs €66 per month or €75 for premium membership but Mr Tooke insists that they have a retention rate of 60 per cent.

"I have heard those figures before that just 20 per cent continue to use the gym, but in our experience it is more like a retention rate of over 60 per cent. That would include those that come every day and those that might just attend once a month," he said.

Other large gym groups use different types of payments. At Ben Dunne's Carlisle, Northwood and Westpoint centre members pay upfront for a year or 18 months membership.

Gar Holohan, Chairman of the Aura Holohan Leisure Group says he does not agree with legal contracts when it comes to gym membership.

"The prospect of a member of any one of the eight leisure centres that we operate being hunted down by a debt collector will never arise because we are the only chain of leisure centres in the country operating a 'pay-as-you go' system.

"We don't believe in locking people into contracts and then calling in the debt collectors to recover every cent owed to us, simply because those who signed up as members have decided to stop using our facilities," he said.

"The industry standard is that almost half of those who sign up as gym members quit within three months.

"I have heard stories about debt collectors knocking on doors and the existence of contracts that don't offer escape clauses. We don't subscribe to these practices that do nothing for our industry."

How can they do that when you sign up for a price for an agreed amount for the year?

Hi do you or anybody else is stiil interested to transfer your membership in jackie skally?
Just let me know on mail : makbos@wp.eu