📍 Address: Drayton Road, Norwich NR6 5DU, United Kingdom
📞 Phone: +44 1603 309400
🌐 Website: davidlloyd.co.uk
Love this place! I'm loving the new courts for playing badminton, and the refurbished swimming pool area is great! Often say hi to Dmytro, the new lifeguard, who is always going over and beyond and Phil the manager, is doing a brilliant job running and improving the club.
Overall one of the best health clubs in Norwich. Great facilities, top gym equipment, nice pool area. Management of the club has definitely improved, maintenance issues are now dealt with quickly. Staff very friendly, Abbie in sales was very helpful. Only issue seems to be short staffing at weekends in Kitchen/Bar.
Advertised as a premium facility with a pool, tennis courts etc, I was eager to join David Lloyds. However management of the building and facilities is a complete shambles, especially with cleanliness and maintenance. I attempted to end my membership within one month only to be told I need to complete my 'initial term' of 12 months. Customer service is seriously lacking regarding any complaints or concerns and even attempting to cancel your membership is met with a cold and generic response by the membership team, who can only be contacted through email! And you can’t cancel unless you can provide evidence of medical recommendation, redundancy or moving! I spoke to reception and unfortunately they can’t assist either…That said, reception staff were lovely, empathised and understood my complaint regarding the cleanliness in the changing rooms (showers have mould, the ceiling is leaking) amongst other concerns and also emailed the membership team regarding cancellation but alas, I’m locked in paying nearly £90 a month for this! It’s a shame because staff are lovely who work on site, it’s the decision makers and external teams that are lacking, which in turn impacts the club and its members. But as long as the money keeps rolling in, who cares right? In conclusion, if you like paying for more than what you get, dirty showering facilities and awful customer service (directed at the membership team) - this place is for you. I regret joining, at least PureGym is actually clean! They said that it was the first time they’ve heard any concerns regarding the dirty changing rooms/facilities but judging by others who have reviewed, they absolutely have and still haven’t done anything about it. If customer service want to call me, please only call to cancel my membership, disappointing.
Let’s walk you through a day at the not so fancy David Lloyd club Once you walk through the door ( if they manage to open on time) you would be very lucky if you get a “good morning” and you should feel even luckier if you get a nicely rolled towel. Usually the member of staff would roll a towel in front of you place it under the desk and hand you one from the plastic bag! The not so clean changing rooms feel like a sauna, the aircon is non existent, showers dirty and moldy , buckets laying around because the ac is leaking for months, toilets dirty and bins full… what a delight. May I add, having a hot shower is a gamble too. Then we go to the gym, the famous gym, where 30% of the machines are not working for months. However you should feel grateful if they are being fixed after 3-4 months and are not just being taken away, never replaced and the space where once was a machine becomes empty and sad. Cable clips are like unicorns … can never find one, also cable machines are out of order as they failed the H&S, the rowing machines must be also broken for a year now. Don’t expect to see staff on the shopfloor checking if machines are working or if is clean, that would be way above their pay grade. Gym in general is small and basic. Next stop, the luxurious spa! Don’t remember when it was the last time every facility in there worked, always something out of order. Steam room is not working for over a year now, is just a warm room, unless you put some water over the sensor then it becomes a torture room where the steam is so hot that it burns your skin, I guess some people are into stuff like this (each to their own). The hydro pool, again if you are into hurting yourself then that’s the best place, the numerous broken and missing tiles would do the trick! The sauna is the only pretty decent thing minus the blood stains on the ceiling, not sure what’s the story there. Luckily I’ve been watching Dexter and I can identify blood splatters! Outside pool and jacuzzi barely open , clean and available. More sun beds have been bought recently however on sunny days they have been kept away because is funny seeing members sitting on the concrete floor. Lifeguards are such a delight to look at, you can really see the excitement in their eyes for being there. You also get counted like sheep, no problem there, however most times the numbers are wrong as nobody bothers to take it seriously. Have I told you the spa was closed for 4-5 months to build a wall plus extra little bits ?!? I was convinced they were building the wall of china, but how wrong was I ! They also had the brilliant idea of removing the water fountain, is not like you need any water, water is so overrated! They also left us just with one shower, we all queue up like in the Covid days. Anyway, the area is always dirty and staff walk right past litter and broken tiles without even looking at them. Once a light post fell and 5 different lifeguards passed it, looked at it and continued doing their thing, great initiative! There was a flem all dried up right next to the hydro pool for a month without exaggeration, reported it on the day it happened, no actions until it became so dry that the water jets must have took it away. Also shows how often the pool area is being cleaned, yakes! And you end your lovely visit by saying thank you on your way out and being ignored by the staff members as they are either not interested or too busy gossiping with their colleagues. The manager is like a scaredy cat, nowhere to be seen. No matter how many feeeback forms you fill and request a call back you shall NEVER be contacted, even if you ask at the desk for the manager that would also be a big ask and will be told he will call you shortly, don’t hold your breath! Customer services, again no hope! Not interested in what you have to say and will advise you to cancel your contract! See I would, if that wasn’t the only gym next to home and work! However new big boy gym is in town, let’s see how many people will stay!
Been a member for a couple of months now and genuinely love the space. The gym is really well equipped, the tennis courts are great fun, and the pool and spa areas are brilliant. Especially when the sun’s out and you can relax outside. Big shoutout to the team, especially after yesterday’s heavy rain and flooding. The club had to close, but we were notified through the app and email which was really helpful. To get everything open again today must have taken a huge team effort. It’s easy to overlook that kind of work behind the scenes, so well done to all of you. James deserves a mention too. He signed us up and did a great job showing me and my wife around, taking the time to understand what we’d both enjoy as we’ve got different goals and interests. Also thanks to Oli, one of the PTs, for the introductory sessions. I’m recovering from a shoulder injury so it was great to get some tailored advice and support. All the staff have been really friendly and positive. The food’s great, the coffee is spot on, and I often work here as well. The WiFi is solid, there’s loads of space with charging points, and there’s even a business hub if you need a bit more privacy. Thanks again to the whole DL Norwich team. (Some random photos taken whilst at the gym/pool)
If only zero stars were available... I'm not a fan of leaving bad reviews but my experience with David Lloyd Norwich has compelled me to do so. In short, I would advise anyone to avoid this gym at all costs. It’s very expensive, the facility is beyond tired (lots of things broken) and the service is just appalling. The final straw was that they increased the fees and reduced the opening hours and I was no longer able to use the gym. Despite being told (by the receptionist) that my membership had come to a natural end and that no further money would be taken from my account, they continued to take the direct debit. I've attempted to raise my complaint for the past two months but the general manager has ignored my requests for a call back. The membership team were equally unhelpful. They simply want members money, without any obligation of providing the service for which we've signed up for. Please avoid this gym.
The gym decided to close their outdoor pool for circa 40% of a calendar year because it was "too expensive to run". This was done without any consultation nor reduction in fees and among a back drop of countless wet area faults. The outdoor pool was the main reason I joined the venue so I got in touch with the Head office to cancel my contract. This was painful; they invoked notice period clauses, blind to the fact that they had made a material adjustment to the service provision. After a little back-and-forth I agreed - in a charitable mood - not to cancel but to bolt on the period of closure to the end of my contact FOC but that I had to arrange this with venue management. This took MONTHS and countless back-and-forth. Painful. This was finally settled by a Manager called Kurt who, to his credit, acted decisively. During this period I've served several notices to cancel my contract but still received renewal e-mails. Tedious. This has the potential to be a fantastic venue but it is not currently run as such; it feels like they take advantage of their position as the closest thing to a premium health club in Norfolk. Equipment downtime is very high and response/fix times are terrible; communication/expectation management about solves is worst-in-class. Front-of-house staff are sublime. Best-in-class. Really lovely people who deliver service with a smile from 6AM to the late hours. A credit to their profession. Hard to recommend this club.
I absolutely love this club! The gym and facilities are amazing. But the clubs staff and communication between one another is another level of poor. I have been a member of the club for years now, and had to freeze my membership due to my pregnancy, for this I had to send ‘proof of medical documents’, which is absolutely absurd - however I obliged and did so. Now I am on maternity, I have a newborn baby and obviously haven’t got the time to go to the gym, let alone finding the childcare for him. But most importantly I am on statutory maternity pay (about £170 a week) and cannot afford a £70 a month gym membership. However I wasn’t allowed to ‘quit’, for another 3 months, even though I have been a member for years and am definitely out of any contract by now. I had to once again send proof of my financial changes! Don’t join this gym unless you have a life long commitment to it, or miraculously know that in 3 months time you will want to leave, so you can give your notice before hand. Additionally the monthly price increase annually, and I was never informed of this! It went up £7 a month this year. Such a shame for such a lovely club!
Been a member for a few years now and the maintenance or lack of has got worse and worse. The changing rooms were refurbished and look no different, ignoring the showers and toilets which are pretty disgusting and smell horrible. Staff don’t keep the pool sides clean. I watched as two staff walked past an empty water bottle multiple times and a ball of tissue beside the indoor pool, just chatting and laughing, with no thought for the place. Some of the gym equipment is so tired and worn out, I wouldn’t touch it with gloves on. Such a poor quality leisure centre for the money. I just have to find one that is better, so I’ll be taking a tour of the others to see if they’re an better
Over-priced, always something broken, families/children everywhere, no compensation for the constantly broken facilities that we pay good money for. I loved David Lloyd Norwich when I first joined over 2 years ago. However, it feels that the quality and care has gone downhill. It’s quite an expensive membership, for what you actually get (I pay for the platinum one). I remember when the venue was a Virgin Active, it was basically the same, but around £35 cheaper!!! (In fact, it was much nicer when it was Virgin Active). The sauna, steam room, hydrotherapy pool, changing rooms, toilets and more, always seem to be broken in one way or another. If you do not have kids, like me, and are hoping for a more ‘adult only’ experience, this is definitely not the place to get a membership. There’s kids everywhere, and they seem to take priority in the club, even though they don’t have to pay a membership fee. All-round, I’d say this club was okay, with elements that I love, like great classes, but I am considering leaving. (Of which, unfortunately you have to give 3 months notice!!)
David Lloyd Norwich is located at Drayton Road, Norwich NR6 5DU, United Kingdom
You can contact David Lloyd Norwich at +44 1603 309400
You can find directions to David Lloyd Norwich by following this map link
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