If you plan to join Absolute Fitness Club at Penang or Autocity, and without concern on after sales service, it is a good fitness center overall. Let me write my personal review on Absolute Fitness that I join lately.
My self join Absolute Fitness club start from middle of October, the reason that I join this fitness center is because it’s branches and location which convenience to me, and also the group fitness class that operate daily. Without much, let me give some of the advantage first (my personal judgement)
Advantage of Absolute Fitness Club
1. Location is convenience, it located at Queenbay mall and also Heritage club which near Pulau Tikus. Al thought my office is near Queenbay mall, due to personal reason, I use to visit Heritage club for my routine exercise. Another will be at Autocity in mainland.
2. 3 branches to participate, member allow to go any of the branches, which also very convenience for people who go after work (eg. Queenbay mall for those who work at factory, and those live at south island, while heritage club suitable for those who live at north island) Unlike other fitness center which only have 1 branch to visit.
3.Unlimited group fitness program to participate, I believe most fitness center offer group class services, and people who like exercise in group with experience instructor worth to attend group class. I personally like to attend group class because the instructor is experience, and it is very effective exercise.
4. Variety of fitness equipment, this is not my main purpose, as my office do own a small gym facility and some of the apartment also provide gym facility as well. But it might be others who like to use the fitness center equipment, and some equipment is also more advance then what we see in normal gym facility.
Disadvantage of Absolute Fitness Club
1. Every branch do own a small cafeteria section which provide member to take a rest and a cup of coffee or tea. Absolute fitness club also provide free flow of water, white coffee and tea (teh tarik), but the facility always out of service, either no water, no tea, or no coffee or while machine no function. Member do complain but no action taken from the management. Also lately, 3 branch’s coffee machine are missing (I believe it spoil at the same time, and bring to maintenance. May be overuse by member, the water dispenser machines also out of service in AutoCity Branch.
2. Once a while the steam bath is out of service, probably member over there do not switch off after using the facility and cause it over heat.
3. Cleanliness is average as the wall are in the bath room are not that clean, and same to the floor in the rest room. While facility wise still acceptable because the cleaner will clean from time to time.
4. No Group Fitness Class during Holiday, this is still acceptable because this is the right for every company to have PH (Public Holiday) which declare by government, but Absolute Fitness take advantage on member and self declare extra holiday with no group class. See the notice below, 27th is Public Holiday and not 27th and 28th.
Usually business who operate on weekday entitle to get a replacement holiday on Monday, and business who operate 7 days a week, once have holiday on the particular day, they are not entitle to have another replacement. At the above notice, Absolute fitness self declare 2 day Holiday while government only declare for 1 day.
If Absolute Fitness conduct group class in Sunday, and they entitle to have replacement on Monday, not both day. Correct me if I am wrong.
5. Poor customer service, Absolute fitness’s website do have a “contact us” page, but no respond after customer provide feed back. Other then this, they own a Facebook fan pages but customer’s respond (if negative) will be deleted and the user who comment will be kick out from the pages.
I comment on morning
While at nite, I see my comment missing, and I not allow to comment after I “re-like” the page. Let me zoom in a little bit for the comment I made.
For no 4. of the disadvantage above, 2 day without group class, Absolute Fitness save some up money to hire external instructor to conduct group class, but I am doubt is their staff who working on 27th and 28th do get “double” pay or not? or just only 27thth as their PH.
As the above disadvantage that I mention, I sincerely hope Absolute Fitness Club able to improve them self, and focus on after sales service because customer voice usually will help a company growth and improve in the future.
[update 19th Dec 2011] on the above screen shoot, it shows “Absolute Fitness practices no group classes during PH (public holiday)”, this is reasonable, but after no class at PH, additional replacement is not acceptable and unfair to the member who already paid for the services.
