I recently had a very disappointing experience at Cincy Sports Club that I feel compelled to share. As a member for a while now, I've enjoyed many aspects of the club until this spring/summer season.
Firstly, the initiation fee is a complete scam. They claim it creates a barrier to entry, but from my experience working at competitor luxury health clubs, this is typically negotiable. The fee keeps increasing, and if you're considering joining, know that I've had friends join in the past year who were all offered different prices – so don’t give up on negotiating!
I joined because I prefer clubs with a sauna, free towels, and included classes. Plus, the adult pool is a great way to catch up and relax with friends. However, since joining, the women’s sauna has been broken the majority of the time, the cardio machines are always full during busy times, and on three occasions this year, there were no available chairs at the adult pool.
My main gripe is the customer service. A few weeks ago, I reserved a spot to bring a guest, but upon arrival, the manager of membership services and the front desk staff were incredibly hostile and uncooperative. The club’s outdated mobile app is not user-friendly and slow, and despite having a reservation, they showed no willingness to work with me when I had mistakenly reserved the wrong pool for my guest. Considering it was 4 PM, I had a chair next to me already with a towel on it, and there were at least 30 or more chairs available on the adult pool deck, you'd think they would realize this was an honest mistake and allow us to proceed. Unfortunately, the front desk staff seemed to have had enough arguments that day and immediately called the manager up to the desk.
The overcrowding at the club has become unbearable. With the influx of new members this year, it's increasingly difficult to enjoy the facilities without feeling cramped. When you combine this with the lack of customer-friendly service, it becomes hard to justify the commute, cost, and lack of available machines, weights, and pool chairs.
Spending thousands of dollars at a club should at least afford you the courtesy of a friendly and understanding conversation. Unfortunately, my recent interaction left me feeling frustrated and undervalued as a member. The club's inability to provide even basic customer service is very disappointing. This isn’t how you keep members, and it is very apparent that they aren’t interested in retaining us
