Upmarket gym brand David Lloyd has been accused of posting ‘fake’ reviews of the clubs’ facilities online in order to cover up customers’ scathing testimonies that expose unsanitary conditions — including mice-infested restaurant and restaurants ‘covered’ in flies.
Scores of members of the fitness club, which charges up to £219 a month, have claimed that reviews describing facilities as ‘excellent’, ‘amazing’ and ‘fabulous’ are written by staff members.
MailOnline has discovered at least five staff members have penned a varied collection of glowing Google reviews for multiple different branches, without disclosing their employer.
It is a practice of promotion that the UK’s advertising watchdog has lambasted.
‘Businesses mustn’t pose as reviewers,’ the Advertising Standards Authority told MailOnline. ‘They also need to make clear any commercial interests with any relevant testimonials.’
More than 80 per cent of consumers rely on Google reviews to help inform purchasing decisions, according to the brightlocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2024, making them essential to business reputation.
Anyone can leave a review on a businesses’ official Google page, as well as a rating of their experience out of five. Google uses this data to compute an average star rating for each establishment.
Despite being an employee of the fitness brand for more than two years, according to her LinkedIn profile, sales manager Stacey Jasiewicz wrote of the Kingston branch: ‘Saw the refurb on Instagram so thought I would check it out and I signed up on the spot.
Members of David Lloyd Purley have taken to Facebook and Google to share grievances about the club, including the ‘filthy’ conditions of changing rooms. A month a go, a member called John Jani posted an image of a mice in the restaurant.
Last month, members complained about mouldy ceilings in the Purley club, despite glowing reviews written by staff members.
‘Amazing club & the team here are incredible! What a gym!!’ The club has a 4.2 out of 5 rating, overall.
David Winch, a senior sales manager for the brand, posted five-star reviews for 11 David Lloyd Clubs, including the Purley, Cheam and Raynes Park locations.
He praised the ‘superb crèche’, ‘great atmosphere’ and spa that’s ‘an awesome place to chill’.
Molly Stringer, a sales consultant at David Lloyd, wrote that she ‘loves’ the Purley branch.
‘It is very convenient to have somewhere to work then finish for the day and enjoy a session in the gym and spa,’ she said, adding that ’employees are welcoming too.’
Disgruntled members responded to the string of shining reviews on some branches’ Google pages, highlighting the conflict of interest.
Last week, Daniel Mensah suggested that some reviews on the Purley branch’s Google page had been mysteriously deleted, which he suggested was due to ‘staff being called out for posting fake reviews’.
He highlighted mouldy toilets and showers, a leaking roof, flies in the clubroom, untidy changing rooms, damaged tennis court flooring and broken water fountains.
Members have posted images of worm-like creatures spotted in the showers of the Purley branch. One customer wrote on Google: ‘Probably about 987 flies on the restaurant ceiling. This place is disgusting, they should put the whole place in the bin and start again. DON’T join, EXPENSIVE and NASTY!!!’
Two months a go, customers complained of problems with facilities such as broken showers and toilet as well as a lack of hot water.
A woman named Lucy W, who left a two-star review for the Purley club, which has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, wrote: ‘Staff adding five star fake reviews claiming to have joined DL clubs and had tours up and down the country — disingenuous to say the least!’
Lucy’s experience of the Purley club is far from the ‘great club and atmosphere’ that sales manager suggests, according to her Google reviews.
The changing rooms and toilets are ‘constantly smelly and filthy’, she wrote.
‘Showers and toilet doors missing basic things like hooks. Outdoor pool is always full of leaves, sand, and dirt. Water outages happen every other week meaning no toilet, shower or water fountain facilities.’
Other members have shared images of mice said to be spotted in the restaurant of David Lloyd Purley, as well as worm-like creepy crawlies and mouldy ceilings.
Three customers have told of a fly infestation at the Purley branch, with the insects said to be ‘all over the lounge area’, with ‘about 987 on the restaurant ceiling’.
Other branches have received their fair share of similarly scathing critiques online, meanwhile.
More than 15,000 members have joined the Facebook group, David LLoyd Clubs Complaints, where they share their disappointment in the experience of the pricey clubs.
A member of the Chorley branch — which boasts an overall Google rating of 4.5 — posted a review in April that described her club as ‘absolutely filthy’, with the floor of the women’s changing rooms littered with ‘dirty nappies’ and ‘hair balls’.
MailOnline have discovered at least five David Lloyd staff members who have left glowing reviews on Google of various branches, without disclosing their conflict of interest.
And those who pay for the club facilities in Dudley and Chigwell (with ratings of 4.2 and 4.5, respectively) told of toilets with ‘one urinal on offer but full to the brim with urine’ and ‘regularly broken, foul smelling and flooding’.
David Lloyd, which has 133 clubs across the UK and Europe, offers high-spec gyms, heated swimming pools, racket sports with ‘championship quality’ courts, ‘restorative’ spa facilities, kids’ activities and play areas.
Members can also enjoy comfortable and welcoming clubrooms for a restaurant-quality meal. Membership prices range from roughly £94 a month to £219, depending on the club and chosen facilities.
It is considered a more expensive choice than other upmarket gym brands, such as Virgin Active, where the top tier fee is £148 per month.
Last year it was reported that the private equity firm that owns David Lloyd, TDL Capital, was preparing to sell the business for an eye-watering £2billion.
A David Lloyd spokesperson said: ‘We have made significant investment in Purley since we took ownership including the addition of an outdoor pool, spa retreat and terrace and continue to improve the experience for all our members.
‘We invest in our clubs to ensure they operate at the highest standards possible and take member satisfaction very seriously. We have recently had an Environmental Health Officer review, and they were satisfied we should retain our 5 star rating for the highest level of hygiene. We urge members with concerns to contact us directly so that we can resolve them as quickly as possible.’