Davis Swim and Fitness Club/Comment Archive - Davis

These are older comments that were archived from the Davis Swim and Fitness Club page.

Does anybody know what their rates are for just doing a few swim sessions a week are? No special instruction required. Only lap swimming. I wouldn't mind somebody calling out laps, but it isn't a big deal. They don't say anything about prices on their website. —EricKlein

2005-11-09 17:41:05 You'd have to go in and ask them - its their company policy I guess. Rates are pretty reasonable. Not sure if I'm allowed to post them here. —DaveCar

2006-04-30 17:17:59 Thats funny, I'm paying $45/month and I have full access to everything. —DaveCar

2006-10-28 19:54:57 The management at Davis Swim and Fitness is TERRIBLE!! The weights are old and ghetto, and the entire gym is dirty. It's owned by a couple of cheapskates and it is the worst gym in davis, if not in Northern Cali. —CaseyAronson

2006-11-02 22:53:37 On 10-31-06, the Davis 24 Hour fitness closed and gave their members the option of transferring to this club. The staff is friendly, but the place is ridiculously small and keeps the crappiest hours of any gym in Davis. Closes at 10pm?! I really hope they add some hours to accommodate the 24 Hour fitness members (who obviously liked the wide range of hours). —JasonMathews

2006-12-05 09:34:06 I just went into Davis Swim and Fitness the other day after taking a long vacation. I was pleasantly surprised to see incredible renovations done to the club. Their hours of operation are extended, the number of cardio machines has increased, they now offer over 40 classes per week (my favorite being the boot camp led by Jennifer) and there are a large number of new friendly members. I've also heard rumors that a tanning bed is coming to the gym! In spite of all the wonderful additions, I'm happy to see the family oriented atmosphere is still prominent at DSF. I plan on signing up my children for the junior swim team! I would definitely recommend DSF to anyone in the area. —RachaelAmaral

2006-12-15 17:11:31 You know, it seems like the comment from "RachaelAmaral" is strait from Tammy, who is the owner of the club. Pretty sneaky, but your ploys wont save your shitty gym. —MichelleMedrano

2006-12-18 12:10:08 I have joined the gym back in March 2006 because I wanted to be able to swim at any time of the day and take classes. I am paying $45 per month, which gives me full access to the gym, the pool and the classes. Much better deal than ARC, that does not even have a pool. I love the yoga classes taught by MaryEllen (M and W am) and Loshan (F am). I heard good things of the spinning class, taught by a former member of the Military. If people are not happy, they have other choices in Davis, and can join other gyms. I am definitely staying! And no, I am not Tammy, the owner of the gym. —GeorgiaBurdell

2007-01-18 12:01:44 Two of my friends have joined up recently after I recommended the place. I prefer it to the ARC because its less crowded and has a pool. The classes are the best and I have no complaints with the place. I'm not an owner and would recommend this place to anyone. The staff is quite friendly too. —DaveCar

2007-01-24 13:56:17 Davis Swim and Fitness has gone through many changes and improvements over the last 20 years. Management seems to be responding to the clients and attempting to make them happy. Although the club has been much busier with the 24-hour people, it is better than the club going out of business. Staff is usually very friendly even when clients are being very unreasonable. —JeanKnudsen

2007-02-15 12:31:42 The gym has gone way downhill. Its always been expensive, but thats because you paid for a less crowded and peaceful environment. That has totally changed... its basically a west sac club (and I mean "club" as in go'in club'in). There are a bunch of noisy 24hr members that trash the equipment, don't clean up after themselves, chew tobacco (and spit it inside the gym), and the place is way over crowded. Don't be misled, this place is 24hr fitness gone bad. I ended up switching to Physical Edge which is still in South Davis and is really nice (with pool). Its a shame too because the counter people were super, its the management that is simply horrible. They are just cashing in on the 24hr closing and trashing what used to be pretty nice gym. Just my 2cents. BTW- When DSF bought out the 24hr list, they just started charging the existing members with little or no notice so there were members in San Diego being charged by DSF. So be careful of their money grubbing tactics. Finally, the 24hr members pay much less than the original members... nice. Maybe DavCar above is an investor and not an owner ;^{)...Good luck! —JohnHallman}

2007-03-20 13:34:50 This club has gone downhill in a big way since the beginning of 2007, when they added the 24hr Fitness people mentioned in several other posts and rearranged their equipment. It's now crowdy, noisy (they play awful music on the sound system—usually 'Hits from the '80s' type stuff), and it's filled with the worst kind of energy drink chugging, meathead weightlifter guys. It's expensive ($40 or more a month), crowded, and unpleasant to be there. Avoid! —JoeMartin

2007-04-04 12:39:31 This place has durastically declined in quality. The weight room is WAY overcrowded, almost to the point of a safety hazard. It is very difficult even to walk through the weight room when it is not crowded, much less when the juiced-up former 24hour members are dominating the weights. The basketball court is always dusty and the nets have gone weeks at a time without being replaced, even when hanging from a thread. Is it really that much to ask for you to hose off the court once a week and change the nets when they are destroyed? Also, the basketballs they have to members to use are falling apart and need to be replaced. I know that the owner has the means to fix the above problems, but it seems that member requests just aren't very high on their lists of priorities. On a positive note, the kids working the front desk are always friendly. —MikeJones

2007-04-17 10:07:53 From an insider perspective, Rachael Amaral (who is the only person to say something really good) is the executive assistant at the club. She is in college and has no kids. It is a shameless attempt at flaunting a club which, though the most family-oriented of the possibilities in town, is horribly managed and only well-maintained when the owners dump too much responsibility on a single underpaid maintenance man. —davisinsider

2007-04-19 12:38:51 This page is having

issues. —ArlenAbraham

2007-05-02 07:30:55 Well, I have finally decided to cancel my membership at this club. After making personal requests to BOTH owners (Steve Buchannan and Tammy Hengel) to have the broken machines fixed and new basketballs purchased for club members, I must say I feel like I was flat out ignored. Steve assured me the problems would be taken care of, and that was at least a month ago. It seems the other clubs he owns in Visalia and West Sacramento are just higher up on his list of priorities. I am also tired of constantly trying to work out in a weight room that is designed more like a hampster maze/obstical course. Hey, I guess you could get a pretty good workout weaving in between the crowded machines while trying to avoid running in to people who are working out at the same time. Davis athletic Club has all the same features as this club (if not more), less people, a well layed-out weight room, and management that cares about its members (who pay their salaries each month) requests and concerns. —MikeJones

2007-05-28 18:49:52 "From an insider perspective, Rachael Amaral (who is the only person to say something really good) is the executive assistant at the club. She is in college and has no kids. It is a shameless attempt at flaunting a club which, though the most family-oriented of the possibilities in town, is horribly managed and only well-maintained when the owners dump too much responsibility on a single underpaid maintenance man." HAHA thats funny but true —wesleywang

2007-06-01 10:26:31 Absentee ownership. AND TO THINK THAT THEY HAD AN EMPLOYEE OF THEIRS' WRITE LIES IN ORDER TO REFUTE THE BAD COMMENTS FROM REAL CUSTOMERS! Good try Tammy and Steve, but your ploys will not save your sorry excuse for a gym. About the HEALTH DEPARTMENT "DavisLurker" mentioned, they could probably get nailed. As a previous "insider", I know for a fact that they CUT MORE CORNERS THAN A KID MAKING A COLLAGE! Everything is the cheapest way, or no way. They should rename their club as "The Inevitable Flush Of A Toilet Then It's Gone." It's kind of long, but it accurately describes the business. —CaseyAronson

2007-06-30 15:33:24 Ok, here is the truth. Davis Swim & Fitness is an beautiful club! We invite anyone in that reads this website to see for yourself. We are no more crowed than other clubs at peak times. If our members had time to comment, they would beat the negative comments 2000 to 1. We spent a lot of money increasing classes, new equipment, more staff for cleaning and up keep. We are constantly making improvements to maintain our well respected reputation in this community. I would not give much thought to the comments from Casey and the Davis Lurker. Casey was asked to leave our club so that we can offer better services to our members. Why say such untrue and negative comments? Welcome 24 Hour members! Their Corporate Group Membership has helped us improve our club and stay in business! —TammyHengel

2007-07-12 08:21:58 Their website says basketball and volleyball leagues - but I don't think they have had a basketball league in nearly a year, and I dont think they even have a volleyball court??? Isnt that false advertising? I think a basketball league would be a huge success if they could pull it off without charging members an additional fee to participate. Non-members should be welcome to play as well, but should be charged a fee for their use of the club's basketball courts. —Furly707

2007-08-16 21:15:26 I am very disappointed in the club since they gave me false information about membership requirements and prices. The only reason I stayed is because is its close to where I live, so it's convenient. —MichaelM

2007-11-08 17:45:27 The only reason, I joined the club was because of 24 hour going out of business, your lucky to have us there. If it was not for you buying our contracts out you would not be in business today.. —AC

2007-12-14 10:21:47 I'm not happy at all with the membership department of this gym. It took me multiple calls and emails to finally get through to someone to cancel my membership (they did not return any of my calls, plus their voicemail was full for an entire week). And now I find out they have a 30 day cancellation policy, which means that you can still be charged for an additional months membership up to 30 days after you cancel your membership. What a waste of money, I miss 24hour! —JJohnson

2008-03-25 21:43:09 This is easily the worst gym in town. Tammy the half ass manager is a two faced liar. She will tell you one thing and then you'll get a letter contradicting whatever she said and charging you more. She hires young people to do the job she is to lazy to do herself, and when they screw up one time they are fired so she can blame them to the real owner. She is never there to take care of any problems you will have. You can leave as many messages as you want, she'll never call you back. If it wasn't for 24hr this place would've been bankrupt and then they treat the 24hr people like crap. Disrespectful, Unprofessional, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME HERE GO TO A REAL GYM. Fitness??? This should be called the geriatric gym. If a convalescent home had a gym, this would be it!!! Nothing in that gym is "state of the art", they don't have basketball or volleyball leagues, the hot tub is severely outdated, dirty and full of cracks. The management is totally inept and could care less about you, your problem/concerns or your business. The personal trainers are awesome though, so they have that going for them. I just quit this gym and wouldn't go back there for free.—Kicker

2008-04-04 09:44:32 This place is not sanitary. I was swimming in the pool one time and there was poop floating around, so I got out. The machines are always filthy and seldom cleaned/sanitized. The management is worthless. I have several friends who have worked for the club and Tammy and Steve (the absentee owners) are notorious for underpaying/overworking their staff. They expect high pressure and cutthroat salesmanship from there employees, and if employees do not sign up a sufficient number of new members they are fired. Also, when I tried to submit my cancellation prior to the 30 day notice in anticipation of moving out of state, I was told I had to wait until exactly 30 days before I want to cancel. Maybe they were hoping I would forget so they could charge me for an additional month?? Shady! I tried to submit my 30 day written notice to cancel early and was told I had to submit it exactly 30 days in advance. "We can not accept cancellations early". What a crock, they were probably hoping I would forge tto submit it so they could charge me for another month. I would never gotten into the fitness industry in the first place because the profit margins are much too small, and I think the owners are finally realizing this and cutting corners to compensate. I do not reccommend this place to anybody!—Furly707

2008-04-05 21:39:39 They also tried to charge me extra. And told me they could charge me for an extra month. So nice of them to stop screwing me after I canceled my membership. I talked to other members who have been ripped off by them as well and are now quitting. —Kicker

2008-04-13 23:07:52 This gym is pleasant because when I go in the morning it is not crowded and the environment is relaxed, it's also so close to my home I thought it could never disappoint me. Unfortunately, as mentioned by a few above me, it is rather geriatric... the classes they offer seem to all be for elderly people, and I'm not very impressed with the instructors. I am canceling my membership because of this (one of the highlights for me was availability of yoga classes, which I've found to be subpar), and also because their billing "system" is extremely bogus. Multiple times I have been overcharged and charged late fees. LATE FEES! I am on automatic billing which should withdraw from my account... so basically they mess up then charge late fees. Sometimes they don't bill and bill multiple months at a time, and it is very difficult to get the person who hadnles the billing to respond/fix anything. This makes me feel like the gym habitually overcharges and rips off its customers, which puts a bad taste in my mouth about the whole place. :( I'm taking my business to the Bikram Yoga place. —soledad101

2008-05-08 19:55:30 I've just come back to the gym after a year since the Hicky pool is always so crowded. I'm not too surprised to see such a negative response to the place, alot of the equipment is dated. The weights area is crowded and having witnessed the managers berate the nice girl working at the front desk for something very minor, I have no respect for those who own the place. I'm under no illusions as to the "quality" of management - how they treat their own customers and equipment speaks volumes. The new cancellation policy is pretty draconian. That said, I do enjoy the fact that the crowds there are smaller. I just want a gym/pool where I can workout and get on with my day as oposed to having to wait for machines or lanes to open up. This place fits what I'm looking for, and at $45/month, I can live with that. The actual employees who run the front desk (some are trainers too I guess) are quite nice and always have been. Haha, no, I'm not an investor. —DaveCar

2008-05-24 16:37:33 I am surprised at all the negative comments for this gym. Don't get me wrong, it is not the nice fitness club it could be. But at the same time, prices are reasonable, its not crowded, and the machines get the job done. It is better than DAC and Peak in terms of crowds. They could upgrade many of the machines though. NOT AS BAD AS ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE SAYING. I have a feeling some sort of fight between an ex-employee is going on here. —jimbo

2008-06-13 10:04:06 Can’t say as I disagree with many of the critical comments. DSF is antiquated, cramped, and poorly managed. Their token efforts to hide these shortcomings by periodically rearranging equipment and slapping a new coat of (puke green-colored) paint on the walls are ridiculous. They did replace quite a few machines a couple of weeks ago; my limited experience with them is the usual mix of some being better than their predecessors, others worse. My repeated rebukes for the cacophonous noise masquerading as “music” have resulted only in the volume being raised even louder. Do they not understand that people wish to work out in peace?? Recently, the management decided the best use of our dues dollars for upgrading the club was to further assault the senses of everyone in the workout room with the purchase of four enormous plasma screen TVs, which apparently are required by law to be on during all operating hours, regardless of whether anyone is watching. (Go home if you want to stare blankly at moronic television! Don’t make me suffer and pay for your vice.) Thus, I concur wholeheartedly with those commentators who chastise the shoddy management that is completely unresponsive to the members’ needs and desires. But, that’s no different than one finds at DAC.

However, I am pleased, and find it quite telling, to see that with one (likely fabricated) exception, there are no ill words for the pool and swim program. Ross is certainly one of the most responsible and conscientious swim coaches that I’ve encountered in my 20+ years of Masters swimming in Davis. He has purchased new equipment out of his own pocket when necessary. I received more stroke instruction from him in the first hour than I did in 18 years of swimming at DAC. Ross and the swim program are the ONLY reasons I maintain my DSF membership. —Cassandrasdad

2008-06-26 12:12:01 I ran into a couple of Tammy Hengals' minons today and it reminded me of all the bad memories of my experience at Davis Swim and Fitness.I agree completely with the above comment by Cassandrasdad. Ross is a GREAT swim coach and runs an awesome swim program. This would be THE ONLY REASON to check this place out. Other than ROSS and the swim program, this place SUCKS!!! If you read all of the comments besides those submitted by the owners, you will see that the VAST majority agree. Trust me, check out another gym. —CaseyAronson

2008-06-29 18:48:42 Hey Casey! One of the members saw you and your adorable twins yesterday. I am sorry that you are still bitter about our club but having your friends write all this untrue comments about our business is just unfair. Maybe one day you can get past your angrer and move on with your life. The members at our club and everyone else who reads these comments knows its just childish to act in this manner. If you have anything to say about our business than maybe you should come and see for yourself how awesome our facility has become and spend your energy on something more productive. Please stop the madness :) Thank you. To anyone who reads all these comments, please come visit us and see for yourself how wonderful we truly are. We welcome you all......... —TammyHengel

2008-06-26 13:02:12 Wow. It seems like these reviews saved me some pains. Thanks, home gym is sounding better —carlomeni—This review was left from the same computer as CaseyAronson, and is probably a Sockpuppet.

2008-06-29 17:55:31 Davis Swim & Fitness has just bought a full line of "Matrix" Strength Training Equipment, it is beautiful and "Top of the Line" which is also used as circuit training stations. The cardio section was also replaced with "Matrix" ellipticals, treadmills and bikes with TV's on most of the cardio. The entire place is sparkling clean with positive and helpful staff! The club looks amazing. Come check us out! We have over 50 classes per week and you can download a schedule online at www.davisswimandfitness.com —TammyHengel

I am not allowed in your gym. I remember saying, "wow, you don't know how to run a lemonade stand, let alone a gym. You are the worst manager ever". It was a very true statement, and then me and my wife were banned from stepping into Davis Swim and Fitness. Pretty childish, huh. Last, I have no interest in funding scum, so I will not be walking into your shoddy gym. Fun has to come to an end, and so I call it quits. I will be looking forward to checking back occasionally to review the negative comments of the poor suckers who sign this gyms' contract.

—CaseyAronson

2008-06-30 20:01:14 I have no idea who Casey is but I agree with everything he says. Tammy is a fake person who doesn't have the guts to even lie to your face, she'll do it behind your back. No matter how nice the equipment is, the management are still moronic and conniving. Go to Peak it's alot nicer and the staff are cordial and competent. —Kicker

2008-07-01 15:00:07 ....ouch ha —CaseyAronson

2008-07-04 07:47:07 2008-07-04 07:44:46 It's apparent that the outlandish, critical comments on this page are unfounded. I've been a member at DSF since 2001. I have seen many changes occur to upgrade the facility, including the new addition of equipment, new pump/heater for the pool, addition of classes, etc. The staff have always been gracious and willing to answer my questions. The pool, to my knowledge, has never been closed due to contamination (I swim every day)—I would have remembered this. Given this, it is very apparent that many of the comments on this page have an agenda that is hurtful vs. informative. Thanks DSF for a great club!

Dan —martintx

2008-07-09 18:36:15 Well Dan "martintx" if you think taking your money and giving you horrible customer service and not having the common courtesy to return phone calls is unfounded, then you sir are an idiot or have tyes to this horrible gym. —Kicker
I can see that the strength of the comments you've made, kicker, must be overwhelming, as you resort to insulting those who disagree with you...— JoePomidor

Joe when someone has clear evidence from being wronged and is commenting on this to warn others and is told that the comments are "unfounded" that does deserve an insult. This gym could be great with different management. The pool is nice and the trainers are quite knowledgeable. The manager is brain damaged!!! —Kicker
Brain damaged or brain dead? —CaseyAronson

2008-07-12 23:16:59 This free speach is great when its positive about all the great things people do. For example, provide a beautiful fitness club with a huge membership base, awesome classes and spend thousands of dollars on fitness equipment and heaters for the pool, to make our members happy and proud to be a part of our facility. We have hired many employees who have done a great job and we appreciate them and treat everyone with a great deal of respect. We do have high standards when it comes to our employees. We want our employees to treat our members extremely well, no exceptions! We do ask for a 30-day cancelation that is paid in advanced when someone joins and the policy is blown up to ensure that everyone understands and there is no hidden agenda. We have on site Owner/Director at all three of our locations. Casey and Kicker are just trying to let out some anger and damage our business. It will never happen..... we are so great....come see for yourself. —TammyHengel

2008-07-13 10:02:43 Tammy your ignorance is astounding. I'm letting people know that this gym is not great and treated me very poorly. Your customer service is non-existent. When there were problems you simply ran away from them and hoped they'd go away. All because you choose not to do your job. Now that you've treated people like Casey and I and quite a lot of other people that have expressed the same issues with your gym, we are going tell everyone we see how terrible this business is. You didn't want to take of our problems and now you have compounded them and guess what, the discontent will exponentially grow. Maybe you will learn from this...........maybe not —Kicker

2008-07-15 10:00:08 I read all the comments, and it seems like some of these people must be going to a different gym than me. I go there everyday almost, and yes, it is not the fanciest place (though they have made many upgrades), and yes its not very big, but for what you pay, I think it is just fine. I agree Ross, the swim coach is great, as well as the front desk staff and the trainers. They try to do events that involve many clubgoers and there are a lot of people who go there and work there that know a lot about training for triathlons which is helpful.

I came from 24 hours fitness and I can't belive anyone would say that place is better. At least at this club they don't try to sell you supplements that don't work.

I like it. —dcox

2008-07-20 09:44:41 Wow. I've been going to gyms of all kinds for almost 30 years in both the U.S. and Australia, and had a few complaints about some of them, but I've never seen anyone prosecute the owners like these guy(s); Casey/Kicker, go express your disappointments at a political meeting, not on a forum where you're just looking like disgruntled whiners! For me, the qualities of a good gym don't rest on the 'newness' or size, but on some simple things: easy access, parking, towels available, plenty of fans and A/C, water and bathrooms easily available. DSF has all these things! I like some of the Matrix machines, then I use free weights for the balance of my workout. I like the music they play, not too loud (it's great that the classes are down a hall so you don't have to hear thumping music and feet) and the lack of 'attitude'. I have mentioned to Tammy (full disclosure: she's been a design-printing client of mine for many years) that it's inconvenient to walk all the way past the pool to dress out for the gym, and she agrees, though there's no immediate fix for this. It's a shame that those outrageous comments have been posted in an otherwise valuable forum, and I hope that no one takes them seriously. —BargeDeamer

2008-07-22 09:28:13 After reading the most recent comments, I feel a little perspective is required. Its a shame that Kicker and Casey are so virulent in their posts. I feel they most likely have valid reasons to be upset, based on my personal experience and that of my friends (which are no longer members), with their billing policies. Last year, you were required to submit a request in writing for them to cancel your account. What caused a huge controversy, was that several members (that I know of) were still getting charged after they had canceled their accounts. To make matters worse, these members were sent to collections, without ever being notified by Davis Swim and Fitness. It was a huge battle with those in charge of billing to demonstrate to the collection agency that Davis Swim and Fitness' records were in error. This is why DS&F now has a new contract and draconian cancellation policies - to avoid this kind of headache in the future.

I wish Kicker and Casey would realize that its fine to post a negative experience, but once you start making personal attacks, it makes you seem vindictive, petty and you lose credibility with outside observers. That said, I know my friends and others were furious with these "shady" billing practices of the past, so I can understand that tempers do run high at unjust treatment. Then again, I don't know the whole story behind Casey and Kicker's complaints, but can say that there were ample reasons to be upset.

As for the current state of the gym, I'm still a member. The weights area is still too crowded. The new machines are nice but the choice of music is terrible. I've never lifted with an ipod but I have to now, just to drown out the poor song selections. However, I've found if you go at about 7am, there isn't usually any music and its quite quiet. The employees seem quite nice and courteous, but I haven't seen anything to change my opinion of the poor management. —DaveCar

2008-07-22 14:09:18 I have made several requests about certain peices of equipment that do not work properly and was assured they would be fixed immediately. It has now been a month and a half and still no action has been taken. I think the only thing the ownership at this gym is good at is walking in with a huge fake smile and cheesing it up. It is a known fact the management / owners are notorious for underpaying employees of the gym, and for firing them if they do not sign up enough new members. Maybe rewarding good sales performance would be more effective than firing employees who cant convince people to join a horrible gym. I can see right through the smiles on Steve and Tammy's faces, and they have no other genuine concern than making money. The only thing this place has going for it is Ross, he is an excellent swim instructor and an even better person, it is just too bad he is not in charge of managing this gym. This gym is going downhill real fast, and unfortunately the owners were ignorant enough to think it is worth pissing off a few members when word of mouth travels extremely fast. —The SpodaKing

2008-07-30 16:35:06 There was a small billing error with my account, but it was cleared up quickly and easily. I was quite impressed to be honest. Hopefully this is a sign of positive changes. —DaveCar

2008-08-18 23:52:39 Hey Tammy,

I just wanted to thank DSF for a great summer. New equipment, a 4th of July family oriented Tri (followed by a catered event), and reaching out to the members to ask for input on how to better the club. The trial of longer hours is great, especially on the weekend. The pool has been great this summer, clear, great temp., and lots of extra activities (water polo, "olympic" events, Aqua-monsters, etc. Keep up the good work. I appreciate how you sometime greet the members when checking in—asking how they are, how they feel about upgrades, etc. DSF is a real community club and has been a great place for me to stay healthy, both physically and socially. Take care.

Dan —martintx

2008-09-03 12:10:03 How ironic that Dan-martintx mentions the recent member survey–another empty palliative gesture on the part of DSF management to quell criticism without actually addressing members’ concerns. Though numerous members completed the survey in good faith (as evidenced by the overflowing questionnaire box in the lobby), all such efforts were apparently (and predictably) futile. Subsequent to the survey, management has not provided a summary of results for the membership, has not acknowledged (or even rebutted) members’ specific comments and complaints, and has implemented no substantative changes to policy or operation (e.g., if anything, the “music” is now louder and more annoying). One can only assume that at conclusion of the survey management promptly deposited all the members’ responses directly into the trash and congratulated themselves on a job well done. —Cassandrasdad

2008-09-12 10:26:51 I read these comments and I feel like I have to share my own experience. I've been at the gym 5-7 days a week for the past 1 1/2 years. In fact, I renewed my 1 year membership recently. The matrix equip. upgrade and gym is great overall. I always get greeted by the front desk staff every single time I come in. Tammy even greet me by my name once and I was pleasantly surprise because I never interacted with her before. Jay was great. I think a gym is a place to go in and get your workout done with compromising time and this place works fine with me. From my experiences, I disagree with the negativity addressed here. Actually, I give praises to all my friends about joining this gym. —kenvan

2008-09-21 17:10:14 This gym is a joke. When 24 Hour dissolved, our membership was transferred here, and what a disappointment! I had to share the gym with Howard Johnson's patrons, and their yoga classes are definitely designed for the elderly. After one or two visits, I immediately cancelled my membership. I have friends and coworkers that were unfamiliar with the gym, and wanted to "try it out" and they were told that they would have to pay a fee!!! Any gym looking for new members gives out free trial memberships! I guess this one doesn't need members bad enough. The staff and management is downright rude, unprofessional and low class. It is run by an overweight, overtanned, bimbo of a manager, and a bunch of lazy, unhelpful, unaccomodating kids, who seriously need some customer service training. Spend an extra $10 and go to the ARC or Peak Performance or anywhere but here for that matter. I am curious as to who owns this club? Look at these comments. Why hasn't the management been fired yet? Davis residents rely heavily on Davis Wiki. This cannot be good for business. Hopefully we can rid Davis of establishments like this and maintain our integrity as a community. —MeatMan

2008-09-28 11:18:34 I don't even know where to start with this crappy gym. I was a 24 hour member, and I don't even know how anyone could think this place could even remotely compare. The prices are ridiculous for what they have to offer. Great, they have the advantage of a pool - at an additional cost. The kids that staff the place lack serious people skills and are often downright unattentive or rude and know absolutely nothing about the gym, prices, policies or procedures. Half the time there is no one at the front desk at all. Everyone here already seems to be keen on the owners/management - plastic, unethical, immoral, money grubbing, cheating (yeah, more than just business partners)... you name it. The one variable is that this Tammy person has less to do with their sister gyms, who don't have the same bad reputation as this one. And while the facility has improved greatly here, the shady management and poor customer service remains the same. And trust me, the sentiment is pretty across the board in Davis. The single only reason that I have heard anyone say they go here is due to convenience. As a few others mentioned, the yoga classes are designed for the under 5 or over 75 crowd, and even the bootcamp class is weak compared to other gyms in town. If you want a damn good gym, with good service and the best variety of challenging classes, spend the extra $5/mo and go to Peak Performance. —ProudDavisite

2008-10-01 00:40:37 I have been visiting Davis for three weeks and thoroughly enjoyed my experience at DSF.

Everyone was courteous and Tammy was very helpful. I enjoyed a few laughs with Ross at the pool and had the great pleasure of meeting Phallen too.

For the price requested, it was exactly what I needed; A warm, healthy pool. A well equipped and ventilated exercise area.

I'm sad to be leaving but hope I'll be able to pop in again some day.

cio, D —DougP

2008-10-10 16:23:13 They making members switch to an EFT basis that allows the club to withdraw the monthly payment automatically each month. Too bad for them, I signed a contract and never gave them permission to access my bank account. With the billing errors that have occured in the past, there is no way I am letting these people take money out of my bank account, NOT A CHANCE! Sounds like maybe they have a receivables issue, but this is definitely not the way to go about solving it. I am going to cancel my membership and join a better-managed club. This place is a joke. —Furly707

2008-10-11 15:18:30 After leaving Davis Swim & Fitness, for a supposedly "better" gym, I quickly relized what a mistake I had made. I recently renewed my membership with DSF and couldn't be happier. In addition to a long list of perks, I find they have a great fan system, a welcoming staff, a family atmosphere, indoor/outdoor play area for children, and offer unique events (e.g., July 4th BBQs, Biggest Loser Contests, Triathlons). Recently, they have increased their hours of operation, purchased new equipment, and installed a system of red/green lights for Circuit Training. Thanks to the owners/management that have worked to make these improvements! —Eliz

2008-10-13 19:10:45 I am actually surprised to see so many negative comments about this gym. I have been a member for over a year and never had any problems. True, the facility is not the most cutting edge (although they did just get about 20 new cardio and weights machines that are really nice!) but I think it has a nice family feel. It's not like 24-hour fitness (where I was a member before) which was such a meat market and smelled bad, to boot — you know, the kind of place you have to listen to pompous male weight lifters grunt all the time and loudly drop their weights on the floor just so everyone knows how much they are lifting, and people go just to strut around in their workout clothes. DSF has always seemed clean and quiet, and it's hardly ever really crowded. The pool is kept in great condition. And the front desk staff have always been friendly and courteous to me. —EGrace

2008-12-04 12:11:10 The gym is ok. My only complaint is that they've charged me randomly on two separate occasions. Once was $5.00 for being "late" on my monthly bill (they were taken out of my account electronically, so the billing error was theirs. They had no problems billing my account at any other point during my membership. I never bothered disputing it, but should have.) They also charged me $15 for a "service fee." I've belonged to this gym on and off for years, and have never been charged a service fee. When I called to ask about it, the person at the desk simply said "It's a service fee charged every December, and it's in your contract." I knew nothing about this, and read my contract when I signed up. This is something they should explicitly disclose, because I can imagine many people, like me, will be upset to see this charge. —AmyJ

Edit: I will say, if it wasn't for these billing "errors" I would like the gym a lot more. The hours and equipment are good, but they do seem to have high employee turnover. I never see the same people there for more than a few months. Also, taking extra amounts of money from me AFTER I've pre-paid for an entire year just seems unfair and greedy, which really turns me off. I won't join again when my contract is up.

That's my .02.

2009-01-10 18:11:45 Just checking up on this place....seems by the last comment that nothing has changed. High employee turnover rate? Greedy? Members wont join again when the contracts up? Nothing new. —CaseyAronson

2009-01-19 11:47:18 I joined in December and quit in January. I saw all the comments here and thought that they were due to some highly personal vendetta against the owners. After a month there I must join the negative side of the chorus. While the pool is acceptable and the staff very nice, the Men's locker room is absolutely gross. The sign on the door indicates that they clean it for half an hour three times weekly. This would certainly not be enough even if they did it. They don't. Evidently cleaning the showers and under the urinal is not in their job description. The lockers and benches are falling apart and rotting in place. When I came in the first time I got one price, when I signed up I got another and when they billed it was for something else again (always erring on the high side). I personally delivered my resignation letter and returned my key fob and still they kept billing me. When I stopped payment on the withdrawal Tammy called me and told me that I was wrong and that it is a clean, well run club. She said they got the lockers from some other club so that "you get what got" - whatever that means.

DAC is busy but well worth the extra $5. I'll happily remain there. It's too bad that DSFC is not better run. It is certainly needed and conveniently located. —bap

2009-04-16 09:30:09 I used to be a member after 24 hour fitness closed. Way too small and cramped! Some desk people were nice, but this one girl was laughing after I said hi. And I had a feeling she was laughing at me...but I have no idea why? —doggies9

2009-07-26 02:10:34 There is a lot of action in the men`s locker if you hit it right..All n all I like the place. Everyone that works there has been most respectful and helpful. I find it quite relaxing...Enjoy going.... —jimmy1985

2009-07-31 17:08:34 I had a really positive experience during my membership with this gym. It's never crowded and a LOVE Sheryl's Sunday/Wednesday yoga classes! A great value for someone who is not a "hardcore" gym-goer like me. —AynReyes

2009-07-31 17:13:57 There are so many shenanigans going on on this page - it makes me sad because I really like this gym :( —AynReyes

As a resident of Davis for many years I find it embarrasing that some people are so hateful that they must spend the time to make up false stories/facts about a business. My wife and I have been members of this facility for roughly six years and I must say that there have been times over the years where certain employees may have been a bit inept, but that is what you will find in any "college town." Over the past year, though, there has been a definite improvement in this place. I don't know if it is because of new equipment or new staff, but the gym definitely has a better vibe than ever before. Tami, the owner, and the young man who manages the gym have always been extremely nice to us and have always been available to answer our questions and help us when we travel for long periods at a time. I can't really speak for any other employees because we only attend the gym in the morning hours. As for billing/credit card concerns, we only had one issue, but that was our fault (our card was stolen, but we forgot to give the gym the new number). Additionally, my wife has been attending Mary Ellen's class religiously since she retired and loves every minute. I don't know when or where these "issues" are arising, but I know for a fact it is not at our gym. Thank you Davis Swim for making our fitness experience a joy!

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