Fitness First employee broke open locker and threw out my things – including my pants

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Dear Katie,

I have been a member of the same Fitness First gym for two decades, and for the past 11 years I have rented a locker in the ladies’ changing rooms. 

Unfortunately, due to various health problems, I was unable to go to the gym this summer. My locker rental was up for renewal on Sept 1, during which time I was on holiday, so I telephoned the manager, who agreed that I could come in when I returned to renew the locker.  

On Sept 6 I checked my locker and was upset to find it open and empty. I presumed someone had been unaware of my conversation with the manager and removed my belongings. But it wasn’t the case. The truth of what had really occurred shocked me. 

Fitness First has been deliberately obscure, but as far as I have been able to ascertain, shortly after 6am on July 4, a male personal trainer used bolt cutters to break my padlock and open my locker. Then he photographed all of my personal belongings before removing them; included were a number of intimate items, including underwear.

Fitness First says it is no longer in possession of the items, so I have to assume that at some point between then and Sept 6, someone disposed of them. 

The photos were apparently sent to the manager on July 6 so by the time I had spoken to him two months later, he should have been aware that my locker had been incorrectly emptied. However, he never mentioned anything about it, which I find strange.

By allowing the locker to be cut open and my belongings removed, Fitness First is in breach of its own terms and conditions. 

First, it states that it will attempt to contact customers where there are plans to open the locker, move or remove belongings. Well, no one ever tried to contact me. It also states that if it needs to remove items it will always have two members of staff present to empty a locker, and that it will store items for a reasonable period of time. Neither of these things happened. 

A lone male member of staff accessed my locker, which makes me feel violated and has set my mind whirring. Especially since I have been given no explanation as to why he did this, or why my items were disposed of.

Then, as if it wasn’t already bad enough, the handling of the incident has really taken the biscuit. The manager sent me two photos of the locker’s contents so I could ascertain what I had lost. The contents were worth around £175 and I expected to be compensated, as well as a refund for locker hire during the period in question. 

I escalated my complaint but my request for compensation has been denied. Instead, I’ve been offered free locker rental for six months and a two- month complimentary membership to an alternative club. After this sorry episode, I am not interested in continuing membership of any Fitness First gyms and have cancelled my membership.

– FS, London

Dear reader

I was sorry to hear that after a period of prolonged illness you had returned from your holiday to this rather nasty surprise. 

You’re upset about the loss of your belongings, but what really got under your skin and frankly gave you the creeps, was the thought of a lone male trainer handling and photographing your underwear. This, coupled with the fact that these personal items were disposed of in a way that also went against company policy, has left you feeling extremely uneasy.

Avoiding rogue situations like this is exactly why Fitness First states in its terms that two staff members must be present when lockers are being emptied. 

Although you say Fitness First was cagey with you, it told me the member of staff in question made a “genuine mistake” in emptying your locker, having mistaken it for a “non-rental” one. However, no explanation about why your items were so swiftly disposed of was offered, so it remains a mystery.

Fitness First has now offered to compensate you to the tune of £235, which will cover your belongings, gym membership, and locker hire for the period in question. 

You felt it should pay you a further gesture of goodwill for the upset caused, and I agreed, but Fitness First refused. It blamed the fact that finances were tight following the pandemic, during which time it was forced to shut. 

Then, despite me having your full permission to discuss matters on your behalf, it said any further questions would need to come directly from you, effectively cutting me out of the equation. Needless to say, its attitude left me deeply unimpressed.

This episode provides a useful lesson to other companies on how not to handle complaints – especially ones regarding company mistakes which leave customers feeling violated and vulnerable. 

Delicate situations can be smoothed over by fair resolutions, delivered swiftly, and with respect for those involved. But anything less will only fan the flames of anger – and suspicion in your case – and harm the company’s reputation in the process.

Fitness First may have been hit hard by the pandemic, but by failing to provide the above, and then stump up a few hundred quid without quibble, it has lost a customer of 20 years.

This is anything but shrewd business practice. Carry on like this and its star will fade faster than you could cut a padlock and shove some clothes in a bin liner.

A Fitness First spokesman said: “We are deeply sorry to have lost a loyal member. We are conducting an internal review of locker management across all our clubs to make sure that this does not happen again.”