Infiltration Time! And this time... it's my own gym, only the Jaya 33 branch. =) In case you didn't know, I've always been a home member, but the lure of the swimming pool (cue for oohs and aahs) drew me to the place to check it out. Heard that it was spacious and beautiful as well, so why not! =)
(Actually, Pauline was going there to collect her free 1 week pass - which she had to ask for FOUR times, so erm... need to work hard for the "free" stuff also. I just tagged along. Before Jaya33 opened, the kind consultant - praise him a bit just in case he still reads this blog - told me that he would help me get passes if I wanted to menyibuk there. In the end, no need to trouble him la somehow found our way there).
Back to the story.
Yeah, Jaya33 is NOT that near my workplace, and if it's jammed then of course I rather go to Taipan. However, it has its perks, like being near a shopping center (the one thing I miss about going to the gym in Consplant is actually being near Carrefour. :X), free parking (housing area nearby, within walking distance), erm... and the many facilities and the swimming pool! (Cannot get over this, even though I haven't seen it yet - more on that later).
We wanted to rush for Body Jam (we = Pau, Pauline and Pau's colleague Andy), so we just gave our ICs to the consultant, so that he will be sure that we will meet up with him later for the talk on joining the club and what not. I was really hoping that we would be doing the new release again in Body Jam, and Jason didn't disappoint! He did do the new release! Pauline was happy too because she hadn't gotten to try it yet. Apparently she has been ffk-ing gym for 2 months. =p
I really enjoyed myself in the class. Nothing to do with the spaciousness of the studio, just that I think Jason conducted the class differently, more "chan" in a way, especially when we were doing the recovery track - Umbrella. Hahah, I'm still having trouble with the steps, damn confusing, but I think that overall the class looked quite good. To be honest, I really feel bad for newcomes to Body Jam and being introduced to this new release --- pls newcomers... Body Jam isn't usually this intense! (Although I like it like that, uh huh!).
Meanwhile, the boys were playing around in the free weights area.
After class, we asked them if they wanted to go, but they still wanted more "investigation" of the premises. I was damn tired! Seriously, really gymmed too much the last couple of days. Since Pauline was trying to make up for lost time, I also forced to entertain myself. Well, I didn't get to see the entire place carefully, but here are my thoughts :
~ yoga in a separate building like Taipan's TF (I'm not sure about this actually, cos I didn't really look around, but basically I don't think it can be separated totally from the noise on the ground floor. Even if yoga is on the same level as the swimming pool on the 4th floor, the noise from the pool will still disturb the ~peace~)
~ since the entire building is SOOOOOO spacious, I find it not as nice as Taipan's TF, in the sense that I like my things compartmented and segregated nicely. Now everything is just sprawling about everywhere. Not so neat la~ Like, the cardio wave section is just out in the open, not squirrelled into its own corner like in Taipan
~ somehow noisier, because less segregation as mentioned earlier
~ the arrangement is not intuitive at all. I think it'll take me much longer to familiarise myself with this place as opposed to Taipan...
~ can't seem to find the woman's workout area either.
~ private corners for floor exercises hard to find as well. I found one, but it was REALLY a corner. As in a nook. Two mats lying side by side (macam the people who wanna do floor exercises want to smell each other) and one lonely ball at the side.
And I didn't get to see the swimming pool because it was closed for maintenance. Sedih! Tomorrow also cannot see because still closed. I think by the time it opens, I'll get my period and then I'll never get to try the pool la! I know one, just my luck kind of thing.
Amidst all my scouting, still had time to go on for 11 minutes on the crosstrainer. After that, everyone else was done, time to shower and balik rumah!
Oh wait, got something nice to say about this place la : I like all the hugeeeeeeeeeeeeeee mirrors totally unblocked by machines and such. So when you work out, you can look at yourself, you narcissist! In Taipan, you either face very narrow mirrors, the windows, or a profusely sweating muscular man who is about to laugh in your face for pressing 10kg only.
Look at yourself more motivating, hor?
Not the end of my aunty-ish story for today. After that, we went down for our consultancy. Well, no offense to the consultants, I know you are just doing your job. I just want to make this note for the management (I suppose). If you've invited someone to try out your facilities, then by all means, don't go and like, try and TALK us out getting the free pass just because we think the facilities are pricey. TF is pricier than the other clubs, but the main point is that the facilities are better right? That you all have more classes? How can you expect a member to just on the spot sign up if you do not allow them the time and space to try for at least a week?
Even if the person who wants to try for 1 week is a college student, with no monthly income and say, no generous parents. If I owned a club, I would let them try it as well. It was because of Fitness First's previous generosity to a particular college student (me) that made me interested in joining a gym. Once I started work, the one and only club on my mind was FF to be honest. (Yalah, a bit bodoh also, didn't scout around). And I joined the club that I got a free trial at!
Anyway, my point is that although a person AT THE MOMENT does not think that they would join a gym, after a trial period, they will start to change their mind and all that. Aiyoh, to keep hearing them like pressuring my friends to join "as long as I can get xxx per month for you" is like... really trying to tie someone down. I really don't like this kinda sales tactics. Seriously, people will feel more gracious and think highly of you if you give them their space... just my opinion. Not trying to hammer anyone in particular. Not trying to flame TF either, come on... I promoted you all so much, why would I wanna talk bad about the club? Join join join (use my membership card and say I introduce so that I can get some $$). :P
Even though I didn't join Celebrity Fitness when I got their free trial (I have my own reasons), I think that their consultants are very professional, and they are sincere when giving out free passes. If someone joins CF, I don't like, hammer them and say they made a mistake, etc. Actually, I don't do that for anyone who joins any gym aside from mine. Of course I'm happier if they do join TF la, because then I got more gym buddies. =)
I don't know what my point is, I am trying to keep neutral here, just giving some opinions on some things. Don't know whether management is pressing the poor consultants so they become more "aggressive" or they teach such sales tactics and what not. HAIH. Anyway after like one hour of ngamngamchamcham finally got my 1 week pass. Tengoklah apa yang akan terjadi!
Oh, and I'm seriously considering passport membership, only I don't know if I'm so filthy rich to pay 3 years membership in one year and whether I want to be tied down for 3 years. Anyway, it's like what? If I upgrade, the difference per month is like --- pooh-pooh.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Day 56
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2 comments:
I actually checked out TF at Jaya33 a week ago out of convenience (supposed to be at Coffee Bean) with a friend who's already a TF member (but she kept telling me not to join TF for certain reasons). It's my first time stepping into TF actually - never checked out Taipan and Hartamas ones before.
They brought me to the whole place, spoke to me about how great their gym was and told me I'm obese after measuring my fat (which I was reluctant to believe because they had no reliable sources). I wasn't impressed with their staff at all. I expected the person who attended to me to at least speak conversational English rather than to question me "Do you speak Mandarin?" upon our first introduction. Since he couldn't converse well, he asked the manager to speak to me and man ... she was so pushy! She kept questioning why I didn't want to join, why I don't have the time to work out and even told me directly that "You work 'till 5.30 pm? I work till 12 am" which pinched me a little. I told her, "That's not the point. Your job and my job are totally different". After which, she just left me sitting at the waiting area for about 5 minutes, and then the guy came back to me and told me I can have a 1 week pass which I did not even bother to take and he honestly told me that he knew I won't return. Which was true.
TF is really expensive, in my opinion. The Jaya33's one is flashy and all that but I don't like flashy gyms. So a kiamsiap person like me won't pay nearly 200 for a home membership even though they told me things like I'll pay RM 0 registration and processing fees if I sign up on that day.
The thing which ticks me off when people are trying to market their products to me is when they put themselves in a position higher than me. If that's called aggresive selling, I don't buy it at all because it's being rude to me.
Ahah, I know - so much spilt out from me on TF alone :P
- Sookie
oh gosh, sorry for the late reply, this blog of mine doesn't give me an email alert when I receive comments!
anyway, about TF. Personally right, I find all gyms to be REALLY pushy, all also have some kinda target to meet, so I'm kinda numb to all that. Have to agree with you that TF is the most aggressive one of all though! Ya, I kena the stupid "called obese" thing as well. At that time I was 53kg, and I'm 159cm. So wtf, I know that's not super light (nowadays most girls wanna be below 50kg then only dare to tell their weight) but I know for myself that that is NOT obese. The method that they use to determine obesity also is using calipers, which is not so accurate ESPECIALLY not when the trainers who measured me is as incompetent as they are.
(Then again I kena called obese in FF before as well... this one was the trainer tersalah baca the chart. One thing to see wrongly and then call me obese, but then common sense la... you would do a double take also if you call a normal-size feller obese right? Check before your mouth starts to shoot and call pple obese)
Back to your predicament with the staff. Again, personally, a LOT of people ask the "do you speak Mandarin?" thing to me before, this the trials and tribulations of being a banana! So I guess I don't feel it as much when the consultants at TF did it to me. BTW, I've met that manager in TF before, and yes she's another aggressive lady. :P Actually, I have a lot of things to "advise" them on how to get people to sign up, just don't know whether they'll listen to me or not. :P I really do empathize with you when you told me your story, cos I've been through it as well!! Some more my case is worse, wait longer than 5 min. This was for the one in Jaya33, maybe the Taipan one is more established so I didn't experience that at all. That's why I signed up at Taipan.. :P However, their admin / frontdesk staff are REALLY friendly, much nicer than the ones other gyms I have met before.
TF is very expensive for short term, but if you block for 3 years onwards, it becomes much cheaper per month. They don't seem like they are going to "close shop" soon, so if you are REALLY certain that you want to join a gym then it could be the package for you. Currently the package I took adds up to about RM110+ a month, but I have to pay 3 years membership in 1 year. Ya, that's expensive for the first year, but after that it'll be free for next 2 years. Average out = RM110+. I think that's cheaper than other gyms out there (the big ones la, CF, FF, etc) for a passport membership. Of cos, if you're new to this gym thing, not sure if you can make it, etc, then maybe a "premium" membership at FF is better. They let you try out for 3 months, the membership is about RM165+ I think. AFter 3 months, then you can make your decision lor. :)
For me, I worked out at FF for one year + home membership. The gym was small, and even after renovation I didn't think it was a big difference. The price per month was RM147. So I think the switch to TF was worth it.
Anyway, ahaha, seems like I wrote back a super long message as well. Sorry to hear about your experience, if you ever join TF you must tell me. I love finding more gym buddies. =)
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