I initially joined Talwalkar’s chain in Baroda, where the gym is very good. Amazing machines, excellent interiors, free ab classes, guards at parking lot... was impressed. They trainers used to help a lot while I was doing exercise, and that too without any extra cost in terms of money.
In June 07 I got a new job in Pune and Talwalkar’s Pimpri branch being the closest Talwalkar’s gym to my place, I decided to transfer my membership there. Little did I know what I going to face.
Gym interiors: Pathetic, looked like an "upgraded desi akhaara"!!
Desi treadmills, making huge noise with poor controls, which used to conk off a lot.
Bikes were (and still are!) a big joke!!! There were no cross-trainers.
Gym was too crowded & I had to wait for my turn on treadmill. Managers enforced 10-15 min policy on use of treadmill, but then I saw some "pseudo wise guys" turning off the machine at 12-14 mins, and then starting it again, so that it may appear that the user has not used more than 15 mins!!
A/C’s were and still are a joke. Most of them do not work. I rasied several complaints to the Manager, Mr. Mangesh, which were hardly heard.
Trainers are hardly around us while we do exercise and there are no aerobics or abs classes held in the mornings. You can pay an arm-and-leg for personal training (like 12, 000 for 6 months), but the fine print is that you get trainer to help you out 3 times in a week and not all the days
Sundays are completely off as compared to some branches being open for some time in morning on every Sunday
Music is so bad you can puke in the gym itself!
And not to forget the parking - its out along the road which is a problem: the school-kids used to rub their hands on the cars as they passed along - one small chap had an object in hand & I got a scratch on my new car on the bonnet! Since this gym is on the first floor of "Ganesh" restaurant, I started parking my car in the restaurant parking space, and since it was early morning there were hardly any cars there, to me it seemed this would not be a problem. A few days later, the guards there started objecting and now my car is parked on the roadside again!
However, in Feb 08, these guys changed the tattered flooring to a new partly wood finish & partly rubber one. They also installed 4 new treadmills and 2 cross trainers. Things looked good initially but then these machines produced so much heat that the AC’s were insufficient. Gradually, in May 08, 6 AC’s conked off. I complained daily, but got new answers each time from the manager - the owner is out of town and till he comes and signs, we cannot install new ACs, some guy may sign the cheque on behalf of owner for new ACs and so on...
Today May 29 was another disappointment! Since 1 week I was complaining that one particular AC was emitting burning odor. I was doing exercise very close to this one when suddently I felt as if a thousand ants had bitten my throat from inside. To my surpise, there was smoke all around me and this AC went out of order as well.
We are doing our exercise with open windows and this gym is no more than a cheap - substandard place to work out. I feel so sad for new joiners who are fleeced by the front desk personnel with their pseudo-impressive talks.
I have never seen the owner at this gym, and it seems he does not show active interest in the gym’s upkeep.
In my opinion, the Talwalkars should take this branch off their network.
New update - 15 June 09
Further bad experiences...
Few months ago: AC’s started conking off and eventually 4-5 ACs were not working - we complained - no action taken for a week - no one bothered. Complaining on daily basis was of no use. We were sweating in the heat... such is the administration at talwalkar
Another one: 2 weeks ago, the water purifier conked off - again took 1 week to rectify (job that could be done in 2 hours). The alternative... unhygienic tank water provided to us despite repeated request to place bisleri 20L bottles which indeed are cheap to deploy. What a shame on a health club (you can very well know how dirty water is in overhead tanks - dead insects etc floating in the water.. and TALWALKAR PROMOTES SUCH WATER) - I think we should rename it from talkwalkar fitness to "sh*tness" hahaha!
I think Talwalkar Pimpri is a blot on talwalkar chain - the worst setup and service I have ever ever seen!