Esporta Club, Islington, London

Advantages: Very friendly club
Disadvantages: Pricey

I love Esporta Islington. I can't put it any other way. Since the age of 21, I had managed to double my body weight, and achievement of which I am both proud and horrified. I had certainly eaten all the pies. At the age of 32, I was feeling miserable about my size, and my boyfriend, bless, who just wanted me to be happy, tentatively suggested that he would pay for membership and three months fees for any gym I chose. I was extremely nervous about ...
...upstairs. So what makes Esporta special? The gym is always supervised. Instructors pounce on you if they think you are going to injure yourself. There are regular reviews of your fitness programme, and since the computer system - Fitlinxx - was installed in November of last year, there is an award level programme, starting at an Esporta water bottle (whoopie doo), but working up to prizes like a cholestorol tests, tshirts, and personal training ... Read review

Advantages: none
Disadvantages: dishonest money-grabbing thugs

My advice regarding this chain of fitness clubs is don't touch them with a barge pole. Yes, their premises are clean, well-equipped and worked in by some excellent fitness instructors. However, apart from British Gas, they are the worst company I have ever done business with. Check out the BBC Watchdog programme website for more information on their scams and dishonesty. I joined their London Islington club four years ago. The guy who did the initial ...
...were to have huge consequences and costs later on. Incidentally he was nowhere to be seen a week after I joined. First lie was that the membership fee was non-negotiable and had to be paid by everyone joining the club. After a few months I discovered this was not the case. Regrettably, this was after I had encouraged a couple of mates to join as well. Second lie had to do with how a person closes their membership. I was concerned because, as I ... Read review

Truly awful.Has improved a little bit in terms of the running of the club.Things are now being fixed more quickly,ie. the drinking fountain in the Gym was out of use for 6 months.But the general attitude of the staff is very poor.I had a lot of personal training sessions and no medical history was taken,no assesment was done and in my first session a very heavy weight was placed on my back resulting in a back injury.I have joined the Virgin Gym which is cheaper and much better.Staff are much more professional.

Advantages: Good enough if you don't mind having money removed from your account against your will
Disadvantages: Similar to the disadvantages of being mugged

I was a member of Esporta Islington for a year or so and was reasonably satisfied with their facilities. I then broke my arm and suspended my membership. A year and a half later I noticed unexpected withdrawals from my bank account. It was Esporta - they had reactiveated my account without telling me and removed almost £400 over 6 months before I had noticed. I complained to Esporta and despite the fact that I had not made a single visit to their ...
...active) they REFUSED to re-credit the fees. They said that the contract I had signed allowed them to make the charges. They claimed that they had written to me, but no such letter was received. I was shocked by the behaviour of this supposedly reputable gym and would strongly recommend you find somewhere else to get fit. ... Read review

Advantages: Great Service, Great Facilities
Disadvantages: There aren't any!

My experience with Esporta is very positive, I enjoy my membership very much and find the staff and facilities first class. Surely the reviews on this site are somewhat self pitying not to say naive. The terms and conditions are very clear regarding notice period and commitment period, the words Credit Agreement are quite clearly printed along with all the terms and conditions, everything is clearly set out in black and white on all the membership ...
...If people sign contracts without reading them properly or questioning anything they are not clear about, they can hardly complain of duplicitous behaviour (scamming, lying, dishonesty!!?? Get real people) on the part of Esporta when members try to bypass or conveniently forget the terms of the contract they have signed. ... Read review