Rivermead Leisure Centre Reviews Summary

Facilities

Pros:

• "Great place to swim, work out and play racquet games."
• "Underrated: while it's true that equipment is a bit dated, this gym offers a great variety of activities and includes an excellent swimming pool for very reasonable fees/membership."
• "The swimming pool is small but has a wave machine and water slides for kids."
• "Rivermead sports and Leisure centre. Swimming pools Sport Gym football tennis basketball karate classes."
• "Good soft play for young children with a cafe that sells drinks and snacks."
• "The staff are very nice and are nice to answer and questions."
• "Rivermead Leisure Complex has been the base to Thames Valley Taekwon-Do since its opening in 1986."

Cons:

• "The courts are extremely dirty and dusty, especially around the net area."
• "The pop-up swimming pool is a rather grim place."
• "There are no timetables, no pictures of the facilities, no explanation as to what the various options are."
• "The website and phone line information contradict each other in multiple places."
• "The centre is old and some of the facilities are ageing."
• "The whole place has a run-down feel and many poolside lockers broken or keys with no ID on them."
• "Old slide has been taken out but have left a massive hole in the wall where it once was and haven't put anything in to replace this."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff are friendly and work very hard to keep this place going."
• "Very friendly staff at the reception, never had any issues."
• "Staff are nice and the gym is clean and quiet."
• "Staff very helpful and cooperative."
• "Friendly staff, Teaching pool is excellent and changing room clean."
• "The staff at the centre are very friendly and helpful."
• "Only redeeming quality are the staff on Reception."

Cons:

• "Very bad and worst experience!! Swimming pool is like a scrap felt no safety and particularly staff are so rude with customers at swimming pool."
• "Staff aren’t very helpful."
• "Really disappointed with the maintenance of the gym."
• "The staff were nice, but did nothing about an aggressive group of seniors."
• "Staff could be much friendlier and helpful."
• "Staff on reception desk look bored which doesnt make them seem very approachable."
• "Rude staff."

Price and Value

Pros:

• "Pleased to be able to use the pool with my concessionary Reading Passport."
• "Membership rates are reasonable."
• "Underrated: while it's true that equipment is a bit dated, this gym offers a great variety of activities and includes an excellent swimming pool for very reasonable fees/membership."
• "very good value for money, especially for parents with kids, have a creche for child to stay while you can work out in the gym."

Cons:

• "Very overpriced, pool."
• "Recent prices have risen over 40% for seemingly no reason."
• "Membership = £19.99 a month Parking = £30 a month total = 49.99 a month!!"
• "It is bad enough that they charge the gym members £8.15 for only 40 minutes of renting the court."
• "They charge a non refundable joining fee which is a rip off."

Cleanliness and Maintenance

Pros:

• "This leisure centre was perfect. Masses of parking."
• "Place was immaculately clean when i went to visit."
• "The new changing rooms are lovely and looked after."
• "The gym is very clean and in fab condition."

Cons:

• "The courts are extremely dirty and dusty, especially around the net area."
• "Dirty toilets and welding machines everywhere like in cinema."
• "The changing rooms are dirty and would really use regular cleaning during the swim times."
• "The soft play area itself is good. Small but tall so great for the kids and clean/ well looked after."
• "The changing facilities are absolutely filthy and the toilets disgusting."
• "The gym really could do with a good clean, most the equipment has a thick layer of dust/grime on top."
• "Family swim at Rivermead today, never again... changing room floors and rooms were filthy."

Accessibility and Convenience

Pros:

• "The swimming pool is small but has a wave machine and water slides for kids."
• "They provide free parking to members which is an add on."
• "plenty of parking space."

Cons:

• "Opening hours not early enough for people who have to be in work for 8am."
• "The lane swimming pool is only open for 3.5 hours all weekend."
• "Parking looks like field after Second World War!"
• "The reduction of stars comes from the horrific parking situation. Have to walk through a flood to get out of the car park once you eventually find a space."
• "Beware of the car parking, all the machines were covered and taped up."
• "Con artist!! charge £1 for parking but the majority of the time the machines don't work and then they send you a £60 parking fine even though you have paid to use their leisure centre!!"
• "Long queue. Sometimes wait up for one hour on Sundays."