1610 Dorchester Sports Centre

Negative experience: Shocking online booking system for pay as you go for the pool. I want to take my grandson to my local pool but I'm going to have to give up. Technology that loses customers; why?!

Positive experience: Really good , Air Con bit to cool sometimes.

Positive experience: Karen at the reception sang as she checked me in (as an occasional visitor!) and I thanked her and we both laughed as she didn’t realised she was singing. £7 fee. It’s a good well managed local authority service..and the time has come to update/renew/refresh the whole gym. I see how well the local council renew outdoor fitness equipment and generally care for Dorchester that when funds become available they will review these facilities. CH

Positive experience: Amazing swimming pool with quite clean toilets and changing rooms.

Fantastic experience: The staff are always very friendly here and it's a nice large swimming pool. Very good

Fantastic experience: Great facility on my doorstep.

Positive experience: I've been coming to swim at 1610 Dorchester twice a week for years now and have found the reception staff in particular to be totally helpful and friendly. Often in difficult circumstances with unhelpful entry barriers and with lots of people to deal with. Unfailingly polite, lovely people. Thank you.

Fantastic experience: Nice pool with a small gym too. Good options for swimming lessons. Local swimming club, and even a synchro swimming club to join as well.

Positive experience: Booking on line is a nightmare

Negative experience: Barely any small pool slots at all now. My son’s crying because he wanted to go swimming. Website is barely functional. We have to log in to three separate accounts to book for three people, and they don’t pick up the phone to book that way either. We usually just chance it and turn up but there’s only one small pool session today. I just don’t think they really care.

Negative experience: The worst gym i have come across. Not only is it very small, limited and overpriced but half the time machinery does not work. They do not control there 20 people only rule, especially with the main audience being teenagers so it is generally not a nice environment to work out in. The machines are dirty and not well maintained neither are staff friendly. Also the whole booking situation is awful, especially when it is swimming days you have to queue up even missing twenty minutes worth of your session just because there cards or card machines don't work. The gym is appalling and way overpriced for what it is!

Negative experience: Insufficient seating for Swimming competitions and no where else to stand to watch. Limited parking. Large clean reception

Negative experience: Careful to all swimmers participating at this leisure centre. My 12 year old son had his trainers stolen whilst he was competing. Nothing come of it, just brushed under the carpet. Poor lad had to walk home barefoot. Any person using this facility please be aware. A disgusting pathetic excuse of a human being going round steeling shoes. Especially children’s.

Fantastic experience: My daughter who is disabled has been unable to swim which she loves for several years 1620 welcomed and encouraged her and really transformed her life cannot thank the team enough for looking out for her .plus side pool is lovely and all kept spotless

Negative experience: Good facility and great staff, in the main, but so rigid in their offer and at times very non user friendly. For example, booking system is not good, you have to be a member, why and swimming slots are fixed hour by hour. You feel it is all designed to put people off. Rules for rules sake no doubt designed by "management". What is wrong with turning up when you either feel like it or have a window of time. I'm a swimmer and having no public swimming on a Saturday afternoon is a bit of a disgrace. When are you supposed to exercise if not saturday afternoon?

Negative experience: Wouldn't let me book online. Changing areas absolutely filthy. Lifeguards just all just stood around throwing balls at each other. Won't be returning.

Positive experience: It is such a shame that this great facility is not run to its full potential! My self and a lot of older people have joined to reap the benefits of DEEP WATER AQUA CLASSES. This is an essential part of our wellbeing. Unfortunately although most of the staff are second to none, management are blocking the deep water classes and the classes aimed at older/disabled people in the small pool, are so over subscribed that you can not book. They need to find a new manager perhaps someone who cares? This is a fantastic gym but is going down hill please sort it out.

Negative experience: Customer service at the front desk is horrendous, they ignore you, rude, no smile at all makes you feel so uncomfortable, so unacceptable

Negative experience: The pools are lovely. The app is useless. You're told to book online at the start of an aqua class so you can get in the following week yet this doesn't work. The website is better but you can only book for one person. I'm pretty sure they need a new phone as I rang them for a good hour with no reply, this happened several times. It would seem they need someone to man the phones, someone to look at their app and several more aqua classes as everything is always booked!!

Negative experience: The lanes sessions are so sparse and so overbooked that it is actually unsafe and stressful to swim. Changing rooms are absolutely gross. There was a sanitary towel stuck to the top of the cubicle and one has got faeces smeared on the wall. It's been like that for months. The showers barely work and are full of women's hair. Floors are filthy. Lifeguards when they rarely clean, jetwash chemicals next to the pool so that the dirt and spray hit you as you swim. I had to get out because it triggered my asthma. Incompetently and carelessly run.

Negative experience: I had hoped to book a swim today, however neither the app or website would allow me to reserve a slot, which asa pay/go member I should be able to do.. tried calling but gave up after being on hold 10.20 minutes…. I can’t be the only person they’re driving nuts with rubbish tech.

Negative experience: We turned up at the gym today around noon as website said you were open, only to be turned away with no explanation at all What a pathetic bunch of people you are

Negative experience: It appears from previous reviews that Dorchester 1610 hasn’t improved its customer service…. Today is a regular non-holiday day, and after carefully checking the opening times on their website beforehand, I was particularly disappointed to arrive and find the centre was closed. This is despite the fact that the website clearly stated that the whole facility was open. To make matters worse, I only use the gym but was told at reception that I needed to “book a class in order to check whether the facilities were actually open”. So, according to Dorchester reception staff, I must book a class, which I don’t want or need, purely to find out whether the opening times on their own specific Dorchester website is actually correct!! Let’s not forget that I possibly couldn’t book at all if the class was full anyway, so I would be back to square one and none the wiser! Absolutely ridiculous!! Here’s an idea: How about 1610 Dorchester simply providing the right information on their website, as opposed to providing poor service instead, and then blaming the customer???

Positive experience: Lovely swimming pool!

Negative experience: The lanes are over crowded and hardly on anymore. Completely alienating day lane swimmers, to the point that it is not worth the hassle coming here. I will be going to osprey lesure centre on portland in future because the extra time and effort will be well worth it.

Positive experience: It's a nice place nice pools and has a gym and classes never had a problem with the staff they are friendly and helpful

Negative experience: I have been a member for 5 years. Everything was great to start with but services and equipment have been going downhill ever since lock down. The gym equipment is badly maintained and many machines don't work properly, toilets and showers are often dirty,swimming pool showers are mouldy, front gates at reception have been out of order for months, prama studio been broken for years... On top of that, access to swimming pool for working adults is limited (most days only after 7 pm). There is a lack of variety with classes and not enough classes each day, especially between 3.30 and 5.30. Instructors are leaving but are not being replaced...... Fees have recently increased but you do wonder where the money goes. Every time I write a postcard with suggestions or a complaint letter, I get no reply. I definitely wouldn't recommend this sports centre.

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience.

Fantastic experience: WOW WHAT A PLACE THANK YOU Great Customer service 10 out 10 Very Good price VERY CLEAN 10 OUT 10 Thank you will be back A lot of staff watching and making sure your safe You won't get better around here

Negative experience: Worst sports centre I've ever known. Good luck ever getting through on the phone and you can forgot trying to use their awful website/app. Swimming changing rooms are always mucky. Swimming lessons were awful, always starting late (usually because the instructor was chatting to her friends right next to us) so the kids never got the full time we had paid for. They didn't seem to be making any progress and the instructors would change from week to week so no consistency. Tried to cancel and it's been a nightmare. They now harass me via email despite me asking to cancel in various different ways. The gym is awful and equipment is poorly maintained and often not working. My husband couldn't wait to cancel his membership here. The place needs shutting down and a complete refurbishment including new staff (and more of them)

Positive experience: No cleaning. Pool frequently closed due to quality issues. Desperately need management to raise standards.

Fantastic experience: A very smart modern facilitie. Clean and fresh. The staff were very helpful as it was the first time I had visited. My daughter has started swimming lessons at level 1 and in two weeks made good progress, we were so impressed with the professionalism of the swim teachers in particular, that we signed her up on the taster day. They seemed very gentle yet effective at persuading the children to do what they were asking. I've only seen the swimming pool and changing rooms at the pool. There is also a gym and other facilities.

Fantastic experience: Kids love the swimming pool, great instructors

Positive experience: Good gym

Positive experience: It's great to have such a comprehensive facility in the area. There could be a bit more consistency in staff service quality. Overall, there is ample room to improve communication skills. A male staff member's attitude was particularly off-putting.

Negative experience: Swimming pool is good. The gym is terrible. 3 out 4 toilets in the mens are broken, a third the machines have broken posters on them, another third should have broken posters on them. Classes being held in the gym that is far to small for them leaving little if any space around them. Groups of kids sitting on half the equipment lifting nothing while looking at themselves in the mirror and scrolling social media. Can never get through on the phone, been left at the unmanned reception desk until I didn't want to waste anymore time and left more than once Management? Doesn't seem to be any Definitely wouldn't recommend the gym here. Will be cancelling as soon as my obligations are done with

Fantastic experience: Just beautiful the entire stuff staff and stunning views...

Fantastic experience: Fantastic

Negative experience: So book in for Lane swimming: closest analogy is its like having a bath full of your toddlers toys. Why can't people swim without Finns and floats etc etc.

Positive experience: Fairly clean and helpful staff, however the main pool is a little bit cold. Fine if you're moving but as soon as you're still it's just not warm enough.

Fantastic experience: New to 1610....great pool and gym seems nice but not used the gym yet. Staff have all been lovely so far.

Negative experience: Following a phone call, we've found the staff member answering to be absolutely disgraceful in how they speak to people. Will be recording future calls.

Positive experience: First time at this centre was booked in for Aqua Jogging, no information on what to do my friend and I had to ask someone who had booked the session, the Instructor was bloody useless no interaction with us at all, no chance of us coming back.

Fantastic experience: Very good

Negative experience: Went for floats and fun today and the pool was lovely but the small cramped changing room and how Filthy the floor was made it an experience I don't want again. There was mud, food, leaves, hair, rubbish in an area that should be shoe free and clean. Not impressed.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful place for children and adults to learn and practice. Very well organised and managed as swimming times are punctual and very structured.

Negative experience: Unable to swim in small pool due to over crowding. A third of the smaller pool is lined off for one small child learning to swim.,ridiculous. Four adults unhappy and left. And we decided not to go in. That's six unhappy swimmers!! No info on 1610 website, this is all decided adhoc with general managers permission. Two of the swimmers were given a 'free entry' for another swim. We had a wasted journey also. One child, one instructor happy. Not ideal.

Positive experience: Lovely clean pool. Friendly staff. Good aqua classes but very popular so more needed. Could do with more hairdryers.

Fantastic experience: Great classes and instructors. Pool is wonderful, large and light filled. Easy pre booking system via the app

Positive experience: They do not have enough sessions for just swim in the main pool, and they do not cater for just swim for disabled swimmers

Negative experience: Disorganised start to session with the setting of lanes after the start of session time. Busy

Positive experience: 1 star for each time I've managed to get there. Great pool, clean enough, lovely overall. But they tend to close earlier their proposed schedule. I would even call in the afternoon to check it's open for the late lane. I drive and find out it's closed. They don't update their website, only application. However that requires you to pay first and only afterwards allows to see the schedule. Very frustrating as I enjoy swimming there :(

Fantastic experience: Good sized swimming pool, helpful staff

Negative experience: Just don't try to leave. Despite talking to a member of staff in person- was given the incorrect information, not told about their compulsory cancellation form, and informed owed them money- 7 weeks after last visit by a generic email. Explained the situation and they don't care.

Negative experience: Severely declining maintenance standards of gym equipment with repairs sometimes taking months despite reminders to staff. eg, of 5 cross trainers, only one worked as it should, two had fault notices on and were switched off, the other two had no working video and one made a dreadful noise in use as if a bearing is failing

Fantastic experience: Quite wet

Negative experience: Nice facilities. Shame about the immensely complicated online schedule, the deficiencies of the online booking system which should permit one to pay online (I haven't been able to do so yet), requiring telephone calls which go unanswered.

Positive experience: The pool was nice. We had fun but we got let in to the pool 5 minutes late and only got 55 minutes. The web site was hard to book and I nearly gave up trying.

Negative experience: I'm using this place for many years. I never complained even when it wasn't too clean over there. I still like this place because my children have a swimming lessons there. Unfortunately today I was treated very not nice because I stood in front of big windows to watch how my daughter swim. Suddenly on of the ladies said that it is forbidden to watch my child. I need to go to the viewing gallery. There is no option to see small pool from viewing gallery good enough but now it is health and safety meter so I can't watch my kids from behind the window . Very wierd. Very unhappy with that.

Fantastic experience: Great for swimming

Positive experience: Three of the machines in the fitness suite have been out of order for months. I have written about this several times with no response. On one occasion, about a fortnight ago, I spoke to a receptionist who insisted that they had been mended the previous week; the manager had told her so, so they must have been. Either she or the manager lied. I have to say that until then my experience of the reception staff, over several years, has been 100% positive.

Fantastic experience: Great to be back having a regular swim after Covid lockdowns. As always very welcoming at the desk. Facilities were clean. One hair dryer needs mending and online booking takes a fees moments to work out but overall just great to be back. Nice quiet time to swim at 11 on Mondays.

Fantastic experience: Son uses 3g here, I pop for a run while waiting.

Negative experience: Poor customer services, no staff to support, no understanding of personal situations, poor training on customer care. Go to smaller gym with no cancellation.

Negative experience: So went with my boyfriend and everything was fine at first the receptionist was nice and it was alright, not much to entertain you. Then we dived at the wrong part because we missed the signs and got told off for it, that was 100% fair from them and a mistake on our part. However a few minutes later when we decided we were done and went to get out the lifeguard stared at us and spoke through his comms nodding in our direction to the other person who then turned to look at us, laugh then respond through the comms. Obviously saying things they shouldn’t say in a professional setting. Then when I went to tell the front desk the receptionists only response was “that’s hard to prove” and “you should’ve confronted them” as if they’d tell the truth if I did.

Fantastic experience: I enjoy the work from the instructor, and also all the people I exercise with. This is fun from start to finish. You know that you have done a workout, But you have to put in what you hope to get out.

Negative experience: You really need to sort the booking system out both me and my daughter booking 4 just swim for 4 adults 3 children wouldn't let us pay the full amount had to do all separate. Said 2 was booked not the rest just hoping when we turn up we are not turned away as the money has been taken...

Positive experience: Very friendly staff, good price and bright open location. I would give it five stars but I can see the shear popularity occasionally making parking an issue.

Positive experience: Had a few problems intially trying to book online but once sorted I visited the centre for lane swimming. I hadn't been to the centre before only the old one some years back before moving to the area. Very impressed with the renovation, fairly priced and pool a good temperature. Helpful staff plus clean and tidy changing/shower facilities. Certainly will visit again for my swimming and try to check out some of the other decent looking facilities.

Fantastic experience: Un Centro deportivo y de ocio, con prácticamente todas las comodidades y servicios que puede ofrecer un lugar asi, dispone de una bonita y agradable piscina de 25mt, otra pequeña para niños, salas de spinning y un buen y moderno gimnasio pero bastante caro su uso, así como unos servicios acorde a las instalaciones.

Negative experience: Quite a compact facility and not a lot of options for outside of 9-5 hours

Positive experience: Clean and nice facilities, good learner pool. Just find booking difficult, cannot get through on telephone ever and I use the app to book but often plays up which a shame. Once we there though it's great!

Positive experience: I've only used the swimming pool. Clean and well maintained. Online booking works well enough although sometimes annoying. Currently limited to 50 minute slots.

Negative experience: Worse than useless, the app the website and the phone service.

Fantastic experience: Great place to take your family plus if you like swimming etc.

Fantastic experience: Excellent modern gym and swimming facilities. Lots of activities and classes available which can all be booked using the app. Changing areas and gym are kept nice and clean. Friendly and helpful staff and long opening hours.

Fantastic experience: Awesome Sports Centre, best one I've ever seen in England

Positive experience: Wish there was more lane swimming open at 8-10AM. It would be great to swim after school drop off

Positive experience: Staff are friendly and very very helpful, centre is clean and there are a vast variety of classes you can book alongside the swimming and gym. The only downside I have found so far is that there seems to be more broen wrist straps on the keys for the swimming pool lockers then usable ones.

Fantastic experience: Lovely pool for family, really helpful staff

Negative experience: The booking for swimming is broken. It never works and when I call no one answers the phones. I have to travel to the centre to book… where there is never any FOH staff. It’s not good.

Negative experience: Awful booking process. Terrible app. Unreliable website. No telpgone service.

Negative experience: The app is absolutely dreadful. Please change it. You have to pay then choose the session. Then you might have paid for the wrong product or there might only be one space left. You struggle to book more than one place. Complete nightmare.

Positive experience: Clean and tidy, great place to take the little swimming

Negative experience: terrible website, asks for money without really explaining what you are paying for. No one seems to answer the phone either - is playing the can can on repeat designed to put people off waiting on hold?!

Fantastic experience: Clean and well maintained

Positive experience: Great pool but difficult to book services

Fantastic experience: Nice and friendly , have some amazing trainers . Doing the classes there .

Fantastic experience: We were driving north from West Bay and needed somewhere to change our 7yr old who has severe disabilities. We found online that Dorchester Sports have a "Changing Places" toilet, still quite a rare thing in the UK. The staff were really welcoming and helpful, and the facilities spot on. Thanks.

Fantastic experience: Clean, and friendly. Kid's enjoy their swim lessons.

Negative experience: Friendly staff and some excellent instructors and classes. So why only 2 stars ? The entrance equipment usually has at least one component not operating - today the barcode reader to allow members through the turnstile is not working again causing queues to get in. The electric double doors were not working either. There is often a tank in the middle of the upstairs landing to catch water leaking through the roof. At least 2 showers do not work. I understand that since 1610 started to get macho with their staff over pay rates, several Classes have been allowed to come to an end, even though they are popular, with the result that many of the remaining classes are crowded and become fully subscribed within a minute of their opening time - fastest finger first. Some Aquafit sessions have now been moved into the Main Pool which is not suitable for such exercise - slippy, sloping floor and nowhere near enough spaces available for average height participants unless they put up with water that is too shallow or too deep for the exercise routines. It is also colder than the small pool, which makes people with some conditions uncomfortable. Access is also not good for some people with mobility issues. Pilates classes have now been increased in size, this morning during stretching exercises I managed to come in contact with one class member beside me and another one behind me - in my opinion that is too close.

Fantastic experience: Very enjoyable

Fantastic experience: First foray back to the gym. Helpful cheerful staff.

Fantastic experience: Brilliant place to be. Amazing staff!!!

Fantastic experience: Went for 1st swim in these weird times. Booking app wasn't taking payments, so turned up and paid. Still a lovely pool and staff were very helpful. Nice swim.

Fantastic experience: Great place, feel safe under circumstances we are in. Shame we are unable to shower though.

Negative experience: Terrible! Phones are NEVER manned. I have tried 6 times over the course of 3 days to book a swim for myself and 3 year old, one point holding for over 30 minutes. Would have done online but apparently you need to call in order to book a swim for under 4s. What is the point of not offering this swim age online and to instead be required to phone when you're not going to answer the phones! Decided to book a swim for myself and unsurprisingly their online booking just repeatedly throws error pages so impossible to book. Utterly useless system and a pointless waste of my time trying to use the services.

Fantastic experience: Great group cycling classes

Fantastic experience: Excellent staff great facilities. Just wish they had a steam room!

Fantastic experience: Gym is great