Robinson Pools & Fitness

Fantastic experience: Good facilities

Negative experience: I fancied going swimming after 15 years out the game... Safe to say that pool hasn't been cleaned in 15 years. The sides are covered in questionable green and brown stains. Went there for 5 minutes and did 1 lap and felt like I needed a bleach shower to feel clean after.

Negative experience: Please can someone tell me what this is . Are they just discoloured tiles ? Looks disgusting.

Negative experience: Pool facilities are simply dirty. I went there this morning, 7.00 o'clock, just after opening. Please hire some cleaners!

Positive experience: Since being taken over, I do see small, very slow improvements to the facility. However the foul smell from ladies bathrooms in particular is still so bad! It really needs stripping out and a whole re fit! Especially as it’s pretty much the first thing as you walk through the doors into the changing room . That said, if you’re looking for swimming lessons, Julie, Sarah and I believe her name is Olivia (I could be wrong ) have done nothing but show complete support, passion and encouragement to my son and in just a year he’s over the fear of water, jumping in and becoming a confident little swimmer. I did look at booking my daughter into their newer lessons for babies, when I originally went to book, looking at £26 I think a month, fine that’s what I pay now, then on check out it was asking was two lots of swim lessons and a fee, making it near £60 something I believe, after conversations with family they said they would add it to their account they already have, on doing so I was then shocked to see the price then went up to £36, when I called to speak to someone, you’re not going through to the pool but a head office who told me it was because pro rata, which would have made sense , should the start date actually passed, I then got an email stating it was pro rata and they now closed my ticket! Now some people would believe it , but when you’re a former fitness sector worker; who dealt mainly with payments , back payments etc, I knew it was pro rata, and the price now after checking again that’s not changed, but if it was a pro rata, it would have by now??!! That’s why I still haven’t booked the baby / toddler sessions.

Fantastic experience: Love this place Great facilities friendly staff

Positive experience: Not bad. I thought it was ok

Fantastic experience: Really nice to just book a swim and go at my own pace. Good amenities and lovely cafe for a well earned ☕

Positive experience: The staff are friendly and helpful. Sadly, the pool is looking a bit tired, that said I had a good swim.

Positive experience: It's Better since BETTER took it over by crikey there's still a long way to go. Toilets, showers and pool need lots of maintenance. The women's showers are appalling and my friend and I prefer to shower by the pool in the open to avoid cold showers in cubicles that don't close with ceiling tiles missing and hundreds of tiny moth-like critters flying around in each cubicle. The smell of strong urine is also pretty bad in the women's showers and sometimes in the changing area too. I will continue to come as there's no alternative and live if hope that one day things really will be BETTER!

Fantastic experience: Good pool. Older traditional pool (so dont expect white new tiles) , water clear, about 1.25 shallow at both ends and 1.8m in middle (separate dive and kiddy pool too). We had a great time. Fully refurbed changing area + cafe and little swim shop. Not cold but cooler pool temp but not a problem (quite refreshing actually). Life guards vigilant too. Going to give it 5 stars as am not sure council pools get much better . Well done Bedford.

Negative experience: I'm so appalled, I thought under new management, things will change. The pool is filthy, water is freezing, showers are boiling , showers and changing area is so dirty and filthy, it's sickening. We pay for a good service , this place should be shut down due to health and safety concerns, under these conditions, a leisure centre shouldn't be allowed to facilitate the public. I was there for over an hour , I didn't see a single human in sight ( cleaner) I've been to other BETTER gyms/swims and they always have a cleaner after every 1 hour session, especially peak times for families/children. So so disappointed. On the plus side, the ladies at the Cafe were nice, eatery eas clean and spacious.

Fantastic experience: Clean tidy staff polite and friendly and helpful

Fantastic experience: Nice relaxing place, especially on Wednesday evening

Fantastic experience: Thoroughly enjoying using the pool. The aqua aerobics is great fun. Looking forward to having longer sessions as sometimes an hour isn't quite enough. The tiles look quite old and stained like they could do with a good clean, guess they are just getting very old now. Staff are friendly and cheerful. Changing area clean. On a whole a great experience.

Positive experience: It's a big pool. Water was a little below my preferred temperature. The pool walls look a little manky, which puts me off a little, but upon closer inspection, the mank does not come off and might just be wall discolouration from the water jets being constantly on. Overall, it was a good experience.

Negative experience: Don't know why there called better . Owed money from a cancelled lesson 2 months ago and still not been refunded

Positive experience: A truly exceptional fitness & pool complex. There is various memberships on offer It is a very chilled way to better your health fitness & wellbeing under the guidance of instructors.

Fantastic experience: I have joined this place going to the gym and would like to learn to swim

Positive experience: Decent leisure centre and gym. just joined up and so far so good. Gym is well stocked and has decent machines. Very close to home, is expensive but you have access to the pool so thats why.

Negative experience: Don't know what the new company are called better for . Very dissapointed in th service

Negative experience: im regularly going for class of aqua arobics each week ,enjoying it ,will be continuing to go ,I've also made good friends with the class group . Good,responses from help desk and ladies in the cafe. I've been going for a while now,but one let down is the cleaning is sad, the pool, changing areas, the showers flooding, toilets upstairs, downstairs, the whole area and smell, blocked drainage, not good enough,its a shame as they can do "better " get it, with the improvement to the place.hope "Better group can bring it up to standard.

Positive experience: It's much cleaner and tidier than any other swimming pool in the area. 4 stars due to short swimming sessions( usually is 2 hours) here is only one

Positive experience: Good staff and Nice swimming pool

Negative experience: Been for a few swims recently. It's a pool I guess. You can swim. Unfortunately the facilities are not clean, the toilets are always soaked from swimmers and the ceiling in showers are falling apart and infested with drain flies. The showers are also BOILING hot and the issue seems to not be a priority fix. The staff NEVER answer the phone even when you can't book on the website because some of the features don't work. If you want an hour swim, and don't mind quality, then I guess come to Robinson's.

Negative experience: Absolutely disgraceful. Whole facility is in need of a deep clean. Small pool is stained with grime and some yellow colour in small pool. Changing rooms smell and appear to be infested. Swim school for children is a shambbles with no communication between teaching staff and office staff, children are let down with lack of certificates for their achievement and false promises of moving to the next stage. Its heart breaking because i have used the pool since being a litle girl and not it looks like a run down facility with 0 customer service.

Negative experience: the most miserable pool I have ever seen. wake up and get down to business because many people who come there can get sick, especially they don't know how to receive babies with this kind of infection in the pool.

Negative experience: Genuinely disgusting. I had a shower after a work out and had to go home to have another shower. Stinks of damp/mould. Flies/bugs all over the changing room. There's a hole in the gym floor that hasn't been fixed for over a year. Such a disappointment.

Negative experience: I can't speak for the main swimming pool, but the small family pool area is truly revolting. I have been several times over the last year and hoped to gain a different opinion but it just gets dirtier and dirtier. The water has large unidentifed particles floating in it. The floors by the pool are so thick with black/brown scum that I wouldn't let my child walk on them. The corners of the changing facilities are all black with dirt and grime. The toilets are never clean, and when I went most recently they had flies on the seats and were so repulsive that I couldn't bear using them. I am certain this place hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in years and I truly believe that whoever manages this pool feels that because its the only warm baby pool in Bedford they don't have to do much to maintain it because people will still come. I don't have OCD, but this place makes my skin crawl, as it would with anyone who has a basic standard of cleanliness. Do not recommend to anyone, and will be travelling to wolverton/flitwick/any other pool in future.

Negative experience: So went swimming today as a family of 3 adults and 2 kids. I have to say i am not happy about this visit today!! When we arrived at 2.15 paid and got into the pool we then had to get out at 3pm so about 35 minutes in the pool. But the receptionist did not tell us we had a time limit also the state of the pool is very dirty that i could scratch it of with my nail. Absolutely shocking how they can open the pools in this state!!! They need a setious CLEAN!!!!! And the showers were far to hot too. Im sorry but i will not be coming back to this pool again !!

Fantastic experience: I love this pool, it's very unrated. Olympic size pool, great facilities and plenty of. Awesome new gym... very recommended

Positive experience: Good facilities and friendly service.

Positive experience: I went to the baby pool with my 3month old. The staff were all lovely, the changing rooms were okay. But the baby pool had a huge yellow stain on a quarter of it. And it didn’t look clean at all. The pool area also looked like it could do with a clean. The temperature was perfect for the baby. However the showers were extremely hot and even I couldn’t stand the heat of them. Also the family changing rooms were all empty but locked for some reason which was a little inconvenient

Positive experience: Really good family swim. The pool was warm today, which was nice. Life guards on the ball

Negative experience: Signed up to the gym and unfortunately had to cancel due to not having childcare, however looked to rejoin again and have been asked to pay joining fee of £30 again even though when had to stop using the gym the boy at reception told me my membership is on pause. Manager refused to have a conversation on the phone (that is what is called good management) claiming is busy as I wanted to know why they are turning away money?

Negative experience: staff are extremely rude and complain about little things

Positive experience: A well-maintained swimming pool with reasonable rates per session. They offer many groups exercise classes as well. I recommend this place.

Negative experience: So much potential. Last time we took our son to the baby pool, the water was ice cold and so dirty it’s actually revolting. we ended up leaving after 10 minutes.

Fantastic experience: Large pool and training pool Swim. school Gym Free parking for first 2 hours

Negative experience: Robinson pool is in major and desperate need of refurbishment in the swimming pool area. The cleanliness of the swimming pool area is very unsatisfying would not recommend it anybody with children or suffers from ocd. Very shameful as oasis swimming pool is just as bad and these are the only public pools available in bedford. Couldn't take photos for privacy reasons.

Negative experience: Disappointed that you can only have an hour and you cannot go into the small pool

Positive experience: Needs modernising but mostly seemed clean

Negative experience: 31.03.2023 DETAILED REVIEW ON SWIMMING LESSONS Both my children take part in the weekly swim lessons and can confidently say, my experience has continued to be disappointing at best. In summary, you can expect: - Poor progression of students which is underpinned by staff absences, poor management and lack of communication between front desk and the swim teacher (and visa versa). - No online parent portal access even though this is a feature when registering - limited range of lesson times To give this some more context, my daughter's (now aged 12/9) have previously enjoyed swimming at Robinson Pool pre-covid. During the lock down, we stopped the lessons and have just re-registered. It was decided by staff to start them in lower levels to allow them to to be retested and become confident enough to move back up naturally according to their strength. My oldest sadly finds the lessons very easy and doesn't find it remotely challenging, so much so she wants to stop going. The obvious thing to do is talk to the teacher but, it is impossible to get a moment with them as they are onto the next lesson straight after the session has finished so I went back to the front desk. The front desk couldn't help me as it is down to the swim teacher and she recommended I speak with the teacher to get her assessed and moved up. Tried to speak to the teacher on 4 separate occasions, alas no joy. Off I went back to the front desk (each week this has happened) and I keep getting told the same. On week 2/3, the front desk said they would speak to the teacher but nothing ever comes of it. Week 4 came and I thought I would check with the front front of my oldest child's progression, it sits at 0% as the swim teachers haven't done any assessments / have been absent. My oldest is a competent swimmer and she was nearly on stage 5 so to be stuck on beginner stage 3 is clearly of no benefit to her. I have spoken to several parents who attend swim lessons as well and this is not an isolated case. One of my nephew's had the same issue and has since, moved to a different Swimming Pool because of a lack of progression. There needs to be: - better management / better engagement If the manager took much greater interest in any of these issues / reviews and feedback coming back from the front desk, this could be resolved and would lead to a better experience by paying customers - better communication Having a front desk which is better able to liaise with the swim teachers is essential (and visa versa). Why this is not happening is beyond me. - swim teachers need to regularly assess the students and update the portal which in turn will keep parents better informed. If there is no real means of communicating with them, the parent should be able to leave a note on the portal for the teacher to review for the next lesson. Problem solved! There is no way for this to happen. If we can't see what is happening and that our children are progressing, guess what, you will get unhappy parents. We've cancelled our oldest daughter's session. We will be looking at alternative swimming options for my youngest over the coming weeks. This is just my experience but from this side of the fence, there is lots to do Robinson Pool! As a Swimming Pool, you cannot afford to be loosing students / money because of easily resolvable issues.

Positive experience: Nice pool 5 stars if session was longer. 1 hour is not long.

Fantastic experience: Ele teaches the best fitness classes

Fantastic experience: while waiting for our time slot in the pool with 3 under 5 year olds which can be stressful we went to the cafe where there was a lovely play area for the children and the staff were friendly and chatty with us and the children and took out order the coffee and cakes were amazing! Made us all feel relaxed before our swim in the baby pool would definitely be going again it was a nice over all experience

Fantastic experience: Great cafe and very friendly staff. Couldn’t get enough of the homemade cakes and the coffee was great too Also has a little playarea for the little ones. Will be my regular for sure

Negative experience: Just a joke all round. We started by booking a space in the small pool with our 4 month old and when we got there the receptionist 'couldn't tell' us if the cafe has change to swap for a locker. We had a £2 coin and needed £1 coin. Turns out she could tell us but didn't because she got told off by the cafe for saying they do have cash facilties. When we got to the small pool there was very able swimmers of at least 7 years of age in there. To top this off, there were dads jumping in the small pool as well. The life guard looked uninterested and didn't bat an eye lid at this. The colour of the pool was a brown dirt shade. The tiles clearly haven't been cleaned for a while. You'd have thought they'd clean them? I could also see over at the main pool there were people pushing others into the pool which was ignored by life guards. People were running poolside unchallenged also. This pool is just waiting for an accident to happen. Very disappointed and shocked by the running of this. Better off going to Kempston Pool.

Positive experience: Good pool just a bit cold for my baby. Sometimes it is warmer, it seems to depend on the day.

Negative experience: The place itself and the staff are fine but the app is hopeless. I fancy a swim tomorrow but cannot book and pay because the app wont let me, how ridiculous

Negative experience: Average gym, has all the equipment you need and 3.5/5 cleanliness but does feel like it needs a good scrub. HOWEVER nobody, ever ever ever picks up the phone (unless they want to sell you a membership!!) I’ve rang on 6 different occasions and every time it rings. Even tried when I was in the car and my partner was there in person and they literally ignored it.

Fantastic experience: I come every week to use the cafe, it's great lot's of different options but best off all is coffee and cake and of course the lovely ladies

Fantastic experience: Clean and all the facilities you need in a swimming Center

Negative experience: The manager and staff are completely uneducated on cultures & religions outside their own. The manager sent a staff member to inform me that my own swimmingly costume was simply not allowed as it covers my arms & legs. I was asked if I wore the costume outside and despite informing the staff member that I of course do not as it is swimwear, I was asked to vacate the pool. This was absolutely humiliating and is such a shame as it's the closest swimming pool to me. I suggest you find a substitute if you own arm & leg covering swimming costumes until the pool manager releases a statement apologising and educating himself and his staff.

Negative experience: They never answer the phone. Ever!! No point having a phone number.

Negative experience: Wanted to go swimming in the hottest day ever in the UK so I called a few times to see if there's any availability. They didn't answer so I went there in person. They said they're fully booked even though there were a maximum of 8 people inside. I assume the reception staff think they're too special to pick up the phone? That's what they're being paid for really. And how can you be fully booked when there's barely ANY customers in there?

Positive experience: Good for the price, I just wish they had available floats or something.

Positive experience: The pool itself is just a standard pool. When we went there was only 6 people, including us. This was perfect for us as we haven't been swimming since we were little, so we wanted to get our bearings in the water again. The only thing that spoiled it for us was one of the male lifeguards. The 2 of us were in the slow lane and the was one other person in the lane with us. He was quite happily doing his laps on one side and we were sticking by the wall. Yet the lifeguard found it necessary to tell us to move over to the wall if we were just talking so we're not in the way of others... we were nowhere near the other swimmer and we couldn't get any closer to the wall. The swimmer on the other hand seemed lovely and was happily doing his thing. I don't know if we'll go back there. The lifeguard made us feel uncomfortable about being there.

Fantastic experience: My grand children leant to swim at this pool and he did very ther the teacher taught him to swim very well

Fantastic experience: My daughter and I visited midweek while we were staying with family. I'd not been here for about 40 years and was very pleasantly surprised at how good it is. It now has very smart changing rooms and a little cafe in the entrance area (we didn't try it but it looked welcoming and like it had good food and drink options). The staff were very friendly and helpful too.

Fantastic experience: It's a good swimming pool ‍♀️

Fantastic experience: You'll find me here at least twice a week either in the gym or having a splashy splash in the pool. I've been coming here since I was a kid. One of the best fitness centres in Bedford.

Fantastic experience: I would definitely recommend this swimming pool to anyone. All of the staff are absolutely lovely as well!

Positive experience: Little cold water, nice change places, comfy funs after shower. Enjoy my swim!

Negative experience: If you go for a membership be aware : availability of lane swim at desirable times is nearly non existent. Apparently there is not enough lifeguards. Ridiculous. On top of that, youngster acting as rude staff gossiping about clients and laughing about them. Avoid if you can.

Positive experience: Swimming lessons fine, but customer experience lacks. A lesson was cancelled and not reimbursed, even after I requested a call to arrange this a number of times.

Positive experience: Decent learner pool. Good for young kids

Fantastic experience: Very covid safe my husband swims once a week band is very happy with all staff

Positive experience: Good sized pools and facilities adequate...just all a bit tired and could do with being spruced up a bit. Have to book to ensure there is space due to covid, so numbers in are limited....subsequently there is plenty of room and pools are not crowded, but make sure you plan in advance.

Fantastic experience: Nice clean facility, helpful staff and yoga instructor.

Fantastic experience: 1st time going to this pool. Very well organised. Lady on the desk very helpful

Positive experience: Pool back to normal and dressing rooms open

Positive experience: Robinson's suits me down to the ground. It's close to where I live and offers swimming, a small gym and exercise classes. The exercise classes are a bit samey with limited variety but on the other hand, being an OAP they are just right for maintaining fitness and flexibility. The place was much busier pre COVID and I just hope it can regain more clientele. It'll be nice to get the coffee bar open again.

Positive experience: Love using this pool to keep active and fit! Members of staff aren’t welcoming and the cafe is closed! All restrictions were lifted ages ago. You can’t just turn up and swim you have to book your swim via an app or over the phone. You have to wait for one session to finish before you can go through the turnstiles. I know we have been in a pandemic but stay up to date and welcome your customers not push them away

Positive experience: My wife tried to change her booking time and was told she would lose her money and have to pay again for a new booking. What an utter disgrace. I know of no other company that would charge to simply change to another time. Shame on you Fusion. Spoils an otherwise satisfactory experience. I don’t suppose they’ll respond to this either

Positive experience: My first swim in the place. Very clean. Not crowded

Fantastic experience: Nice selection and set up of gym equipment. Plenty of space and not too busy which is a great bonus.

Positive experience: Our first time at the Robinson Pool in Bedford and we loved it, the hour limit was just right, only 4 stars because some of the pools tiling either needs replacing or cleaning, otherwise i would definitely recommend it

Negative experience: This place has now hit rock bottom. I shall be canceling my membership effective immediately.

Negative experience: I've been there last week for a family swim session.. Since the covid situation we can't take a shower there. The water was very cool and dirty. I was wondering since when the water hasnt been change

Negative experience: The lifeguards were very helpful and the experience was really good. However, as a first time mum going swimming with my child I found the lady at reception was very unhelpful and rude the whole time. Otherise my son enjoyed his swim.

Positive experience: Great relaxation swim, good covid practice. Fusion app to book appointments is not so good though.

Negative experience: Slow service ,luck of organisation made me daughter miss her session.

Negative experience: Don't really like it. Maybe becoz I use them for swim lessons:/ always queues on the entrance coz kids get in and parents cant go as no pass so need to wait bcoz reception is always busy. Lessons supposed last 30 min as I said supposed never did... always problem paying ur money back.

Fantastic experience: Great space , nice staff , really warm water , great for kids .

Positive experience: Kids pool was cold, but that could've been due to it being the first session. Other than that the dressing area is nice and clean and staff are friendly.

Negative experience: Not very clean place. Has the potential but. I was expecting clean water after long covid closure. In your dreams.

Negative experience: Re-opened after a year in lockdown and there is dirt, grit and stones all over the bottom of the pool. You would of thought they would of took the opportunity to clean it properly ready for re-opening. Water tasted funny and not like the normal chlorine taste. Overall very unsatisfactory

Negative experience: Scabby service. You need to do better Fusion. I have just returned from Robinson Pool I was hoping to enjoy a swim that I had booked yesterday. I was told at the reception desk that a mistake had occurred . There would be no swimming because they had forgotten to amend the booking system there were swimming lessons but no other swimming for members. I was furious, do Fusion have any managers? If so what are they doing to oversee what is going on ? Management should have been monitoring the situation and should have picked up this error. My friend travelled all the way in from Wootton I planned the whole morning around the swim. A whole morning wasted and the day disrupted because Fusion seem unable to get their act together. I have continued to pay membership during lockdown I will have to reflect on my loyal membership to Robinson Pool.. There was only one member of staff struggling to deal with the situation single handed. Again where were the management team to help? Sort yourself out Fusion you have already lost a lot of long term members because of shoddy service. At this rate there will be no members left. Marion Wallace

Fantastic experience: Very good very good service disappointed that I cant book X2 session a day as it is quite empty but excellent service great feeling

Negative experience: No showers available at all, since when has a swimming pool allowed people in without showering!!!

Fantastic experience: Been going here for over 40 yrs.still my favourite. Special memories

Negative experience: kids pool is always booked out or about to close time to change this bedford council or whats the point in having one all the other parents where not happy as well sort it out !!!!!!!!

Positive experience: Quite a nice clean pool really peaceful sometimes

Negative experience: Pool area is so filthy with mucky water .it has been like that for week ,no ones as cleaned it yet. Open shower is even worst hair are every where , And it’s puddle all the time when I mention to staff he told me it’s drainage problem . I caught infection in my foot. Where is hygiene . Bedford borough council ‘s is only interesting to issue parking ticket to make money , nothing more than that .

Negative experience: i whould give 0 if i Could turned up at 1:30 to be told Pool closes at 1:45 for session change so I said okay no problem we can get out the pool for 15 minutes have a shower go back in lady says No you can’t do that if you go in for the 15 minutes you must leave afterwards so she turned away a three-year-old crying baby absolutely ridiculous i used to come to this pool every week I will not come again Absolute joke no apology nothing just sat there with a face like I can’t be bothered anyway

Positive experience: Great pool. Gents' showering facilities dirty and smell of stale urine. Complaints fall on deaf ears.

Negative experience: Fix your phones. Impossible to know which pools are open when phone lines don't even work. Someone picks up, says hello, then line goes dead. I guess it is a slight improvement on the months of no one answering the phone we previously experienced.

Negative experience: I shall NEVER give Fusion lifestyle any money ever again. Their customer service is absolutely shocking and they increase prices without notifying you. The make threatening messages when you want to cancel and despite trying to work something out they continue with their abusive communications. I will avoid Fusion Lifestyle like the plague.

Positive experience: A good facility. Nice family-friendly changing rooms. Coffee shop is all too offer closed at the moment though!