The company established to manage the city’s three major leisure centres has been accused of misleading former Wyndham Leisure and Events Centre members over promised discounts to join the redeveloped facilities.
Western Leisure Services was formed by Wyndham council last April to administer the Wyndham Leisure and Events Centre (WLEC), Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre and the Werribee Olympic outdoor pool.
A group of more than 40 former WLEC members claim they were promised “best prices” on memberships.
But Bev Temple, a WLEC member since 2000, said past members were being charged the same early bird rates as the general public.
New memberships range between $11.60 and $22.95 per week, with limited time, “early bird foundation memberships” providing unlimited access to all three facilities for $18.95 per week and a $59 joining fee. “When the centre [WLEC] closed we didn’t choose to cancel our contracts,” Ms Temple said.
“Now, if we want to return to the new facility, we’ll have to pay another joining fee as well as our membership.”
A letter to health club members on August 12, 2013 from former WLEC managers, Belgravia Leisure, stated all memberships would be “automatically” cancelled from August 13 and the council would keep a database of existing members who “would be offered the best foundation membership prices” available prior to the opening of the new centre.
A Western Leisure Services spokesman last week would say only that the “best option” available to join the three facilities was through foundation memberships.
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