Even reached the TimesOnline business letters:
3rd letter down
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2847160.ece
and its not only the towels they are getting stingy about:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=443672&highlight=virgin+active+towels
Tuesday 18 December 2007
Bring Back The Towels! Campaign T shirt.
Say no to the cynical use of the environment for corporate profit.
Bring back the sweat towels or give the money saved to an environmental charity.
Get yourself a campaign t shirt and wear it during your next Virgin Active workout!
Ask for Mary at streetshirts.co.uk on 0800 177 7772 or order online at: http://streetshirts.co.uk/ . Cost £ 23.99
BACK of t-shirt:
Virgin Active!
Bring back the towels or Give the savings to charity
Sign the petition!
The staff at the club cannot change this,
FRONT of t-shirt:
Virgin Active!
Bring back the towels or Give the savings to charity
Sign the petition!
Bring back the sweat towels or give the money saved to an environmental charity.
Get yourself a campaign t shirt and wear it during your next Virgin Active workout!
Ask for Mary at streetshirts.co.uk on 0800 177 7772 or order online at: http://streetshirts.co.uk/ . Cost £ 23.99
BACK of t-shirt:
Virgin Active!
Bring back the towels or Give the savings to charity
Sign the petition!
The staff at the club cannot change this,
please do not hassle them,
sign the petition which will go to the people who can.
FRONT of t-shirt:
Virgin Active!
Bring back the towels or Give the savings to charity
Sign the petition!
We are not the only ones talking about this very unpopular initiative!
We are not the only ones talking about this very unpopular initiative!
Its happening across the country.
http://www.stephennewton.com/2007/11/virgin-active.html
Its happening across the country.
http://www.stephennewton.com/2007/11/virgin-active.html
Email to General Manager
Dear Mr ****
After what I can only describe as a campaign by members of Virgin Active Oxford street (and other clubs in the same position) seeking the return of the supply of sweat towels to us (currently limited toone large towel per person) we have been informed that the decision to change this, with respect "misguided" decision rests with you.
Accordingly, I write to you on behalf of a body of people who are extremely unhappy with your change in policy which effectively deprives people of having a dry towel and clean gym environment aftertheir gym session. I cannot express too forcefully the degree of damage this decisions has mad to Virgin Active's relationship with its customers. It is very much felt you, in taking this unilateral decision, without and consultation with members, you are "ignoring"the wishes and needs of your customers.
Whilst it is appreciated the policy is said to be for the benefit ofthe environment the reality of the decision does not in any way aid any environmental causes. If for example you donated the money saved in processing the extra towels and donated it directly to an environmental charity with the donations published for your customers to see then obviously you would have our full hearted support, however this is not what has happened. In the absence of such an action it does seem that your action is nothing more than a cost cutting exercise that does not benefit the environment (as people have tobring their own towels from home and then wash them or use paper towels) or indeed your clients who until recently joined with theexpectations of a generous supply of towels.
The purpose of this letter is two fold. In the first instance we would wish to hold you to the fact that you purport to be a company that listens to its customers and given the strength in feeling amongst members, we ask you reconsider your unhelpful decision which alas,make no mistake about it, has and will lose you customers. The second part of this letter is, with respect, if you were not so minded to change your policy, what given the intensity and level offeeling would? I say this not in an antagonistic way or unconstructive fashion but to in a hope to deal and indeed settle this matter in a way that pleases all parties without, to use but one e.g.,which has been supplied writing to the newspapers, I give you this merely by way of illustration.
In short Sir, with regard to the level of feeling and the evidence before you in the petition and Blogs highlighted what are you preparedto do to resolve this matter?
http://www.bringbackthetowels.com
http://virginactivebringbackourtowels.blogspot.com/
I look forward in anticipation to your response.
Kind regards,
****
After what I can only describe as a campaign by members of Virgin Active Oxford street (and other clubs in the same position) seeking the return of the supply of sweat towels to us (currently limited toone large towel per person) we have been informed that the decision to change this, with respect "misguided" decision rests with you.
Accordingly, I write to you on behalf of a body of people who are extremely unhappy with your change in policy which effectively deprives people of having a dry towel and clean gym environment aftertheir gym session. I cannot express too forcefully the degree of damage this decisions has mad to Virgin Active's relationship with its customers. It is very much felt you, in taking this unilateral decision, without and consultation with members, you are "ignoring"the wishes and needs of your customers.
Whilst it is appreciated the policy is said to be for the benefit ofthe environment the reality of the decision does not in any way aid any environmental causes. If for example you donated the money saved in processing the extra towels and donated it directly to an environmental charity with the donations published for your customers to see then obviously you would have our full hearted support, however this is not what has happened. In the absence of such an action it does seem that your action is nothing more than a cost cutting exercise that does not benefit the environment (as people have tobring their own towels from home and then wash them or use paper towels) or indeed your clients who until recently joined with theexpectations of a generous supply of towels.
The purpose of this letter is two fold. In the first instance we would wish to hold you to the fact that you purport to be a company that listens to its customers and given the strength in feeling amongst members, we ask you reconsider your unhelpful decision which alas,make no mistake about it, has and will lose you customers. The second part of this letter is, with respect, if you were not so minded to change your policy, what given the intensity and level offeeling would? I say this not in an antagonistic way or unconstructive fashion but to in a hope to deal and indeed settle this matter in a way that pleases all parties without, to use but one e.g.,which has been supplied writing to the newspapers, I give you this merely by way of illustration.
In short Sir, with regard to the level of feeling and the evidence before you in the petition and Blogs highlighted what are you preparedto do to resolve this matter?
http://www.bringbackthetowels.com
http://virginactivebringbackourtowels.blogspot.com/
I look forward in anticipation to your response.
Kind regards,
****
Email back from general manager
Hi ****,
Thanks for copying me in to your reply.
There is no doubt that as a Regional General Manager, **** has decision making responsibilities of this nature. In a business such as ours decisions like the one we have made on the gym towels are not made by any one person. Me and the RGM team work very closely and take every decision seriously. There is every reason to meet with **** because he is fully empowered, with my full support, with all business matters in the central region.
I know that **** has clarified our full reasoning in the past to you. Please refer to this communication as we are not saying that we have removed towels for the sole purpose of protecting the environment.
We appreciate your upset at us removing the sweat towels, yet the club offers fatastic value for money that we fully stand behind. We have worked hard to refurbish the club and add new products to the club in the last few months and we will consider to do so.
Many thanks
****
Thanks for copying me in to your reply.
There is no doubt that as a Regional General Manager, **** has decision making responsibilities of this nature. In a business such as ours decisions like the one we have made on the gym towels are not made by any one person. Me and the RGM team work very closely and take every decision seriously. There is every reason to meet with **** because he is fully empowered, with my full support, with all business matters in the central region.
I know that **** has clarified our full reasoning in the past to you. Please refer to this communication as we are not saying that we have removed towels for the sole purpose of protecting the environment.
We appreciate your upset at us removing the sweat towels, yet the club offers fatastic value for money that we fully stand behind. We have worked hard to refurbish the club and add new products to the club in the last few months and we will consider to do so.
Many thanks
****
Email to Virgin Active
Hi ****
Thank-you for taking the time to call me yesterday and going through things.
I am in a bit of a difficult situation.... However much I would like to meet up and chat I feel that I would be waisting bothour times. You must see this from my perspective that whilst I do not object to meeting you in principal there seems to be little purposeas you are not, to my understanding the decision maker in relation to this policy - please correct me if I am mistaken in this regard. I am unable to move on the possition of the Virgin Active customers that I in some way speak for and I feel that you are not in a position to be able to make a gesture from Virgin Active to its customers on this point (be it bringing back the sweat towels or charity donations).
This is a very awkward and unfortunate position to be in. Really it is Virgin Active that hold all the cards here and to most Club Members it is Virgin Active who should offer a meaningful gesture of good will to either the customers and / or the environment considering that Virgin Active are using both to their financial benefit. I hate to draw parallels but in this situation I feel I must:
If you were a customer of a mobile company X and they decided from one month to the next to reduce by more than half the amount of minutes you had a month for what ever reason and said that they were doing this for your benefit as this would make it possible for them to invest in better technology, I honestly do not think that you would be best pleased.
This is exactly what you are doing at Virgin Active. Except you have found a way, using the environment as an excuse, to place yourselves in some sort of "self righteous" position and are bulling your own customers into submission with this.
Your customers are not asking much. They ask from the company, to which they pay money for a service, very reasonable and logical steps in this situation. To either understand that they have made a massive mistake and overturn this initiative or prove that they are of good faith and honest and give the savings to an environmental charity.
The fact that I have to repeat this over and over again is incredibly depressing, I really believed that Virgin was better than this.
Please feel free to contact me if you believe that I am wrong in my assessment of the outcome of a potential meeting with yourself.
Best regards,
****
Thank-you for taking the time to call me yesterday and going through things.
I am in a bit of a difficult situation.... However much I would like to meet up and chat I feel that I would be waisting bothour times. You must see this from my perspective that whilst I do not object to meeting you in principal there seems to be little purposeas you are not, to my understanding the decision maker in relation to this policy - please correct me if I am mistaken in this regard. I am unable to move on the possition of the Virgin Active customers that I in some way speak for and I feel that you are not in a position to be able to make a gesture from Virgin Active to its customers on this point (be it bringing back the sweat towels or charity donations).
This is a very awkward and unfortunate position to be in. Really it is Virgin Active that hold all the cards here and to most Club Members it is Virgin Active who should offer a meaningful gesture of good will to either the customers and / or the environment considering that Virgin Active are using both to their financial benefit. I hate to draw parallels but in this situation I feel I must:
If you were a customer of a mobile company X and they decided from one month to the next to reduce by more than half the amount of minutes you had a month for what ever reason and said that they were doing this for your benefit as this would make it possible for them to invest in better technology, I honestly do not think that you would be best pleased.
This is exactly what you are doing at Virgin Active. Except you have found a way, using the environment as an excuse, to place yourselves in some sort of "self righteous" position and are bulling your own customers into submission with this.
Your customers are not asking much. They ask from the company, to which they pay money for a service, very reasonable and logical steps in this situation. To either understand that they have made a massive mistake and overturn this initiative or prove that they are of good faith and honest and give the savings to an environmental charity.
The fact that I have to repeat this over and over again is incredibly depressing, I really believed that Virgin was better than this.
Please feel free to contact me if you believe that I am wrong in my assessment of the outcome of a potential meeting with yourself.
Best regards,
****
Monday 10 December 2007
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