Stolen stroller at London Baby Swim Wandsworth Post Reply

[RHOB]

Hi,

Apparently they had a stolen buggy yesterday so if you take your babies swimming there remember your buggy locks.

Hopefully they catch this person soon

[NYE31]

Sadly this doesn't surprise me, you aren't allowed to take buggies inside & instead they expect you to leave them unsupervised outside.

The staff were very unhelpful when I asked if anyone would be keeping an eye on them so we stopped going after 2 sessions.

[northside_mum]

We have been taking our children swimming there for a few years and don't need a buggy anymore but I'm pretty sure they have locks for customers to use if they ask the staff in the cafe. In my experience I have always found the staff there really nice and helpful. I can understand why they don't want to commit to keeping an eye on the buggies as they can't do that continuously as they are busy + would effectively be personally responsible if anything happened. In terms of taking the buggies inside, there isn't a lot of space to store buggies + it would get pretty unhygienic if they were stored inside. I have to say that one of the good things about London Baby Swim is how clean it is and therefore nice to use!

[MartaAleksandra]

Sadly we have had our double buggy stolen from there yesterday - brand new phil and teds. What's worse the staff actually saw it happened and didn't stop the thief. When we arrived after the swim to collect the buggy we were told that an old guy walked off with it. So the staff s maybe nice but not at all helpful! It's outrageous that they didn't react the way anyone there would expect then to especially that a buggy had been already stolen two days before! We have reported it to the police so let's see what happens. There are CCTV around the area so fingers crossed they catch the thief.

[HarrietNelson]

That was my Bugaboo cameleon that was stolen last Wednesday at London Baby Swim and I'm still seething. I do love LBS but I must say the way they dealt with it was truly dismal. No sense of urgency, initially saying it must have been one of the other mum's who had taken it by accident and them it finally took them 2 days to get back to me about the CCTV camera which had apparently been disconnected.they should get rid of the frosted window by the coffee bar.

[Cleod]

I'm sorry to hear that, so annoying and frustrating! I think what doesn't help is the loops they have on the floor are too small to fit a standard bicycle lock. In the summer you could lock the pram to the chain, but in the winter it's likely to get wet. Plus the frosting on the window implies that no one is looking, so do what you like!
I might not book for the next term now, knowing the security is so bad. The gym in southside do swimming lessons too, so I might look into that instead.

[NYE31]

Try the baby & toddler swimming pool on Trinity Road in Tooting, far nicer staff, pool & facilities, great teachers & classes plus you can leave your buggies in a supervised, locked area!

[Muma2max]

It's terrible that people have had their buggies stolen but it upsets me to hear people blaming the swim school.
It is made very clear that buggies need to be left outside and they provide loops for the buggies to be locked to. You can even buy a cheap lock from TIGER in the shopping centre for less than £5. As mentioned before, this is a hygiene reason and also a space issue. There are so many baby places where you can't take buggies inside and this is actually one of the few places that offer a way of locking your buggy, so people shouldn't complain.
I can't comment on the staff in this instance and if they were rude or unhelpful then that's not nice but it isn't their responsibility (although they should be sympathetic I agree).
The frosted glass is also there for security. I really wouldn't want people peering it at my children.

[tooposhtopush]

I'd like to jump in and I think this is an example of where UK businesses sometimes forget that customer service is really important.

It IS their responsibility to ensure that the customers that they attract (parents with buggies) have somewhere safe to park them. If every car at B&Q in Wandsworth was broken in to we'd soon complain and the store would go bust.

It may not be the exact letter of the law but the harsh reality of running a business is if customers belongings are not safe whilst using the business it won't have to worry about security for very long.

They need to nip this is the bud...

[Muma2max]

I agree in part 'tooposhtopush' (love the name!) as customer service is very important but at the same time, if you left your car unlocked at B&Q would they be responsible? Surely providing a way of locking your buggy is providing a way for belongings to be safe?
There is certainly no reason for the staff to not help in providing CCTV or being rude. That is unforgivable. Although they are not directly responsible, there is an element of responsibility.
I also think LBS should state it clearly on their website, and when you book, that you will need a lock as you can't take your buggy inside as at least then you can be prepared and also decide if you would rather swim elsewhere.

[Cleod]

I've got a bike lock- from tiger as it happens- the loop on the floor is too small to fit. Have mentioned it to them that they need bigger loops but they didn't do anything about it. So I just locked it to the chain- but that isn't under the canopy to be protected from the rain.
If the frosting on the window next to the coffee shop area was removed then the staff can still see out without fear of anyone looking in at the children.
I'm actually surprised that things haven't been stolen earlier than this!

[MartaAleksandra]

Seems the thefts started last week as have been contacted by others saying their buggies were stolen from there too literally day after day so surprised that the staff hasn't bothered to put up a notice about it considering that they were aware! Let's see if they cared to switch on the CCTV following the first theft last Wednesday!