Gymboree Play & Music

It is really the worst Children education center I have been to. The teachers sing songs out of tone. Each class just repeat the same thing. Very boring. And there is no children lock on the cabinet. My son’s fingers were clapped in it. I cancelled the membership anyway!

I encountered the same problem of cancellation and make up class today. I have make up class but I was told I couldn’t use it because my membership expired. Nobody told me this rule when I enrolled and paid for the class, and when I called to cancel and have the make up class, the staff told me no need to call, just come for the make up class, she never mentioned about this rule either. I was very disappointed with it. I should read the review in Unilocal before I enrolled the class. I

We started to take the classes from this Feb., and everything was OK until I plan to cancel the program with the lady A. I registered the Music and Gym classes, and I asked lady A to cancel them all 14 days in advance before the billing day. However, when I checked my bank account, I found that they still charged me the gym class. I called many times, and different people answered the phone, and they promised to check for me and call me back. I didn’t get any answers. After about 2 weeks, I called again, lady B answered me, said I only canceled the music class, so I should come over again to sign a document to cancel the gym class. I came and signed, but lady B didn’t agree to refund me the mischarge because it was my fault. I don’t think that’s all my fault, because I said clearly to the lady A that I want to cancel all the classes, but the lady A only checked one class for me. I trust her, so I didn’t check the form again. The lady B said she can offer me 4 make-​up classes, however, only the member can use it. That means if I want use the make-​up classes, I have to continue to pay for the membership as usual. I have no choice on that time so I accepted. After I looked over the reviews here, I found that I’m not the only one had this bad experience.

My daughter is enrolled in music level II. The curriculum is great, the only downside is that not a lot of kids are enrolled. Sometimes she’s the only one. Which defeats the purpose if you want your child to socialize with other kids. Other then that the music theme changes every 3 weeks. And classes are only offered Saturday and Friday, which means that to make up a class if you miss a day will be though.

I am writing because I recently went into Gymboree to cancel my membership. The associate recommended that I put my account on hold so I could use some of my make up classes (I had 12, which was why I wanted to cancel in the first place. I just was not able to fit the classes into my busy schedule at this time). The woman told me she would cancel my account after the month hold, and that I wouldn’t be able to use any make up classes after the cancellation (so use as many as we could during the holding period). I agreed to do this, and was assured by her that my membership would be cancelled the following month. We still only ended up using a couple of them unfortunately. I remember it was very busy as a class was about to begin that day, but the associate told me she would put everything in the computer. She was actually very nice, and was offering this to me because we had so many unused classes. I thought, ‘how nice of her to give us an opportunity to use missed classes!‘
When I got charged for the following month, I called the office right away. Bianca (the manager?) informed me that I would need to come in person to cancel (I already did that!), and that she had no record of my attempt to cancel (not my problem). She also said she wanted to ‘investigate the matter more’ and continued to call and email me with a bunch of ridiculous questions. Bianca never once apologized for this huge inconvenience. Regardless, I am a very busy full time working mom, and don’t have time to «investigate» how her team did not properly take care of a customer. If they misplaced forms, did not enter things correctly, and/​or told the customer they would do something that they did not, then it is their responsibility to fix it in a timely manner. This has been a time consuming issue, and shows that this location is actually more interested in trying to ‘trap’ customers into membership fees THAT THEY WILL NOT USE, instead of just making them happy, encouraging positive word of mouth, and opening the door to joining more classes when their schedule is more open.
Additionally, it goes without saying that it is beyond disappointing when a customer comes in (in person I might add) to cancel their account, and actually ends up getting finangled into being charged for yet another month they will not use! Anyone who has any sense of making customer service a priority, knows what the right thing to do in this situation is.
I will be posting this review on ALL Gymboree sites in the bay area so that everyone knows how Gymboree handles cancellations. I definitely feel obligated to inform others.
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My daughter and I love this place and the teachers. It’s a safe, friendly environment. Bubble camp starts June 15^th and runs through August 15^th, and it provides unlimited play for your child, for the regular price of the one day a week. I’ve read a couple reviews about problems with canceling membership. You have to cancel your membership 10 days before the next bill date and you must do it in person. Now I don’t work for this place, but I pay attention and I really love this place.

We showed up for class today and the door was locked and no one was there. Several toddlers and parents were waiting outside the door. I ran into the teacher on my way out, and she had locked her key inside.
If this was the 1^st time this had happened fine. People make mistakes. But it was the 5TH TIME IN A COUPLE MONTHS! I checked back half an hour later and it was still locked. The teacher offered to let me stay for the next class, but we pay for unlimited classes so we could have done that anyway. The number of times I have gotten my toddler ready to go and in the car only to show up to a locked room is ridiculous, especially for the amount I pay.

Parents BEWARE! I had taken my son several months to this and enjoyed it however, the teachers kept changing to the point where the one was new and how she worked with the kids was odd so we decided to cancel.
I called then emailed to cancel the owner was very rude and she has charged my card every month for 6 months! I have called and emailed repeatedly and no avail!
She owes me a refund of over $ 300 and now I have had involve my bank. This is the biggest ripoff I have ever seen and you cant cancel!
I have spent countless hours emailing and on the phone at this point and I continue to get charged! It’s unfortunate because now we would never go back here and probably would of as our son moved into the next class with a new teacher.

only bring your kid here if you want pay for your kid to come home sick as f*ck. clean up your act and try reminding parents to leave your kid at home if they are sick. i will never bring my kid here again. screw you gymboree and the parents who bring there sick kids there.

My daughter and I started coming here when she was just a baby to help her improve her motor skills and to give her an opportunity to socialize with other baby’s her age. In the beginning, it was great! She learned a lot and she definitely enjoyed all the singing and dancing. The same kids every Saturday and teacher Mimi had a special way with the kids. All that changed when the new owner took over. Teacher Mimi left and there was a different face every Saturday. Classes were cancelled without any notification. Management promised partial refunds but those turned out to be false promises. The schedule changed drastically so if you missed a class there weren’t much options to make it up unless you wanted to drive to another location. It was a mess! After being constantly let down by management I decided to cancel our membership. I can’t speak for all locations but I don’t see this one lasting much longer.

This Gymboree is awesome. It’s clean and the teachers are very friendly. My 2 and 5 year olds both love taking the sibling class together.

I starting taking my toddler to this Gymboree in December. (We were going to the Comcord location before it closed.) He really enjoys it and it gives us some one-​on-​one together. My first impression-​the place is small, has low ceilings and is not as clean as the other Gymborees I have been to. But I thought I would give it a chance since my son really likes going.
After 3 months, I just about had it. The teachers are great, but the place just seems unorganized. The teachers don’t seem to regulate who comes in to class and if they are in the appropriate level. My son’s class has 3 kids enrolled yet there were 12 kids in class today. Some kids were too old and some were too young. One teacher told me that several of their member have the unlimited plan so they come whenever they want. And they NEVER turn anyone away.
There are some parents/​care takers/​etc who don’t control their kids and they run around knocking over other kids. I have been to other Gymborees and they have always addressed discipline to ensure the safety of the other kids. Having older kids in class isn’t safe for the younger kids either.
Cleanliness…I do not know how often they clean their equipment. I see dust in between the mats. I can scrape dirt off the equipment with my fingernail. This is just gross. I do not see them wiping down equipment between classes. So Sally’s drool from the last class is now all over my child’s hands and feet. Yuck.
I really wanted to like this location. My older son LOVED it and attended Gymboree in Concord for 1 ½ yrs before starting preschool. My experience in the past has been so positive that I am very disappointed that my recent experience in El Cerrito has been the complete opposite. I was so grossed out that I canceled my membership and never went back even with about 5 or 6 sessions left on my account. I just couldn’t go back.

I took my 13 month old daughter to try it out and to see if she liked it and of course see if it was worth it. Our teacher that day was Nick C. OMG!!! he is such a character. He is so friendly, animated, caring and just an all around good teacher. The other parents were all super nice and friendly and their children were so cute :) I signed up my daughter that day so we can continue to be with Gymboree El Cerrito.

I took my nephew to a class for 2 year olds. The teacher Nick was fantastic– animated, friendly, inclusive, and great with kiddos. My nephew is very shy and easily over stimulated and although this class was very high energy, Nick always took a moment to try to include my nephew without being overbearing, I would absolutely recommend Gymboree El Cerrito!

I’m no longer going here because my son started preschool, but it was really good for him while we were. He was never very physical, so all the structures were good for him to climb on. It was also a nice way to socialize him with other kids.
I think they need to get on parents more for parent-​participation. I didn’t even realize parents were supposed to participate when I first started because no one was. Lots of parents just sit on their cell phones, some of them talking on their phones in the middle of the room during class, which is just rude.
Otherwise, all of the teachers were really nice. The place was clean.
Our teacher left while we were there, so I’m not sure how often they have turnover.

This Gymboree location had to be my first review under my Mommy account. The location is clean, bright and large. Our instructor is Crystal; she is enthusiatic and my son loves her. Since starting the program he has gone from refusing to climb to climbing and he is quickly learning to socialize with other kids. After checking out another Gymboree location and deciding against it it seems prudent to caution that Gymboree is really all about the instructors. If you have a bad instructor that will make the whole experience a lot less enjoyable.
We took part in their Father’s day event and it was pretty much a wash. The puffy paint was mostly gone by the time it was our turn to paint my hubbies shirt (his first fathers day shirt!) so it ended up as a mish-​mash of colors and consistencies. The instructor for the Fathers day event was an older woman who, while pleasant, was not energetic enough for the environment. I don’t attribute this to her age, btw, she just wasn’t putting much into the activities. The class that day was subdued at best, I doubt I’ll do that again next year.

I bought an online deal for my daughter (at the time she was 8 months). We enrolled in the music class with Bebe. She was very enthusiastic and kept the class fun for my daughter!
There was another male instructor that taught a «play» class at the same time. He looked like a lot of fun! Hope to make it back soon!

My son has been going to this Gymboree since he was a year old. He is now 4 years old and in their School Skills class with Abigail. He loves her and the class… and so do we. We’ve always had great experiences here with all the teachers and the community of parents, who are now our friends. Now my youngest son (started at 9 months, he’s now 18 months) attends classes here and he loves them too! We are so happy with this place and are glad to be a part of it!

Great atmosphere for kids and parents. We took our 10 month old to the level 3 class. Sarah was super helpful and enthusiastic. She made the class fun and the babies loved her! We bought into a groupon for a discounted monthly pass, but I think I would be willing to buy it for full price. The activities are developmentally appropriate and Sarah was very knowledgeable!

We started going to gymboree a few months ago and generally like it, especially after trying the berkeley y’s baby gym program and being so overwhelmed that we decided Gymboree was much more our speed. The teachers are mixed. Sometimes the teacher seems completely disorganized, freaked out and just bad… other teachers are more confident and upbeat. The equipment is versatile and the atmosphere is really relaxed. The best part is that classes are segregated by age/​developmental level, so your little crawling baby isn’t overrun by toddlers on the loose. Oh, and parking right outside… The price is a bit high for what you get, but if you go to the open gym time, it is almost worth it, and truly the most low key kid gym program in town.