Showing posts with label consumer rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consumer rights. Show all posts

Sunday, June 6, 2010

La Rasante Survival 101 (parody)

Get the jungle signals right in Asspria Hell and survive overcrowding




Picture: A consumer (right) submits to an Asspria manager (left)

Intimidation and dominant behavior in an overcrowded club

Human domination and submission behavior can be understood by looking at the way apes behave. We are not that different. For more on that, check The Naked Ape by Morris (1). Sometimes, I even wonder if apes should not sue us humans for saying they resemble us. They do not wage war, mass killings, systematic exploitation of their fellows. But this is besides the point.

Male consumers that are the victim of aggression often avoid further conflict by submissive behaviors. Female consumers attacked by more dominant females and dominant males  often seek the same type of end to conflict in order to obtain reassurance from their aggressor.
IMHO, Two types of intimidations exist at Asspria L'Harassante: from hooligans of both sexes rampaging on the premises and securing space and facilities for themselves, and from senior managers. 

The personnel wearing prison uniforms tends to be submissive to Asspria managers.

Bobbing

A submissive consumer lets the aggressor know that he or she is not a threat and that rip-off will be permitted through non-threatening postures such as presenting their back, crouching and bowing. This is called bobbing.

A quick simulation of intercourse "doggy-style" can happen as is seen in primates. This ritual puts an end to conflict by signalling full submission to the dominant part.

Submission and politeness

The submissive consumer will approach the dominant Asspria manager or hooligan with a fear grin on its face. It is attempting to present itself as small and non-threatening. The dominant part will in turn allow the submissive consumer to move closer to him. Often he will attempt to gently touch the consumer's back, arm, or hand. The hooligan will start predating with a grin.

In the jungle, politeness, especially after provocations, is interpreted as weakness and a carte-blanche to slander you, tramp on your rights, take your towel, remove you from a tennis court or remove your sports bag from the bank in the changing rooms.

Responding in kind to dominants is interpreted as rebellion and conflict can escalate very rapidly.

How berserkers and Asspria managers signal you have to submit

Dominance displays occur when a male (or female) is attempting to intimidate a subordinate or to gain rank. A typical dominance display begins with the person attempting domination standing up straight with hair bristling (pilo-erection), shoulders hunched, and a compressed lips face so that his body looks larger and his face meaner. Teeth are shown on some occasions, but stiff lips remain prevalent.

Picture: Dominance display in posture. Senior manager Shoe-gazer is intimidating  a customer into vacating a court he has a legitimate claim to.

Gesticulation

The displaying dominant will then start to sway back and forth, shoving brush and other vegetation that are found on the tennis courts at Rasante with exaggerated movements. At the studio classes, space will be cleared by manipulating weights, mats and towels in such a way that submissives will have to move to stay out of harm's way. In the changing room, exaggerated limb movements will secure more space.

If these displays are insufficient to elicit submission signals, the dominant will grow increasingly excited and provocative. Some skilled dominants (Thor Berserker's technique reigns supreme) may shout they are lawyers, diplomats or princes.

Picture: The dominant's throwing of coconuts and tearing off tree branches and dragging them while running and gesticulating rapidly around his intended victim is usually decisive. This can be combined by seasoned berserkers by pushing or coming within biting distance of tennis players they want to bully out of the court.

The cowering submissive may choose to use one of many forms of submissive behavior to pacify the angry aggressor.

Punishment of assertive customers at Asspria

While dominance displays don't usually erupt into full scale fighting, those customers that don't get out of the way fast enough of a dominant customer will find that the dominant will call reception and intimidate an Asspria manager into seconding them.

The assertive customer will then likely be rapped at, yelled at and threatened (of exclusion for instance). This is in part a provocation. Any mistake like responding in kind, pushing back biters and the like will be interpreted as an aggression that warrants exclusion.

Signalling mismanagement and abuse of power, referring to club regulations or quality of consumer service warrants exclusion. Customers that stand their ground and will not back down from asserting their right to a decent service can furthermore expect to be slandered with vivid imagination and either tarred and feathered at once or shamefully kicked out of Asspria Hell.

This is part of the local culture and is not written anywhere. The local regulations are under seven seals anyway and only managers have accesss to the list of Member Representatives that once used to be posted but is now removed from sight.

Conclusion and tips

Try to adjust slowly, never walk alone, get Asspria-wise (as in street-wise) and stick to a gang as you would do in prison or the soviet army.

Assertiveness is not rewarded.

Taking the initiative with threatening behavior, if well staged as described above, will guarantee backing by the management and, if things should go wrong, exclusion of your polite opposition from the club.

Except for Asspria's lawyer, everybody understands this is parody and has absolutely nothing to do with real-life situations at Asspria L'Harassante.

(1) The Illustrated Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal. Desmond Morris. Review by Janet Dunaif-Hattis. American Anthropologist. Sep 1987, Vol. 89, No. 3: 732–733.

"Bob or be excluded."

Science: Why is L'Harassante a Lynching Park? (parody)

Aspria Hell : "Either you are satisfied or ..."

This is a parody. The real thing is at:
Aspria La Rasanterue Sombre 56 1200 Brussels

Tel: +32 (0)2 609 1902 www.royallarasante.be

(Lawyers: this is a parody)


The Real Truth revealed: rue Sombre and the Devil's Tar Pit

Did you know rue Sombre, where Asspria L'Harassante sinks its unhappy customers in a pool of feathers and tear was known as ruelle du Diable in the old times?

This is because the place was invested by demons and spooky ghosts. Old dwellers of Woluwé will assure you that they reincarnated as Asspria Managers. After many eons of wandering in a state of invisibility, Asspria Managers still retain that magic capability of making themselves invisible at leisure. If one should speak to you, it is a sign you are in trouble.

Tarring and feathering at Asspria L'Harassante, by Thor Berserker



File:1774 lynching.jpgIn a typical tar-and-feathers attack by Asspria Management on a discontented customer, the subject of their anger is stripped to his waist. Hot tar is then either poured or painted onto the customer while he is immobilized by expectations of decent service and answers to his legitimate claims.

Then the customer either has mud and sand from the tennis courts mixed with tar thrown on him, or he is rolled around on a pile of subscription contracts which stuck to the tar.

Often the customer is then paraded around the premises to be bullied by other members on a Reebok step or a rail.

If the criminal customer is a woman, the lynching is milder. Only the head is shaven, tarred and feathered at the spa.

Picture: "Merry lynching at L'Harassante". The picture was taken last week with a spy camera. Management is visible on the picture which makes it a collectible item. 


Asspria Hell : "Either you are satisfied or ..."

New slogans for Asspria

New slogans for the highest-class finest deluxe unbeatable sports clubs




Warning for lawyers: this is an inferior and atrociously incorrect parody of 


Hell, the Asprian Way.

The real stuff, the paid-for highest-class finest deluxe unbeatable top diamond collection of immaculate sports clubs (and in in my humble opinion moronic inferno) is at: www.aspria.com

If you love Aspria and mum and dad are not at home leave this site immediately and go read your Customer satisfaction for dummies.

Picture: The Director with his coat of invisibility.


Hi. Last time we had a look at how Aspria uses idiotic slogans to inflict self-wounds to its image.

Here we want to help Asspria Hell to get the real mojo. Some slogans I've found while in the bathroom thinking of Hell on the other side of the street.


Slogans for Asspria Hell

"We are number one, the customer is number 2, and you are number 28528."

"You will be happy with us. If not we'll throw you out."

"You'll wish the tennis court had not been free."

"L'Harrasante, pour ceux qui ne sont pas assez stressés."

"Meet people: we have the highest density of clients per machine, chat-up hard bodies while you wait for your turn."

"We do not give self defense classes, you'll have to face the bullies for yourself"

"You burn your fat, we burn you out"

"Simplify your life. Just pay for a year. And do not show up."

"We decide what is good consumer service. Just relax and obey."


 "How much pain can you take before you fold?"

Saturday, June 5, 2010

About and Review of Aspria La Rasante

This Aspria senior manager is signalling he wants me to vacate a tennis court so his buddies can play


What is this blog about

Hi folks, customers and prospect customers of La Rasante and Aspria clubs.

At some 1,400 € a year I find the level of service at La Rasante grossly inadequate, especially in view of their sky-high claim they have the finest clubs in Europe.

If you have been taken for a ride, exploited, verbally abused, threatened and snubbed by management at an Aspria club, come and share your experience.

I want to make some serious fun of these guys who believe they are number one in Europe and get them to deliver what we have paid for.

Who am I?
The criminal that was kicked out of La Rasante without prior dialogue

I am a 48 year old father of two, with two master-level degrees and a good job. I have been a yearly subscriber at La Rasante for three years.

Here's my general evaluation of Aspria La Rasante

The good

I spend a lot of time at la Rasante because I like sport and because it is close to where I live, so it's a convenience sports venue for me.

The park is nice. There is a nursery and some fun activities for kids. The water in the pools is relatively mild for a public venue.

Tennis and other teachers are good and give value for money, as otherwise they would have to find some other source of revenue.

Restaurant staff is very friendly. Their clients are not captive because of a subscription so they also have to show something for our money daily or go out of business.

Staff knows me. I believe they like me. I like them. Customers are friendly.

The bad

Do not expect value for your money at some 1,500 € a year. Service-mindedness is not on the agenda.

The quality level is far below what is advertised by the Aspria management (the finest in Europe) because of overpopulation, insufficient garage space and appalling tennis courts condition.

All third world hotels with a tennis court I have tried beat La Rasante hands down on court surface quality. If you like chaotic ball trajectories, head straight to court 5, 6 and 7 (there are only seven, and three in winter, those three). You'll have a ball.

If you want to play serious tennis look elsewhere or be ready to play with the rising sun in your face on court 1 which is oriented East-West. The architect must have been on a serious trip and the buyer pretty clueless.

If you fancy sweating a few inches close to other studio class participants, and enjoy packed changing rooms, if you do not mind queuing up at the reception for several minutes when you need something, and if do not mind that so-called "fast swimmers" at one minute a 25m lap box you on the nose and call for assistance when you pass them at one minute for two laps for 45 minutes, then go for it. La Rasante is for you and at some 1,500 € a year a mighty good deal.

The ugly

Be ready to have to fight for your rights. Take krav maga lessons, put on a mean look, stand tall, spread yourself wide and look behind your back. The place is a jungle where the management backs up hooligans.

The clerks, and to a lesser extent the rest of the personnel is obviously scared of the top brass so that does not make for a good atmosphere.

Management does customers a favour by letting us walk on the premises and breathe the same air as them. Members are a big problem once they have paid their fees. We could simplify the ruler's life by paying a one-year fee and never showing up.

After 1,100 days of membership, and probably 500 visits nobody in management knew who I was by name and I have never seen the general director or whatever his title is. Still they kicked me out without inviting me for a clarifying and fact-finding talk first.

Be ready to be a number like 28525. That's how you book at the reception.

Membership prices are negotiated individually in perfect opacity. The place is a rip-off at at price around the golden number 1.6180339887 times a reasonable price for the level of the service and facilities.

However, inviting an enemy and having him tarred and feathered by the management will set you back 35 € only. To my knowledge this is the best offer in Brussels considering the price of tar and workmanship.

Bottom line: unless you live around the block or so, are a mercenary and thrive in civil war zones, have many enemies and want to have more, or pay less than 1,000 € for a yearly membership with full access, look elsewhere for better value.

That's my take. I understand you can believe it is paradise on earth because you have body guards and you are buddies with the ruler of the place.