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Lifetime fitness schaumburg lost a customer of 4 years " for life" yesterday. Here is why...

During the last 2 months I took a position in MI. I commute for 5 days a week and realized I am paying gym membership for a whole month but only use it 2 days a week at best. So on January 28 I went to the lifetime fitness gym and told him that I wanted to cancel my membership. A very nice member advisor called "Fernando" gave me some options. He agreed that I should cancel if I don't use my membership at all. He spoke about all the different ways lifetime could save me money. I was undecided then. He offered to "flex" my membership where I only paid $10 for a month instead of the very expensive $60 a month. This flex would put the membership on hold. This gentleman indicated that I could use the membership as an exception during my flex period just for first month to see how my usage goes. If I believe there value I could come back to the regular membership. I was very delighted. During the period of the Feb month I realized due to my work commitments I am unable to use the membership. I managed to finally come to gym on Feb 28. On the back of my mind, I still did not want to give up my membership since I really liked working out at Lifetime even though it may have been only for a few days a month. So this, I told myself as I finish my workout I should go put my membership back on the "regular" cycle.

As I walked in and displayed that card that Fernando gave the woman ( Michellin or some name like that) was extremely rude, waving the card in my face, calling the policy terms and said basically I cannot use the membership. She said Fernando is no longer with Lifetime and that I was asking to go against the policy. I told her that she was very rude and that it was not my problem that Fernando was not there anymore. I tried to explain what he had told me and I said I would like to speak to a manager.

The manager was even more arrogant and decided that he could make me wait a 20 min. When he showed up, he wanted to talk outside near the entry. I had to tell him that I would like to speak to him in his office. He was very rude, said that he cannot do anything and he was trying to help me but from this situation. I tried to tell him how I got treated outside by that lady swiping the cards. He said, he was not her and he cannot help it. He said he was doing his best and cannot do anymore. He kept repeating what I wanted instead of offering a solution for a problem that I did not cause.

I told him that he lost a member today not because of Fernando but because of his arrogance and lack of empathy with a customer who was very rudely treated. I had come to the gym that day to work out and renew my membership due to the way Fernando spoke to me. Instead I walked out without working out and instead cancelled it. I walked out literally with tears in my eyes. Enough is Enough, I hate bad service.

Monetary Loss: $700.

Location: Arlington Heights, Illinois

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Guest

Maybe all of you need to move to Texas. Because my lifetime is the ***.

A little pricey? Yeah but they also have a butt load of amenities that make it worth it. Like a really nice yoga studio, which is the main thing I go for. The rates for other yoga places in Dallas are around $100-150 which is more than my whole gym membership.

Also, they kiss your *** you don't kiss theirs. Just sayin.

Guest

Place is a scam. Canceled membership over phone an paid arrears for <17 year old daughter.

Person on phone said ok.

3 months later, just got off with rep again who said membership was never cancelled. Don't sign up with these clowns!

Guest

thank you! that place is a nightmare!

they have even insulted me on the phone because of issues with my step dads credit card being cancelled and i was told they canceled my account but then 6 months later i owe them around $900!!!!!!!!!!!!!

she told me i need to be a responsible adult and deal with my debt, a debt they *** created out of *** lies! I'm so furious!

WORST COMPANY EVER! WORST LOCATION EVER!

Guest

Lifetime fitness is a total scam, save your money buy your own equipment and stay home!

Guest

I have been a lifetime fitness member since the club began offering memberships in Canada - November 2011 - though they officially opened in March 2012. Despite the fact that we pay almost double what is paid in the United States, I was happy to join. At some point during the summer of last year (2012), I decided to use my LT bucks and pay for a couple of private Pilates sessions. I love it and from there, I went on to pay for a few more privates, until the cost was too exorbitant for me, so I decided to do group sessions. The cost was still great, but I since I could see the health benefits, I continued paying the high fees for both membership and group Pilates sessions. In early February 2013, I got the flu and it evolved into a bacterial infection. This caused me to miss two weeks of classes - a total of eight sessions which amounted to one group class. I assumed that due to my level of commitment, I would have my sessions moved to the next series beginning in March. No only were the bulk of the sessions not moved (only 2), but my numerous emails, and phone calls were largely ignored by management. In the end, I had to contact the corporate office, and only then did the management team deign to call me back. This call did not involve offering to move my sessions, but only to tell me how it is not their policy to move sessions around for anyone just because they cannot make it. I told him that I was ill and could produce a doctor's note, but they stated that I should do private sessions instead. I found their lack of reasoning to be appalling and presumptuous considering that private sessions are very costly - between 80 and 120 dollars an hour. He kept talking until I finally said thinking he had smoothed away my anger. I finally said that you misunderstand me, I will never take another Pilates session at your club again, because the way you treated me speaks volumes for your level of service and commitment to your manifesto.

In short, we are still members, but will not do another private class again. Horrible customer service - I lost 300 dollars and they simply did not care a whit.

Maria

Guest

Skokie Lifetime has very douchey faculty. Both male and female.

This guy named Mike and Francis team up together telling each other behind their clients backs "Oh, it's a done deal." Mike with his very good selling methods would suck you into buying it making you his new best friend, once you sign up, he doesn't even remember your face. He promises you certain "exceptions" like 7 days for your guest. He never told me that those 7 days have to be consecutive. Hence, the tag team starts by Heather, the supervisor in the front gives you a hard time by calling up other people and asking why I brought my 50 year old mother to try hydro training.

Francis bullys us and says that we can't do that. I kept telling them Mike gave us an exception by giving us a pass for just a total of 7 days and not consecutive. Nobody believes me. Nobody tries to contact Mike.

Ashen knows, but he doesn't stick up for us. Embarasses us in front of all the members.

My 50+ year old mother was really liking Lifetime until she met those gang members from Lifetime. She and I will never set foot in Lifetime again.

Guest

What a BAD experience we had at LifeTimes in Vernon Hills. My husband and I joined a few months ago and wanted to use our LifeTimes dollars toward personal training sessions.

We were promised that we could use at least 100 LifeTimes dollars toward the first hour and a half of personal training. Within 15 minutes of the VERY FIRST personal training session, a very rude and unprofessional "thuglike" dude burst into the fitness office, while the personal trainer was starting the paperwork and asking some basic questions, demanding my husband pay for 4 training sessions up front, cheating us completely out of the LifeTimes "dollars" we earned. My husband had to go down to the locker room, get his wallet, come back up, pay $230 in advance, and lose the first 20 minutes of his personal training session. The worst part was the dude who interrupted was rude, unprofessional, discourteous, and flippant.

When my husband asked the trainer, who was young and inexperienced by the way, for a written list of stretching exercises the trainer replied, "We can't do that.

If we did, how are we supposed to make money?" This was shocking. To say the least we are NEVER going back for personal training sessions there and are thinking of cancelling our membership altogether.

Guest

I agree. By having rude, inflexible and classless people working in customer service, this gym has lost a customer for life.

One customer service person at the corporate office nastily told me she was educating me about how things work, before going off on me while I was going through a tough time. Here's some education or her: what goes around comes around.

I hope she never experiences customer service any better than what she gave me. I wish I had gotten the name of that worthless piece of trash, but hopefully she'll get what she deserves someday.

Guest

whatever you have on file, Lifetime Fitness Vernon Hills, IL will use w/out your authorization!

Guest

Was planning a Memorial Day at the Flower Mound TX LT pool when we were greeted with a $30 increase in our rate (we've been Gold members for almost 10 years) before we were granted admission just to find out the water slides were inoperative due to "unexpected staffing issues" (really, on memorial day?), After speaking with member services, we were told that we would be sent to collections if we stopped the auto draft on our account. Thank you for finally giving me an excuse to cancel my family membership....

Guest

Agree Lifetime fitness sucks - terrible service

Guest

I can sympathize with the author of this review of Lifetime. It is maddening to find inconsistent interpretations of the same policy but you always have the option of canceling and move on.

But to the commenters who somehow think using racial & gender stereotypes to argue a point on ethics strengthens their case, you must be the brains behind Lifetime's competition. And to say the company is in trouble when its produced constant 15 -19% profit gains over the last 8 financial quarters, and just surpassed 1.2 billion in revenue with an almost 200 million$net profit for 2011. Yeah you should probably stick with your "its because of the 5foot pakistani man complex", are you for real. Lifetme is a place that has had tremendous success because of its diverse, adaptible and ever evolving business philosophies.

Its a place for health, friends, stress relief and multitudes of comfort so please take your short sigjhtedness and devolved stereotypes to Bally's or 24 hour fitness. God bless :sigh

Guest

Finally a class action started. Join today.

www.lifetimefitnessclassaction.com

Guest

Whats sad is this is a universal behavior at most of their gyms. They are Ran buy men who are no taller than 5ft and they are from Pakistan.

They have a bad habit of trying to intimidate its employees with this attitude and they also have many people who work there for 40 hrs and they DON'T give them health insurance. The Alpharetta Georgia gym has atwo ladies that will dance around why you are not qualified for benefits. They are Cathy Reed and Desire Vinyard.

Its amazing this place makes any money and all of this Fuckrey goes on their. They are also not the Cleanest of health clubs either!!!!!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-363257

*** YOU U UGLY *** RACIST

Guest

you shoudl take a dump in the pool. everyone else does

Guest

Looks like Lifetime will be losing yet another family membership - mine. My office relocated to the Vernon Hills area and I decided to check out the local Lifetime.

I've been a Gold member for well over 10 years and was treated like *** at the Vernon Hills "Athletic" Lifetime. The staff was rude, and no one was available to explain the "upgrade" necessary to enter.

After 10 minutes at the front door, I was finally allowed to walk about and was immediately accosted by every trainer in the place and no wonder, it was virtually deserted.

Since I've been using my local Lifetime to work out at lunchtime, I guess I'll be moving on.

Too bad, but I can't tolerate rude staff or elitist attitudes.......

Guest

Nice of Mr. Stanke to offer his apology, notice he didn't offer any kind of resolution. No wonder this chain is in trouble when they are constantly screwing their long time members.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-277078

The resolution was not having a whiney member come back. Duh.

Guest

I am very sorry to hear about your experience with Life Time Fitness, as well as yours jadair10. We strive on a daily basis to provide our members with an unmatched experience based around our programs, services and customer service.

While we understand that this experience caused you to cancel your membership, we take your feedback to heart and do what we can to make sure your experience is not repeated in the future.

We are very active online - always looking for member feedback, positive or negative, and truly care about making sure to address issues as they arise.

Again, we are sorry about your experience and appreciate you taking the time to voice your feedback. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to me at any time!

Regards,

Bob Stanke

Life Time Fitness, Inc.

rstanke@***.com

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