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I was a trainer at Lifestyle Family fitness. After working there for three years, I found that the sales staff and the operations staff had an ongoing feud. A salesperson who was harassing female members and staff, laid claim to me stealing his sale. The sales manager pitched a lie that I violated a company policy which was false even after the corporate office was on my side. The decision to terminate me was supported by the corporate office. They even tried to deny me unemployment after an admission that the termination was wrongful. Unless you really need a job and want to just get a free membership don't go there.
My husband went to Lifestyle Family Fitness. He was conned into signing something right then and there when we usually discuss large financial matters. After we spoke that night, he went back the next day (LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER) and signed to stop the membership. He also sent a copy of it certified mail to be on the safe side. Well, almost 30 days later and still no refund, PLUS they are trying to take the $40.55 monthly fee out of our checking account. They said we had to wait EXACTLY 30 days. They have picked the wrong people to mess with. We are going to the BBB with our complaints. Don't ever use Lifestyle Family Fitness!
After reading these comments I have decided not to even go into Lifestyles to look at a membership. Thanks for the warning up front!
I worked for LifeStyle when they were called California Fitness and it was not a very good place to work. The managers wanted me to go out and put tons of fliers on peoples windshields... at 12 midnight! They wanted me, and others, to go and flier different eating establishments and the managers would get pissed because their patrons would throw them down in the parking lot. Cal Fits managers would call it a success if they got a bunch of complaints from those managers telling them never to come back on the property! Steve Willis, Ed VanAntwerp were two of the most scandalous sales people you would ever run across and Greg Rowe, the "Headache Honcho" was no better. Sales staff never talked to the patrons unless they were shoving a "Buddy List" in your face trying to get you to give them numbers for them to call and harass your friends. Sure they're all friendly when you join and then they don't give a red rats as* after you give them your money. Typical.
Do yourself a favor, don't join the place or work there because you'll walk away pissed off and regret ever wasting your time.
Dont join there and don't go there. I joined because they had an indoor pool and less than a month after they took out the pool and I canceled my membership in person and by mail. they continued to take money from my account and I finally had to close it to stop them.
From what I've heard this is common practice for life so unless you want to have to cancel & open a new account don't join there fitness club.
You are all a bunch of whiners. I've had some of the greatest times working with the welcoming environment Lifestyle has. Unbelievable. My entire family are members and have been for years. I'm sorry for the folks that read these and took it to heart. You missed out.
I work for the company when it was california fitness and after the transition it became the worst company I ever worked for. Unknown to a lot of member the company put in a policy to raise the membership of the former members to reach the pricing they have in florida. The district managers of the sales and operation managers actively commit sexual harassment to staff and members. If you need proof when the company was bought worked to fire all the managers from the california fitness and replace with the people from florida. A female district manager made passes on a sales manager in the bar and when he turned her down she had him fired. He only received his job back after it was leaked to upper management. This is the same manager who called a personal training manager and asked for him to come over and help her put a swing in her bedroom and other explicit things ( He had the call on speaker phone to have witnesses of the harassment). If you resign from the company and have a membership they try to harass you from working out there or try to cancel your membership. The best thing that ever happen was me resigning. Currently there is 2 managers left others left or were demoted they make promises to all they never intend to keep. It is the one of the worst companies to work for.
District Operations manager Heather Reck used to send me sexual text messages late into the night. I had a finance at the time, along with a child. She used to constantly sexually HARASS ME! This also happened to other employees in the company. Along with her, the District Sales Manger, Jason R. was having sex with other employees, including one of his sales managers. In lifestlye Columbus it's not who you know it's who you blow. The main office in Florida has no idea what is going on here.
It is widely known if you don't party at the bar with Heather Reck or Jason Reinhardt that you could lose favor with them. Jason is notorious for leaving huge tabs for his employees to pay for. At his birthday party he screamed curse words at Heather in front of staff and members , while extremely drunk. There behavior, and lack of leadership is deplorable.Heather often sexually harasses male staff members. Typically when she is intoxicated. She often leaves dirty messages to people who are already in relationships. She also makes sexual remarks when you are on the clock. If you do not respond to the harassment , you all of a sudden get treated differently. People are afraid not to go to the bar with her out of fear for there job. They both treat people who go out with them socially a lot differently.Heather Reck has sexually harassed already four employees that we have worked with. The company and members need to know about this vulgar behavior
I agree. lifestyle was a horrible work environment. I was an employee who was trying get a higher position and i wasn't able to show that i was better than those who were trying to be promoted because i didn't hang out with Reck and Reinhart! I've seen the text messages and heard all the horror stories. They are true. The people at the top do not understand why they do so poorly in columbus... its because of their leadership. When district managers hang out with their staffs like these two do, people who don't drink, hang out and have sex with each other are hurt because they have no real chance of ever climbing the ladder of lifestyle family fitness. Its a shame because there are some good people who work over there, but the scandals that surround a few bad eggs bring a cloud over the whole company. I left because i was wrongly accused of some things by a person within the company who had some type of relationship with heather wreck. She believed him and questioned my work ethic, when her "friend" was busy drinking with other lifestyle employees many times during work hours. I know that there are a few of us who would go back to work there if those two weren't employed by lifestyle family fitness.
You know i have to say for the person that said lifestyle is a "welcoming" environment doesn't really know anything. to this person are you new? or are you an employee that is being told you are going to get promoted because you are such a hard worker? let me tell you something thats a lie - they will over promise and under deliver! Trust me I know from experience. Sure when i started it there i loved it (buts thats when it was cal fit) but something changed and it wasnt just the name! it was the new staff - the dictators! from the start of LFF taking over they promised 9 ops managers and 9 sales managers that nothing would happen to their jobs... and guess what not even a year later all 18 managers were let go over no good reasons... a few are as such: because one manager hit plan every time and as soon as he didnt they demoted him and he did anything and everything for that company...another manager worked around the clock (21 hour shifts even) and still was let down why because she was the youngest manager there... another ops manager was even told by heather reck and erik mirza if you do this , this and this we will make you an area manager! AFTER she did all of it and MORE -- they told her no... Heather Reck is a liar. She decives people and yes everything that was stated above is TRUE! I personally watched her harrass one sales employee day in and day out sexually. They are still emails, phone calls and text messages for proof. Why do you think she replaced all of her females ops managers with males?
Heather Reck does not deserve her title at all; she sexually harasses herr staff, she talks down to people, she over promises and under delivers, she discriminates her employees due to their age or color. I personally watched her limp walk and start talking in "ghetto slang" up to this one kids club employee because she though only because the employee was black that thats how she walked... no Heather she has a bad leg and she doesn't talk like that either. She hurt this employees feelings so bad because it was clear what she was doing there was a complaint filed on that.
Heather Reck and Jason R, district managers; both do nothing to help their "team." They go club to club and sit in the sales pit and talk on their blackberrys. What kind of a manager, a leader, a fellow co-worker sees their sales team needs more assistance in taking guest because their csm, com, front desk supervisor and the sales team are all busy continue to just sit there while guests are still waiting? Isn't that Jason's job? And if Heather Reck is so keen on her white glove audit then why did she once walk straight into the women's locker room noticed it needed cleaned during prime time and instead of doing it she walks out, goes up to csm and demands he find someone to clean it up (sad part was there were no females even in the building but her!)
Heather and Jason have both abused their employees countless times. If you are not sleeping with one or the other then find a new job! If you do not beleive me ask Holly Carter the new CSM at Pickerington... how did she get her job? I know for a fact it wasn't because she was this awesome closer. It saddens me that nobody from corporate realizes these facts. It saddens me to know that Heather and Jason are going to ruin this company in the Columbus area. If only Cal Fit still existed...
I was formerly a lifestyle family fitness employee and had no issues with the company. They make clear choices based on performance and other issuses basically reguarding the fact that people were not doing there job. The atmosphere is great and the staff was awesome. I choose to leave on my own terms due to a better oppurtunity at the time. Its unfortunate that in the world we live in when people loose there jobs they blame the employer first instead of themselves. Because thats what real winners do. Not really!
Heather Reck wrote that last E-mail! She will never learn.She wrote it in front of one of her employees, and they blabbed it to everyone. Nice try Heather.
Jason and Heather use there job status to make people date them...how sad. The Lifestyle Columbus District has so much potenetial, it just has weak leadership. Jason Reinhardt lies about people, and talks behind employees backs, and sleeps with sales managers. What kind of an example is that? Heather chases her employees around columbus bars like a lost puppy.Gets drunk and assasinates peoples names behind there backs. Poor KiethCuda! Thank God for our P.T department.
Lets get some real leadership here in Columbus...Get these in mature children out of District Roles. Lets grow as a company.Bye, Heather and Jason.
the rumors are startin to fly that heather and jason will be gone soon. boy i hope this is the case. maybe kevin and esteban can turn the district around. not only that. everyone will be much happier. we'll all be able to concentrate more on our jobs.
Its just like heather to type that in front of an employee. I heard that too! Does she not know that its only making things worse for herself? I'm suprised jason hasn't started writing stuff on here too covering his butt! i wish they'd let hetzel run the district. At least everyone would know that they get judged fairly.
ps. heather, sorry i don't hang out with you. well, i'm sorry for myself, because i know i'll never advance.
You have to sleep with one of them to advance! I wish Florida would wake up! Jason and Heather must go...And we would start succeding as a District
I know for a fact that the only true district/regional leader in Columbus is Esteban Lutz. He leads by example and with integrity. Even as a regional VP, he is still willing to show his staff how to be successful by going out on the floor and interacting with members himself. Meanwhile Heather and Jason are glued to a computer screen and a cell phone whenever they are in the club. Is it surprising that PT hits and exceeds plan every month while sales and retention struggles every month? The CSMs and MCs work very hard to little avail. I've witnessed first-hand the sexual harassment that Heather and Jason expose their subordinates to. The only way to move up in sales and ops is to sleep with your superior. Ask Holly Carter. The only way for Columbus to be successful in PT, sales, and ops is for Heather Reck and Jason Reinhart to go. Eric Mirza and Vince Bush should send them a letter of recommendation to Gold's or Lifetime where they belong.
I am a current employee at LFF and i agree with everything said. Esteban Lutz is the only real district manager we have. He really cares and wants to help employees and members. While Heather Reck comes in sits in a chair and talks on her blackberry and stares at the computer for hours. She comes to the desk just to tell you that you are doing something wrong. I am not on her "list" because i was good friends with Megan Monroe, Chet and other CAL FIT people who she openly dislikes. She talks to me as if i am five year old and i need to be told how to do my job. She will walk through the gym see something that needs fixed and then ask you to do it because we all know Shrek is not going to do it herself. Jason Reinhart has to be on something who is that crazy all the time really? He also is the District SALES manager but refuses to take walk ins if it is busy during prime time and makes the com take them. Really wait i thought he would know how to sell a membership since he never quits about it. I could sit and go on and on about the things they do or should i say lack to do but just let it be said that they are by far the WORST managers i have ever worked for and something needs to be done! On a better note i will say that the people at my club are the best group of people to work with, everyone gets along and there is no tension work is fun when you are there. My COM is the best manager i have ever worked for and refuse to leave him! the sales, ops, and PT are all great i love my club!
Esteban should be running the district. Heather and Jason are way to in mature for the job. Heather and Jason promote based on personal relationships, not merit.Esteban understands that integrity and trust are very important in team building. Fighting with employees at bars, and sending dirty text messages to employees , is just bad for business. It is time for a change in this company. Esteban had developed the perfect template for success . Now they need to integrate that into sales, and operations... DISTRICT MANAGERS SHOULD SET A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THERE DISTRICT.
Holly Carter is not the only manager who has gotten her position by being involved with her superiors. It is also known that Elizabeth Ellis has retained management positions through an on and off involvement with a couple of her superiors (everybody in the district knows who they are, so no names need to be mentioned). Most of the PTMs/area PTMs/district PT leaders are the only positive leaders keeping Columbus alive.
A former sales manager showed me a text message from Heather Reck to him. IT WAS SO GROSS. He was in bed with his finance when he received this text. She has to know when she does this, that it's going to get out. He told us that he received THREE texts from Heather. In each one she had offered sex to him. AND YOU WONDER WHY HE LEFT FOR ANOTHER JOB?I hope he doesn't sue. Because that could effect all of us who are working really hard for the company. It just makes all of us unmotivated to work for people like that. Why can't we have three Esteban's in our District? Jason is also a pervert. He hits on ever pretty girl that he works with. Trust me i know from experience...
You can tell which entries were written by employees that are still with the company (aka "brainwashed"). And for the idiot that wrote people were fired for a reason, I know many that LEFT VOLUNTARILY because the environment and pay were just awful. Get the facts before you write.
Also, I have been in the fitness industry for 16 years. I know gyms and how they work. Lifestyles is looking to make money and sell the company to bankroll its shareholders, nothing more. The clubs are also substandard. The "Group Fitness" classes are awful (scripted and set to set music tracks aka "BORING & OUTDATED!") and with 1 or 2 exceptions, the clubs are dirty (and I have seen over 15 of their clubs).
BTW, the Health Dept threatens to shut down their tanning beds on a regular basis!
Wasn't the sales guy named Steve Willis taking it in the ### from that guy Jason? I think so! Willis is true ###.
I think Heather and Jason are two peas in a pod. They both like to workout and party a lot. Once Jason told me about a scam going on in the office and I helped him execute it. We were so close like Bonnie and Clyde. My car needed an oil change and Heather said I could come in late. I was hurt and Jason healed me too. After the last time I was sick I vowed never to eat at work again and the sweeper uper guy was thankfull. After we went to the zoo I noticed that my neck was getting longer so we started me on the "giraffe program and now my neck is really long. Remember to put the egg on the country fried steak after the flower.
After reading these honest based opinions, I've decided to look else were for a gym. The work environment sounds like a real winner. Not! Typical suit and ties that don't know ### about management. Oh and as far as Heather goes, she's sounds like a real hoe. Leave you personal ### at home and run a business.