Life Time Fitness

Lifetime fitness scammed me. I prepaid minneapolis lifetime fitness $720 for a package of 12 personal training sessions. I used 2 of the sessions and then requested a refund for the unused sessions because of some extenuating circumstances. I contacted the personal trainer about a refund and he told me I could have a refund for the unused sessions and that he would “put it into the works”. After not receiving a refund, I contacted lifetime fitness again. This time I talked to the head of the personal training department and he told me that I couldn’t have my money back because their personal training department was struggling. Several of their personal trainers had quit or been laid off, and many upset members wanted refunds for their sessions. He told me that lifetime fitness was not refunding anyone’s money. He said the only thing he could do was to allow me to use the remaining sessions at my discretion.

Although I would have preferred a refund, I was willing to accept the sessions as a compromise, even though it was inconvenient for me to use them. I was in the middle of planning a long trip to asia at the time, and several other things were going on in my life. I was not told that I had a certain amount of time to use the sessions. I waited awhile after I got back from my trip due to health problems and food poisoning. I contacted lifetime fitness to schedule the sessions, and was told that i’d waited too long and the sessions had — magically — expired. The personal training department head that I had talked to no longer works for lifetime fitness. The new man in charge tells me that the previous one was wrong in authorizing “expired” sessions. My final resort was to contact general manager of the minneapolis lifetime athletic club. He declined to either return my money or honor the previous commitments made by the employees of lifetime fitness. End result: I now have no refund or sessions.

I have been a member of lifetime fitness for 10 years. Because I use the downtown gym, I pay the highest price, an exclusive rate. I only use the downtown location once a week. I pay $120 per month for my membership that I had hoped to continue into the future.

This is not only about the money for the training sessions. It’s also about respect for a customer and business ethics. I feel I have not been treated with respect in this matter and in other situations with lifetime fitness:

Lifetime fitness raised my membership rate and made repeated unauthorized charges to my credit card. When I disputed this I had to face the humiliation of being ejected from an aerobics class by a lifetime employee who interrupted the aerobics class I was in and insisted that I leave the gym at once. Is this the way to treat a member of long standing? I tried many times to resolve this with lifetime fitness directly. All i'm asking is that I can use the sessions I paid for... Hello! They lied and told me they'd give me my money back and now they won't even let me use the sessions! I told them if they preferred, they could credit my membership account to offset the $120 monthly membership fee that I am currently paying until the balance due to me from the training sessions is paid off. But they made it very clear they will not compromise even a little. They are just not willing to do anything to make this right!

Contrary to the marketing spin put out by lifetime fitness this does not make me "feel good inside".in fact i’m now sickened to my stomach whenever I go to the gym. Bottom line is to charge someone for services you didn’t provide is unethical at best and downright criminal at worst. I recently spoke with representatives of gold’s gym, and they tell me that their personal training sessions never expire, and they would never treat a customer the way lifetime fitness has treated me. Their rates are standard and all customers pay the same price. Other good gyms in the area include the firm and calhoun beach club. This is a word to the wise. Choose your health club with care and make sure the people you deal with will treat you with respect and deliver the services that you pay for. Lifetime fitness fails on both counts.

P. S. I've spoken with the attorney general about this, who says I have a case here because the trainer told me I could have my money back. That voids out any contract.