Complaint Review: LA Weight Loss

I have to agree with you Avery, DO NOT WORK FOR LA WEIGHT LOSS, unless you are a single person with no morales, values or concern for human beings. I was hired on telling me they wanted me because they were looking for a higher caliber person (I found out later we tell everyone that). I was told the most important part of the job was to help people lose weight, however that ment selling them a costly program, but if they didn't they were only hurting themselves. Still I was reasurred it was to help people. Yeah, help them to bankruptcy!

At first I was really syked becuase I did the program and it did work for me. The employees hired to train you and supervise you in the beginning make you think everything is about the customer. Then you get out into the real world and your Area Supervisor calls you almost every hour to say, "What have you got in? How many PSV's have you done, how many left.?" "Why didn't Susie get an "A" package on her PSV, didn't you give her an assist? Next time call me so I can convince the client." "What are your calls to sold for the week so far and why aren't they higher?" "Well try to save Mrs. Smith another bulk of LA Lites. So she is on a fixed income, get her on care credit and then we at least have our money."

After Being hounded all day you have to give your client support and encouragement and if they aren't losing make them realize it's because they aren't eating right, or enough, or too much high carbs or sodium, or get some variety. "Oh by the way you can get variety by buying our shakes that cost $13 for 4 or 3 for $33 (you would be stupid not to bulk)." "And because you like carbs take these card enders and FB500 b/c you like to eat out! "Here also take some celluway because it helps with water retention and also that pesky cellulite I know you must have." And yes you are supposed to have a $35 dollar a day floor average or you get "talked to." So if you have 10 clients who don't buy anything you better sell that last person a year supply of supplements (that don't work) so you can make your average for the day.

Hey and forget about lunches and breaks! They want you to promote a healthy lifestyle, but you can't even go get lunch or even a drink, b/c there are never enough employees to cover b/c of the turnover! You can't even bring in a salad or fruit to munch on, if you do you have to eat in your car, if there is time, who cares if it's hot or freezing outside.

If you have a family don't be expected to ever see them! As told by one of those wonderful divisional managers, if you sacrifice for the company you will succeed, so come in and stay late and work 60 hours per week as a manager, they like that, you'll get noticed. I moved to a higher position with the company b/c apparently the hours were better. Shortly after they extended my hours w/o any notice.

And yes, you are trained to find the hot buttons of the client and make them believe they have to do this program or they have failed themself again like every other time. You have to make them thing they don't need to talk to thier husband before they pay you anywhere from $500-$1500 or more on the first visit. Oh yeah, go ahead and sell them supplements before their medical history so it's harder for them to refund. DO NOT let them leave w/o a PIF (paid in full) sell or you didn't make them see the need and you need to listen to someone else who can. This company treats employees who are actually in the human being cateragory, like crap. If you are selfish, unfeeling and want to make a lot of money, then this may be the place for you!

One last thing. I found several clients who were on supplements or snacks or lites who could've had their health jeapordized. I caught several of these occurances. It finally started to dawn on me when I found a lady who suffered from heart palpatations and had insulin diabetes on top of that and she was sold all the supp(two month supply). I saw the lady and she told me she was feeling really bad and I realized why and told her to immediately stop taking. I asked the counselor why she was sold this and she began to cry and said " I was afraid I would lose my job b/c I hadn't made my floor average this whole week and my psv average is below $500." I was speechless.

This program is built on lying to the customer and anyone who can make it through the 1 1/2 week training is given a certificate to counsel you on your weight loss. Beleive me, it's not hard to make it through. You are treated bad and talked about by your upper management, then when you go for help to deal with issues, you get ignored and treated even worse. I wised up and quit after 8 months and I am ashamed at my self for staying that long.

Rachelle, perhaps in the Canadian market your laws are different and require certified dieticians to serve clients. However, Avery is right! and you have no right to comment on a market you know nothing about. I was a Center Manager in NY, The east coast market is run by a bunch of obnoxious "Louis Vuitton Girls" whos only concern is the all mighty U.S. dollar, especially in NY, PA, NJ, FL and if any of you are reading this you know who you are and how you roll.

And the clients suffer this ongoing sales pitch throughout their weight loss experience with them.

The training is designed to help you sell, they discourage against honest value based employees who sincerely try to help the client. We are told not to discuss exercise unless there is an LA Shapes A Curcuit Training Gym)in the center, we do not discuss medical problems we are not trained to...but we will fax a letter for the doctor to sign off on the program soley to remove liability from the picture.

Once you are sucked into employment with them you will work anywhere from just under 36 hrs per week part time (so they do not have to pay for benefits if you work less than 36 hours) to 60 hr weeks for managers, assistant managers and full time counselors. You are so over worked you don't even have time to think. And by the time the light shines in your mind you are financially unable to leave.

The turn over in the US is quite high this is mostly due to people quiting or getting fired because they are not selling enough there are no layoffs at LA Weight Loss and NO ONE is special there.

So Rachelle, I think it is wonderful you have found a career where you can help people in an environment that is condusive to such, However, do not speak for everyone or every market.

I was hired as Center Manager because I am a sales manager (pass GO collect $200.00), I received no weight loss specific or nutritional specific training, and yes we were trained to make people cry and cry hard! Shoot! they don't even give you material safety sheets or ingredient lists for their products in the US and God forbid you ask.

Avery dear...I know what you must have gone through and it is emotionally upsetting to realize how many people you inadvertantly conned while in their employ, and this is not your fault. The same Regional & Area Managers on the east coast are the same people I worked for...these uncaring, non nurturing, inhuman atomotons, will receive Karma a thousand fold, I hope God feels mercy for them because I don't, I am not God.

In all the center in Philadelphia etc. that I have seen you have to call dieticians and wait for them to call back. I had clients with different problems given the same answer. My supervisor always told people that they need more fish, and grapefruit.All the time. If your not losing eat more fish. What can I have for breakfast grapefruit. Alot of running around. Alot of clients started to ask for refunds.

Alot of clients knew that it was a lot of BS. It is not a service when you tell people the price is $7.00 a week (based on ) than when they come in its $500.00 to whatever price, and want people to pay in full, than three days later pay another $500.00 - whatever price for LA Lites. That they want you to pay in full as well. if you check on other complaint web sites you'll see coast to coast you'll see that client are unhappy, employees are unhappy, people who come in wanting info are unhappy. when you rip people off your going to hear good and bad. people can decide for them self

I am an employee of LA Weight loss, and I would like to begin my response to your report with a simple comment...If you didn't like your job, why didn't you quit rather than waiting for a lay off? It is unhappy and unknowledgable employees like yourself whom are rude to the customers and make their weight loss experience unbearable. Most of LA Weight Loss employees have overcome weight problems themselves, or are in the process of doing so. You should not be in the service industry if your heart is not there.

Anyone joining a weight loss program should know ahead of time that it is not cheap. And, of course,it is more expensive if you have more weight to lose than the next person- a client who is losing 150 pounds on the program is using LA Weight Loss services longer than someone who is losing 20 pounds. An average person will pay $25,000 for a car without a second thought, so why is $500 to have the body that you want suddenly an astronomical amount?

During the Program Explianation, the video shown is to explain in detail, for our clients, the tools that are available to them and how they will enhance their weight loss. I have never had a client upset about the fact that we are educating them on what we offer. This visit also includes the explianation of the meal plan which they will be following. That's pretty vital to the program, wouldn't you think?

A client who is educated on the benefits of soy and whey protein (and I recommend that all consumers are)will know the importance of each, while dieting. The LA Lites are not mandatory, but they do guarantee your weight loss with our company. They are bars, juice, soups, or shakes for our clients to consume twice per day. They are designed and proven to curb our clients cravings for carbohydrates and sweets. The ingredients in them work together to increase our client's metabolism, thus improving their weight loss. The Personal Success Visit is intended for our clients who decide to use the LA Lites to see savings. Have you bought anything in bulk? It's cheaper that way. Same with the LA Lites.

You are correct in saying that not everyoneon staff at LA Weight Loss is a dietician. I work in the Canadian market, and we have at least 2 dieticians available for each centre. They are who recommend meal plan modifications, etc. The counsellors have ongoing training, but no right to make medical decisions for their clients. This is why we are in contact with our client's doctors. It is also stated in our Service Guarantee to our clients.

I am sorry for you that you were only offered a week and a half of training. I too would be confused with my job description, and would not be able to give professional guidance with that little of education.