Complaint Review: Life Time Fitness

2014 April – Because of complications with my disability, and the indifference (and sometimes open distain by some staff, making me uncomfortable) over my disability, I asked to cancel my membership at Lift Time Fitness.  The manager argued that I should just do a medical leave, it would save me 30 day cancelation fee.  Note we processed to medical leaves at that time, one for me and one for my wife.

2014 May – Life Time Fitness charged me for month of April. I called Lifetime office, who advised that there was an error in paperwork (their error, though they did not apologies for it), I needed to come to club a second time and reprocess paperwork.  

2014 June – Credit Card that Life Time Fitness had on file to charge my membership dues number was stolen.  Had a number of illegal charges at Dicks Sporting goods for sports equipment and women’s clothing.  I canceled card and process claim with Credit Card Company

2015 Beginning of April – Harassment by Life Time Fitness begins – at home and at work.

2015 First of April – Began receiving harassing emails and phone messages at home and at work from Life Time Fitness – claiming that we were past due for our April 2015 membership.  I Called Life Time business office several times, could only get voice mail. I left detailed message that I had not been a member or gone to club in almost a year, the same case for my wife.  Credit card they are attempting to charge had been cancelled several months. Asked Life Time Fitness to stop harassing emails and phone calls, particularly to our work addresses.

2015 End of  April - Life Time Fitness email and phone harassment continues.

2015 April 27 @ 3:50 pm – Called Life Time Fitness, Got lady who identified herself as a manager of Duluth Ga Club. Advised her of situation and asked how I could get Life Time Fitness to stop harassing me.  

• She advised my membership had been dropped, no explanation on why I was getting phone calls and emails, but my wife’s membership was still active.

• I asked Life Time manager the last time my wife attended any Life Time club, Life Time manager stated it was May of 2014. 

• I asked when the last time Life Time had charge my account for my wife’s membership, she said it was March 2015. Pointed out that the credit card on file was canceled sometime early last year – ask how Life Time could make any 2015 charge to a credit card that had been canceled in 2014.  I asked agent if she really looking up information or was just.

• Manager did not respond to my questions, simply stated I needed to pay my dues and discounted the call.

2015 May - Life Time Fitness email and phone harassment continues.

2015 May 6 - 27 – received email from Mark at Life Time Corporate office, sent email back and documented the above for him. Mark replied “At this time, my reaching out is just a courtesy gesture regarding your membership.  There will be no further communication from myself regarding your account.”  No apology for misunderstanding, errors on Life Time’s part or inappropriate behavior.

2015 May 27 - Got another email from Lifetime Fitness, I called number in email the same day at 1:30 pm, spoke to male.  He stated that his records showed amount was past due.

• I asked if he had record of 4/20 phone call, voice mail message, he said no. 

• Asked if he had record of a 4/24 conversation call, he said no. 

• Asked if he had record of email thread of 5/4-6 (the one above ) he said no. 

• Advised Life Time Fitness that clearly they were not following up as promised on this issue; Again demanded Life Time Fitness stop harassing my wife and I at work. 

2015 May 27 2:14 PM - email to Mark at Life Time Corporate office documenting above all events, demanding response why he had not followed up and made a note in file that would result in the harassment to stop. Email was sent return receipt, got confirmation that email was received and opened. No response to date from Life Time Fitness on this demand.

2015 May 27 2:20 PM – after sending email to Mark with Life Time Fitness, left work station to get cup of coffee, got another phone message on my cell phone from Life Time Fitness – as well as another email. Forward this email (third email to Life Time Fitness Corporate office, Mark) below is a cut and past

From: Mike
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 2:23 PM
To: 'Mark
Subject: RE: Important Notice Regarding Your Life Time Account

This is follow up documentation to below.

5/27 @ 2:14.  Received another phone call on my cell phone from Lifetime Fitness regarding below.  Phone number on voice mail was 678-763-9922.  The message was from another female Lifetime Fitness employee about the below dispute, again advising I had an outstanding bill and waiting me to call and resolve.  No reference to any previous phone call or emails.

No response from Life Time Fitness from this email

2015 June - Life Time Fitness email and phone harassment continues.  Robo calls to cell phones and emails to my wife’s work address.

2015 June 4

Called Mark at Life Fitness Office – Lady answered phone, said Mark was busy and she would assist me.  Below is my email that documented this conversation to Life Time Fitness.  Because I was not getting a response from Life Time Corporate Office to previous emails, sent this email to several other Life Time Fitness management.  One email from manager in Canada offering to help, most responded by asked I not bother them and take them off my email distribution – they did not want to be bothered with getting these emails

From: Mike
Sent: Thursday, June 04
To: 'Mark
Cc:

Subject: RE: Important Notice Regarding Your Life Time Account

 Before I documented this phone call I (as a result of another robo phone call to me and email to my wife’s work email) I wanted to make a personal statement –

Lifetime Fitness advertises itself as an organization “dedicated to helping you achieve your total health objectives.”  Between the times we processed our medical leave and until now – my health has been the least of their concern – their focus has been getting money out of me, for services not even rendered.

 The attitude has ranged from  flipped indifference and untruthfulness  (see below) to juvenile & smug arrogance (this last phone call – “we are not harassing you, we are just reminding you” ). 

 I am disappointed in Lifetime Fitness – this is not the excellent, competent  and compassionate  customer service I received from this company when I joined several years ago in Alpharetta.  When I first joined Lifetime Fitness, my personal trainer was a Physical Therapist student (the manager of the club specially assigned him to me because of my health needs) – at that time my disability was not as bad, and he worked with me to help mitigate my injuries & pain - by building not just strength, but confidence.  How sad that those positive memories of professionalism and sincere interest in my health have been replaced with just a sincere interest in just seeing how they can get money out of me for something I have not even used (the amount in dispute is for this year, yet I have not used the club since June of last year).

 As I said in the beginning   of my call, I am not looking for a fight – I      just        want       Lifetime Fitness          to         leave          me         alone

 But if you keep on bullying me- I will hit back and start making calls and writing letters and posting on the internet –let the world know how Lifetime Fitness tries to take advantage of disabled people (the very definition of a bully) .

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Just got off the phone with a lady in your office –I am again documenting this event again – However, before I proceed – I like to cut and past the legal definition of Harassment at the end this email, since that appeared to be the major point of conflict in this phone call with Lifetime Fitness (I said Lifetime Fitness was harassing me, their agent stated they were not and thus would not stop said action of harassment via emails and phone calls)

 Got my third Robo call this week at approximately 3:50.  I called Lifetime Fitness in response – a lady this time answered the phone.

• I advise the repeated phone calls were harassment – in that I had, in writing address this issue – these repeated phone calls provide not additional helpful information to resolve - they were just repeating the same message over and over again – and were simply pretext for harassment.  She (Lifetime Fitness Agent)  advised that since they were not trying to collect, just “advising” that we owed the money – the below harassment laws did not apply.

• I asked to be put on the “no call list” – so I would not receive the Robo calls. She advised that these were not solicitation calls, but “reminders” of our disputed outstanding account; thus the no call list laws did not apply.

• I point blank asked her (Lifetime Fitness) to stop the calls – to either escalated to a credit agency, take me to court or drop the matter. I am a disabled person (the reason why I dropped the membership in the first place) and the harassing phone calls and the rude or incompetent behavior (see below documentation) was exuberating my condition and pain. She stated they would not.

• I advised that if they did not stop harassing me, I would report them to the Ga Consumer Affairs and the Rip Off Report, she said to go ahead – there was nothing they could do (they were not a credit agency and the calls were not sales calls)

2015 June 04 PM – Called Mark at Life Time Fitness, asked if he got email.  Confirmed he did, advise an N Jones was now handling my account

June 05, 2015 7:42 AM – My wife got another email at work from Life Time Fitness – it stated “As an attempt to resolve your outstanding balance we will be calling you today.  Please accept our call.  We would like to discuss how to avoid late fees and prevent further collection action from commencing on your account.”

Sent email to Mark at Life Time Fitness, pointed out that this looked like more than a friendly reminder. At this point advised I no longer wish to speak to Life Time Fitness, it was clear any attempts to work out situation was wasted.  Again advised, to either escalate issue or drop.  D

 2015 June 5 10 PM – got and responded to email from N Jones asking I call him to discuss my membership.  Cut and paste below my response.

“Do what was … agreed upon last month - close accounts, leave us alone. If you cannot keep your word from last month, why waste my time talking again this month?”

2015 June 06 – Processed Rip Off Report