Life Time — Local services in Beachwood

I have been attending lifetime facility for over a year, I mostly attend group classes to keep me motivated. Staff is somewhat friendly, today I experience first hand racism from cafeteria staff and this is not to be mistaken with perception at all. Stopped to buy a cup a coffee, placed order and was informed the cost $2.69, while was searching in my wallet for the exact change removed $5 bill two $ bills and some change on the counter and discovered that I don’t have the exact change so I pushed the $5 bill towards the cashier and while I was placing the rest of my change on my wallet I see the cashier with her hand out and she proceeds to tell me “please place the money on my hand with a very rude angry tone” I was caught so off guard and I picked the $5 bill and placed it on her palm of her hand and at the same time I asked her “why can’t you pick up the money from the counter?” her response was “because that is disrespectful not to hand money on my hand”. I was shocked of the response and I proceed it to say that I was not being disrespectful but at the same time trying to put the rest of the money on my wallet. she didn’t care but was extremely rude and made the whole incident personal. At the same time a friend of mine approaches and not knowing what is happening all he hears and sees that she is being disrespectful and defensive of the whole situations, mu friend asks for her name and she doesn’t respond, he continues to ask coworker next to her for her name and he flatly says he doesn’t know. I was extremely upset and asked my friend to let it go. After I was done with workout class I was still bothered by what transpired and decide to report it to the management . I was directed to speak with Manager Michael and explained the whole situation and I got so emotional in front of him, here I have her next to me smiling and she jumped right in with her side of the story. Manager stated that it looks like it was a misunderstanding on both ends, which at the same time she continues to state “that putting the money on the table is disrespectful and I asked you please place the money on my hand and she asks all the customers to do that” this was a continues statement in front of the manager.. so according to her as long as she says please and thank you she is being professional and also has the right to inform the customers that they are behaving disrespectful towards her if the don’t place the money on their hand. I have never came across this situation in my life and I felt so humiliated by this girl pointing out to me that I am degrading her by her picking up the money from the counter.. But what was more disappointing was that manager didn’t discipline her but let her talk over me and him and was not able to handle the situation.. I walked away by saying “if the roles were reversed both me and you would in a very hot seat or I would be fired on the spot. This should not be tolerated in a place like this period. I will no longer attend this gym, I walked away very upset and I was bothered by it all day, such an...

I was going to file a formal complaint, but I figured this forum would be more beneficial.

I don't live in Cleveland, I only lift here when I'm back home visiting my parents. My sales advisor "Paul" told me that the "flex" membership was the best option for me, and to call the club before I come in and they will let me in.

A few years go by, I may have used the club a handful of times, but they were still charging my card, so I figured I had the option of calling before I go in and using the club.

I come home for a family death, I call the club, and they say "of course you can come in." I asked if I could bring my uncle, who was in from out of town in as a guest, the lady on the phone said "yes, you have 6 guest memberships on your account for a year, just make sure you come in before 8pm."

I come in at 7:15pm or so, and the lady at the desk named Claire, was extremely rude, and said that "because the person I talked to didn't notate it on my account, I couldn't come in because my account was 'on hold'." So I'm thinking, they've been charging my card for the last few years, and I said "I was told by my service advisor to just call in before I come in to the club, and if they would honor that." She said, "he actually doesn't work here anymore, but I will talk to a sales rep." I told her, "let them know I'd like to cancel my account if that is the case." She comes back and says, "you can use the club today, but you don't have guest privileges, so you'll have to pay $25 for your guest."

So, in a nutshell, the team members apparently don't communicate with each other well, and don't honor past promised by previous employees. They are perfectly fine with taking your money (in my case, hundreds of dollars that have accrued through monthly fees). Her reason for this was, "well management has actually been cracking down on that."

Thanks, I'll go ahead and cancel my membership. If Claire had an ounce of training in "customer service," perhaps I'd consider staying on as a member.

*Update as of October 2017, several months after I've posted this review, I am still incurring charges from LifeTime Beachwood after numerous attempts to have them cancel my membership.

*Update as of January 2018, they are still charging my card. After emailing them and letting them know I have called, written letters (at their request), and even came in to cancel my membership, they are still charging my card. After letting them know that I will be filing a complaint with the BBB, this is the response I got! Look at that...

Cruel, unethical company Over a year ago I was diagnosed with a neurological condition that prevents me from driving or working out. I called LifeTime to cancel but was convinced by the sales person to suspend my membership. I was told it would be just $11 per month, I could cancel at any time, and if it was for health reasons I could get the money back, and when I was better I wouldn't need to pay the initial fees again. Unfortunately, my health continued to deteriorate and I will never be able to drive or work out again. I forgot all about the gym membership. But my debit card changed because of an unrelated hack. I started receiving emails from LifeTime about my account. It was then that I realized they had charged me the $11 temporarily and then started charging me the full amount again without my permission. I responded to the emails explaining the situation and asking them to just cancel, but did not get anything but more automated emails, each with higher dollar amounts as they added fees and an additional month of dues. I tried multiple emails and phone calls (always leaving voice mails, I never got an answer) but nothing but more requests for money. Finally I sent an email and left a voicemail saying I would send one of my children in to pay the full amount but wanted an acknowledgement that they understood my situation and still felt it appropriate to force me to pay. Here is the response I received from Dan "Happy Friday! Please pay the full amount due by 4:00 today or we will turn your account over to collections." What kind of company acts like that knowing I am facing a chronic, potentially life threatening illness and they were at best deceptive in their description of suspended membership? I would like to believe this review will make a difference, but I read through a number of other low reviews and all received a standardized response that clearly doesn't mean anything so I'm sure that's exactly what I will receive as well. If you are considering a membership in the Beachwood area, try Mandel JCC. I don't know if it's any good, but it...