Life Time — Local services in Savage

*The Worst Childcare Experience

I’ve had fine, and sometimes even very good, experiences at Lifetime in general. However, I feel the need to share what happened at Lifetime Savage Child Academy because no parent should have to go through this.

On my very first visit with my baby daughter, I noticed something that immediately questioning me. There were two infants in the room: one baby was strapped into a bouncer, crying and clearly needing attention. Instead of tending to that child, the caregiver was sitting with another baby who was happily playing with toys, completely ignoring the one who was upset for awhile. Watching this made me seriously question whether the staff had the proper training or even the compassion needed to care for multiple children at once.

When I dropped off my 11-month-old daughter, I asked if I could quickly set down my fam things in the locker and come back in a few minutes to properly say goodbyeto my two kids. The staff member said yes. When I returned, my baby was leaning against the door, staring outside, alone. Wanting to help her feel more comfortable in the new environment, I took her for a short walk around the facility to show her the space and that her older brother was nearby. A staff member told me this was fine.

Then another staff member—who looked like a manager and is the reasons of this review, came up abruptly and told me my baby had to be in the infant room within 10 minutes. I agreed, but out of nowhere, she told me I was “not allowed to take photos.” At first, I didn’t even understand what she meant, because I hadn’t taken out my phone or shown any intention of doing so. I told her, “What are you talking about? I have no intention of taking photos—I don’t even have my phone in my hand.” She repeated the rule anyway. It felt frustrating and unfair, almost like she had accused me of something without reason. She looked embarrassed when she realized she had misjudged me.

Later, when I came back to pick up my children, the same staff member approached me again. She told me that my baby hadn’t cried when I first dropped her off, but did cry when I came back—which, according to her, “made things harder for the staff.” Then, in front of my 7-year-old son, she gave me unsolicited parenting advice, saying: “Don’t come twice, it’s a great parenting tip for you next time.” It felt like she was trying to “get back at me” for the earlier situation she had mishandled.

I was shocked. I had already explained—twice—that it was my baby’s very first time being away from me, which is why I had come back briefly (of course with permission) and why I picked her up after only 30 minutes. Instead of showing empathy or professionalism, she dismissed what I said and continued lecturing customer, who has two childrens—( so think carefully if you have one children, she will judge your parenting skill when your baby crying). Her attitude felt incredibly condescending and unprofessional.

Why should I be made to feel guilty for checking in on my child which I paid for all the service? Isn’t it their job to comfort infants and support parents during these transitions? Instead, I left feeling judged, uncomfortable, and unwelcome. This was the complete opposite of what I’ve experienced at other Lifetime locations, where staff have always been warm, reassuring, and supportive.

Frankly, I was embarrassed, especially in front of my son. No parent expects to receive parenting “tips” from a childcare worker in such a dismissive and unprofessional way. Because of this experience, I no longer feel comfortable bringing my children back to this location.

Parents with kids need support—respect, understanding. Sadly, that was not what I experienced here.

Daycare,...

I have been going to Lifetime for YEARS! I want to start out by saying that their facility is beautiful and well kept and almost everyone there is so friendly! I give that part an excellent! The part I give poor to is the customer service. On more than 1 occasion I have called about things, been sent to voicemail (which is fine) and then NEVER got a return phone call. This has happened to me 3 times (the only times I've called) within 1 year. Very frustrating. I always have to be the one to call back a couple days later! Another irritation, when they have refer a friend promotions....I referred my friend, she joined and they "ran out of all of the gifts" Sorry, keep checking back!" No...how about you check back with ME?? That would be customer service!!! I did check back and NEVER got anything! Ok, that's fine, no biggie, but I WILL NOT be referring a friend again! It's the principle! Then recently I get a letter in the mail that rates go up, Ok I understand that. Again, no biggie....but the final straw....an email last week saying starting in March my children (ages 9 & 11) will be charged $8 each/month for daycare. Here's the problem...we were originally told we were grandfathered in to not having to pay for our children once they started that new fee for new members. They said if we ever cancel and choose to come back you will have to pay for the children. Ok, GREAT!! SO happy about that! Now they go back on their word and say "that in the past they had been waiving the fee but now across the board everyone will be paying!' Ohhh, so you did us a favor by not charging us before, or.... you didn't want us to cancel back then & now you don't care!! So now we are no longer grandfathered in?? Gotcha....your word means NOTHING! POOR business practice. If I had started my membership with this fee for children it would be a whole different ball game and no complaints! Again..it's the PRINCIPLE!! It reminds me of when Netflix raised everyone's rates almost double and everyone canceled... If Lifetime were smart they would say...hey, all these kids are going to be 12 and will have to pay then and then we will make even more money, cuz their parents kept their membership, instead of adding rates on these kids now (mine rarely are EVER even in the daycare...they are in school all day and I am a stay at home mom so typically when I do go it's during the day). On some occasions it's nice to be able to bring my kids into play basketball with them in the gym. But forget about Lifetime promoting health for kids...it's all about the extra money and the greed. I understand running a business and needing to make a profit but give me a break!! I hope Lifetime realizes they made a mistake by doing this and learns from it in the future! Stick with your word Lifetime!!! After years of paying a monthly membership I will be cancelling...it's too bad because I didn't use the gym as much as I would have liked to...many months never at all and they were just getting free money from me. Oh, and icing on the cake when I called and talked to the manager (she actually called me back which was nice, but I was forgotten about on hold for 10 min first!) about this new fee...she told me I would have to come in to take my kids off the membership so I wouldn't have to pay for them. I have to come in but you can start charging for them without my approval??? UGH...so wrong!! I'm over it!! See ya Lifetime...it was a nice run...

I hardly ever write reviews, but cancelling is a hassle and I agree with a lot of the other comments by other people!!! Was a member for over 4 years. I began in high school and through some college. The facility is great, but honestly in comparison to some other LifeTime locations, improvements could be made to modernize. Workout floor is often too busy to be able to comfortably workout individually. Group Fitness classes take up space on the main floor. Consider expansion if you lack enough classrooms? For what you are paying, you should expect premium. Speaking of price, obviously I valued the location enough to stay a loyal member for that long. When I went to cancel, it was the biggest hassle. Some context: they allow college students to keep their membership for $10 a month during the school year. It's dumb because you should really only have to pay for the months you're going to use it, but whatever! (i.e. a lot of students go to school far away and don't have the luxury of coming back often! I wish this could be considered!) I was only home for like two weeks over winter breaks but it would have been more to completely cancel and then pay the rejoining fee rather than $10 every month. During the summer they make you pay full price which is understandable since you're there regularly. Anyways, back to canceling - so I was back for a short span during a month in the spring, and for ONE thing, there's a limit to how much you can attend on that $10 plan. I was pressured into paying a "daily fee" on top of that for the rest of the month. I even stated that I was actually wanting to cancel after the month because I found myself not being back enough to use it going forward, but that still happened. After that month, I wanted to cancel but I already moved back so I couldn't do it in store. Through emailing I thought I was good to go, but turns out I've been getting charged and will need to write a letter to fully cancel. I get that it's a corporate business but seriously listen to what your customers needs are. Moving is nothing I can change. School is nothing I can change. I'm coming to you for a service and it shouldn't be a hassle to get it, pause it, or cancel it. In hindsight, I spent WAY too much money for what I got out of it. All those extra $10 months over two years, the daily fee mishap, and in high school I played a sport so I inquired to suspend my account for the 3 months the season was on, but told I would have to pay the regular monthly price (At least $60 plus tax, as the student / "under 26" price - ridiculous in my opinion) Wish I would have joined a different gym in the first place. As a single user, it's not like I have a huge draw to use the pool and all the other random things there that add to the cost for everyone. Kinda sucks for people like me that those are rolled into the overall cost individually. And like someone else reviewed, be warned, when you join there's a whole sales pitch during your complimentary onboarding as a new member. Obviously, I have just written about the cons, but I was a generally happy member for years. Complimentary yoga classes are enjoyable, so is the pool, steamroom, and jacuzzi. New touchscreen machines are nice. Just be cognizant of what the sales environment is like there. Quite...