Child Care Promises are Fake

ComplaintsFitness CentersLifeTime Fitness

Complaint

+1
Mary Spocito
Country: United States
LifeTime Fitness showed me their wonderful child care facility, and I thought that my child will be having wonderful time while I am working out. The first time we came with my 5year-old after signing the contract, I left her in the child care room. after the class I picked her up but she had tears in her eyes. I discovered that the climber and the computer room was closed, and she wanted to use those. Next day - same situation. Now, she refuses to go with me to the fitness center, because they limit what she can do.

I went to speak with the manager, and she told me that they keep the facilities closed when the number of children is less than 25. No one told me about this when we signed the contract.

I canceled my membership shortly, and don't advice any one to join this fitness.

Comments

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  • 0
    mztymarie
    | 4 replies
    I LOVE lifetime but the daycare is sooo SHOTTY! When i joined they explained to me how they had top of the line daycare providers who have degrees in Childcare and all this other good stuff. Well come to find out only the managers are specialized/cerftified in childcare. Other workers are kids their dam selves.
    Top 4 things that pissed me off about them.....
    1. They are "Licences professionals" but have to pull you out of class or call you on the overhead announcement for YOU to change your kids diaper!
    2. They never mentioned anything about 3 tardies and the kid is suspended for a week? WOW
    3. They dont have a grace period so picking your kid up 2 minutes late is equivilant to 25 min.....shoot I could have continued to work out! lol
    4. They let the kids do what they want then blame on the other kids. My daughter was soaked and wet from playing in the water fountain for 2 hrs while she was supposed to be in the toddler room only. Thier  reply was oh shes hard to control, as soon as one of the other kids opens the door....she flies out!...WTF

    Im not cancelling my membership but I will be cancelling hers! Thank God for friends and family :)
    • +1
      Kelly replies to mztymarie
      | 1 reply
      SHOTTY?? What kind of an AIRHEAD can't

      1. Ensure their child's diaper is fresh and changed before they leave their infant/toddler for up to 2 hours at a time before working out. If you're paged, it's because your child has a soiled diaper and NO insurance is worth having a parent accuse a worker of unspeakable behavior while doing a job that the parents should be doing! Too lazy to walk down the stairs to change YOUR child's diaper??
      2. There is a 2 HOUR limit to leaving your child in the child center. You're late 3xs in ONE week? Have you heard of a watch? Or seen one of the 20 clocks mounted on the walls all over the workout floor?
      3. Grace period? There is a 5 minute grace period. You obviously don't G.A.S. how late you are and wish you were LATER to pick up your child?? NICE~
      4. I can see why your kid is hard to control. She's got a great role model.
      • 0
        Kelly replies to Kelly
        While I agree with much of your post, I do have children of my own, and while I'm not late or anything like that, I have noticed a serious lack of clocks anywhere in my facility. I asked the manager and she said it was to create the illusion you just got there, so you spend more time working out and don't realize it. What kind of crap is that? If they would invest in some clocks, I could almost excuse the tardiness to the child center, but definitely not three times in one week. One excuse should be enough to make someone purchase their own watch just so it doesn't happen again!
    • 0
      Debbie replies to mztymarie
      It comes down to 'only' paying $8 a month to have your child in there for 2 hrs a day...............sorry, but for that little amount you pay for childcare doesn't mean they change diapers....
    • 0
      PurdueStar replies to mztymarie
      Great info!  Thanks!  I doubt now my kids will be joining.  And thanks for the comedic delivery, I needed a good laugh.
  • +1
    briashf
    i work in a child center at lifetime and its great there. All lifetimes do there best for the children andnthere families. I know many families that love it there! I understand we do not fit everyones needs but we do our best. I think the lifetime i work at is great and we have alot of happy people!
  • 0
    Shannon
    | 2 replies
    I have had terrible experiences with taking my kids to the Lifetimes in Fridley, New Hope and Savage.  They are always 2-3 people for about 40 kids.  My kids were crying for god knows how long when I came in to pick them up after my workout.  Each time I was told they must have just started crying.  They don't have the staff available to console upset children.  I don't suggest taking you kids there if they have ANY separation anxiety at all.  They dont do very much to soothe your child.
    • 0
      E replies to Shannon
      I don't know about Fridley or Savage, but I am sorry you had a poor expereince at New Hope.  I worked there from Nov 2011-April 2012.  And the whole time I worked there we were never understaffed.  I worked the evening shifts 3 nights a week.   It is a SMALL club and child center.  The ratio of staff to children is 1:12 or 1:4 with infants.  

      Even at the busiest times, we were never over 24 children except for a few minutes on try it Tuesdays when the 90 Day Challenges would be going on.  When that happened, we always called in a 3rd staff member, and were back to under 24 kids in a number of minutes.  We aren't, and no club is staffed for 1:1 child care.  It should say that on the policy sheets.  So we do our best to deal with younger ones and separation anxiety.  But just like at home or anywhere else, they have to learn to handle it and quickly ourgrow it.  I have my own daughters 4 and 3.  It's though, but like everything kids deal with, it's a phase.  

      If a child is having separation anxiety it's suggested that they come 2-3 times a week, for at least 2-3 weeks to help them feel it is part of a new routine, lessening the anxiety.  And crying, unconsolable children's parents should always be pages after 10-15 minutes of being upset.  

      I don't even work at NH anymore....switched to a larger club for my girls when they go to work with me.  But I hope you give those places a try again.
    • 0
      Danielle replies to Shannon
      Had exact same experience three times in a row at an Ohio location.  Just joined last month.  Was given a total song and dance when  asked about child-caregiver ratios at childcare center.  Observed as many as 40-kids to one adult as far as I could tell--and that was just in the toddler area! My happy-go-lucky toddler screams when I leave him there, and they paged me all three times I left him there b/c he was crying.  Then he bursts into tears all over again when I walk in their door.  He is very easy to distract and console, but they don't have enough staff to deal with it.  Calls to child center manager and the person I signed up for membership with have not been returned.  I'm so disgusted, I'm thinking about cancelling membership.
  • 0
    texasmomma
    I had an awful experience at Lifetime in the City Center Houston, TX. They allowed my 18 month old son to cry so hard he threw up on himself. When they called me out of class he was rollling around in his vomit unsupervised. I grabbed him and it took 20 min to calm him down. During that time there was another little girl crying and no one even acknowledged her. Once my son had settled down I told the doorman that I wuld be right back. I had to get my bag from the class I was in. The class was across from the childcare area. I was gone 1-2 minutes. When I came back my child was crying and he had thrown up again. This time he was on his back and NO ONE NOTICED!! I left that place as fast as I could. I will be filling a report with Texas childcare agency due to their neglect.
  • 0
    bob
    i advise you to go to lifetime fitness because that women doesn't come in the mornings because everyone comes to lifetime in the morning for a good workout and they bring their child to, and theirs about 50 kids in the morning.
  • 0
    bob
    i advise you to go to lifetime fitness because that women doesn't come in the mornings because everyone comes to lifetime in the morning for a good workout and they bring their child to, and theirs about 50 kids in the morning.
  • 0
    Jlyn
    You sound pretty irrational if your quitting a gym because your child did not get their way. I think as an adult you have some growing up to do. Mary Spocito
  • 0
    PB
    We go to the Lifetime in Lakeville, MN.  My kids 4,6 and 11
    beg for me to go to the gym. They love the childcare center, and when an area is closed its a good lesson for them. You can't always get what you want!  If your kid is crying because of it, it sounds like they are a little spoiled.  They will get over it from the next time you go and the area is open!
  • 0
    Christene
    The child center at LTF in Commerce MI is understaffed and fails to properly supervise the children. My 2 year old daughter was a victim of bullying by an older boy in the center due to the gross lack of supervision.  The bullying resulted in my daughter falling and breaking her leg in two places.  To make matters worse the staff didn't page me for 15 minutes after the incident while my baby cried in agony.  Needless to say I am canceling my membership. The center is not safe for any young children.
  • 0
    Molly
    | 1 reply
    While the value of daycare has been declining for some time it is that they don't really watch the children that bothers me the most. There were three staff members standing around talking to one another at the Goodyear, AZ Lifetime Child Center about a week ago. They were all talking, apparently completely oblivious to the one kid who decided it was time to dominate the play area near the television and he wasn't taking any prisoners. Kids were being smacked, kicked, and hurt by this monster, but the staff only talked to one another, occasionally glancing around the room. When I arrived to pick up my kid, the other kid was just about to wrap his lips around my son's arm, when I jumped the two gates and grabbed my son from the monster. I asked what the hell was going on and why there were 14 bloody children in the room. The staff just said, we don't know, we can't watch all of them. OMG! I was furious. Then, they had the gall to say I was in violation of some policy because I jumped over their blockades to rescue my son and now I had to sign some form that it won't happen again. Yeah, that would be the day. I should have kicked them all for the amount of sense any of it made. I won't be taking my child back, this was the last straw.
    • 0
      Megan replies to Molly
      I have also had negative experiences in multiple Lifetime child centers in AZ. There are always far too many kids for the employees to watch creating an unsafe environment. What really makes me angry about this though is that Lifetime allows their employees to drop off their kids so that they can work! A gym child center is NOT a free daycare option!
  • 0
    Heather
    My family and I joined Lifetime in Houston last week. While I am disappointed that the jungle gym is not always open, I am very pleased with the child care. My 5 year old asks me to go EVERY day, and my 2 year old runs straight in when we hit the front door. We go at a time when there are a few kids and only 1-2 adults. I have come in to kids being upset and the staff comforting them, be it picking them up and giving hugs or getting them interested in something else. Also, if you plan on having headphones in, or have trouble hearing them over the speaker, you can request they call your cellphone. The facility is spotless!

    I don't discredit these complaints. But I do wonder if maybe they are based by certain locations?
  • 0
    Hugh
    | 1 reply
    My experience with the Child Center at Lifetime was also negative. There were far to few workers/per child and from what I observed it was a free for all!! No structure or quality of care. To make matters worse, I have noticed on more than one occasion employees dropping their children off while they work!! Free daycare? How is that reasonable when members of the club are asked to pay for this amenity? A gym child center is not a day care center and should not be used as one . Extremely poor judgement for a company.
    • 0
      kaily replies to Hugh
      Yeah ohh my gosh they definitly need to proovide intense quality, YOUR ARE PAYING 8 DOLLARS A MONTH FOR CHILDCARE YOU LOSER
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