Once you try the express routine, you'll wonder where it's been all your fitness workout life. You'll look and feel great, and you'll enjoy all the extra time it provides -- it's like getting two gifts wrapped in one.

Is it my imagination, or are businesses now getting entitled to more of our civil rights than we are? Nontheless, your story has certainly persuaded me not to get involved with Lifetime Fitness. If they claim as part of contract to have "rights" over their customer's feedback, they're overstepping bounds in an inexcusable manner.

I was considering joining LTF as I get a deal through my insurance. Now I believe I'll look elsewhere.

This is par for the course as far as health clubs go. Careful that they don't charge your membership 10 yrs down the line like US Swim and Fitness (now Bally's) did to me, after terminating my membership with them.

Thank You Nancy for letting us all know about this
ripoff. Hope to read the article in the Strib.

Life Time Fitness owes you an apology and compensation.

Their termination of your membership is punishment
for your free speech and their attempt to hide their
blatant discrimination.

Class action lawsuit anyone?

Nancy YOU ARE A HERO! Thanks for speaking out.

Any company that will terminate your membership simply because you raised legitimate concerns about the price you were paying for their services isn't one you want to do business with. I applied for a job at LifeTime and received a call back earlier this morning telling me that they wanted me to come in for an interview. I told them, that based on what I had been reading lately about how they treat their customers, I was no longer interested in the position.

So the 1st amendment of free speech is considered null because Lifetime has it's "Code of Conduct"? Am I missing something here?

If businesses like LTF can't handle their members discussing their business practices with other human beings, then maybe they need to change their ways or else they shouldn't be in business. It's sad how all these businesses cover their asses from any sort of liability or responsibility with the ridiculous contracts they have drawn up for themselves. I won't give LTF my business and will urge others to do the same.

Good for you for speaking up! I was a Northwest member who switched to Lifetime and I have not been happy. The only good thing is the free lockers, but I can't even get that at the Arena club. The staff at Lifetime are unfriendly and I have been through more hassles than positive experiences. Let's get some good competition in here and leave Lifetime Fitness.

You are, Elle. Nobody has a free speech "right" with regard to private businesses. It's the *government* that is prohibited from interfering with your speech, not a private *business.* A common misconception.

LTF can offer any contract it wants to... as long the conditions are not illegal (like discrimination on race).

The applicant signs the contract - implying they agree to the conditions of said contract.

So LTF exercised an 'escape clause' in the contract. While I agree that the poster may be correct, LTF doesn't have to continue to let her beat them over the head by being an 'inside rabble rouser.'

It's LTF's club, and they have the right not to have people join, and then publically tear it down. When you think about it, many people would want to do the same to Target, Lunds, Bestbuy, anywhere where they think they got a bad deal.

How disgusting. I'm quitting my membership with LTF tomorrow.

Nancy, what did you think was going to happen? If you were so unhappy with LTF, you could have quit. It almost sounds like you wanted them to cancel your membership. Much more drama than just changing clubs.

For everyone else, if you want to join a club, then check it out and make an informed decision. This is called being a responsible consumer.

This really sounds like the whining of a small child more than anything else.

Yes, you are. The first amendment guarantees freedom of speech from the government, not against individuals or businesses. This is why people can sue for slander.

With respect, are you serious? Lawsuits? A hero? Blatant discrimination? Or are you just being sarcastic?

This is just a health club membership. Nancy is obviously upset, but has lost perspective. You also?

I have been a member of Lifetime Fitness since 2001 and I chose them over Northwest because they are reasonably priced, but most of all, they do not require a contract. They can't please everybody, but other than a crowded parking lot, I have never had a complaint.

Bottom line is if you don't like being a member at Lifetime, then cancel... at least you can unlike most clubs

The company has the right to terminate your membership according to the contract that you willingly signed. No one has restricted your ability to speak out, but much as you exercised your right to free speech, they exercised their right to terminate your membership. Whether they exercised good judgment is another story. Normally, it is better to try and work with an unhappy customer rather than simply cut them off, causing bad publicity and word of mouth. Rest assured that at least you have caused some damage to their reputation.

Nancy, if you were a NW member before LTF took over, what were you paying before? As a LTF member, I never joined Northwest because they charged what LTF is now charging for an Advantage membership. So in this sense, Lifetime took nothing away, and only gave you more clubs to access, or are you willing to tell us that Lifetime charges you more? This I highly doubt.
So what you are trying to tell us with your outrageous campaign is that when LTF took over you 1.expected the dues to decrease? 2.Access more clubs 3. Have a newly renovated club, and 4. freely plaster it with your own propaganda on a worthless cause and try to create bad press. All of this for a club that has never treated me wrong. All you have to do Nancy is truthfully tell me that LTF raised your membership dues by more than $2 and I will cancel my membership that I have held for four and a half years.

I'm not sure what is worse - Nancy's ill-fated "grassroots" campaign to explain what I could clearly read using LTF's website or some of the earlier posts. Nancy is a hero? Come on. Heros are people who overcome reasonable fear to help someone else. Get a grip, gang. Firefighters are heros, not Nancy.

Nancy, in case this hasn't been pointed out to you, you, as the consumer, are responsible for educating yourself before entering a contract (like a membership agreement) and then for taking responsibility for your choice.

I recently joined LTF, and yes, I noticed the same thing about membership rate variations between different clubs. So I asked the "marketing" or membership rep. And I understood and accepted the answer. I also did a lot of research and I convinced, for me, the LTF is the best deal.

I understand your original club was bought out. I talked to 2 people who went through the same thing. They received detailed information during the buyout; one stayed and one cancelled their membership.

Research is the key to being an educated consumer.

Last point - we obviously got a very one-sided view of this situation. LTF was not represented. But based on the biased information provided by Nancy, had I worked at LTF, I would have cancelled her membership also.

Yes, good customer service = loyalty = retention and all of that. But there is also the cost-benefit analysis. And I am willing to bet that when they looked at it like that, they determined that the value (membership fees) Nancy was bringing in just did not offset what she was taking away.

It is a health club membership, for goodness sakes

To answer your question, no LTF has not raised my dues since it took over Northwest Athletic Clubs. My objections is that they established the Advantage Tier even though there are no advantages that the St Louis Park, Crosstown or Burnsville clubs have that are not available at some of the lower priced Sports tier clubs.

For example, why are the 98th Street, Moore Lake and Arena clubs in the Sports tier with dues of $30/month less than comparable facilities in the Advantage tier such as Crosstown and St Louis Park? Their facilities and equipement are of the same vintage and condition.

LTF should never have established the higher priced Advantage tier when there is no consistency in club amenities and pricing to justify it. Moreover, the St Louis Park and Crosstown clubs are among the most deteriorated, worst equipped in the entire LTF system.

I guess you are happy paying more for less. I can only assume you've never been to the lower priced, brand new clubs such as Chanhassen, Plymouth and Maple Grove. Or if you have, the dues disparity doesn't disturb you.

Why let one person ruin your experienc to health and fitness. LifeTime has a great staff in the clubs. What company doesn't have rules?

I would reconsider. 100,000 plus people in the country love LifeTime. Don't let 1 person ruin it.

The article in the Strib was frustrating for me. I'm a LTF member. I use clubs all around the Twin Cities. I understand that each club will have slightly different facilities...and rates. The Crosstown club is slated for remodel and offers great tennis faciliites which the Chanhassen or Minnetonka location don't have. It is small minded to believe you get everything...unless you are Nancy.

The big ah-huh came to me when I read the end of the Strib article.

<"I work with the government," said Devitt, a Hennepin County social services planner, "and we have to try to be responsive to criticism and complaints. If we responded like the people at Life Time Fitness did, we would be fired.">

Funny how you included the entire government with you in the 'we' statements: 'we have to try to be responsive' and 'If we responded like the people at Life Time Fitness...' It shows that Nancy is never personally responsible for anything, which is why it makes perfect sense that she works for the government.

Nancy's problem isn't that her club wasn't up to date. Nancy's problem wasn't that her fees didn't match her perception of what ADVANTAGE means to her. Nancy's problem runs much deeper: entitlement.

not a communist state. You are not enititled to any private service such as a health club. You broke the rules, you are unhappy, go to a different club. That is how things work in the real world. If you don't like how Best Buy sells TVs, go to Circuit City. You are a pathetic bureaucrat wasting our tax money Nancy.

Nancy - consider yourself fortunate that you don't have to pay LTF any more money. I totally agree with you. I dumped them about 6 years ago. They used to be a nice place when they were small. Now, far too many clubs turned them into a typical large corporation.

Be aware that some NAC members despised LTF before the buyout, and for no particular reason. This really isn't a surprise, the two clubs just had different cultures. Some people were bound to be upset.

"Life Time Fitness releases boot licking lawyers on unhappy members"

nmdevitt-

You appear to be an intelligent person with more free time on your hands then most. Why not put your brains and time to good use towards something meaningful?

Just a thought.

Mac