Ok, so the above graphic is pretty immature. Maybe it is a bit harsh to load that graphic based on what happened, but there are about a dozen incidents that I am unhappy about. This is the straw that broke the camel’s back!
Needless to say, I am very irritated with Lifetime Fitness. I have never been a big fan of their pool policies and just when things start to get smooth, they do something that puts me out. Today, it was their swim-team lane reservation tactics. Here’s what happened:
I arrived at Lifetime at around 5:20PM to find that the indoor pool was full with 3 lanes occupied by swim-team lessons (kids). I went outside and noticed that the first 3 lanes had cones on them with no instructions. All other lanes were occupied. I asked the lifeguard as to when swim lessons begin in these 3 lanes and was told that they begin at 6PM. All I wanted to do was swim a mile. 35 minutes is plenty of time to swim a mile. Perfect!
Not so fast. After swimming 1,200 meters, I was (rudely) interrupted by the swim instructor who asked me to stop using the lane because of swim lessons. It was 5:45PM. The same instructor who was teaching inside had the bright idea of blocking 3 lanes inside from 5PM to 5:45PM, and the 3 lanes outside from 5:45 to sun-down. I have no idea why she couldn’t just block the same 3 lanes for the entire 2 hours!
After cutting my swim workout short, I immediately looked for someone to talk to. Other than the lifeguard (who obviously had zero authority) and the swim instructor (who I was annoyed with), there was nobody around. Hence I spoke to the person at the front desk who had me file a complaint by filling out a piece of paper. Seriously? Haven’t we evolved into the 21st century yet? In the complaint, I simply asked someone with some authority to call me. We’ll see how long it takes for someone to call. I am not holding my breath!
Hey Lifetime Fitness, here are some suggestions; are you listening?
- When you have swim-practice for multiple back-to-back sessions, block the same 3 lanes. This way, your members won’t have to interrupted less often.
- Train your lifeguards about your swimming schedules. I understand that they are kids who are (probably) still in high-school, but there is no reason why they can’t know the schedules. After all, they are trained to save lives!!
- Allow members to fill out their complaints and suggestions electronically. Paper forms? Are you kidding me? If your IT staff is technically challenged, call me; we can help them out!
I went and did a casual Google search on “Lifetime Fitness complaints.” The number of results was astonishingly high. I guess I am not the only one who thinks that Lifetime Fitness sucks!
Oh, by the way, my back is almost back to normal. I am REALLY happy about that!