Hair Braiding Club

To whom it may concern:I am sincerely sorry that I did not notice the email you sent to meI am writing in response to the letter you sent me about customer service Issues.My name is Akuavi generally called “Lucie" by everybody including customersMy salon is located at *** ** *** ** in
Suitland and it is called “*** hair braiding”“Hair braiding club” salon is no more at that locationLike I said, my name is “Lucie" and not “Maggie” and I am the business ownerI reviewed the customer complaint and honestly, it did not happen with me in my salon and no one bears that name in my salonWe do not overcharge in my salonOn the contrary, in order to attract customers, we have two discount coupons, one for everyday and another one for Thursday with discount ranging from 10% to dollars offCustomer is a king in my salon, therefore we treat them with utmost respectTo clarify that issue, the customer can stop by “*** Hair braiding” and not at “Hair braiding club" new location to verify my information.Thanks,The salon owner

Review: This is an African Hair Braiding business that offers memberships through their website. I purchase a $40 monthly membership and made an appointment on line. The membership that I purchase from their website add said specifically this; Gold Plus ($40) Free Takeout, Free Hair, Free Retouch) Free braids take out , Free wash and shampoo , Free hair, Free Touch-ups All your visits are only $100 every time you get your braids. Just name it and we will Braid it. COME ANY DAY OF THE WEEK $40When I arrived for my 8:00am appointment on Sunday, September 29, 2013. I waited until 10:30am to receive service, and during this time I was told that the membership I signed up for does not take effect until my second appointment. I would have to pay $205.00. They would not honor my $30.00 off coupon, and they refused to give me the membership price of $100 I had previously enrolled in and paid $40.00 for. They told me that this policy was contained within their terms and conditions. I would not have driven hour and a half for this appointment if I knew I would be charged $205.00. The membership ad on their website does not state there are any restrictions, it states all visits everytime I get braids! It didn't even state for Restrictions read the Terms and Conditions. This business is running false advertisement practices, and they are not honoring their coupons. They just want to get you in the door, so they can get your business. I feel like I was taken advantage of.Desired Settlement: I would like for them to fix their membership ad on their website to accurately reflect their policy. I would like for them to cancel my membership, and I would like for them to provide me with a $40.00 refund. I also want them to cease and desist the $40.00 per month charge on my credit card because I no longer wish to be a member.

Business

Response:

Wednesday November 6th 2013

Complaint ID: [redacted] Thanks for contacting us.

Our site is Braidingxom, You can try to register for a membership and go through the process to get a picture of what the customer who logged the complaint went through.

Anyone who just joins and accept the terms and conditions without reading them will have the same problem this lady had.

Before coming to the conclusion that we must charge the regular price for the first visit, we had to go through many situations where people whoro joining just to got a discounted visit and cancel membership as soon as they got that one visit. So we changed and started to charge the regular price on the first Visit. This way, only those who get braids often will find our membership useful.

This lady joined as a free member on September 5th She did not upgrade to Gold member until the 28 of September when she actually needed braids. She came in on the 29th and was told what she knew: "paying the regular price". There is a banner in the shop that explains the same. She accepted the price and got braids. If she did not agree with our prices she could have walked just next door or across the street to get her hair done.

The First contact I have with this lady is on September 5m at 8:45 when she filled out a form on my site. Since then She got some email offers including one offer for only $119 which she opened 6 times including twico the day ehe was coming for her visit. Why wag she looking at an offer coeting $119 if she knew she was going to pay only $100?. She must have known she was paying the regular price so she was looking for a way to pay less.

Regarding The $40 refund.

I am not sure when she contacted the Revdex.com but since she asked me to cancel her membership, I went ahead and cancel it on 10-1-13. You can see the screenshot [redacted]

She got her money back already.

Please go through the membership sign up process (Braidingclub.com )and if you find anything we need to change, let us know and we will implement.

I hope this will help. I am available for any further questions,

Thanks!

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: This business clearly uses deceptive advertisement practices to lure customers into their shop. On their website's membership page (see attachment) it clearly states ALL visits will be $100. If there were restrictions, it should have stated either **RESTRICTIONS** or [redacted]SEE TERMS FOR RESTRICTIONS[redacted]. I would not have driven 90 minutes there and 90 minutes home to spend over $200 for my box braids if I would have known beforehand. Yes, I did not fully read the terms. I solely went with what was listed as the Gold Membership terms on their website (see attachment). This was clearly my fault, and yes, I could have chosen to go somewhere else once I found out how much I would be paying for my braids and I didn't because I was already there. I am just upset that the initial false advertisement is what lured me to their establishment in the first place. I understand some of your past customers have taken advantage of the Gold Membership you offer, but that would not have been me. I had plans to improve the condition of my hair, so I planned on using your service frequently, but your business has lost a paying membership customer because of what I consider false advertisement. In addition, the reason I reviewed the $119 offer was because I brought in my underage cousin to get her hair done as well, and she did not have a membership. I was trying to see what I could do to save money on her braids. I am no longer seeking a refund of my membership price because I was able to cancel my membership. I am seeking for this business to add the attached recommendation to their website. They should not just solely rely on the customer to fully read their terms. They should place something on the membership webpage that states See Terms for Restrictions otherwise they are just practicing the old bait and switch method to get customers in to their business. It is unethical and not a good practice for a business that is looking to get and keep new customers.

Regards,