Massage Envy

I spoke to this customer by phone yesterday to try to walk her through her issue.  As the franchisee of this business, I have explained all of the facts below to her. It will be up to her to comply with her legal obligations in this contract as we are upholding our responsibilities and...

obligations.
She signed a 12 month, auto-renewable contract.  This is the standard agreement signed at all 1,060 Massage Envy Spas in 49 states within the United States.  She is responsible for 12 monthly payments initially and if the contract is not cancelled in writing it renews monthly until she cancels it.  The contract specifies a very easy and specific procedure to cancel prior to the end of the initial 12 month period. or at any point in the renewal period.  There is even a special paragraph at the top of the contract stating the cancellation policies, procedures, and instructions, and she was asked to initial that paragraph when she signed the initial contract (which she did).  She is required to fill out a cancellation form in the clinic.
This member's 12th payment  on January 12th, 2015 for $59.99 failed due to an invalid credit card.  We attempted to contact her by phone and left messages for her  stating that there was a problem with her payment and that she needed to call the clinic to resolve her suspended account.  We have a sophisticated Retail Customer Service system from Televox that records these phone calls.  Here is the call log for the days we called and reached her or left a message.  I have recordings for every one of these phone calls.
February 3, 2015:  left message on answering machine
February 12, 2015: she answered and hung up on us
February 17, 2015: left message on answering machine
February 25, 2015: left message on answering machine
February 28, 2015: left message on answering machine
March 9, 2015: left message on answering machine
March 12, 2015: left message on answering machine
March 16, 2015: left message on answering machine
March 23, 2015: left message on answering machine
March 30, 2015: left message on answering machine
April 1, 2015: left message on answering machine
April 4, 2015: left message on answering machine
She is responsible for the full value of the account and any suspended payments.  Her card also failed to process for her February 12th and March 12th payments of $59.99 each. With no cancellation request on record from her, the membership account simply renewed 2 additional months per the terms and conditions of her contract,  
 It is our policy that after 3 months of failed payments and attempts to contact the member, we send them a final notice by mail that if their account is not resolved within 15 days, it will be turned over to collections. This is written in the agreement that members are responsible for all payments and members are required to provide us accurate billing information at all times.  
It was only after we mailed her the letter by U.S. mail stating our intent to terminate the account in 15 days and turn over all failed payments to collections that she called the clinic to speak to us.  In other words, after she hung up on us on February 12th, ten additional phone calls to her were ignored until we got her attention with the demand letter.
We have informed her in several conversations in the past few days that she is now responsible for the January, February, and March payments on this retail services membership contract and if not resolved within the time period of the letter, we will turn over the balance to a collections agency.
I would be happy to provide a copy of her retail services membership contract to any and all parties who have a legal right to see it.  She was provided a copy of it when she signed it, but we are happy to provide her another copy should she wish.
Owner,
Massage Envy Spa 0961

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

[redacted]@massageenvy.com
Oct 27 (9 days ago)
to me, [redacted] 
[redacted],
 
Thank you for following up with the complaint we received from [redacted]. In regards to this complaint, I resolved the issue with [redacted] on September, 5th 2014....

After further research, we did issue a full refund back to the card on file, per his request. 
 
I have not had any further contact from [redacted] since September 5th.
 
Please feel free to direct any further complaints to Marisol L[redacted]. She will be assuming the General Manager position here at Massage Envy Spa [redacted] on November 4, 2014.
 
Here is her contact information:
 
Marisol L[redacted]
General Manager
Massage Envy Spa Foxchase
[redacted]@massageenvy.com
###-###-####
 
Please let us know if you need anything else!
  
Thank you,
 
Rebecca K[redacted]
General Manager
Massage Envy Spa [redacted]
###-###-####

This matter has been resolved and Mrs. [redacted] has been refunded.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We just received notice of this complaint, however, our Clinic Manager at our [redacted] location already spoke to [redacted] on Saturday, October 21st.  We have already canceled [redacted]'s membership with Massage Envy.  Our Clinic Manager said she was wonderful and appreciative that our company...

made an exception for her and cancelled her membership due to her situation.  We feel like everything was resolved prior to us receiving this notice, but if there is anything further we can do for [redacted] please let us know.  Warmest aloha, Massage Envy Hawaii

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/15) */
Contact Name and Title: Amanda T[redacted] Owner
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@massageenvy.com
Dan is the Customer Service Manager at the Pine Valley Crossing location and has acted in the capacity for about 2 years. He...

routinely processes membership cancellation requests and handles customer service issues for our location. To create accountability, I require that he and all of our staff keep detailed notes regarding customer services issues, especially those pertaining to membership cancellations.
On 3/20/2015, Ms. [redacted] did in fact submit a membership cancellation request. Although she says she only spoke with Dan, her point of contact on this day was actually the Assistant Customer Service Manager, Sarah. Sarah collaborated with Dan on Ms. [redacted]'s cancellation request, and, under his direction, we offered to waive both April and May payments as a courtesy to help her get caught up on unused sessions. This saved Ms. [redacted] $119.98 in membership dues and allowed us more time to add additional staff in hopes of alleviating Ms. [redacted]'s scheduling difficulties. Sarah noted that by the end of the conversation, "Ms. [redacted] really liked the idea because, to her, the 4 sessions she had built up is a lot and would be difficult for her to use." Sarah then told her we would file away her cancellation request. Ms. [redacted] then stated she would give us another chance at this point.

On 7/6/2015, Ms. [redacted] once again came into the clinic to dispute a charge that came out on 7/3/2015 and to inquire about her membership cancellation. She asked to see her cancellation form and became upset when she found that it was not processed. Dan checked the previous notes and informed Ms. [redacted] that the notes we had on file indicated that she chose not to go through with the cancellation request in March. This would explain why it was not processed. Ms. [redacted] then claimed she had called back some time ago to inform us that she did in fact want to cancel her membership. Dan asked her if she recalled when she had called us and Ms. [redacted] stated she couldn't remember, but it was sometime in June. Dan then informed Ms. [redacted] that, per the cancellation form signed by Ms. [redacted], one final membership payment is processed and that the member has 30 days after that last payment to use any remaining sessions. The payment that was processed on 7/3/2015 was in fact supposed to have been charged on 6/8/2015, but our system was unable to process the payment until 7/3/2015 because the card had been declined. Ms. [redacted] maintains that she called on 6/3/2015 to go through with the cancellation. Although it was unprocessed as of 7/6/2015, she still would have been responsible for the payment due on 6/8/2015. Dan noticed that another payment was due to be processed on 7/8/2015 and offered to waive that $59.99 payment in order to give Ms. [redacted] an additional 30 days to use up the remaining 2 sessions. At that point, Ms. [redacted] declined the offer stating that she had no interest in returning to Massage Envy at all. Dan then informed her that if she decided to have the cancellation processed immediately, she would forfeit the last 2 sessions she had available. She said that was fine, and requested a copy of the processed membership cancellation form. Dan obliged and gave her a copy of the requested form. At no point during the conversation did Dan inform the client to "deal with it and move on." He also did not berate her in front of any clients, it would be out of character for him to do so and I would not tolerate that behavior in any form.

On 7/13/15, Ms. [redacted] called back irate that she had been charged for another membership payment. Ms. [redacted] immediately threatened legal action and contact with the Revdex.com. Dan checked Ms. [redacted]'s transaction history and it showed her membership was cancelled as of 7/6/15 and that no additional charges had been made to her account since 7/3/15. She then proceeded to launch a verbal attack on Dan by calling him a liar, saying it's a wonder he can keep anyone at this location, and saying she had no reason to believe he was telling the truth because he had never done so in the past. She then stated that she did not want to return to our clinic specifically because of how rude Dan was to her. Dan attempted to interject to inform her again that we had not charged her but she would not listen. Dan never said Ms. [redacted] was the worst person he's had to deal with, nor did he call her a liar. Out of frustration, Dan did thank her for being the most pleasant person he's had the pleasure of working with this week. He does apologize for his sarcasm. Ms. [redacted] would not believe that her membership was in fact cancelled, and that there were absolutely no additional charges to her account, she then continued to threaten legal action, communication with the Revdex.com, and to tell anyone and everyone how rude our manager is at this location. Dan thanked her for her phone call and Ms. [redacted] hung up.
To summarize, Ms. [redacted] took issue with our scheduling availability and wanted to cancel her membership as of March 2015. As a courtesy, we waived $119.98 worth of membership dues to allow her extra time to use up her accrued sessions and save her from additional membership charges. At that point she rescinded her intent to cancel. As of 6/3/2015, she maintains that she called to pursue cancellation of her membership. At that point, per our cancellation policy, she would have been still been responsible for a membership charge due 6/8/15, however, due to declined payments, that payment was not secured until 7/3/2015. On 7/6/2015, Ms. [redacted] requested immediate termination of her membership. At that point, Dan offered to waive July's $59.99 payment in order to give her an additional 30 days to use her remaining membership sessions. Per the membership agreement, she could have used those sessions at any Massage Envy location in the US; however, she declined to use those sessions, indicating she had no interest in returning to Massage Envy. Dan then informed her that she would forfeit her remaining two sessions as a result of immediate termination of her membership. She acknowledged that that would be ok and was given a copy of the processed cancellation form for her records. On 7/13/15, Ms. [redacted] then called back to dispute a membership charge that did not occur, and immediately threatened legal and consumer action with the Revdex.com. The membership agreement and the cancellation request form, both of which she signed, explicitly state that any unused sessions are forfeited at the time a membership is terminated. Ms. [redacted] was given an opportunity to receive extended to time to use her remaining 2 sessions by the Manager she claims has no interest in helping her, but she refused and has now filed a complaint with the Revdex.com to dispute a charge that never occurred.
OFFER:
We have already waived $119.98 in membership dues to help alleviate Ms. [redacted]'s scheduling difficulties in the past. We also offered to waive an additional $59.99 in membership dues in order to extend Ms. [redacted] additional time to use her remaining sessions; however, she knowingly declined that offer on 7/6/2015 when she requested immediate termination of her membership.
At this point, we will not grant any additional special treatment with regard to her membership agreement. We will extend her 30 days from the day her membership was cancelled to use the 2 sessions she originally forfeited on 7/6/2015. There is a second Massage Envy location in Fort Wayne on West Jefferson Blvd., and she will be free to use those remaining sessions at that location.
Those remaining 2 sessions will expire at midnight on Thursday, 8/6/2015.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2015/07/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
This is a highly inaccurate response from Massage Envy. The matter was not handled professionally at all, and they have severely twisted the truth here. I have worked in customer service for almost 30 years, and would never dream of treating a customer the way they treated me. The only accurate portion of their response is that I did indeed state that I would look for legal action and take this to the Revdex.com. Beyond that, they have spun this into quite a tale.
I will use my other massages at their other local location, and hope that they will treat me with a better degree of respect.

The business has responded.  Please see below:We are very appreciative of the feed back we received from this customer and apologize for what seemed to be a longer than normal response...

time on our behalf. We have already communicated with the customer and refunded her facial service and we will still accept the product she bought for a refund if she mails it to us.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. 
 
I. Am very disappointed in the fact that  Massage Envy forces a client to get services they do not want. Who does this if I have a credit I should be able to use this credit on my monthly payment. What right do they have to tell me to get an extra massage or other service? I will never go or send anyone to Massage Envy. Especially recommend the monthly plan. If you get a gift card you need to use it for a service and they are unable to credit you toward your monthly charge. I have been going for several years and when I discovered this bad business practice I canceled my membership. I want a credit for my visit. The cancellation of my appointment was just the straw that made my decision. 
[redacted]

Final Consumer Response /* (450, 15, 2015/12/07) */
From: [redacted]
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2015 10:47 PM
To: Revdex.com
Subject: Re: Revdex.com Complaint Case# [redacted] (Ref#29-33058774-[redacted]-11-500)
Hi,
I did hear from the company and they resolved the issue.
Thank you very...

much for your help.
Best, [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

To whom it may concern: It was brought to our attention that [redacted] submitted a complaint on 1/11/16 regarding an issue with an online gift card purchase. We have reached out to the customer via phone and email and offered the following resolution:The gift card was resent to the...

customer yesterday (1/10/16). Warm regards, Massage Envy Franchising, LLC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/15) */
Thank you for the letter re: the complaint from [redacted]. First, I would like to start off by explaining the situation.
On 4/10/15 [redacted] had an appointment scheduled with us for 6:00pm with one of our therapist. At 6:11pm the client had...

yet to show up for the appointment so the Assistant Manager called [redacted] and left a voicemail. Shortly after, [redacted] had called back claiming that she never booked the appointment for 6:00pm and that is was supposed to be at 7:00pm. The manager explained that we have it for 6:00pm and there was nothing available for 7:00 with that therapist because appointments were book ahead of time. We did call [redacted] the previous day (4/9/15) to confirm the appointment time and left a voicemail for that. We also previously called [redacted] re: her account being frozen and that it would need to be unfrozen for the appointment. She confirmed the time with the associate on the phone at the time and that she would be early for it. Somewhere along the line, the communication was lacking. The manager apologized for the miscommunication and inconvenience. [redacted] wanted a call back from myself (clinic manager) re: the situation. She also claimed that the same scenario occurred before with our clinic. This all occurred on a Friday evening. The next morning (4/11/15), I was unavailable to call [redacted] myself so the Assistant Manager called her back right away about the situation that occurred the night before to ensure the client wasn't waiting longer for the situation to be resolved. She had informed the client that she was calling in behalf of the clinic manager to let her know that we apologize for the mistake, she wasn't charged for the no show the previous night and that our therapist is willing to come in after their resignation date just to do a massage on her as the client on sees this massage therapist. She was happy about it and told us she would like to come in on 4/17/15 at 7pm. The Assistant Manager went to confirm the date and time with the therapist. She then called [redacted] back to confirm the length of the session but no answer so she left a voicemail. She never called us back but we did but her on the books for a 90 minute session with [redacted] on 4/17/15 @7:00pm because that is what she has been doing in the past. I called her on 4/15/15 to talk to her about the situation and prior problems. She didn't answer so I left a voicemail for her. We never received a phone call back. The next morning 4/16/15, I again called her to confirm the appointment time and re: the appointment on 4/10/15. No answer, so I left another voicemail.I also added in the voicemail that I would be in the clinic before her session on 4/17/15 to talk to her about any concerns or problems. We were concerned at this point that she was not going to show up the appointment and it was crucial to know as we had that therapist coming in after her resignation date to do the massage. Later that day, the Assistant Manager then called her again to confirm the appointment. [redacted] did finally answer this time and confirmed the appointment date, time and length. She did not ask for me at all. The next day I lingered around the clinic after my shift at the Front Desk to ensure that I was available to talk to her before her session. She did arrive in the clinic at 6:59 pm with no time to talk. She walked right in and to our relaxation room. I then left the clinic. She did not pay for her session this day. After her session she had talked to a front desk associate about cancelling her membership. The associate informed her that due to her agreement she was obligated for two more payments and that we would need a cancellation form filled out. Also informed her that any unused massages would expire 30 days after the last payment was made. She made no complaints or disagreements with these statements. As far as we know, the problem was solved on 4/11/15.
As far as the previous situations where this has occurred, I have found points (complimentary sessions) in her account to compensate for previous mistakes on behalf of the front desk. She never used them.
The situation has been resolved to the client's satisfaction.
Thank you
[redacted]- Clinic Administrator
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 16, 2015/05/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There are multiple errors contained in the above response. I called them back multiple times to discuss and confirm the appointment with [redacted] and the situation at hand and I have the phone records to prove it. I'd like to provide those since I don't appreciate lies being perpetuated about me since this could damage my business reputation in Prior Lake where I have been a business owner for 30+ years. In spite of the fact that their customer service is atrocious, I still agreed to use the remaining points with [redacted] (recommended by [redacted]) and cancel at the first possible date. This is supposed to be handled by the front desk staff. I want verification that May will be the final withdrawal and the cancellations have been filled out and filed. I also want to know where I can send [redacted] the phone records so she can amend her erroneous comments above.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 19, 2015/05/15) */
I want verification that May will be the final withdrawal and the cancellations have been filled out and filed.

Spoke to [redacted] and took care of her memberships due to a misunderstanding.  Wonderful and understanding woman, thank you [redacted]!

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Except  everything that  Massage Envy stated is incorrect. The person I spoke to about canceling my account never told me that he was ony going to freeze my account. And I paid the first two months because I didn't realize they were taking money from me. When I realized it and realized I could not afford it that is when I called and asked to cancel it. 
 
He told me he would send me a form to cancel it. I filled it out and faxed it. 
 
Many attempts were not made to  contact [redacted], I started receiving automated calls telling me I had an outstanding balance that is when I tried calling the manager several times but every time I called she never seemed to be around. I talked with an employee finally when I couldn't reach the manager and she also told me I could come in and cancel it since the original guy did not. So again, misleading and false information was relayed to me. 
It's actually disgusting  how hard they are fighting this. Everything I stated happened and it seems like they are trying to cover up shady activity and clearly they don't know how to run a business. I am adamant about not paying this fee and I have witnesses to corabarate my story as well as I have talked to people who have their own horror stories about Massage Envy. 
 
All I am asking is to simply cancel the account that I have never used and never wanted in the first place.  
 Regards,
[redacted]

To whom it may concern: It was brought to our attention that [redacted] submitted a complaint regarding an issue with an online gift card purchase. We have reached out to the customer via phone and email and offered the following resolution:The gift card purchase was refunded to the...

customer's credit card on 1/4/16. She was notified via email and phone. Warm regards, Massage Envy Franchising, LLC

Their business practices are both misleading and unethical. Their contracts are a rip off.

Hi my name is [redacted]. I'm a licensed massage therapist. I was told in text by my owner who runs the [redacted] that I was allowed to transfer to a different massage envy which is ran by a different owner. They offered PTO and 401k and $200 sign on bonus which I was offered after my practical. The [redacted] does not offer those benefits. I was set to start orientation this up coming Wednesday July 9th. I received a email from the [redacted] Thursday July 3rd which is the clinic I would love to work for, stating my owner of [redacted] was un happy about the transfer and would not approve my transfer because of company policies. If I leave they might have a chance of their numbers dropping.I told my clients Wednesday and Thursday that I'm moving to a different location and owner so I'm not allowed to tell them where I'm going because of company policies. I did refer therapist from the [redacted] that I believe could be the best fit for them.I'm currently unemployed now. I have bills and children to take care of. This has happen to two other therapist and they both ended up coming back to [redacted] because the owner would not approve of them to work for another owner. I will not return to [redacted] because they don't offer the benefits that I need for my family. I was also pulled into my managers office Wednesday the 2nd of July and she approved me also with the transfer. I know this May not be a big story but I'm desperate for help, so that I can get back to what I love doing which is massage, and work for a company that offers the benefits that I need. I believe the owner of [redacted] is telling me yes you have my approval, but yet he is telling the owner of [redacted] he will not approve my transfer so that I would come back like the other two therapist did because they needed money. I believe it is not fair that the [redacted] owner is doing this. He is ruining my lively hood for me to provide for my family just so I can stay working for his company.
The owner of Mesa [redacted] massage envy is [redacted] his number is [redacted]. And I still have the text from him approving me to transfer to [redacted] massage envy. My manager at [redacted] is [redacted] her number is [redacted].
The other two therapist names are [redacted] and [redacted] was released after 5 months to move to a different location which was closer to home. But she had to confront [redacted] about it multiple times before he gave in. Can someone please help me? I do not like to stress about money, I just want to work for a different owner.

Upon receipt of complaint I contacted researched the situation and confirmed that both memberships were cancelled effective immediately on February 16th after the General Manager spoke with her. I personally followed up with [redacted] to say how sorry I was for her loss and to discuss her displeasure at...

the handling of her situation. Upon cancellation [redacted] and her husband both had a massage credit on their accounts that we will be refunding via check. - Ashley M[redacted]

Review: I booked a couples massage to get a prenatal massage to comfort me dealing with pregnancy discomfort...When I booked the appointment I simply asked the receptionist to make sure I didn't need a doctors note to have my massage done due to me having to see a therapist who specialized in prenatal care...She assured me she would check & let me know but the company didn't require me to have one...She called me back confirmed my appointment date & time & assured me I didn't need a doctors note...The morning of the scheduled appointment I get there 15mins early sit & wait just to be told I can't receive massage therapy because the therapist refused to go do so without me having a note from my doctors office not to mention they booked the appointment for me & not my boyfriend after I had ask for a couples massage appointment...I was highly upset after a 30min drive to be turned away because of their companies lack of communication & poor customer service...So the receptionist assured me my next massage was free & had the manager tell me how sorry they were for the misunderstanding...Well I decided to take them up on their offer as long as I didn't have to book with the therapist who refused to give me service...Two weeks later I come back they refuse to do my boyfriends massage because he smelt like smoke which we assured them was from

a cigar...I was upset all ready to leave & my boyfriend talked me into staying to get my massage & he would just watch me relax because I needed to after the mishap...Well I loved the massage so I decided maybe I could give them another try...Booked again couples massage called 30mins prior was it ok if we were late...The receptionist checked my appointment time & assured me we could still come everything was ok we could do 60mins massages instead of 90min no extra charged but still charged us for 90min services at check out time...We left I was upset I called to speak to a manager they refused to let me...Their service is HORRIBLY POORDesired Settlement: The fair reasonable thing to do is refund me the money for their poor service about their policies I didn't sign any agreement nor was it posted in plain site claiming I had to pay full service price for appointment time after they assured me there wasn't going to be any extra charge & we ask them twice once before coming 30mins prior to our appointment time & once we had arrived & both times we were told everything was fine don't worry 60mins instead of the 90mins no extra charge or penalty

Business

Response:

4/11/16Good evening [redacted],I would like to address these statements from the client. Ms [redacted]'s first appointment was refused by her therapist, as her insurance does not cover her for the first trimester of prenatal massage. As per the privacy act, we can not ask the client over the phone how far along they are in their pregnancy. We apologized, and gave her a free hour session on us.The next massage was booked for a couples massage, our therapists refused Mr. [redacted]'s session due to him being intoxicated, and smelling of illegal drugs. We have the right to refuse a client if we suspect they are under influence of anything. I understand this is upsetting, however it is for the safety of the clients and our therapists.The following session, they were booked for a 90 min couples massage. It is our policy that if someone is late, they will be charged for the original session booked. The therapists only get paid by their sessions booked. Ms. [redacted], called the clinic after they left and was disrespectful to our front desk shift leader on the phone, our employees do not have to be subject to verbal abusive and swearing at them. We absolutely pride ourselves in our customer service and professionalism, we simply ask for the same in return. We will refund Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] for their 30 minutes that they didn’t receive.In conclusion, we will rectify the situation by honoring Ms. [redacted]'s request for the refund of the 30 minutes that they did not receive. The amount of the refund would be $40 each, $80 in total. We do apologize for this mistreating of our clients.Regards,Dawn[redacted]Massage Envy Settlers Ridge [redacted]