500 kena conned by Wellness Village Fitness Spa

[General Veers]

Singapore
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Dec 2, 2009

WELLNESS VILLAGE SPA CLOSURE
Clients want money back

About 330 turn to Small Claims Tribunal; some seek waiver from banks

<!-- by line --> By Lim Wei Chean
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<!--background story, collapse if none--> THE PROBLEM
'Cardholders are liable for instalment payments on their credit cards as the full amount has been paid to the merchant.'

A spokesman for HSBC
THE SOLUTION?
Banks can pay merchants monthly instead of in full, since the services are not consumed in one go.

A suggestion from Case's executive director Seah Seng Choon, on a better way to protect consumers under instalment schemes

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Almost 300 of the over 500 affected Wellness Village clients have banded together on Facebook to share information on what can be done to get their money back. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN

<!-- story content : start --> MORE than 500 clients left in the lurch by a spa which shut down abruptly last month are exploring all avenues to get back what they paid upfront for treatment packages. About 520 of Wellness Village's clients have gone to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case). About 330 have filed claims with the Small Claims Tribunal. Almost 300 have banded together on social networking site Facebook to share information on what they can do. It is unclear how many clients have been left with paid-for treatments that are now likely unclaimable, or how much they had paid, but the 20 who spoke to The Straits Times had each bought packages costing between $550 and $6,000. Most said they learnt of the spa through credit card promotions, and had either paid for the packages in full or in interest-free instalments using their cards. Those who opted to pay in instalments are now trying to at least get the outstanding payments waived. Depending on the credit card they used, they have had varying luck on this front. Those who used Citibank cards have had their outstanding balances waived; those with other banks' cards have been less successful. Citibank's spokesman said that in a genuine case, backed by necessary documentation such as this one, it would do its best to support its customers.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
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[ahleebabasingaporethief]

Her photo from previous posts all DISAPPEARED.

Anyone with her PHOTO please post here.

We will put out an ALERT POSTER in case she is still in S'pore to alert others..
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[angie]

Checks with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority showed that Wellness Village was incoporated in June 2004 and is still a “live company”. Permanent resident Lia Meyrina is listed as its director. MediaCorp could not reach the company.


Wellness Village Spa and Fitness, a limited liability partnership with Ms Lia and a Mr Christopher Tan Khee Howe listed as partners, was struck off in September. It was registered in 2007.

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[ahleebabasingaporethief]

If really business failure, owners would have issued public statement or apology by now.

Has anyone that got conned filed a report with INTERPOL?

Obviously not in S'pore is she?
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[angie]

http://best-spa-massage.com/

Has Wellness Village Spa left its customers in the lurch?
By Alicia Wong, TODAY | Posted: 10 November 2009 0704 hrs



SINGAPORE: For over four years, it operated at the Pan Pacific Singapore hotel. But over the course of a day, the Wellness Village Spa left customers and the hotel in the lurch when it suddenly shut down, disconnecting its phone lines. At its Pagoda Street outlet in Chinatown, the premises were empty, with the doors wide open when MediaCorp visited on Monday. Neighbouring shop owners said they saw movers shifting equipment and furniture on Sunday afternoon. In the quiet of the night, the same scene was seemingly repeated at the Pan Pacific outlet.

A nearby shop owner said the spa began retrenching workers last month. He noticed remaining staff packing up late last week, and believes that customers were told it was “fully booked” to keep them from coming down. This was certainly the experience for one customer. Ms Elaine Ong had been trying to make an appointment, but the spa kept telling her that it was fully booked. The “first hint of trouble” came last Thursday when she called the Pan Pacific outlet and an employee told her only two therapists were being employed, said Ms Ong who is in her 30s. As she has recently signed up for a $600 package, Ms Ong said she was a “bit alarmed”.

At Pan Pacific on Monday, a hotel employee told guests the spa had closed without informing anyone. Dutch businessman Laros, 39, who had been peering through the spa’s glass door, said the hotel’s reception pointed him to the spa for a massage when he checked in. The hotel told MediaCorp the spa “leases and operates the premises independently”.

It “sincerely regrets any inconvenience experienced” and is now re-directing guests to nearby spa facilities. It will “continue to attempt” to contact Wellness Village Spa, it added. Checks with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority showed that Wellness Village was incoporated in June 2004 and is still a “live company”. Permanent resident Lia Meyrina is listed as its director. MediaCorp could not reach the company. Wellness Village Spa and Fitness, a limited liability partnership with Ms Lia and a Mr Christopher Tan Khee Howe listed as partners, was struck off in September. It was registered in 2007.

Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) executive director Seah Seng Choon was “not surprised” by the spa’s actions.
“Don’t be fooled by the location. Spas are generally small businesses, unless they have an international chain … Consumers have to be careful when transacting with them,” said Mr Seah. Since last year, CASE has received five complaints, including unsatisfactory services and difficulty in scheduling sessions, against Wellness Village. Four were made this year, with the latest complaint in October. CASE is trying to contact the company.



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