they pay 3K for spa services but get treatment like shit. I keep getting calls from true spa to go down for FREE TREATMENT and I keep going for free treatment even when I never pay a single cents. STUPID SINKIES !!
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ustomers band together to hire lawyer
THEY signed up for long-term packages with a spa chain. Now they allege that they had difficulty making appointments to use its facilities.
This is the claim by a group of 10 True Spa customers, who are so upset that they have hired a lawyer to act against the company. The lawyer has written to the spa on behalf of his clients asking for refunds.
They alleged that after signing for long-term packages worth between $500 and $7,000, they found it extremely difficult to make an appointment.
They claimed that repeated calls to the main line and their consultants' handphones over several months went unanswered, and many SMSes went unanswered as well.
They also claimed that even when they did manage to get through, the spa was usually fully booked up to a month in advance.
Some bookings that they did manage to make were allegedly cancelled at the last minute.
Ms Yvonne Koh's complaint is typical of their allegations.
The 37-year-old finance executive signed a $1,100 package at the end of last year. After several failed attempts to make appointments, she claimed, the last straw came in August, when she made a booking a month in advance for her mother's birthday.
She said: 'But when we reached the outlet the consultant said we were not booked. She said if she didn't call a day in advance, it means it's not confirmed.
'My mother was so disappointed. It was her birthday and she was supposed to get a treat. We travelled all the way from Bukit Batok (to the Takashimaya branch).
'The money had already been paid, but we got no service.'
The 10 members are in their 20s and 30s. They had signed up as early as 2006.
Almost all claimed they had received cold calls from the spa to have a free trial session, and were enticed to sign up for packages.
Said Ms Nelly Liu, 27, a civil servant who got a $3,000 package around August last year: 'I can still remember my consultant telling me one of the benefits of their spa is that it is located at Ngee Ann City.
'She said that at any point of time while I am shopping and I suddenly feel tired, I can always go there for a massage.'
Ms Liu wanted to go for the massage at least once a month. But in over a year, she claimed, she only managed to make about four appointments, usually during weekday slots where she would have to take half-day leave.
'All the weekend slots are always full, no matter how far in advance you book,' she claimed.
Similarly, Mr Gan Chye Chuan, 32, a financial planner, who signed up for a $3,400 package in April, claimed to have managed to book only one appointment so far, in May.
Civil servant Goh Hwee Kwan, 29, said the experience was disappointing, as one of the things that motivated her to sign up for the $2,400 package last year was the promise of personalised service.
The promise was that she just had to call or SMS her consultant and she would be able to get an appointment.
Most of the 10 customers called or wrote letters to True Spa asking for refunds of their unused credits. But they claimed it either refused refunds or did not respond.
Ms Tan Siang Mei, 29, a marketing executive, went a step further - she sought help from both the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT).
But she claimed that True Spa did not respond to Case, while the SCT ruled that her case was beyond its jurisdiction.
This is because she signed up for her $3,900 membership in June 2006, and they can only preside over cases within one year of the cause of action.
So she decided to approach a lawyer, Mr Nicholas Aw.
She also started going on Internet forums in June this year seeking others with similar experiences.
She said: 'I spent about three months surfing the Internet and talking to people. I posted my e-mail, and they contacted me.'
She spoke to about 40 people and 10 of them, including Ms Tan, decided to hire a lawyer.
Each of them has paid about $300 in legal fees so far.
Ms Tan claimed there are still people contacting her and considering joining the case.
She said: 'I just want them to refund what I didn't use.'
Case executive director Mr Seah Seng Choon, said it had received eight filed cases against True Spa this year, compared to six last year.
That's out of 13 filed cases against spas so far this year, and 20 last year.
When The New Paper wrote to True Spa to ask about the alleged lapses in service, a spokesman for the True Group would only say: 'As the members have consulted a lawyer, it will be inappropriate for us to comment.
'We have engaged our lawyers who will respond in court if the need arises.
====================
ustomers band together to hire lawyer
THEY signed up for long-term packages with a spa chain. Now they allege that they had difficulty making appointments to use its facilities.
This is the claim by a group of 10 True Spa customers, who are so upset that they have hired a lawyer to act against the company. The lawyer has written to the spa on behalf of his clients asking for refunds.
They alleged that after signing for long-term packages worth between $500 and $7,000, they found it extremely difficult to make an appointment.
They claimed that repeated calls to the main line and their consultants' handphones over several months went unanswered, and many SMSes went unanswered as well.
They also claimed that even when they did manage to get through, the spa was usually fully booked up to a month in advance.
Some bookings that they did manage to make were allegedly cancelled at the last minute.
Ms Yvonne Koh's complaint is typical of their allegations.
The 37-year-old finance executive signed a $1,100 package at the end of last year. After several failed attempts to make appointments, she claimed, the last straw came in August, when she made a booking a month in advance for her mother's birthday.
She said: 'But when we reached the outlet the consultant said we were not booked. She said if she didn't call a day in advance, it means it's not confirmed.
'My mother was so disappointed. It was her birthday and she was supposed to get a treat. We travelled all the way from Bukit Batok (to the Takashimaya branch).
'The money had already been paid, but we got no service.'
The 10 members are in their 20s and 30s. They had signed up as early as 2006.
Almost all claimed they had received cold calls from the spa to have a free trial session, and were enticed to sign up for packages.
Said Ms Nelly Liu, 27, a civil servant who got a $3,000 package around August last year: 'I can still remember my consultant telling me one of the benefits of their spa is that it is located at Ngee Ann City.
'She said that at any point of time while I am shopping and I suddenly feel tired, I can always go there for a massage.'
Ms Liu wanted to go for the massage at least once a month. But in over a year, she claimed, she only managed to make about four appointments, usually during weekday slots where she would have to take half-day leave.
'All the weekend slots are always full, no matter how far in advance you book,' she claimed.
Similarly, Mr Gan Chye Chuan, 32, a financial planner, who signed up for a $3,400 package in April, claimed to have managed to book only one appointment so far, in May.
Civil servant Goh Hwee Kwan, 29, said the experience was disappointing, as one of the things that motivated her to sign up for the $2,400 package last year was the promise of personalised service.
The promise was that she just had to call or SMS her consultant and she would be able to get an appointment.
Most of the 10 customers called or wrote letters to True Spa asking for refunds of their unused credits. But they claimed it either refused refunds or did not respond.
Ms Tan Siang Mei, 29, a marketing executive, went a step further - she sought help from both the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT).
But she claimed that True Spa did not respond to Case, while the SCT ruled that her case was beyond its jurisdiction.
This is because she signed up for her $3,900 membership in June 2006, and they can only preside over cases within one year of the cause of action.
So she decided to approach a lawyer, Mr Nicholas Aw.
She also started going on Internet forums in June this year seeking others with similar experiences.
She said: 'I spent about three months surfing the Internet and talking to people. I posted my e-mail, and they contacted me.'
She spoke to about 40 people and 10 of them, including Ms Tan, decided to hire a lawyer.
Each of them has paid about $300 in legal fees so far.
Ms Tan claimed there are still people contacting her and considering joining the case.
She said: 'I just want them to refund what I didn't use.'
Case executive director Mr Seah Seng Choon, said it had received eight filed cases against True Spa this year, compared to six last year.
That's out of 13 filed cases against spas so far this year, and 20 last year.
When The New Paper wrote to True Spa to ask about the alleged lapses in service, a spokesman for the True Group would only say: 'As the members have consulted a lawyer, it will be inappropriate for us to comment.
'We have engaged our lawyers who will respond in court if the need arises.
