ComplaintsforHealing Elements Day Spa

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I visted Healing Elements on March 5, 2024 for a balayge. Upon leaving the salon and getting in natural light, a harsh vertical line was apparent at the top of my head.Evening March 5, 2024 - returned to salon to address harsh vertical line near top of head March 9, 2024 - returned to salon to address dark, uneven patches at front of face/roots After March 9 appointment - dark, solid purple square of color at front of face. Was advised (without in person analysis) to wash entire head daily with **** dish soap - which resulted in brassy/orange roots and streaks that are yet to be resolved March 18, 2024 - appointment with senior colorist - no change to red/brassy roots, significant discolored highlights framing face, dark, unblended chunks - no monitoring of color as it processed, very fast toning, red undertones worse.At this time, I stopped returning to Healing Elements for any "fixes" and have had 3 professional consultations at other salons to address a color correction. All three consultations resulted in the same advice - that my hair was badly damaged and no correction should be attempted for at least 3 months - leaving me with a poor color job and brassy/red tones at the front and top of my head.********* at Healing Elements responded to my credit card dispute (attached) ignoring the professional failures of her stylists and instead indicating they performed "fixes" for things I was "not happy with" - this went far beyond not being happy. I repeatly returned to the salon in a hope to undo the damage that was done to my hair. After 3 attempts, it became clear there was not a stylist knowledgeable enough to repair their damage. At a minimum, this service should be refunded in full. The staff at Healing Elements has been dismissive in light of the number of errors encountered and unprofessional, at best, in their handling of the dispute.

  Business response

  05/20/2024

  Hello ***

  I'm truly sorry we were not aware you were still not happy with your hair.  The last we have knowledge of you left on 3/18/24 and were happy with the results.  None of the managers were aware that you were still unhappy and we have no record of you calling or emailing since 3/18/24 after to say you were not happy still.  We will have a manager reach out to you today as we would like to make this better.   Regarding the charge cards dispute.  We have to dispute all of these as the charge card company makes notes that we charge someone illegal or without their knowledge.  A charge card dispute is not a way to get a refund as the company has to pay extra for losing them and it shows up on their record as fraudulent charging of clients.  We will dispute all charges at all times as we never charge anyone illegally or without their knowledge.  Again I'm sorry you are still dissatisfied a manager will reach out to you today.      

• Initial Complaint

  01/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Received services at Healing Elements Day Spa on January 6, 2023. I had a gift card in the amount of $90. Was told upon checkout that the card had NO remaining balance. Manager simply stated there was "nothing she could do", and I would be responsible for the full cost of services rendered.

  Business response

  01/09/2023

  Our Gift card policy is listed on our website, brochures, Gift card holder (which she had), and Gift Card (which she had).  The policy follows the federal laws as WI doesn't have any regulations on gift cards.  The Federal laws do allow a business to have an inactivity fee that can be applied after 12 months of no use.  We have a policy that the gift card starts to lose value after 12 months with 10% deducted every month until gone.  The purchaser is told of this policy and does initial the receipt agreeing to this policy before they leave.  Once the gift card leaves our building we are not able to call or make sure the gift card is used in a timely manner.  We do offer other ways to not lose money but the holder needs to call us before it starts to deduct in value.  We do offer to put the gift card on account as long as a service is booked and not cancelled.  I find this also ironic that this client works at a competing spa and had all this information in front of her for years since this gift card was sold in early 2019.  Our gift cards are non refundable so we will not refund the money to her - even so if we did refund anything it would not be to the receiver but the purchaser (even though they agreed to our terms when they bought it.)  

  Customer response

  01/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  It does appear that the information regarding gift card policies was listed. However, as a first-time guest, it never occurred to me to make sure the gift card was still valid. Also, they stated it was purchased early in 2019, which is incorrect. It was purchased at the end of 2019 as a Christmas gift. I had a service scheduled for the end of March 2020, only 3 months after purchase, which was canceled due to the pandemic. Due to personal reasons and a major life change, I was unable to reschedule until now.

  The establishment attached a file containing the federal law surrounding gift card regulations. It states that a gift card may not expire until five years after the purchase date. Issuers have a choice to charge an inactivity fee if the card has not been used for twelve months. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. This is an extremely poor business practice that will alienate existing and potentially future guests.

  As previously mentioned, I have been in the same industry for over 20 years. To say that the customer service is beyond poor is an understatement. The fact that Healing Elements is choosing to plainly enforce this policy without any regard to a guest's individual circumstance is distasteful, offensive, and unacceptable. They are directly stealing money from individuals. Unfortunately upon review, I was not the only guest with the same experience, as there are many others who complained of the same situation.

  I am still requesting a refund in the amount of $90 be sent to the original purchaser of the gift card for the complete lack of respect and immense inconvenience they have caused.

  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  01/17/2023

  I'm sorry that the client is not happy and is not taking responsibility for not using the gift card in a timely manner.  All the information regarding our policies were right in front of her on her gift card holder.  The purchaser was informed of our policy and did accept those policies when purchasing the gift card.  The client was fully aware of the polices but decided that she was not going to call or verify in any way what could have been done.  We have many options for gift cards that are about to lose value but the holder does need to call to have this done.  We have set rules according the federal laws and will continue to follow the federal laws.  The client working for a competing business and having this issue is interesting to us as the entire industry has many different standards on gift cards that she should be aware of.  This only appears more and more to be an attack on a competitor for slandering reasons.  A majority of gift cards in the spa industry do expire or lose value.  Gift cards are non refundable.  We will not be refunding the client for not using the gift card in a timely manner.  The gift card lost all value as of September of 2021 in our system and we will no longer continue this interaction with this client.  She will no longer be allowed to return as a customer.  We are not members of the ******************** and this interaction is a waste of time for both client and us.  In the future we recommend the client if unsure of the policies to call the business and talk to them to make sure she is aware and to make sure she can take responsibility for her own actions.  She is pointing blame on the business for her lack of responsibility.  Healing Elements will take legal action if this client continues with her slander and defamation.

  Customer response

  01/19/2023

  To the Owner of Healing Elements Day Spa:

  
  We can end this conversation here with this message and respectfully agree to disagree moving forward. I will leave you with these closing thoughts.

  
  As mentioned in my previous response, I did accept accountability and responsibility for the mistake in not being aware of the gift card's expiration date. An explanation was provided. Much of this time also involved an unprecedented, worldwide pandemic, for which there are any number of reasons a person may not be comfortable visiting an establishment.

  
  During my time in the space, I enjoyed all of my service providers and the amenities, which was also previously stated. I made sure to provide 20% gratuity for each individual, as they had nothing to do with the gift card issue and should not be penalized.

  
  On the contrary, this has absolutely nothing to do with working at a competing spa. It is not an attack for slander or defamation purposes, and it is unfortunate you feel that way. I do not work anywhere near the vicinity of your spa. It has everything to do with creating awareness that there is a better way to treat your guests to ensure they leave content. I am allowed to leave an honest review of my experience just like any other guest.

  
  Sometimes it is nice to receive a service outside of your place of employment. I had every intention of being a return guest and referring friends and family who live in the area to your spa prior to this incident. Accepting that the gift card had expired would have been much easier to absorb if there was even an ounce of compassion from your staff as to why that much time had lapsed. Unfortunately, I discovered that I am not the only one who has had a similar experience.

  
  It is frustrating and disheartening to know that in an industry built to help and replenish individuals that you are choosing to operate this way, but that is your prerogative. I am passionate about the work that I do. Providing quality services and customer care are extremely important to me. Building and maintaining relationships are at the heart of what we do, however, it is evident that your company is not interested in the same moral philosophy or values.
  
  

  
  

  Business response

  01/19/2023

  I know you don't believe me or agreeing with me but I truly am sorry for this entire situation.  We never want the gift card to not be used at all as we know we do a great job and we know clients will come back to see us. This specific reason is the reason I'm truly considering getting rid of all gift cards and no longer offering them.  We have tried everything we can to keep things fair for all clients.  We have had these rules for the last 15 years and have made sure to post it every where along with the purchaser being fully aware at the time of purchase.  We are not trying to hide anything as you had the gift card and holder showing all of the policy.  **** gift cards also lose value and no one is ever angry at **** but the small businesses for some reason are supposed to keep all liability open for 5 years according to the person that doesn't use it.  We set these rules due to our system in the past automatically expiring cards and due to tax issues and paperwork.  We pay taxes on the purchase at the time of purchase but some clients even after 5 years think the business should have to allow them to use it.  Once it leaves our building we can't help if its lost, stolen or never used.  We want everyone to use it in a timely manner which is why we have 1 year and 10 months before it is used completely.  If someone calls even the day it starts to lose value we have things we can do so it doesn't continue to lose value.

  After reviewing the video of your checkout.  The person that checked you out was a high schooler and she did a very good job of just explaining the situation and our policy.  I don't know what a HS would have asked or cared to ask about your personal life.  The manager that tried helping you explained the situation and at the time you started saying you refused to pay for services you received and started yelling at her was when she decided to stand firm on charging your card on file since you didn't want to pay for the services.  You wanted us to discount your services since you forgot to use your card in a timely manner.  The manager stood firm on the fact that you received these services and we weren't at fault for the lack of using the card.  We weren't even aware you had a gift card when you arrived. We were closed for 8 weeks and all gift cards were extended for 8 weeks at that time.  Covid was almost 2 years ago.   If you had called before it started to lose value as mentioned we have lots of options that we can do.  That is the responsibility that I was mentioning.  All we ask is you call us and talk to us before it is gone and if you can't come in we have options at that point.  

  You have in fact went to ****** and now the BBB voicing your complaint on the policy along with stating you would tell everyone you know.  Being that you work at a competing business that is a 30 minute drive is well within the proximity of a competitor and is considered slander if you are working and telling others about your issues with us.  Yes we could give away things for free but we are extremely good at what we do and have waiting lists daily for clients that follow our rules and don't slander us.  

  I am very very sorry that this happened to you.  I truly wish you would have called us in 2020.  I'm sorry for whatever you went through in 2020 that prevented you from relaxing or having time for yourself.  It was a rough year for many including small businesses.  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩