I went into At The Beach as they are centrally located throughout town making it easy to go there after work. I told the gentleman what I was looking for in a package. I specifically said I only wanted a Month Contract. That is it. He said that was no problem and of course said i needed the highest price package. I was going on vacation in less than a month and so figured that I probably would need the higher priced beds. And he was a good sales man because he made it very convincing that, using the higher priced beds was the only way I was going to get tan before I left for vacation.
I agreed to a packaged and started the whole contract steps. First thing I noticed, they had my name spelled wrong. (I had used this salon two years previously, so they still had me in their system) I mentioned it to the gentleman and he said that it wasn't a big deal, that they couldn't change it anyway but he would submit it to corporate that I needed my name changed. They also had my wrong address. But again I was told that it didn't matter.
Next we went thru the charges. The gentleman asked for the card I would like charged. I gave him my credit card. I asked again at this time that it was only a month contract and he said yes.
Next came the signing of the documents. They put the documents up on a computer screen that they have access to control. The person signing does not have access to the read the contract at the time because they control the mouse. All they do is show you the top header of the contract and then scroll to the bottom.in the meantime of scrolling they are telling you what the contract says. Later I learned this in not what it says. But they don't give you access to control the mouse to look at the contract. I am a person who gives everyone the benifit of the doubt the first time. I don't feel people are out there to screw you over. I am wrong.
We went thru all the documents and came to the last one regarding payment. I agree to have my card charged for the amount agreed to. Again see the top of the page and then he scrolls to very bottom where only my signature goes. Trusting the employee, I gave him my card, I seen him type in my credit card info, I signed the document. I got a credit card reciept for the amount agreed to.
They then do print this contract out for you. At the same time the are telling you a bunch other things and putting you in a bed.
The month went by and I went on vacation. I kept checking my credit card to make sure that it didn't get charged again. It didn't. All was fine and dandy till I got a statement from a different bank account that I haven't used in two years and see there was a charge from At the Beach. They charged a card they had on file from two years ago when I tanned there. I called to talk to the local office and the manager there just kept apologizing and saying that they couldn't do anything I needed to talk to corporate.
I called corporate and the first person said that the contract I signed had the old account number on it and that is why it was charged, that I needed to talk to the Manager. I get transfered and of course I get a voice mail. I leave a voicemail and wait. The manager did call me back later that day and said that I signed the contract there was nothing he could do. I explained to him that the customer doesn't get to see what they are signing. The employee shows you the top and then immediately scrolls to the bottom. I should be able to trust what their employee is telling me. After all their employee is a representative of the company. I explained to him how I checked over and over with the employee that this was not a continous contract and only a month. I was told it was. THe managers answer was I signed the contract. No where was i shown in the contract that it was continous. I was told it wasn't, if I had been shown that part of the contract I wouldn't of signed it. Probably the reason the employee didn't show it to me.
Then I brought up to the manager that they charged a bank account that I used 2 year ago with them. Not the account that I gave them permission to charge this time. His answer was you signed the contract. Again I wasn't shown this part, and why was the correct card charged the first time but not the second time if it supposedly was on the contract. The managers answer was the employee ran the card himself. He was supposed to update the info and I saw him typing it in the computer. Where is he putting this information if its not going on the contract? But wait then I get told he can't update the info because corporate has to update the account. So again where is my info going if corporate didn't update the account and the person who is asking you to sign a contract can't update my account?
The manager then told me that there are no verbal agreements by At The Beach. Yes there are. Your employees verbally are agreeing to things when they work with a customer. They are represenatives of your company. You have to take responsibility for your employees. I was verbally told that this was only a month contract. I was verbally told that my correct account was charged.instead they want to blame it on the consumer for signing a contract they are verbally explained to by their employees. Only the problem is their employees aren't actually telling you what the contract really says. The manager proceeded to tell me this is all my fault and that I should have read the contract before signing it. I didn't get a chance to and I didn't have control over the viewing monitor. If i had control over the monitor then I would have been able to see more of the contract. Or if I was given the contract in paper to read before signing then I would have read it. But you don't get a copy of it until it is signed. That's when you get to see the whole contract. If there ever is a next time I will go in and take the computer away from the employee and read every single word. We'll see if I get told whether I can have control over their computer system.
The manager did tell me he could give me a free month of service. Free my a$ you already charged me for the month so its not free. Remember thats the charge I am trying to get refunded. But according the manager they don't have access to refund charges.
The corporate office maybe needs to spend a little more time at their stores and really see what their employees (representatives of their company) are telling their customers. See how they are treating them, and see what really goes on during a contract signing. Not to mention take a couple customer service lessons themselves. What ever happened to the saying "the customer is always right" Instead of blaming them.
Also whatever happened to making it right with the customer. If this was my company and I had a customer as unhappy as I was I would refund them their money and also insure that the the contract policy and employees involved would be looked at. There is no reason the money can't be refunded.
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