Friday 27 April 2012

Discounts/Vouchers


I have neglected my blog these past few weeks and I wanted to make the effort to rectify this! So today I thought I would write about discounts. Exciting stuff right?! J
Currently Discount sites are hugely popular; I don’t think I have been out for dinner with friends in the last few months where we haven’t got a voucher with us. It is seen as the ‘norm’ now and doesn’t have the stigma attached to it that vouchers used to have. It is great as it isn’t just food but experiences, clothes etc

Yesterday I had a ‘spa’ day with my mum and sister (wasn’t a day actually) which we found through a voucher site. The deal was 3 treatments in this little ‘spa’ in Horley which lasted a total of 2 hours.
Anyway we paid £30 each to have a massage, fully body scrub and either a manicure or pedicure – was a great deal hence us going for it!

We arrived at just before 11 and I went off separately to my mum and sister to have my treatments. First I had the scrub which was lovely but only lasted 20 minutes. Then the therapist left me to shower and get ready for my massage. I noticed the time and thought it was a bit short and she also hadn’t asked me which massage I was having (we had an option of 3). Now I am not a relaxed person, at all, so while I was waiting for her to come back I was worrying about not getting the right treatments.
When she came back in the room I asked her ‘Is this now the 45 minute massage’ and she responded asking what deal I had booked, I explain to her and she said that it wasn’t a 45 minute massage, it was 45 minute scrub including the shower you have after and half hour massage. I normally am too worried about upsetting someone that I don’t say anything but considering my scrub had been 20 minutes I decided it wasn’t fair that I also got a shorter massage. I said to her that my scrub had only lasted 30 minutes though and she said ‘don’t worry I will do you a 45 minute massage’. Then she went on to say the internet wasn’t right and they really shouldn’t do it because it isn’t good for them and that I was getting over £100 treatments for £30 so was a very good deal. I obviously agreed with her as it was a good deal, THAT IS WHY WE BOOKED IT! I didn’t think this was very professional of her to say all this to me as it isn’t my fault the internet site wasn’t right, if it was a problem they were having they should have change the offer OR told us when we called and booked.
The massage wasn’t that relaxing after that as I was concerned I had annoyed her. She did do me a full 45 minute massage but not sure she was that happy about it! Also my manicure was crap and today most of the nail varnish has peeled off! L

My question is this, because we had got the treatments through a deal does that mean we shouldn’t have expected as much as fully paying customers?
If you didn’t want people to use the offer then you shouldn’t do an offer. If I had paid for these nails I would have complained but I felt guilty because I had paid such a small amount.

I don’t think that is right. I think people have every right to expect a great service regardless of what they have paid for it. All this spa did was make me feel a little cheated and cheap!
I am not going to say the name of the salon because it wasn’t a horrible place and the staff were really nice, that isn’t the point of this blog.
It just bothers me, I don’t think that you should be treated as though you aren’t as worthy a customer because you look on voucher sites and I do think this is how you are made to feel in some instances.

All I know is the next time I book a deal like this through a voucher site, and I will because I can’t afford these sorts of things otherwise, I will really read the fine print and make sure I know what I should be getting (some might say I should have done that to begin with – well lesson learnt). It may seem cheap but to be honest I don’t care, no one has the money to just splash around and if a company wants your business and have created an offer to get it then they should honour it and make sure you are getting exactly what you have been told you’ll get. You should never be made to feel like you’re being cheap.

Basically, if you get a voucher then you should get what you ordered and with the usual customer service as everyone else regardless of how much you paid for it.