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LA Tan at Hilliard Rome and Roberts Roads
I was at LA Tan located at the corner of Hilliard Rome Road and Roberts Road (in Hilliard, Ohio) this morning when I learned that I had been accessed a $15 fee due to a credit card decline. My membership automatically renews and drafts from my debit card on the first of each month.
This is simple: My card was canceled due to a Rewards Upgrade with Chase bank. I was in the LA Tan facility on the third of the month at which time I updated my card information on file. It just never dawned on me to call them and have the information updated prior to the 1st, knowing that I go there frequent enough and have had an active membership in good standing for well over a year.I spoke to the district manager who gave me no feeling of satisfaction. She spoke to me more in an “as a matter of fact” tone than one with warmth and empathy. Realizing that I was just mad, I told her I would wait until I had time to think about it and reconsider my already expressed desire to end my business relationship with LA Tan.
The district manager agreed to waive the fee and credit it back to my account with the warning that this was a one time courtesy. I was told that if it happened again they would not be able to waive the fee.
A couple of things crossed my mind at this point. 1) The courtesy is me being a good customer for a sustained period of time with the existence of so much competition in the area. 2) A $15 fee for a declined credit card transaction is a little extreme. I have serious doubts that their per transaction fees are any more that pennies, even in the case of declines.
Upon reviewing the customer agreement, it does in fact state that they will charge a $15 fee for returned checks and declined transactions. However, they were unable to produce a copy signed by me during my visit.
A returned check I can understand. But for credit card transactions? Come on, WTF!!
I did use the facility which gave me a few minutes of alone time to consider whether or not to cancel. I canceled.
The fact is, there are tanning salons all over this neighborhood. Although I have really enjoyed this particular LA Tan location, I refuse to be susceptible to such outrageous fees, despite that it will likely not apply to me again. Just knowing this ‘policy’ is there does not sit well with me.
LA Tan Consumer Agreement
The agreement (a portion of which is pictured here) has a line that reads, “All prices, fees and draft dates are subject to change without notice.” This really makes any agreement with them open ended. They could change the draft date to a week sooner and cash in on fees or change the price to $10 more or whatever. This is the type of language I will look very closely for in any other agreement I enter into with local businesses.
Another similar experience with fees is a Chiropractor located in the same shopping center as LA Tan (see the far right of the photo above) once charged me a $20 late cancellation fee. I had a meeting come up at the last minute and had no choice but to cancel. They had billed thousands to my insurance and now have NONE of my business as a result of this policy.
Even the cable company (Time Warner Cable) and the local water company (Columbus & Central Ohio Systems, Inc.) charge a payment processing fee to take my money. With Time Warner, they only charge if a human processes the payment which I guess is supposed to motivate customers to use the automated system leaving the humans free to tend to other issues. CCOS, however, charges $2.50 (as of a couple of days ago) even if you process the payment yourself online. Pizza places are now charging a delivery fee. Papa Johns adds $2.00 to my delivery orders.
Fees fees and more fees. We are being fee’d to death.
August 28, 2009 at 2:26 pm
In the not so distant past I had a similar event occur.
I had made a dentist appointment in advance with my regular dentist, and 3 days prior to the actual appointment, I realized I would not be able to make it, so I called the dentist office to cancel. (3 days is more than the 24 hour notice they require to avoid the “missed appointment” fee of $50.00) The booking clerk kept insisting that I keep the appointment “open in case I could make it”, all the while I am asking her to please cancel it because I KNEW that I would be unable to be there that day. At the end of the conversation I said, “Look, I can not make it, please just cancel it.”, and the clerk replied “Okay”.
Two days later I received a bill for $50.00 via US post. I was so furious! I called the dentist office, asked to speak to the office manager, and told her “I called 3 days ahead of time which, according to your POSTED rules, is more than your 24 hour advance notice required. I spoke to *insert clerks name here* and canceled that appointment. She insisted I keep it open and I told her NO. If she wanted it open and held for me so badly, let her pay the $50.00 fee, I am refusing to pay it. And as an aside, I will no longer be coming to your office for treatment.” *click*
I am so sick of people in business trying to charge you outrageous fees for nothing at all. They can stuff their fees or lose my business, and with the economy the way it is now…you would think they would be bending over backwards to keep customers, as opposed to bending their customers over.
MadCow