The massages I receive are excellent and beyond comparable. You will always run into good massage therapist and bad massage therapist. I've been to locally owned salons and felt like I haven't even been touched when I left and I have been to other big massage places and felt like I had the life pounded out of me. I always enjoy my massages at massage Envy. I'm very upfront about what I expect when I go in and they are always good about working on my problem areas. They made it a very easy transition from my normal deep tissue massage to a pre natal massage when I found out I was pregnant.

I've always enjoyed my massages and customer service there.

I have been on the monthly Massage Envy program for about one year. The staff is very nice, and the massages I’ve received have been good. Stephanie, at the front desk, is very good at remembering my name, even when I’ve forgotten hers. The location is very convenient, and very nice inside. All around, the membership has been a good thing.

About a two months ago, I realized that my life had gotten better, evidenced in part by the multiple massages I had on account. Last Spring, I was getting about one per week, but now it had been three months. I wanted to cancel the membership to save on monthly expenses, and was told/reminded of the cancellation policy. That is, I would get billed once more, and I’d have just 30 days to use up my pre-paid massages. I found this pretty frustrating as my time is short, and I don’t like to waste things I find valuable, and three massages in a month would be wasting them, in my view. In addition, I had had some fraud on my credit card, and had to go to the shop to provide my new number, and to sign the cancellation form. I did go by the shop to switch the card accounts, but didn’t yet cancel. I waited and tried to find time to get another massage. A few weeks passed.

I ended up canceling that credit account altogether, and shifted to another company. This meant I would have to go into the shop again to switch the account. And, I still hadn’t gotten another massage. I was up to three pre-paid massages on my account now. I went in to sign the cancellation form, would not provide my new credit card number, and was told that Amanda the manager would call. After about a week, she finally called.

Amanda and I had a long discussion about this cancellation policy. I realize that she is a shop manager, and that she is required to follow franchise rules.

This email is, therefore, directed to those of you that make the policies.

I think you REALLY do understand Customer Service -– when you are acquiring and keeping existing customers.

I think you REALLY missed the boat on how the cancellation experience affects the long-term customer perception. Had my cancellation process gone the way I think it should have, I would never have written this letter, and I would have considered being a customer in the future, and I would have continued to recommend you to friends. Now -– not so.

Here were the options I was looking for:

1. Refund the cost of my three massages that were on account.
2. Give me gift certificates for myself or friends/family for the massages on my account.
3. Give me more than 30 days to use my massages.

Amanda would not grant any of these options. Her only concessions was to not bill my new credit card for the final payment. And, she reminded me that a few locations around town now offer facials, so that was an alternative for me. Nice, but I don’t do facials, and I still have to use three massages in 30 days. Still a waste, in my opinion, and I’m still not really a happy customer. I’ll try to use those massages, but I’m soured on Massage Envy, and not really happy about being there.

As for attempting to understand your policy, I think you might see your business as something like the gym -– we pay for the month and can come or not, but we still pay. The difference is that the gym is there for me nearly 24 x 7 for a plethora of work out options. I don’t require an appointment, and I know I’m purchasing a membership. Your marketing, on the other hand, clearly tells me that I’m getting one one-hour massage per month for $39. If I cancel, I want my money or my massages back in return, and with an expiration period more like a gift certificate vs. just 30 days.

So, I’ve cancelled, I’m sending this letter, I may choose to post it on the internet and tell my friends, and I’m trying to use up three massages in 30 days.

I would suggest you evaluate your cancellation process and policies.

When I worked at ME much of the staff was unhappy (from the MT's to the front office). It was much busier at the 2nd location I worked at and I liked the front office staff a lot. The first location was new and the front office staff always seemed on edge. You do work very hard for the base pay if you specialties are deep tissue or nmt. I did feel rushed at times due to the fast client turn around. One trick I picked up from therapists that had been there was to layer the sheets so you could just pull off the top two sheets before the next client.

Independent contracting and private practice are more geared to my personality. One of the reasons I chose this profession was to be my own boss in addition of course to helping people heal. ME is a good option for those who need immediate work and those who want as little resposibility as possible ie: overhead (rent), scheduling etc.

Do the best where you are with the options available.