Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/04/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  At the end of February I went on line to find a Certified Massage Therapist. They have to be CMT because I have ********** that lets me recover $70.00 per massage visit. On ****** I found Central Okanagan Massage Spa that claimed to be a CMT business. I drove over to their business and upon entering spoke to two people. **** (owner) and ***** (massage therapist). I asked if they were CMT certified because I need to submit my reciepts to **********. Both **** and *** replied yes. I asked to book an appointment and **** told me to book on line. I returned home and ******d their name, I clicked on their name and a window opened on my screen and there was a large blue button that said (BOOK ONLINE). I clicked on the button and followed the instructions. My first appoinment was March 3 at 1:10 pm. After the massage I asked the receptionist if I could book another appoinment for the following friday at the same time. I went five consecutive fridays, March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31st. On April 6th I decided to submit my reciepts on line to **********. The form asked for the provider number and name. I phoned Central Massage and asked ********'s provider number. I was told she wasn't certified. I went over to there business and told the receptsonist I had been told by **** and *** they were CMT, before booking. She told me she wasn't there that day and I had booked on line so I had to talk to ****. I came home and opened the web page and called ****, he told me I clicked on the wrong button. I asked if he was a CMT, he said NO. I asked if there was a CMT there and he said NO. I asked him to ****** their name, click on the name and look at the window, and pointed out the Blue button. I told him I was out $350.00 I could have claimed back. He offered me a free massage. Two days later he removed the blue button from the site. Two days after that he added (NON CMT) to their name. I took pictures of the site on April 3, 6, and 8 that show all 3 changes.

  Business Response

  Date: 27/04/2023

  We are writing to explain a recent complaint we received from a client named *******. We are Central Okanagan Massage, a massage facility that offers services from both registered and non-registered massage therapists. On February 1st, 2023, ******* visited our facility inquiring about certified massage therapists. We informed him that we had both Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) and non- Registered available and provided him with a business card with a ** code that we told him to book an appointment online by using a cellphone camera scanning the ** code on the business card.
  
  However, ******* booked an appointment with a non-RMT named ***, despite our website clearly stating that clients with insurance coverage must receive a massage from an RMT. After his massage,******* contacted ** in search of a phone number that *** did not possess due to her non-RMT status. Our receptionist reported that ******* expressed satisfaction with ***'s massage and that the rate was much lower than an RMT massage.
  
  While we have two distinct buttons on our booking page for RMT and non-RMT massages, with clear instructions indicating that clients with insurance must book with an RMT to receive coverage, we recently made changes to our website to make this information even clearer. Our receptionist suggested we change the wording to prevent this kind of situation from happening again.
  
  We attempted to rectify the situation by offering ******* a complimentary non-RMT massage, which he declined. Later,*******'s wife visited our facility and requested a refund, which we refused as ******* had paid the correct rate and expressed satisfaction with the massage.
  
  We wanted to provide you with this detailed explanation of the situation, and we hope that it will help you to better understand the complaint that was filed. As always, we strive to provide excellent service to our clients and will continue to do so in the future.
  
  Sincerely,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The entire first paragraph of their response is a complete fabrication.  To begin with on February 1st, I was in ******.  I drove to their establishment on February 28th after finding them on ******.  I used ****** to find a Registered Massage Therapist because I have a ********** Plan that reimburses me per visit, $70.00 for up to 10 massage visits in a calendar year.  Their office is close to my house so I drove over to make an appointment in person.  I asked **** (the owner) if they were a Registered Massage Therapy Spa, and explained why I wanted the specification.  He did confirm they had fully qualified RMTs on staff.  He DID NOT give me a business card with a QR code on it, NOR DID HE TELL ME TO USE A QR CODE ON LINE.  That is a total lie; I had never used a QR code until March 3rd which was the day of my first massage.  They have a machine in their office that has a QR code on it, and the receptionist had to show me how to use it to check in.
  **** told me to go home and BOOK ONLINE.  I googled their name and when I clicked on their name, a window on the right-hand side of my laptop opened up with all their information on it.  In the middle of the window was a big BLUE BUTTON that had written on it: BOOK ONLINE.  I consider myself a fairly intelligent person; I am sure that 100% of the people who had been instructed to book online would have clicked on that blue button.  If **** wanted me to use a QR code instead,why didnt he show me how to use the one in his office and help me book the first appointment? 
  I explained this to **** on the phone after finding out after five visits that they did NOT have a Registered Massage Therapist and he told me to use the receipts for a Tax Refund instead.  Had I seen an RMT, I would have received a refund from ********** for $350.00.  A ****** Revenue refund amounts to 15% of medical receipts, or $52.50 in this case.  That leaves me $297.50 out of pocket.
  As clearly outlined in my initial complaint, and as clearly shown in the three photographs which accompanied the complaint, **** had changed the web info to ELIMINATE THE BLUE BUTTON. He then amended their name in the ****** search to include, (NOT AN RMT MASSAGE).  This is totally falsifying the information he had provided.  ************ used bait and switch procedures, which is **********. I would never have used their establishment at all, had I known they only provided Licenced Massage Therapists. I have been duped.  I would like a full refund of the amount I would have received from **********.  I would also like this company flagged as using bad practices.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************