Vernell Roberts is a realtor and says her job is tough.
"Long hours, it’s not a regular 9 to 5, a lot of driving, a lot of stress, a lot of tension," she says.
That’s why when a client gave her a 6-month membership to Massage Envy, she gladly accepted the gift. When the six months were up, she decided to extend her membership.
"Because the therapist I had there, she was really good," Roberts says. "She was awesome."
But a few months later, that therapist told Roberts she was leaving. And because she believes "finding a good therapist is really hard, it’s like finding a good realtor,” Roberts says she decided to cancel her membership. She called Massage Envy and was told to fill out a cancellation form. Two months later, she realized she was still being charged. So she called them back and they issued a credit for those months.
“And on that same day, they charged me again,” she says.
The $59.99 charge showed up on her bank statement. When the company didn’t return the money, she turned to NBC 6 Responds.
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“I just want them to acknowledge their error,” she told us. “And just own up to what they did.”
In an email, a manager for the company told us, “…even though Massage Envy statements show the company did not bill nor collect an additional charge, we’re issuing her an extra $59 credit to help resolve any possible issue related to the debit listed on her subsequent bank statement.” He added: “I apologized for our oversight and let [Roberts] know though we always strive for excellent customer service, this will be a lesson learned for us.”
Roberts is glad to have her money back. Now she’s turning her attention to the leftover massages she had earned but didn’t use before cancelling her membership. She’s joining a proposed class action settlement that could help her recover some of those unused massages.
“I would like them, if not me, for me to be able to gift them,” she says.
If you’re like Roberts and had unused sessions when you cancelled your Massage Envy membership, you have until October 18, 2016 to join that proposed settlement.
The company doesn’t admit it did anything wrong, but has agreed to the settlement to avoid “the burden and expense” of ongoing litigation. You can find additional details on the class action lawsuit by clicking here.
