SPA Experience

[Tuttipr]

I have been living abroad for over 20 years now. But I still hold a Philippine passport and I still call the Phillipines my home. I go home about 2-3 times a year. On my last visit, a friend of mine invited me for a SPA experience at the SPA on Jupiter street in Bel-air... supposedly known as one of the more upmarket and exclusive spas in the Philippines. Yes, I thought, I could really use a massage, facial and a relaxing day at the spa, then we were to meet our friends for dinner afterwards. We made an appointment for 4pm. We went in early (3pm) so we could enjoy the jacuzzi, the steam, and get settled. At 4pm, we were waiting for our session, when the attendant told us we had to wait because there was no masseuse available. We asked how long the wait was, she said she didn't know. Hmmm... Interesting. We thought maybe 10-15 minutes. 30 minutes later, we inquired how much longer we needed to wait. We were told, that because we were late, we had to wait for a free slot. This got me really upset. We made an appointment the day before, we cam an hour earlier at 3pm, and we were told we were late! At 5pm, we decided to talk to the manager, Ira Sevilla. She apologised but without offering any explanation as to why nobody seemed to know how much longer we had to wait. Finally she said we could be taken at 6pm! TWO HOURS LATER THAN OUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT! We had to decliine because we were going to be late for our dinner meeting. We asked for a refund instead. We were cancelling the whole thing. Ira said no refunds were allowed. HELLO! This was a big fault on their part, and they would not give us our money back?!?!?! Then she offered us to come back the next day instead, and give us a coupon. But I was leaving for abroad the next day and did not know when my next trip to the Phils would be. She said I could give the coupon to someone else. This was a total joke. I told her I paid money because I wanted to have a massage. Why would I give it to someone else?! Eventually after 45 minutes of discussion, she agreed to cancel the credit card charge. Whew. I went to the spa to relax, and I left 10 times more tense and stressed than before I came in.
This really saddens me. The Filipinos are so known for our hospitality and friendliness, we just need to work on out efficiency and prompness.