Has Wellness Village Spa left its customers in the
lurch?
SINGAPORE: For over four years, it operated at the Pan Pacific
Singapore hotel. But over the course of a day, the Wellness Village
Spa left customers and the hotel in the lurch when it suddenly shut
down, disconnecting its phone lines.
At its Pagoda Street outlet in Chinatown, the premises were
empty, with the doors wide open when MediaCorp visited on Monday.
Neighbouring shop owners said they saw movers shifting equipment
and furniture on Sunday afternoon. In the quiet of the night, the
same scene was seemingly repeated at the Pan Pacific outlet.
A nearby shop owner said the spa began retrenching workers last
month. He noticed remaining staff packing up late last week, and
believes that customers were told it was "fully booked" to keep
them from coming down.
This was certainly the experience for one customer.
Ms Elaine Ong had been trying to make an appointment, but the
spa kept telling her that it was fully booked.
The "first hint of trouble" came last Thursday when she called
the Pan Pacific outlet and an employee told her only two therapists
were being employed, said Ms Ong who is in her 30s.
As she has recently signed up for a $600 package, Ms Ong said
she was a "bit alarmed".
At Pan Pacific on Monday, a hotel employee told guests the spa
had closed without informing anyone. Dutch businessman Laros, 39,
who had been peering through the spa’s glass door, said the hotel’s
reception pointed him to the spa for a massage when he checked
in.
The hotel told MediaCorp the spa "leases and operates the
premises independently".
It "sincerely regrets any inconvenience experienced" and is now
re—directing guests to nearby spa facilities. It will "continue to
attempt" to contact Wellness Village Spa, it added.
Checks with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority
showed that Wellness Village was incoporated in June 2004 and is
still a "live company". Permanent resident Lia Meyrina is listed as
its director. MediaCorp could not reach the company.
Wellness Village Spa and Fitness, a limited liability
partnership with Ms Lia and a Mr Christopher Tan Khee Howe listed
as partners, was struck off in September. It was registered in
2007.
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) executive director
Seah Seng Choon was "not surprised" by the spa’s actions.
"Don’t be fooled by the location. Spas are generally small
businesses, unless they have an international chain ... Consumers
have to be careful when transacting with them," said Mr Seah.
Since last year, CASE has received five complaints, including
unsatisfactory services and difficulty in scheduling sessions,
against Wellness Village. Four were made this year, with the latest
complaint in October. CASE is trying to contact the company.
— TODAY/so
