I've been coming to Aquarius since I was a little girl and haven't had any issues. I made an appointment at the last minute because I live out of town and was excited to come back. I'm a struggling college student and I finally had enough money to go. I've made multiple appointments before and I've never had an issue with them. I live 2 hours away from Chapin and I was planning to visit my family this weekend, so I was so happy to be able to go back and visit the workers that I haven't seen in awhile. I booked my appointment on Wednesday, June 27th for 9:00am, June 29th. The cost of my appointment was $120, which is very expensive but I was prepared to pay because I was a loyal customer.
However, my family had an emergency come up and I was alerted the night before the appointment. As soon as I received the message, I immediately called Aquarius and left a message explaining the situation. I explained how I was just alerted about the situation with my family a few hours prior and how I was no longer able to make it to Chapin. I knew it was less than 24 hours before so I figured there would be some sort of small cancellation fee. It was around 1AM so I knew i'd be paying a fee either way. I apologized profusely, saying I understood if there was a late cancellation fee and hoped that they would understand since I've never canceled an appointment at the last minute. The employees have always been very nice to me and I hoped that they would understand my struggle.
The next morning, I received a text at 7AM asking me to confirm my appointment. The message reads:
"We're looking forward to seeing you for your 9:00 AM appt on Jun 29, 2024. Aquarius Spa and Salon. (803) 345-1920. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hour notice are subject to a fee. No-shows will be charged the entire service charge. To confirm your appointment press Y and send."
** I never confirmed the appointment over text or phone.
An hour later, I received this message:
"We do require 24 hour notice to cancel or change your appointment. We charge 100% of the service with late notice."
I was expecting a late fee, but was not expecting to be charged for the full service because I did call to cancel the appointment. I was charged the full price for a "no-show" but I called and canceled the appointment the night before.
I called the salon and hoped to clear up this situation. The owner, Marie, answered the call and after I asked if my voicemail was received she said "yes, it was received but it was within less than 24 hours before the appointment. the employee showed up and she has to be paid for her time, so there's not really anything I can do." Naturally I was upset because I was being charged for an entire service even though I called to cancel.
Essentially, I was charged for the entire service ($120) rather than a late cancellation fee, which is what they claimed I would have been charged. I've never once canceled an appointment at this business or been a no-show, yet I was still charged for an entire service fee and treated as a no-show when I alerted them if the emergency at the last minute.
The owner also takes a percentage of her employee's tip on top of taking a percentage of the service booked. I believe this is the reason she charged me for the entire service instead of the late cancellation fee.
I've only ever gotten spa services at Aquarius, I've never felt the need to find another place. However, with this incident, I won't be returning after nearly 15 years of coming here with my family. read more