I am not sure when businesses stopped believing the "Customer is always right." They aren't of…read morecourse, but the point of THAT saying is, "The customer ALWAYS has the upper hand, and can choose any business to take her money, so don't chase her away." Not if you want to have success in business. I mean, a friend once asked me, "Do you want to be RIGHT? Or be happy?" I chose happy every time. It is too bad that Medical Massage in Chehalis can't feel the same.
About a decade ago, I noticed that some appointments I made with doctors and some other business would charge me if I had to cancel. They began to charge a "no-show" fee that was a percentage of the fee charged. Mostly, I noticed they were $40 or $50, and would be waived if you rescheduled, because they know, "life happens."
So now I want to know - what benefit is it to a business to charge a large no-show fee of, say $100 AND require a 24-hour notice to avoid the fee AND make it absolutely strict - no exceptions? Who wins? The business? Maybe, but this is what *I* saw:
So, I missed an appointment at Medical Massage in Chehalis. The fee was, as advertised, $100. When I checked MY records, I HAD canceled! I had a kid who needed to be picked up from school at the exact time of the appointment, and I called in the morning to cancel. They were SO nice about rescheduling my appointment. And then I got a bill... for $100. What? But I canceled!? No, I canceled the same day as the appointment. THAT means they could still charge me the $100. Ok, fine, I thought. The therapist wasn't THAT good, but Medical Massage is in a convenient location to me, so I let it go.
Then, when I was at Medical Massage the last time, I overheard a conversation between the receptionist and another customer, "But I called!" she exclaimed, I called the day before! The receptionist gave her a smug look, "Well, the cancellation fee is charged by the computer, so if your call is even one minute under the 24-hour notice, then it charges the feel. And no, I can't change that." I wondered at the time, why does she DO that? Why not make arrangements with the customer for another appointment and give some leeway? She called 23 hours in advance, not 24? Who benefits from THAT policy? And the smug attitude told me the receptionist knew it was wrong. She knew she was risking losing a customer, but I just shook my head and didn't say anything. Why couldn't they see that the $100 does NOT replace the 40 appointment a year she would spend, otherwise? Medical Massage is so short-sighted!
And then I got a text Monday, for an appointment with "Travis" at Medical Massage whom I stopped seeing because I wanted a different kind of massage. I assumed all my appointments with Travis had been canceled. And I didn't remember making the appointment, but I KNOW their rule, so I planned on calling from work the next morning. Then work happened. It got super busy, I was away from the phone all day and by the time I got out to my car where my personal phone is stored (by agency policy, I can't bring it on campus) I realized I had missed the 24-window. AND, I also know how unreasonable Medical Massage is and the business would refuse my "excuse," but I called anyway, "just in case."
Nope. I said I didn't remember making that appointment because I stopped seeing "Travis," but she was adamant. *I* had made the appointment in September 2024, at my first appointment. So it appeared she had booked out for some period of time, and canceling with "Travis" had NOT canceled all the appointments, even after I met "Janis" and with whom I had an appointment on February 26, and had told the receptionist. I do NOT remember scheduling out six months in advance, and I had never met the "Amanda" person with whom I was scheduled. It seemed that when I canceled with Travis, the receptionist (the smug one) had just changed the appointments to someone named "Amanda. So, waiving the fee was an absolute "no" and I had only one option.
I had to decide to leave Medical Massage. I refuse to deal with a "service business" that shuns service.
I had to decide to leave Medical Massage. They aren't the only game in town, and I refuse to deal with a "service business" that does not value service. I wonder if "Amanda" and "Janis" both know that they were fired by me? I didn't want to fire them, I fired the business, but my guess is that the "business " is no more up-front with the employees than they are with the customers. "My way or the Highway" tends to permeate a business from the top down. The boss will not accept that customers have other responsibilities in life, and is unreasonable in the application of late fees, then they are too unreasonable for my money.
And that is their choice. Medical Massage in Chehalis has unreasonable policies.