I'm extremely disappointed by the way my family and I were treated by the San Juan Capistrano…read morelocation, especially during an already incredibly difficult time.
My mom recently passed away, and one of the last things I needed to take care of was her OrangeTwist account. I called the San Juan location, explained that my mother had passed away, and asked what could be done with her balance. The receptionist was unsure but told me the manager, Allison, would contact me. I completely understood this was an unusual situation and had no expectation it would be resolved instantly.
Allison eventually emailed me, confirmed the balance was over $1,200, and told me the credit could be transferred to my account. I agreed and explained that I now live in Texas, asking if I could use the credit at an OrangeTwist near me. I even shared how much my mom loved going to OrangeTwist San Juan.
Then she completely disappeared.
I followed up on September 13 and again on September 18. Three emails over two weeks. No response.
I was incredibly patient because this was not something I wanted to spend my time fighting about while grieving my mom. I simply assumed someone would eventually get back to me. I was too nice.
When I finally called, Allison was unavailable and I was told someone would call me back. While explaining the situation, I heard another employee say, "I'll talk to her." I appreciated her willingness to speak with me, but what she told me directly contradicted what Allison had previously told me in writing. I was told the credit could NOT be transferred and that I would have to return to that specific location to use it because they "know the situation." I was also given another workaround that made absolutely no sense and left me uncomfortable with the entire situation.
At that point, I simply requested the funds be returned.
I was told Allison would call me, but was given no timeline or answers. I was also told she had been out sick. I completely understand people getting sick, but two weeks with no response and no one else at the location taking ownership of a grieving customer's emails? That is unacceptable.
Thankfully, I eventually contacted corporate, and the difference was night and day. Corporate responded quickly, was compassionate and apologetic, and resolved everything immediately. They transferred the funds to my personal OrangeTwist account so I can use them at a location near me. The manager of the Texas location even personally called to apologize and make things right.
That is what customer service should look like.
I genuinely appreciate corporate and the Texas manager for ultimately taking care of me. But it should never have taken weeks, multiple unanswered emails, phone calls, conflicting information, and an escalation to corporate to accomplish something the San Juan manager had already told me she could do.
What makes this especially upsetting is that this wasn't just a routine customer-service issue. This involved my mother who had just passed away. I was trying to wrap up one of the last remaining pieces of her affairs. I wasn't being demanding or impatient. I gave them plenty of time and grace. I simply needed someone to communicate with me.
My mom supported this business for nearly a decade, and knowing how much she loved going to OrangeTwist makes the lack of communication and compassion even more disappointing.
Sometimes customer service is about more than policies and procedures. It's about recognizing there is a human being on the other side of the email.
This could have been resolved with one email. Instead, I had to repeatedly follow up, explain my mother's passing multiple times, receive conflicting information, and ultimately escalate to corporate.
I wasn't initially going to leave a review, but I feel this experience deserves to be acknowledged. This goes beyond a simple customer-service mistake.
Very disappointing, to say the least. I hope the San Juan Capistrano location learns from this experience.
