O Spa London - how to get a refund

Jaffa_Cake_UK

Hello fellow moneysavers,

Like many others who have posted messages on this site, I had gift vouchers for O Spa London. To cut a very long and boring story short, in trying to book an appointment, O Spa have failed to respond to e-mails, the online booking system has always been down and their answerphone directs back to online booking without accepting messages.

I now want a refund, as the vouchers have expired, I think most of the O Spa branches have closed, and those who have booked into the small number of remaining branches of O Spa, have had cause for complaint afterwards either due to cancelled appointments or due to the high volume of customers with vouchers accessing such a small number of spas and the problems this causes.

I bought the vouchers with lastminute.com. After a protracted e-mail process, lastminute.com first offered to try and get me booked into a remaining O Spa branch (I rejected this as I don't think the appointment would take place, and even if it did, I had no confidence it would be a satisfactory service). Now lastminute.com has offered a 'goodwill gesture' - what is essentially an exchange - of equivalent value vouchers to spend on their website. In my mind saying it is 'goodwill' is not quite right - I have paid for a service I haven't received.

Has anyone else been through this process and has clarity about their rights? Lastminute say that O Spa have charged them for the voucher therefore they will not offer me a refund. I haven't had any response from O Spa so getting a refund from them directly seems unlikely.

I realise what lastminute are trying to do - they have sold vouchers for a dead end company, and in mopping up all the complaints they want to ensure they don't incur a cash loss. However I do object to their offer on principle - it's my money and having been unable to go to O Spa I want to be able to spend the money as I choose; to go to a local spa. But I can't, because according to their offer I have to go to a spa that sells experiences through lastminute.com, and may have to travel a distance to do this.

I am not sure how I can proceed. What do others think? Is the 'goodwill gesture' as positive an outcome as I can hope for? Or is someone dodging their liability here?

The whole point of going to a spa is to relax, unwind, rejuvinate - the opposite seems to happen to O Spa customers.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

isplumm

Hi,

Your contract is with Lastminute.com, so that is who I would deal with.

If they have offered you vouchers that can be used on anything on lastminute.com, then I would be tempted to go for that ... otherwise it will be a hassle getting money back - cause you may have to threaten them with court ....

Just check the expiry date is for a few years, so you have time to spend & that the vouchers can be used on anything in lastminute.com.

I wouldn't worry about "goodwill", just take the vouchers.

Mark

GemmaE

I'm having the same tussle with lastminute. The problem I have is that 4 of us booked in for a spa day, paid through lastminute all together and have booked transport/ days off etc. A voucher for the cost of the day isn't really practicle as I need to somehow split this up, or give my friends cash and 'bank' the voucher for the future.

I just keep getting the same response from lastminute no matter what questions I ask so not holding out much hope for a better resolution, and still haven't broken the news to my friends yet, I feel so bad as I found and booked it and now letting them all down, especially when for a 30th birthday present