Got it. I figured it went something like that. Just picking on you. It would have cost the business nothing . . .zero $ or pesos to "park" the membership.
Now it is costing them a lot of bad publicity. Dumb move on their part.
- Thread starter frank12
- Start date
Sosua Ocean Village Gym Membership
Got it. I figured it went something like that. Just picking on you. It would have cost the business nothing . . .zero $ or pesos to "park" the membership.
Now it is costing them a lot of bad publicity. Dumb move on their part.
Imagine you come into my restaurant and order a hamburger, and before the hamburger arrives, and emergency comes up and you must leave. I then tell you that you must pay for your hamburger whether you eat it or not. You then ask me if you can give your hamburger away (since you must pay for it), and I tell you “No, you cannot give your hamburger away either.”
So, not only are you paying for something that you cannot eat, but you are also prevented from allowing someone else to enjoy it.
That’s Kafkaesque.
So, not only are you paying for something that you cannot eat, but you are also prevented from allowing someone else to enjoy it.
That’s Kafkaesque.
Ok, so the "Kafkaesque" part would be...
You know, I can't even do this. You fried your li'l swimmers?
You've gotta be kidding, right? Right?
I suggest upon your return, you rent the big billboard between Cabarete and Sosua and explain the Kafkaesque-ness to all who drive by.
Ah, you left some of those details out the first time. Now I get it.
At least you didn't turn into a monstrous vermin before boarding your flight. Then you would have needed a new passport photo, and that would have been difficult to explain, even to the Dominican authorities who I would assume have seen it all.
Since i have a little time on my hands, i'll share with you an everyday situation in the restaurant industry. Every restaurant and bar has consistent customers. They are the staple and backbone of the industry. These are people who come in everyday and spend money without asking for anything. They do not ask for favors, nor do they expect any. Everyone knows someone like this. These are people who simply come in and get something to eat or drink and then move on. Rarely does it happen that one of these consistent customers will come in and ask for a favor. I've known some customers--and everyone does--who have only asked for a favor in a very rare, exceptional circumstance. In these situations, you need to evaluate all the variables to know whether or not it suits bending the rules. I'm not saying that my situation meets the criteria for bending of the rules, but here are a few which do: 1.) A consistent customer from Tennessee (many people know him here) came into the restaurant last year and asked if i could allow him to eat for one week until his credit cards were replaced (they had been compromised and therefore frozen). Our rules are simple...we do not give "Credit" to anyone, period...and certainly not for one whole week. But here is a man who comes in everyday and eats lunch or dinner and then leaves. I had known him for 3 or 4 years at this point, he had never asked me for any favors before. The dilemma was now this: should i forget the "No Credit" rule in order to help this man out (and keep a customer), or should i remain steadfast, and continue to enforce the rules, therefore, making no exceptions for anyone?
One more thing, what would be the reasoning behind not allowing me to pass my "unused" monthly membership to a family member? What would justify such a hard line stance? Is the argument because this can be abused? Abused how? How many people are joining gyms--and then before their membership starts--an emergency comes up where they want to pass their "unused" membership to a family member?
The use of the unforeseen emergency as justification for a variance to a policy is the issue here.
If I bought a motorcycle from a dealership and the purchase agreement I signed states no returns after the bike leaves the dealership property, I acknowledge the policy and agree to abide by it. If 12 hours later I am diagnosed with epilepsy and lose my driver's license, having an expectation that the dealership should somehow be bound to take the bike back because I can no longer legally ride it is a bit of stretch.
Your emergency and my epilepsy is not the fault of the provider and there does not appear to be a deficiency in the product purchased that would warrant redress.
From a customer service point of view, I concede your point. Returning your money or changing the membership to a future month does not seem to be an unreasonable request. Except that, getting money back after having paid for anything here just isn't done, and asking someone to do the ethically or morally correct thing here is also just not done either. To expect otherwise is a failing of the individual not the entity that is making the policy or implementing the policy, regardless of how self serving that policy might be.
Crap like this annoys me. So I vote with my feet and my money. I deliver the ultimatum, "do it" or I'm never coming back and without exception they all say "adios". I make sure I tell everyone I know. I find what I need elsewhere or choose to do without. Banging your head against the wall is always going to hurt. The sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you can see that the only option is to stop hitting the wall with your melon. Once you do, voila, the pain immediately stops.
Good for you Frank, for purchasing only a month at a time. I think that is prudent as sooner or later you are going to lose a months payment for any number of reasons. Give me the strength to change the things that I can, the serenity to accept those that I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference <sic>.
When you come back, put your thumb over the date and try to gain entrance until someone one points out it is expired, then buy a new one. If it works once, that's as close to a win as you're going to get. Thx for posting the tale. Misery loves company and I am comforted knowing that I am not the only square peg trying to insert myself into a round hole.
If I bought a motorcycle from a dealership and the purchase agreement I signed states no returns after the bike leaves the dealership property, I acknowledge the policy and agree to abide by it. If 12 hours later I am diagnosed with epilepsy and lose my driver's license, having an expectation that the dealership should somehow be bound to take the bike back because I can no longer legally ride it is a bit of stretch.
Your emergency and my epilepsy is not the fault of the provider and there does not appear to be a deficiency in the product purchased that would warrant redress.
From a customer service point of view, I concede your point. Returning your money or changing the membership to a future month does not seem to be an unreasonable request. Except that, getting money back after having paid for anything here just isn't done, and asking someone to do the ethically or morally correct thing here is also just not done either. To expect otherwise is a failing of the individual not the entity that is making the policy or implementing the policy, regardless of how self serving that policy might be.
Crap like this annoys me. So I vote with my feet and my money. I deliver the ultimatum, "do it" or I'm never coming back and without exception they all say "adios". I make sure I tell everyone I know. I find what I need elsewhere or choose to do without. Banging your head against the wall is always going to hurt. The sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you can see that the only option is to stop hitting the wall with your melon. Once you do, voila, the pain immediately stops.
Good for you Frank, for purchasing only a month at a time. I think that is prudent as sooner or later you are going to lose a months payment for any number of reasons. Give me the strength to change the things that I can, the serenity to accept those that I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference <sic>.
When you come back, put your thumb over the date and try to gain entrance until someone one points out it is expired, then buy a new one. If it works once, that's as close to a win as you're going to get. Thx for posting the tale. Misery loves company and I am comforted knowing that I am not the only square peg trying to insert myself into a round hole.
If any business anywhere chooses a rule over a customers satisfaction (when!!! i emphasize when its something simple) they deserve a viral internet black eye and a loss of many customers. In the Social Media world we live in, as well the competition of business in general we should look at these situations as opportunities to make someone happy and they will spread that positive word in a manner
that would equal $100s or $1000s or more in advertising dollars. This i would never expect in the DR where fewer customers means less work which is considered a win!!
We all have to understand the model for most gyms-they make money on the customers who DON'T come regularly. So if they can get a month without the customer utilizing the premises, they win.
My experience with Dominican businesses is that most don't care about repeat customers and are unwilling to make exceptions under ANY circumstances over ANY issue that may arise, so this does not surprise me.
If it's any consolation, you only lost a month and you didn't turn into a giant bug as in "The Metamorphosis". Kafka would call this a win-win.
My experience with Dominican businesses is that most don't care about repeat customers and are unwilling to make exceptions under ANY circumstances over ANY issue that may arise, so this does not surprise me.
If it's any consolation, you only lost a month and you didn't turn into a giant bug as in "The Metamorphosis". Kafka would call this a win-win.
Again, i never wanted a refund, I do not want one now. To me, this is not about the little bit of money. This is about buying a monthly membership, not having the time to even "begin the membership" because of an unforeseen emergency. Had i used the member ship for even 3 or 4 days, i would understand it and never challenge it. But when i have not had the opportunity to even utilize it for one day, and i don't have the opportunity to allow someone else--my daughter, girlfriend, best friend, etc--to use it, then i'm sorry, something it not right with the rule. It's one thing to say, "Hey, we have rules, and here is the reasons why. But to simply step back and hold onto this hard line, hard-headed stance that states, "We have this rule because we don't want other people "abusing" the rules. This implies that there are several people out their shocking their penises one day before their membership is to begin, and now they somehow want to take advantage of this rule by offering their family member to take their place, or to put the "Unused" membership on hold.
Frank
Frank
Accept that it doesn't make sense. It will never make sense. "They" don't care. Stop banging your big head and tazing the little one over this.
I know your Special person (cause you tazer your own nuts)But store policy is store policy ..no matter how you try to justify to yourself that you should be exception to the rule ..go taze your nuts and calm down ..
I would give them the finger and not go back
There is store policy and there is customer service...not much here in the DR in the way of customer service but really a bad way to do business IMO!
I won't ever go there or recommend the place.
There is store policy and there is customer service...not much here in the DR in the way of customer service but really a bad way to do business IMO!
I won't ever go there or recommend the place.
Not egg-zacklee on-topic, but not egg-zacklee off:
I live upstairs and 50 feet away from one of the great, old-time Sosua colmados. I am in there sometimes 4-5 times a day, what with buying butter, or milk, or fruit, etc.
Let's just say they are not the friendliest. I've lived in this apt. for a year. Surprise, surprise, the men on staff are friendlier than the women, at least to this old red-headed gringa. What happened to WOMEN OF THE WORLD: UNITE?
We had a disagreement about the number of water bottles that I could have carried up without a ridick deposit. Resolved.
I had an Italian friend to lunch on Saturday. I ran down to the colmado to pick up a bottle of wine and some beer for my friend. The Presidente cooler was totes empty, except for 5-9 small bottles of Light, which I know my pal does not care for. So I grab a bottle of rosado, a brand I know (NOT Carlo Rossi) from the wine cooler, bring it upstairs, stick it in the freezer, and make the salad.
My friend arrives. We chit, chit, chat, and I say, some wine? He says, Si. I open it. I smell it. I snap back. I smell it again. I pour out a glass. I taste. I snap back. I give the glass to my friend, and say, "Taste this." He tastes. He spews wine in the bathroom and says, "Are you kidding?"
So I say, "I want to do a test. I am a 5xdaily customer at this colmado. You stay here. Watch the eggplant. I will be back."
I bring the open bottle, with cork, to the colmado and 'splain that it is skunked. I forget what word I pulled out of my vocabulary for that; I may just have drawn my finger across my throat and made a gagging noise.
They taste, and DANCING LADIES FROM DIEPPE, the colmado guys agree. (But what do they care? They'll drink it.) They gave me another bottle, but this time I take the blanco at the same price.
Back to the Arriba Apartment I come. Open bottle. And I cannae b'leeve. Also skunked.
So we drank water with lunch. Not a bad idea.
But, because I suffer fools SO gladly, I bring the bottle of skunked white back to the colmado. I say to the nice girl, "y
You will never believe it but, but 2 bad bottles in a row. She opens it. She smells. She pours 1/4 inch in a plastic cup. (She is pregnant.) She sips. I am not expecting the palate of Arvid Rosengren here, but her head snaps back, she blanches visibly, and says, "Sra., lo siento mucho."
We make it up that I have a credit....I will not be buying wine there any time soon.
But I pass this along, as the ONLY MO-EFFIN TIME EVAH IN THIS COUNTRY that I got to return something.
Meemselle, over and out.
I live upstairs and 50 feet away from one of the great, old-time Sosua colmados. I am in there sometimes 4-5 times a day, what with buying butter, or milk, or fruit, etc.
Let's just say they are not the friendliest. I've lived in this apt. for a year. Surprise, surprise, the men on staff are friendlier than the women, at least to this old red-headed gringa. What happened to WOMEN OF THE WORLD: UNITE?
We had a disagreement about the number of water bottles that I could have carried up without a ridick deposit. Resolved.
I had an Italian friend to lunch on Saturday. I ran down to the colmado to pick up a bottle of wine and some beer for my friend. The Presidente cooler was totes empty, except for 5-9 small bottles of Light, which I know my pal does not care for. So I grab a bottle of rosado, a brand I know (NOT Carlo Rossi) from the wine cooler, bring it upstairs, stick it in the freezer, and make the salad.
My friend arrives. We chit, chit, chat, and I say, some wine? He says, Si. I open it. I smell it. I snap back. I smell it again. I pour out a glass. I taste. I snap back. I give the glass to my friend, and say, "Taste this." He tastes. He spews wine in the bathroom and says, "Are you kidding?"
So I say, "I want to do a test. I am a 5xdaily customer at this colmado. You stay here. Watch the eggplant. I will be back."
I bring the open bottle, with cork, to the colmado and 'splain that it is skunked. I forget what word I pulled out of my vocabulary for that; I may just have drawn my finger across my throat and made a gagging noise.
They taste, and DANCING LADIES FROM DIEPPE, the colmado guys agree. (But what do they care? They'll drink it.) They gave me another bottle, but this time I take the blanco at the same price.
Back to the Arriba Apartment I come. Open bottle. And I cannae b'leeve. Also skunked.
So we drank water with lunch. Not a bad idea.
But, because I suffer fools SO gladly, I bring the bottle of skunked white back to the colmado. I say to the nice girl, "y
You will never believe it but, but 2 bad bottles in a row. She opens it. She smells. She pours 1/4 inch in a plastic cup. (She is pregnant.) She sips. I am not expecting the palate of Arvid Rosengren here, but her head snaps back, she blanches visibly, and says, "Sra., lo siento mucho."
We make it up that I have a credit....I will not be buying wine there any time soon.
But I pass this along, as the ONLY MO-EFFIN TIME EVAH IN THIS COUNTRY that I got to return something.
Meemselle, over and out.
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