The Tan Company

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! On Valentines Day last year, I purchase a monthly membership and deposited $300 in a package from the Tan. Co. in Farmington, MO. We purchase the membership at the Farmington location because my wife works in Farmington, but we live north of Festus. After some time my wife realized that it was not practical for her to use the South location and inquired about the possibility of having the funds switched to the Festus location. She was informed that the switch could not be made. As a result, my wife never used her membership and decided after a year of not attending that she wanted to cancel her membership. She was informed that if she canceled her membership that she would lose the $300 of deposited funds, and that it would be best to put the account on hold. We were told that when signed for the account it was made clear that the funds were not refundable. I asked to see a copy of this paperwork, and was offered no paperwork to view at that time. We asked if we could use those funds to purchase product and was told no. At that time, I requested to speak with the owner, a Ms. Erin Layton. I emailed Ms. Layton about the situation, left my phone number, and requested a response. A few days later I received a phone call from the Manager at the Farmington location in an attempt to resolve the situation. She explained to my wife that the funds could be transferred to the Festus location, but that the transfer would take 2 business days to occur. For the second time I emailed Ms. Layton and requested to speak with her directly. A few days later I received a phone call from the same store manager explaining that the funds could be transferred immediately if we wished. We said no to the transfer and requested that the account remain on hold. We also received a faxed copy of the contract that we signed. The contract clearly stated that the funds from the account could not be transferred. However, a transfer is not a refund. Non-transferable means that the funds could not be transferred to another individual. Refundable means that funds should be refunded back to the client. I informed the manager at this time that if Ms. Layton did not contact me herself within 5 business days that I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The five days passed and I filed Complaint Case #: 1464933. They chose to respond to the BBB explaining that I had already signed a billing agreement and that my continued contact is “becoming a disruption to our business”.... So here we are, I am a disruption to business because I have called 5 times, sent 2 emails, and paid our monthly fees of $22 for over a year with no disruption. All I asked for was to have a conversation with the owner. I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE IN MY LIFE!!! What owner is so good that they don't even have to acknowledge their customer base? Erin Layton hides in the shadows, behind unskilled labor, and relies solely on the nature of her clientele to operate under unethical business practices, COWARDICE!!! At the end of the day, I prepaid for a service that I never used. I made a decision that I did not want to use this service, and I was denied a refund. I would have accepted a charge or fee of some type for taking my money out of the account, but to deny me my money all together is absolutely ridiculous. It is theft, plain and simple. AVOID THIS COMPANY AND ERIN LAYTON AT ALL COSTS!!!