customer
Don't be a fool like me!
This was one of the most uncomfortable and high-pressure business experiences I have ever had, and it was absolutely not what I expected when booking a “spa” facial. First, where this product is sold - this does not feel like a spa environment at all. There was no relaxing or serene atmosphere whatsoever. The setup felt more like a retail storefront focused on selling products than an actual spa experience. The treatment rooms appeared to be separated by glass partitions near the main entrance area, offering very little privacy. After reading other reviews mentioning how loud it was during services, I completely understand what they meant. The overall vibe felt more like a Mall Sales kiosk than a spa. I accidentally booked my facial for the wrong day and didn’t realize it until I arrived. Although the booking mix-up was entirely my mistake, I was offered a “complimentary” red light therapy session along with the Avinichi products. At first, I thought this was a kind gesture. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that the real purpose was to aggressively sell extremely expensive red light therapy and facial products. At the time I arrived, there were four employees present, but not a single esthetician actively performing spa services. Three employees were outside attempting to bring pedestrians in from the sidewalk while I was being heavily pitched inside by the fourth employee. What I initially thought was a consultation about skincare concerns turned into aggressive sales tactics almost immediately. The pressure tactics were intense. Once I hesitated, the price suddenly dropped by thousands of dollars. Then came additional offers: free facials, free creams, discounts, and other incentives to close the sale. Looking back, it felt extremely manipulative and overwhelming. Regrettably, I agreed to purchase the device and products in the moment. However, I realized almost immediately afterward that I had made a mistake. I returned to the store less than an hour later — before I had even gone back to my car — to request a return. They refused. That’s when I started learning about all the policies and restrictions that had never been clearly explained during the sales process. I was suddenly directed to signs posted near the front desk of the store about “no in-store returns,” informed that credit card processing fees were passed directly onto customers, and told I had “opened” the product packaging so it could not be returned — despite the employee specifically INSTRUCTING me to open the sealed package in-store to verify the contents. I repeatedly asked for a phone number or manager I could speak with directly because I had just spent over $3,500 plus fees less than an hour earlier. Instead of addressing my concerns transparently, the employee would disappear into another room to discuss things privately and then return with vague answers. The only reason I was eventually able to get any resolution was because I firmly stated I was prepared to publicly protest on the sidewalk about their poor and shady business practices in order to warn other consumers. It should never have to reach that point for a business to do the right thing. Another thing I found concerning was the pattern in the review responses. All of the 1-star reviews receive nearly identical copy-and-paste replies asking customers to contact them privately rather than publicly addressing the concerns being raised. I also noticed many of the 5-star reviews sound unusually similar in tone and wording, which made it difficult for me to know which reviews genuinely reflected authentic customer experiences. If you book a facial here, understand that you may be walking into an aggressive sales environment centered around expensive red light therapy and products rather than a traditional relaxing and inviting spa experience. The only positive thing I can say is that this experience taught me a very valuable lesson: trust your instincts, slow down when pressured into expensive purchases, read everything in detail before signing anything, and pay attention to red flags.