[Resolved]  Vibes Healthcare — Refusing to refund money for the services which I am not availing

Address:

Kolkata, West Bengal, 700050

I joined Vibes (Girish Park, Kolkata- Meridian Plaza) on 19/6/2016, for a weight loss programme which cost me ₹. 62000/- including the service tax. The day before the fourth day of the session, they called me up and said their Vice President has come and she wants to meet me and my mother. The next day when I went for the session, the VP checked me and suggested some sessions which were not included in my programme. My counsellor too said that such a therapy was very much needed for me and I should avail it. They demanded first ₹. 80000 more, and when my mother said that after already paying ₹.62000 we would not pay any more without seeing the results of the programme planned, they continued to force us to take the extra therapy and said that ₹. 20000 more would do the work. They constantly emotionally harassed my mother by pointing at me everytime, saying that I need it. My mother then said that she needed to consult my father first. At this, they (the VP and the counsellor) left the room nagging us to immediately call my father and confirm the therapy. My mother out of such pressure was forced to call my father, who immediately said that he could spend no more for any other therapy and would like to see the results of the ongoing programme first. When my mother told this to those people, they refused to listen, constantly nagging my mother and creating a pressure on her to avail the therapy as it would be good for me. They refused to listen to us. They kept on asking for the money and told us to make an advance as the therapy would prove really useful for me. Without getting any time to consider taking another therapy, my mother gave up an advance of ₹. 6000. They said they have some problem with the printer and hence gave us hand-written note with their stamp, and did not provide us with the printed voucher that they were supposed to give. They said next day we would have to pay the due which was ₹. 17000. But, after some consideration, i have decided that i will not take the therapy, as i will not be able to provide time for it. I study in Bhubaneswar and had come to Kolkata for my vacation. I shall be leaving next month. So, on the same day (evening) i called them up and said that i did not want to avail the therapy and want a refund of my money. The manager ignored the request and instead said that the advance made could not be adjusted to any other therapy as it was for that "specific therapy" only, nor was it adjustable!! How does this make sense? Had that been the case, they should had laid down their terms and conditions before us then and there. They simply cannot refuse to refund the money the services of which I am not availing!! My mother was forced to give the money out of emotional harassment and without getting any time for consideration. I had another therapy the next day, but they were not even ready to wait till the next day. They are a fraud, and cheating the money of the public. The Counselors themselves look like elephants and they themselves need such therapies!! They should be held liable for cheating public money. Everyday thousands of people all over India approach such slimming centers with hopes that our money shall be utilized well and we shall get positive results, but we get cheated in this way instead. Vibes should definitely be sued. They enroll their customers for one programme and while that is still continuing they force us to get enrolled into other therapies just to cause wrongful monetary loss to us. They provide no guarantee for their services nor do they make us aware of their terms and conditions, which we as customers are entitled to know. I want a refund of the ₹. 6000 that I have paid as an advance due to coercion, for the next therapy.