Massage Heights - West Des Moines, IA DECEPTIVE CONTACTS - BEWARE West Des Moines, Iowa

Upon reviewing our year-end bank statements yesterday, I realized we were being charged by Massage Height even though I knew I had canceled my husbands and my membership 17 months ago. Upon further inspection, I saw that I had been charged for the past 17 months even though no services were rendered.  

I called the Massage Heights location in WDM, Iowa where we had signed up. They confirmed that my husband's and my membership were closed in September of 2010. I was told to take in our bank statements and they would remove the charges. I gathered the statements and went to their office. With further discussions, we learned that the withdrawals were due to a 6-month Valentine gift I had purchased for my

adult daughter.

I had initialed a statement on that contract authorizing automatic withdrawals. I had understood that to mean automatic bank withdrawals for that 6 month period. However, I was now informed that it was for CONTINUAL withdrawals. This is a very deceptive practice.

This special agreement was sold to me as a valentine special. I was told it was different than their ongoing membership. It stated at the top of the page "6 Month Membership". My intention was to only buy 6 monthly massages as stated at the top of the document. My daughter utilized the 6 massages as I had intended. However, my bank account continued to be charged for the next 17 months even though no services were rendered during this period of time. They charged me $679.83 for nothing! 

I realize that I initial the clause on the contract that authorized automatic withdrawals from my bank account. However, when I purchased this gift, I was very clear about not wanting any type of long-term commitment and only wanting to purchase 6 massages. I was misled to believe this contract was for only 6 massages.  In our situation, I bought the gift, my husband was balancing our account, and my adult daughter was not living with us so we were all unaware of what was happening. A gift that was supposed to cost $240 ended up costing me $920!

I would strongly advise against using Massage Heights. The massages are mediocre, at best. Just when you find a therapist who is adequate, they leave and then you have to start over and experiment until you find someone else who will do a reasonable job. If you want a quality massage, I recommend you get a personal recommendation of someone you trust. DONT GET TIED INTO THESE ENDLESS CONTRACTS!