Body Care Resort Inc. - Tai Sheng Electrical Machinery Co., Ltd. Utter garbage--Massage Chair nightmare, please avoid buying a Neox Massage Chair at all costs Torrance California

My husband and I purchased a Neox TS-6820 massage chair from a merchant named Body Care Resort Inc. at the 2008 Puyallup, WA Fair. The chair was purchased for $4,295 via 0% 1-year term financing through GE Money bank. We were notified by the salesperson at the fair that if there were problems, there was a repair facility in Kirkland, WA to assist us.

Within 3 weeks after the chair was delivered, the first problems were identified. The zero gravity recline function got stuck in the reclined position, as well as a malfunction of the remote control button lighting. The zero gravity issue rendered the chair unusable. I called Body Care Resort, Inc. (the distributor we purchased from) for repair service and they tried to rectify the problem via telephone.

It was determined that replacement parts were needed. They recommended a new remote control and circuit board. I was then asked whether they could ship the parts to me so I could install them myself! I was flabbergasted and told them they needed to send a repair technician from the Kirkland, WA facility to our home to make the repairs. The technician arrived and after many calls to the manufacturer in Taiwan and over 5 hours of work, he restored function of the zero gravity recline, but the remote control lighting was still not operational.

The next day, after testing the chair and visual examination, I noticed that the power housing had been installed upside down (I have a photo). It turned out that the repair facility that we were told about at the time of purchase, consisted of one independent contractor who lived in Kirkland, WA and worked out of the back of his van.

Essentially the chair was nearly in as worse a condition than before the repairs were made, i.e. a malfunction in the vibration massage function, excessive noise and the remote control had even more problems than before the repairs were made. I called again and was told that they were sending repair parts and willing to fly a senior technician to our home to make repairs. In the interim period, I called a competing chair vendor online and was told that many of their customers had similar nightmarish experiences with a Neox massage chair. Unfortunately this merchant wishes to remain anonymous due to adversely affecting their business by speaking negatively about a competing vendor.

I then called Body Care Online and requested a return of the chair. I was called back by a manager who told me the return could be done, but since we were outside of the 30-day return window, there would be a restocking fee of 25%, as well as back and forth shipping charges. I didn't understand this because our contract specified free shipping to our home. I was not given a satisfactory response from the manager concerning this issue.

After a period of indecision, my husband and I decided to return the chair. The manager emailed us a return authorization (RA) form, which we completed and faxed back. The manager denied our return request via email and informed us that the terms would be different than specified on the RA form.

They wanted us to make a prepayment to Body Care Resort Inc. for $1,673.75 to cover the 25% restocking fee ($1,073.75) and back and forth shipping/handling charges ($600), as opposed to them crediting our GE Money account the total amount of the purchase, less the $1,673.75 charges owed to them.

We assume that they wanted this arrangement in order to prevent us from disputing the remaining charges on the finance account. It also clearly stated in the email (I have copies of all email correspondence) that we would still be responsible for our full obligation to GE Money bank ($4,295).

It appeared to me that they wanted us to return our chair by prepaying them the return charges, and still bear the full responsibility to our finance company. It sounded so absurd that I emailed the manager back to get a clarification. He replied and indicated that we would make the prepayment of $1,673.75 and then upon receipt of the chair, we would have the full amount of our obligation ($4,295) credited back to our GE Money account by Body Care Online.

We could have tried pursuing a dispute with GE Money Bank, but we strongly suspected that this would have essentially invalidated any chance of returning the chair if our dispute was unsuccessful. The last thing we wanted was to have to pay full price for a massage chair that was of such poor quality.

After a period of contemplation and suspicion, we went ahead and sent a cashier's check for $1,673.75 to Body Care Resort Inc. to proceed with the return. Finally after multiple phone calls and emails, and almost three weeks of time, we did receive the promised credit for the full amount we owed to the finance company.

This organization is very suspect in our opinion, and at the very least, they are selling an inferior item for a premium price. They are also not being honest about repair support and possibly other issues also.

We are upset that we now have lost over $1,600 and have nothing but bad memories to show for it. We purchased the chair in good faith to help with some back problems we have, and now we are left with nothing. We don't feel that we should have to pay a premium restocking fee to return an item that is of so poor quality. The chair was broken more often than it was able to be used.

We have email and photo documentation that can be provided to substantiate our experiences with this merchant. It is our hope that we can get our $1,673.75 back, but also feel strongly that all future Puyallup, WA Fair attendees, as well as any future consumers, be protected from a similar experience to ours. We are therefore respectfully submitting this information.

Please avoid doing business with Body Care Resort Inc. and their manufacturer Tai Sheng Electrical Machinery Co., Ltd., who are selling the Neox brand Massage Chair. You will save yourself from the horrific experience that my husband and I went through.

Ursula
Federal Way, Washington
U.S.A.