Check-out games

[brightncheerful]

Mrs Bnc has taken to have a massage at a local Spa (not the supermarket!) ( I have a massage once a month, elsewhere, also not at the supermarket, for about £20 less but Mrs Bnc's venue has a heated table so apparently that makes all the difference (As I say mainly to her bank balance.)

As a Christmas present, I decided to buy her a couple of gift vouchers, I visited the Spa's website and placed the order for sending the vouchers by post, with my card details. The transaction proceeded smoothly, (ignoring the fact that manually changing the quantity wasn't possible and I had to continue shopping and repeat the purchase) until the Spa's card provider instead of confirming the purchase as I'd reasonably expect of on-line transactions presented some pictures and asked me to identify objects in them. I had a go but evidently didn't get enough right so the card company aborted the transaction.

First game was how many pictures have seats in them, second game how many have coffee? I don't drink coffee so why I'd want to fill my head with images of the stuff I've no idea. As for the seats, I thought I'd spotted them all but seemingly not.

I've emailed the Spa, (recounting the facts) adding I'd be surprised if I were the only customer whose transaction has been aborted for that reason so if the Spa owners are wondering why customers at the check-out don't follow through this could be the reason. I am not visually impaired but I'm not interested in trying to identify objects in pictures. If Mrs Bnc didn't already have massages at the Spa, I wouldn't bother and they'd miss out on £xxxx. I've asked thye Spa to contact me direct but whether they will no idea. I've leave it a few days before writing to one of the directors*.

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This Spa has had a chequered history. The original owner who built the property from scratch lasted about 6 months, before going broke. Mrs Bnc and I went to an open day for prospective new members shortly before it opened and concluded it was appealing but overpriced. Yours truly criticised the intended make of skin-care products which I didn't think complementary to the image the Spa was aiming for whereupon the Spa changed them to my suggestion so at least some good came of it. The next owner I wrote to with a detailed appraisal of why their under new ownership exciting plans wouldn't work, I didn't get a response, but was proved right when they too went broke a year or so later. The current owners, who may be the third or more in line, I don't know, have lasted longer and the place has been up and running for some years now. Having said that, it's difficult to find any corporate information (ownership details) on the website so using my backdoor method I've now discovered that the company's accounts are overdue and for 2014 creditors exceed, etc. So perhaps it's not a good to pay them in advance: something else to suggest to one of the directors".

[brightncheerful]

Update:

Mrs Bnc agrees just as good for me to pay for her booking as she goes, rather than bother with vouchers.
Spa calls, we discuss, voucher price same as Mrs Bnc pays, leave it.

I might still write to the director and tell him about the on-line transaction palaver.