Mal "treatment" at The Farm

MAL"TREATMENT" AT THE FARM
--- Andy, Agnes, Alexie, Acky and Anj (June 2006)

We finally get a chance to peak at this relaxation
mecca "The Farm at San Benito", an institution known
for its foreigner-magnetism, exclusive detox programs,
award winning spa accommodations, "live foods",
sprawling grounds, world-renowned massages -- and
steep prices. This seemingly immaculate image just had
to be marred by impersonal customer care and messy
management.

Our family was rewarded with a handsome sum of a gift
certificate in this so-called prestigious spa. After
going through their reservation drill of faxing a copy
of the gift certificate, choosing a day-relaxation
package inclusive of massage, meal and tour, reserving
for treatment time and depositing the additional
balance to cover for all our packages, we set out
looking forward to a day of relaxation which only
ended in disgust, disappointment and humiliation.

Reservations have been made a week in advance, and
their Makati office confirmed everything, complete
with a RESERVATION VOUCHER, which indicated our time
of treatments. We arrive at their reception area,
weary from a 3 hour drive, and presented the voucher
-- only to be welcomed with "Ma'am, your 2pm
reservations cannot be accommodated because we are
fully booked. We can only treat you at 4pm." The
trusty reservation voucher claimed otherwise, of
course: our status was CONFIRMED since 5 days before.

It sounded like an honest mess up, but the staff nor
the management didn't seem to HONOR our reservation.
Apparently, there really are NO SLOTS LEFT for spa
treatments. Reception even made us talk to the Spa
Manager, but to no avail. Take note, we went through
the whole drill -- we had the deposit slip from the
balance paid in cash 2 days before our day tour, in
addition to having on hand our gift certificate --
both faxed to the Makati office prior to our trip --
heeding the insistent calls of their office to settle
our reservation accounts.

Still taking time settling the mess up, we told the
Assistant General Manager, whose attention we had to
call, that if the reservation cannot be honored we
demand that our balance that was paid in cash be
refunded. Now. We were asked to sit down and then we
were served plain tap water. 40 minutes passed. New
guests-- Japanese, we believe -- arrived with the same
reservation vouchers, and almost automatically,
servers come with their lemon water complete with the
decorative lemon slice. Go figure.

We were heated up by this time. A foreign man came out
from an inner office and started hovering around the
scene, then left in a car. Nonchalantly. We later find
out that he was the General Manager. We again followed
up our reservations, and still the same standard
answer came up -- "We are fully booked. This wasn't
our fault
-- this was the fault of the Makati office." Finally,
the AGM came and told us that the General Manager had
approved our refund, but can only pay in CHECK. No, we
demanded for cash because we paid in cash!

No genuine concern from this AGM, who left us in a
huff. No effort to even appease us, to give credit for
driving all the way to paradise, to give an
ALTERNATIVE to plainly driving back home. After 30
minutes, one of her staff came out and handed
the cash, and asked us to sign an acknowledgement
receipt. We demanded for ALL our original vouchers --
which they held in the meantime. We continued our
complaints to the staff and to the AGM
(whose attention, btw, we had to call again) -- that
they make us drive ALL the way from Manila only to be
treated this way, not honoring our reservation,
insisting on following their reservation routine, not
honoring our deposit, blaming the Makati office for
this mess up, not claiming responsibility that it
is clearly both Makati and Lipa offices' fault -- only
to be rebutted by the AGM with (in Tagalog) "You are
hurting my feelings! This is not my fault! You are
hurting my feelings!" ("Sinasaktan nyo ang damdamin
ko! Hindi ko ito kasalanan!") in exasperation! The
gull!!!

The matter was "settled" in an hour and a half -- and
yet, what was unsettling were that: Is this how they
treat gift certificate holders? How important is
customer care to them? Do they prefer clients whose
names sound foreign and ARE foreign to Filipinos? Have
the reached the heights of fame and prestige that they
can AFFORD to mistreat customers?

So much for relaxation TREATMENT.

Next time you consider discovering what lies behind
The Farm's curtain of pristine exclusivity, think
again. The neighborhood spa or suking
manghihilot might give you a much better "world-class"
treatment you deserve.

EPILOGUE: By the end of that day, we had texted all
our contacts, heralding this horrific maltreatment and
lo and behold -- it had reached the owner herself. She
is a gracious lady, who took immediate action to call
us up at our home. And apologized on her staff's
behalf. (The staff never apologized, btw) She was
genuinely shocked at the way her management and staff
handled the situation...... THIS COMMENTARY IS
DIRECTED TO HER MANAGEMENT TEAM.