ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Small Indulgences Day Spa & Salon in St. Augustine has closed its doors for good, and many customers are now left looking for answers.
“Some received notification, some did not,” former customer Bernadette Rivell said.“I was in that batch that did not [receive the notification] and found out through Facebook that all of a sudden they were closed, and I’m supposed to have an appointment the next day.”
The spa’s unexpected closing comes just weeks after multiple customers told Action News Jax they were sent lucrative gift card promotions as high as buy one, get 20 free.
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Many customers say they bought those deals but never had the chance to use them; now left holding gift cards that are completely unusable at the spa.
Customers also told Action News Jax they were reassured the store wouldn’t be shutting down just a couple of months prior.
“It feels like something is not right,” Rivell said Wednesday morning.
“Business owners don’t make a decision overnight to close their doors, it’s an ongoing list of events that takes time to percolate.”
“The other thing that’s really irritating is you reach out and you hear nothing back about the gift cards at all,” former customer Sommer Mahr added.
Mahr said, “It’s sad. Because I have no idea if I’m going to get that money back … probably not.”
Now, with customers left looking for answers, many other spas in the St. Augustine area have stepped up to the plate to honor those gift cards sold by the Small Indulgences Day Spa & Salon, including Waves Salon & Spa in St. Augustine.
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“That’s really nice to see that the community’s come together to band together for the residents and the people that have purchased gift cards,” Rivell said.
Rivell also added, “That really is a positive in this whole fiasco.”
In the email sent to customers announcing the closing, the spa did not address gift card purchases, but did say in part:
“We did not forget about our clients! Things have been very difficult for us. We will be in touch with updates.”
Action News Jax also contacted the spa owner about these concerns and the spa’s closing over the phone, by text, and through social media, but has yet to hear back.
A spokesperson with the Better Business Bureau said Wednesday there have been no complaints filed against the business.
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