Spa~Please quit trying to sell me product

[VallyD]

The one time I did a spa treatment was on the Carnival Sensation. My mom went the day before for a facial and got sold on a bunch of crap products. I went the next day because she claimed it to be "glorious" to get my hair colored its usual dark auburn... well when it came out dark PURPLE :eek: and no amount of fixing could be done, I still tipped her and went on my way. The next day a package showed up at my room of free products :D Still... forced to walk around as the "Purple Haired Girl".

 

Be careful with ALL salespeople. I was in sales for a long time and there are so many tricks to get you to buy something it is UN REAL. Slightly off topic, just an example of how to be careful...

 

Husband and I went to purchase a new camera for the upcoming cruise and a new laptop for me (well that was why we went there, he ended up with a new tablet too :rolleyes:) and the sales guy was pitching all this stuff to us that included a 500 "foreverlastingguaranteeforreplacementandtechsupportblablabla" to which I said "No no no no no" each time (I also used to work in tech support...so yeah no). Well husband leaves the sales stuff up to me. He is bagging our products and names them as he goes "The laptop here, your free malware program, your camera, your warranty tech support, your table..." I interrupted him right there.

 

"My warranty tech support 500 dollar 'deal' that I said no too?" he had already scanned it. "Yes maa'aam.... I'll take that off" :eek:

 

It's incredible what SOME sales people will do.

[VallyD]

Also to add to the previous statement, I was shopping in a very nice art gallery for a sculpture of a ballerina I had seen many times before window shopping and drooled over. I was very young, admittedly, about 20 but had been working my arse off for this one sculpture.

 

I found a collection of them and was perusing them and YES checking prices ( I didn't have THAT much money but could certainly afford the sculpture or maybe a little more ) and the lady walks up, looks at them standing next to me. "They are beautiful aren't they" "Yes I have been looking at them for months" ... "Honey, you can't afford that" she said flatly. I pulled out my wad of hundreds and flipped through them, "Hmm... -I had gotten to about 1000- let's see, I have 1500... *check the tag* 970...." to which she got REAL quiet it. "I'll take the full size and the miniature". The look on her face justified all money spent.

 

Commenting on wether or not you can afford something is absolutely pretentious and rude!

[coka]

I enjoy some but not all of the spa products...especially if they work...If ever a hard sell, I just tell them I get them for less online with the specials they run...buy two get one free...and such. Check it out at timetospa dot com. If I know I need something replaced I will buy it on the ship in order to save shipping fees from home.

 

I like to hear the pitch and I like to hear about the product and I like them to sample the product on me...in the end I have no issue saying no thank you if I really do not want it.

 

Coka

[hal lover]

I have certainly enjoyed many of the spa treatments. Never have I had a "hard sale" that I could not handle one way or another. A few times, I have actually bought some of the products. Not really from "hard sale", but because I really wanted to try the product.

HOWEVER, if a hard sale ordeal were to happen to me and I really did not want the product and the girl said to me, well if you cannot afford it~ I would look at the bill and say to her, " I can certainly afford it and by not tipping you makes it even more affordable".

2 wrongs do not make a right, but I refuse to be insulted in the manner that the original OP was.

[sparky-elpaso]

Also to add to the previous statement, I was shopping in a very nice art gallery for a sculpture of a ballerina I had seen many times before window shopping and drooled over. I was very young, admittedly, about 20 but had been working my arse off for this one sculpture.

 

I found a collection of them and was perusing them and YES checking prices ( I didn't have THAT much money but could certainly afford the sculpture or maybe a little more ) and the lady walks up, looks at them standing next to me. "They are beautiful aren't they" "Yes I have been looking at them for months" ... "Honey, you can't afford that" she said flatly. I pulled out my wad of hundreds and flipped through them, "Hmm... -I had gotten to about 1000- let's see, I have 1500... *check the tag* 970...." to which she got REAL quiet it. "I'll take the full size and the miniature". The look on her face justified all money spent.

 

Commenting on wether or not you can afford something is absolutely pretentious and rude!

 

That sounds like a story my aunt told me. She was living in Chicago and had just gotten a job working overseas in Europe. So she went shopping for a new wardrobe - and she was wearing jeans (in the 1950's). Store - something like Macy's - was pretty empty and the regular sales staff was ignoring her. Finally the part-time high school girl comes over and my aunt starts the list of what she needs. It took about 2 minutes for one of the regular staff to try to take over. My aunt wouldn't let her - so the young gal got the hefty commission. And hopefully the regular staff learned a lesson - don't judge a book by its cover.

[ducklite]

Commenting on wether or not you can afford something is absolutely pretentious and rude!

 

Your story reminded me of something that happened to me about eight years ago. I had gone to get my hair done, and I always wear the crummiest clothes and no makeup because my stylist can get a little sloppy with the color sometimes. ;) After I finished, I scooted into the mall to grab a couple of things on my list. One of them was a tote bag. I found one I liked that was on sale in one of the higher end department stores and took it to the desk to purchase it.

 

The clerk was very haughty and said something along the lines of, "You were lucky to have found such a great bargain. I assume this will be a cash purchase." (Inferring that I was too poor to afford to buy it at full price or to have a credit card.) I told her it would be credit and pulled out my card. As she continued ringing it up she asked if it were a gift. I told her that no, it was for me, I'd be using it on the cruise we were leaving on the following week.

 

(This is where it gets really funny)

 

She asked which line and I told her Royal Caribbean. She said something along the lines of hoping that I had a balcony room, that she and her husband had one on a cruise they had taken a few years earlier and it was wonderful. (Again implying that I had booked an inside and was too poor to afford a balcony.)

 

I signed the slip and smiled at her and said, "I'm sure we'll be enjoying the balcony as well, as we've booked the Royal Suite." Her jaw went slack and she was speechless--she couldn't even stammer "Thank you" as I took my bag and walked away.

[bishop84]

One of the reasons many people avoid the spa. They are on vacation and don't need the high pressure sales pitches from the Steiner Staff.

 

I'm guessing they are paid a healthy commission for product they sell.

 

Totally agree about the sales pitches they can be really annoying at the end of a massage etc.

 

However in defence of the Spa Staff this, along with tips, commision is how they make money as they are paid a very low salary by the concession. If they do not make their "target" sales in product then they can be in trouble with the manager and the company, including loosing their jobs.

 

The rudeness reported by the OP is unacceptable if it was meant like that. Please remember that a lot of the staff are not native English speakers so it could be something that was said wrongly without them meaning to be rude. Of course if it was meant like that by a native English speaker then I wouldn't hesitate in reporting them let alone giving them no tip.

[janmcn]

I have had several sales pushes after I've said "No thank you, I'm not really interested" and yet they have continued on. So, only Thermal Suite (which is wonderful in Alaska) but no more spa appointments. They've lost my business.

[AlexandNessa]

Although I have found that this has a fairly high success rate, it doesn't always succeed. On the form they want you to mark your problem areas, say not a thing in life bothers me I have them, I just write "none" for these and any other area where I'm most concerned. This lets them know, I'm there for the fun, not to embrace a new life of regular skin regimens. Plus I use luggage restrictionsas an excuse. If I can find the room in our ?bags when it comes to packing and I might return to get it at the end of the cruise.

 

O/T but once we had facials at the spa of Torrey Pines near san diego. Maybe LaJolla rrbecc. Best part: they create let you relax for bit. When the masseuse came in, she explained the products by brochures, and Iwere interested in any of them, could but them at the sales counter, where there was sales pitched thee.

[Clarabella_Baby]

Although I have found that this has a fairly high success rate, it doesn't always succeed. On the form they want you to mark your problem areas, say not a thing in life bothers me I have them, I just write "none" for these and any other area where I'm most concerned. This lets them know, I'm there for the fun, not to embrace a new life of regular skin regimens.

 

I never thought to do this! Brillian AlexandNessa! I am so naive and honestly thought that maybe I was putting my problem areas so that they could concentrate on them during my facial. teehee I'm so gullible. But I'm definitely doing this next time I have an appointment. The selling is uncomfortable but I won't let it stop me from enjoying the treatments. I give them a polite, "No thank you," and no one has ever continued after I have said that.

 

Also the 'can't you afford it' comment reminds me of my last HAL cruise with my parents on the Zaandam at Christmas. My Mom went to a bar and ordered a white wine. She was happy with the 'house' Chardonnay and ordered that and never saw a need to order the more expensive Chardonnay on the menu. She always made a point to order the 'house" Chardonnay and always said, "not the more expensive one." One of the staff nearby, not the bartender, perhaps another bartender, said to her, "If you can afford this cruise then surely you can afford the more expensive Chardonnay." She was very insulted and mentioned it on the questionnaire at the end of the cruise. :o There seems to be a theme here. Hmmmm????

[geoherb]

That is simply outrageous. Thanks for the warning about "free" spa prizes.

I won the drawing for a facial on the Westerdam a few years ago. There was never any question about the fact it was free. I took cash to tip the esthetician (and she did not try to sell me any products. Perhaps she thought that a guy like me wouldn't get into them. Although another guy we met on that cruise spent a fortune on spa products. He must have had a different Steiner rep.)

[TheEmerson]

When I get the sales pitch I just tell them I prefer a different product line. Since I do use that line, when if they come back with "What about.." X Y or Z, I can reply saying what I use by name and try to sell them. An easy way to take ownership of the conversation and take the person off guard.

 

The last cruise I booked four massages with the same person and she did not even bother with the sales pitch. That is why I kept booking only her.

[Typhoon1]

I had a massage on the Eurodam a few weeks ago and there was no sales push; no product was even mentioned. Maybe somebody made a note on my record since I previously have said "no thank you, I am not interested". :D

 

They usually push hard on the charters. Some queens are an easy target.

[CruiseWhere]

They usually push hard on the charters. Some queens are an easy target.

 

LMAO!!!! So are some princesses!!!;)

[Typhoon1]

LMAO!!!! So are some princesses!!!;)

 

A ship full of queens is a sight to behold. It's something to experience.

[gelo7]

It's exasperating, isn't it?