I ripped them on social media, now they won’t give me a refund

Take a lesson from yoga, and breathe before you react to business dealings

Q

I recently purchased a yoga package on the website of the Prana Yoga Center in Coral Gables, Florida. I have been a follower of yoga at this studio for six years. They offered a one-day flash sale — 20 classes for $220 plus two free classes — this spring.

I used four of these classes, and then received an email from the owner stating that I should practice elsewhere and that she would refund the difference of the yoga package.

It has been two months since I received the email, and no refund has been issued to my credit card. I responded to the owner’s email that I would like to continue to practice there and also visited the studio in person. The owner’s sister told me that they would refund the difference and “we feel you would be happier practicing somewhere else.” I was not allowed to take a class on that day.

Another month went by, and still no refund.

I have written to the Better Business Bureau, but they could not help me because the owner did not respond to them. I also contacted the Federal Trade Commission to see what it could do. Turns out, it could do nothing.

Then I remembered you and your column, and thought I would see if you could help me obtain a refund.

— Susan Cote, Miami

A

You should have your refund by now. But before I get to that, allow me to fill in a few details. You had a dispute with the Prana Yoga Center that involved an automatic billing issue and your purchase of a flash sale that Prana says was available only to new customers. The auto-billing dispute led you to write a negative review on social media, which led to your being blacklisted, you said. You also noted that the flash sale had no restrictions on it when you purchased it.

After Prana promised you a refund, and after you were banned, you say someone signed in to the classes under your account and used your sessions.

Ultimately, that may have been why the studio didn’t issue a timely refund. The problem, it seems, was proving that you didn’t use your sessions against the backdrop of these unfortunate disputes and your ban.

I’m not surprised that the Better Business Bureau and the FTC couldn’t help you. That’s not really their thing.

There was one other complicating factor: Prana says after it showed you the door, you took your case to social media, posting “untrue” statements about the business. When you’re trying to reach an amicable resolution with a company, contacting the Better Business Bureau or the FTC and posting on social media doesn’t help. That type of negative pressure only makes a company dig in its Sanuks. Ultimately, Prana had to consult a lawyer about your case, which only complicated the matter.

When you have a disagreement like this, it is best to heed the advice of your yoga instructor and take several deep, cleansing breaths. Remain calm, and file a credit card dispute. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can receive money back from your bank for goods and services not delivered: www.consumer.ftc.gov/ articles/0219-disputingcredit-card-charges.

I contacted Prana on your behalf. Initially, it claimed that it had processed your refund. But after several inquiries, it refunded $154 as a “goodwill gesture.”