Update: Please note the new OSIM UK store, run by Francis Leow of FK Marketing (Company Registration No. 05697926) can be found at http://www.osim.com/UK/ and is not related to this store at Bluewater or the company "Indigo Retail Ltd" (Company Registration No. 04254170 - formerly OSIM (UK) Ltd) - which this article concerns.
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I walked into an OSIM UK store in Bluewater on 4th June 2006.(their website - www.osim-health.co.uk went down shortly before this article was written) I'd saved up long and hard to buy one of their OSIM iSymphonic Massage chairs. I fell in love with these chairs in Singapore 5 years ago and I've been saving up for one over the last year to get one. This chair is -in my opinion- the best massage chair available. It measures you then massages your neck, back and legs and simply turns you into a floppy mess 15 minutes later!
To cut a long story short, it did not arrive after 6 weeks and every phone call we met with "we can't give you information on when the chair will be delivered, only the Manager can do that and she is out at the moment". Every call to the "Head Office" was redirected to the Bluewater store (so I presume they don't have one), and the Manger never rang me back. Only threatening to cancel the order (3 times) did I get a response from the Manager and then that was either met with platitudes or promises of delivery that were never kept. Only after cancelling the order with my credit card company and getting the money refunded did I find this article at www.massage-chairs.co.uk which fitted my experience with Indigo Retail Ltd (the 'new' name for this company, changed 22/03/2006) to a tee.
It details that the customers of this company that have bought chairs with them recently have not got the chairs or their money back! Not only that but the company (confirmed by going to Companies House - Company no. 04254170) is in "Voluntary arrangement" with it's creditors. I was was very glad to have bought my chair with my credit card. (Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act gives you a lot of protection from circumstances such as these) Even so, you assume going into a nice store in a big shopping mall would ensure you are dealing with reputable people, not so!
Further investigation shows that OSIM International are distancing themselves from this company and have awarded the franchise to someone else. It is now being run by FK Marketing Ltd, headed by a man who has worked for OSIM International in Singapore for over 10 years. You can go to the new OSIM UK website here.
I rang them, explained the situation and reordered the chair with them on Thursday evening by phone. By Saturday afternoon I had received the chair! The service and communication was exemplary, informing me every step of the way what was happening. The complete antithesis of Indigo Retail.
OSIM UK Store
According to Companies House, Indigo Retail Ltd underwent "Compulsory Liquidation" as of 29/01/2007.
| FK Marketing The Weston Centre Weston Road Crewe CW1 6FL |
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I have been conned too!! How do I get my money back? I have been in touch with my credit card cpy. not much joy unfortunately Pls help.............
All the information I can give is here. If you've purchased it with your credit card you should get your money back, especially since it's such a large transaction and you haven't received it.
If not then you're unlikely to ever see your money again, sorry.
Hi,
I have just seen your postings. I have also purchase an i-medic chair from Mr Luis Robinson of OSIM in Bluewater. I had all the same problems with delivery and not being able to contact him etc. My chair was delieverd after 11 weeks with the wrong covers, parts missing, no documentation and has recently stopped working. I believe that Indigo Marketing (Luis Robinson's company) are in financial difficulty and he is continuing to take peoples money and then avoiding contact with them.
Luckily I also purchased my chair using a credit card and am pursuing a claim at the moment.
Any tips available?
Regards,
S.
Some information that may help:
CVA Supervisors Begbibs Traynor are currently taking over as Administrators. 01782 394 500
The OSIM stores will eventually be taken over by F K Marketing who may or may not reimburse or supply goods for all of Indigo Retail Ltd's creditors (total of around 500). 0870 7709 383
I don't know much and am hoping for the best. Good luck to you all.
i have had the same experience with osim bluewater. the manageress is out at the moment, on-one at h/o etc..... i'm trying to get a refund, let me rephrase that, i've been trying to get a refund after retuning the product, since june. they are so crap, tell everyone you know. i'm going to trading standards next and every magazine that do recommendations. it drives me mad how they can get away with it.....
sue
I will publish them for people to get in contact with them.
Director (I think Luis Robinson) this was the guy that eventually rang me once I had cancelled the order: 07866450790
Leonora - co-director and manager of OSIM Bluewater: 07958925033
Sadly, we too got the chair from Mr Robinson; our chair was delivered but does not work; my father raised the complaint and in May he died. I am now trying to get hold of a PCB board or a name of an engineer who can fix the chair for my mother (the chair is still under warranty but was bought using a debit card)
I have contacted FK Marketing who were helpful but not heard from them for nearly 2 weeks. If anyone can help me please let me know. My name is Mr Kareer. (sukhkareer at hotmail dot com)
To all those who have lost their money ...I checked my invoice it is with OSIM UK and not Indigo; does this mean OSIM (UK) are liable and not the trading arm
My note posted on Aug 28th at 2pm - the date today is 2nd September 2.32.
I was greatly dismayed at seeing the notes on this site and thought we had lost 3500 pounds worth of chair. Well the good news is that I contacted Francis Leo of FK Marketing (the new reps for OSIM) and got my chair fixed. He did everything he said he was going to do and even returned all my phone calls, and now we have a product that works ! Thank you Mr. Leo. If this man can help I am sure he will....I also know he is trying his utmost best to try and sort out the mess Mr Lewis Robinson and his Colombian wife have left behind.
Mr Kareer
A few days ago, I received a letter stating that we would not be receiving our massage chair. The order was placed during a visit to the Earls Court Ideal Home Exhibition on March 14th 2006. Despite being told there would be a six weeks waiting time,I was looking forward to the thought of relaxing in my own massage chair. Three months later I made several follow up calls chasing the delivery date. The response was that the case was being dealt with by a person who was on the phone to another another customer at the time. In June, I received a call requesting payment for the remaining balance as the chair would be ready for delivery soon. I waited and waited and several phone calls later, they still insisted that it would be soon.
I am in the process of retreiveing my money back but the deposit was paid via my account card so this may create a problem. The majority was paid by credit card so hopefully this will be returned.
I am disappointed that this problem has occurred and unfortunatly I am wary of re-ordering another chair.
"I am disappointed that this problem has occurred and unfortunatly I am wary of re-ordering another chair."
I do understand the sentiment, but if you protect yourself by using your credit card for the whole amount then you should have some piece of mind. This is alongside both mine and Mr Kareer's comments about how FK Marketing are treating their customers (very well) I hope you can rest assured.
I used to work for Lewis and Leonora, (she's Lewis's Columbian mail-order wife and voice as he is too much of a coward to face the problems he has caused himself) but quit when my cheques kept bouncing, they are basically a pair of crooks, you should not trust a word either of them says! Some of you may have been promised a free I-squeeze foot massager as compensation for your inconvenience, you should know there is only a 50/50 chance of you receiving this item, if it isn't delivered with your chair you wont get it! It will be falsely promised to you in the mail! Also you may be disappointed to find there is no warranty as promised with these expensive products, so if they break down, unlucky. OSIMs problems started when due to financial incompetence their overdraft facility was taken away earlier this year, since then they have only been delivering to the "noisiest customers", of these the largest wait I heard of was 9 months! Since then they have been trying to save every penny by not paying their staff and selling ex-display goods as new, something trading standards would frown on along with the lack of warranty. I would be very surprised if they managed to keep running for much longer as no-one I've met who has ever met them trusts them. My advice to anyone who is still waiting would be to contact Francis Leo of FK Marketing, a nice honest man who is now running the UK operation and supervising Lewis as he couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag! Failing that Leonora can usually be found in their Bluewater or Lakeside stores as they are so understaffed. Failing that they have recently relocated to an office in Harmer Street Gravesend, 20 minuets from Bluewater. Hopefully this post will have filled you in about the current situation and will have further damaged the reputation of this idiotic dishonest git Lewis Robinson.
Good luck receiving your chairs!
If ANY part of the bill is paid with credit card I think the cc company is liable for all. under the consumer credit laws. They may try and tell you otherwise of course
I'm a bit disappointed to see other people in similar situations. I only fear that we are seeing the tip of the iceberg and most people are still out of a chair or otherwise. I have read some very encouraging comments by other users here on how they have managed to contact Francis at FK marketing.
Could anyone please tell me how to get in touch (phone number or otherwise) with Francis Leo? I have a broken i-squeeze machine that's still under warranty. I'd like to order a new chair as well and this seems to be the best way at the moment.
look forward to hearing from anyone!
As at the bottom of the main article, all the information you require is on the OSIM UK Store - Service Centres part of their website.
I had exactly the same experience - walked into the OSIM store in Bluewater after driving from London JUST to 'collect' the chair as I thought they would have lots available and was not big at all (16kg). Was in Malaysia and loved the leg massager and would have bought it there and then, but had baby accessories to carry.
What really annoys me is that I bought my chair around mid July, so the store manager (Leonora?) knew that the company was going to be bankrupt, but were still trading! I did call them at least a dozen times - the first time a few days after the 'expected delivery date' excuse was that the massage chairs did arrive into the UK, but had not yet been delivered to their branch. - What is the point of having an 'expected delivery date' of WHEN the goods arrive in the country - I doubt customers care of when things arrive in the country... Then the next three or four calls, was advised that the electric sockets didn't pass UK regulations and was returned to Singapore.
All in all, I can't believe how naive I'd been and I'd left it three months to call my bank. Lucky for me too that I did pay by credit card and will hopefully get my money back soon! I really want that OSIM chair, but am really sceptical to give them more business after this....
This man has given us our chair and the other products promised by Mr Robinson. He dealt with our case promptly and we appreciate his commitment to resolving our problem.
Osim Millenium Massage Chair
I bought one of these chairs in July 2005 and found it excellent. However, by August 2006 the motor failed. The only response I had from Osim's Customer Services was to be told that the chair had not been made for six years, no parts were available in this country, and it was probable the chair was reconditioned anyway. I finally had the motor rewound by an engineering firm in Southampton at the cost of £100. Letters and emails to Osim International have been completely ignored. At no point during our purchase of it was it even suggested that the model of chair was obsolete, and certainly not that it was not brand new! The chair itself, now repaired has been good, but Osim International would seem to be completely dishonest or, at best, totally incompetent to provide any follow-up services once they have cleared payments for their products. I would never reommend them. We have reported them to the Office of Fair Trading and at the moment we are dealing with Consumer Direct.I'm sorry to hear of your experience, it's certainly not how anyone should be treated.
However I do have a question, you say you have been dealing with OSIM International, you are not clear whether you contacted FK Marketing(OSIM UK) at all during this issue?
As far as I am aware since OSIM International are not based in this country the Office of Fair Trading would not have any jurisdiction, so you should contact and deal with the UK distributor as your first point of call.
If you have dealt with FK Marketing then please post, as you would be the first person here to have had anything other than a pleasant experience with them. If not I suggest you contact them now or in the future to resolve issues with your chair.
(By the way, this article is about the OSIM iSymphonic not the OSIM Millenium as your title suggests. I haven't been able to find much information on this chair and it does seem it is no longer manufactured.)
Why would you even consider a chair made by a company like that?!!
Never deal with those kind of people.
My best advice to you would be to by a brand name chair that has been around for a long time, from a store you can walk into and try it out.
I have always had good service from products by panasonic..
Kenny Pryor-USA
The address of Indigo Retail is:
48 Harmer Street,
Gravesend,
Kent,
DA12 2AX
Tel: 01474 354100
Leo Mobile: 07940570526 or 07958925033
Lewis Mobile: 07866450790
Ask for the slimy *** call Lewis or his ***** of a wife - Leo, and while your there ask them where all the customers money is and all the staffs wages are.
Ex-Employee of one of their cheap crappie Japanese rubbish gadget shops.
We paid 3500 for isymphoney chair about a 1.5 years ago we were told the product had a 2 year warranty. The chair recently failed, we rarely used it so we were somewhat surprised when it failed, and we have since learnt the warranty is no longer valid. However goods should be fit for purpose in this case it should not have failed so soon. I guess the point here is that it should still be the manufacturers responsibility to put this right. However, I cannot find an email/address for these guys if you can help please let me know. From what I have heard the main firm is distancing themselves from the problems we are experiencing. I think they don't realize that once you get a bad reputation it's hard to recover from it. If I get hold of the chairman’s email I will post it here, I think you should all email him perhaps then we might see some real resolution to these problems
Under UK Law, the 1979 Sales of Goods Act (As amended in 1982) means that the company that sold you the chair (Indigo Retail Ltd) are the ones that are responsible, and not just a 2 year warranty, but "for up to six years after purchase purchasers can demand damages"
However, please speak to FK Marketing (all the details are above),as they the new franchisee of OSIM in the UK. While they did not sell you the chair they are very helpful and may be able to resolve the problems you are experiencing. Whilst Indigo Retail deserve every bit of hassle they get from customers such as yourself, I doubt it will achieve much in the "getting your chair repaired" department.
I have in fact had numerous communications with FK Marketing. They would not accept that Osim International itself had any responsibility for the product. They themselves were not to blame, obviously - not being the franchise holders, but I wanted them to pass on my complaints to Singapore. They finally did this, but the Head Office over there ignored their e-mails, and mine. There has been no suggestion as to what we can do if the Millenium Chair fails again. There simply is NO after-purchase service. FK Marketing suggested we contacted lawyers if we are still not satisfied - as though we should be! We cannot afford to go down this road, so have to face the fact that we have been duped by a con-man (FK Marketing's own words), and learn a bitter lesson that Osim International care nothing for their customers and their business practises are highly dubious.
I forgot to sign my last contribution to your Blog site. My name is Gillian Beach and I live in Lyndhurst in the New Forest.
My friends had very unpleasant experience with OSIM products and warranty service AFTER buying their products.
Admittedly, they are very smooth talkers during the sales presentation part, but after you have parted with your hard earned cash, it is nearly impossible to get good and effective customer service. They are very good at giving all sorts of excuses when they can't deliver on their promises later.
OSIM claims to be a solid global retailer, but that is all talk and very little substance. I heartily support the above comment to purchase from well known brands like Panasonic.
Do not be fooled by their slick sales pitch! Avoid them at all cost if you wish to avoid unwanted grief later. For peace of mind, go with a well known brand.
Obviously I've not dealt with OSIM International themselves , but forgive me if I stand up a little for the company and point out that you've not really given much information here other than say "Here be dragons". For all I know you could be from Panasonic :)
But seriously, how many friends and where are they from in the world? What were their circumstances? What did they buy? How did the equipment break? Was it in or out of the warranty period? What excuses or promises were broken?
I have tried and compared the Osim Isymphonic chair with Sanyo Massage Chair, I found the Sanyo chair is much better with extra comfort. The shoulder Shiatsu is great. Does Osim has a better model than this?
I was being told that OSIM iSymphonic has been obsolete this authum in the UK. They have a new chair call uHarmony, excellent massage, with heat, foot massage and music synchronisation as well. See their websites www.OSIM.com. They are offering trade in as well.
Dan,
We went back to FK Marketing LTD, Kerri Leow operation director offered to send out an engineer to repair the chair at a cost. The engineer turned up late on the day. He then proceeded to ummh and arrrhhh, he eventually managed to get the chair open, he got a screw driver and started to poke the circuits in the chair. In doing so he electrocuted himself, that didn't stop him he carried on and there were a few more sparks, he changed a 5 amp fuse, with a 13 amp fuse on one of the boards. That didn't work so he replaced the original fuse, messed around again with the screw driver a few more sparks and by sheer fluke the chair came back to life. A few days later and the chair broke down gain. I wrote to Kerri with regards to my concerns and got the following reply
.. We were very concerned to read your comments about our technician’s visit. We will look into this further and get in touch with you next week since the technician is not working today..
3 months on and no reply, frustrated by the whole process and the number of times i had to chase FK Marketing I phoned them again they now are now saying they have no obligation to us and that i am ungrateful for their help.
I don't know what relationship there is between Richard Leow CEO of OSIM and Kerri Leow of FK Marketing, but i guess reading some of the other posts it's not worth writing to OSIM International. I for one will not ever have anything to do with this company anymore. Good luck if you are intend to purchase from them.
My advice, there are a number of massage chair suppliers in the market, shop a round the prices have come down, go with one that has a good aftercare service and qualified technicians.
Chair looks fantastic and OSIM is a great company. I hope you enjoyed your chair.
Hi,
I understand the Osim Chairs are manufactured in Singapore. Do you think it is possible to buy one from there on the cheap and then get it delivered to the UK as I am going there on holiday anyways?
Thanks in advance.
I have no idea. However if you wish to check out shipping charges, the chair weighs 98 kilograms. As you can imagine, you can't use a standard parcel delivery service for something that heavy.