MOUNT CLEMENS, MI — A Clinton Township woman says she is out at least $600 after paying for massage appointments in Mount Clemens that never happened. Donna Cooke says she bought prepaid packages from a therapist she had trusted for years, then kept getting last-minute cancellations and no-shows after the business changed locations.
When she returned to the address she was given, Cooke says she found locked doors and an eviction notice instead of the massage studio she expected. She says she kept trying to reschedule, but the appointments never materialized. Cooke now says she wants her money back and hopes no one else ends up in the same situation.
How Cooke says prepaid massage packages stopped turning into appointments
Cooke told Local 4 that she had been a customer at New Era Massage and Wellness Center for about a decade. She said she originally went for help with neck and shoulder problems and often bought appointment packages in advance.
Those packages typically cost about $300 and covered three massages. Cooke says that arrangement had worked for years when the business was in St. Clair Shores, but earlier this year she was told it had moved. After that, she says, the pattern changed. She would schedule visits, pay up front, and then receive messages explaining why the therapist could not make it.
Cooke said the reasons ranged from illness to childcare and other personal conflicts. Each time she tried to set up another appointment, she says another excuse followed.
Locked doors and an eviction notice raised fresh concerns
When Cooke checked on the new Mount Clemens location, she says she found locked doors and an eviction notice posted at the building. The business space was supposed to be New Era Massage and Wellness Center, but Cooke says it did not appear open when she arrived for appointments she had already paid for.
She said the situation left her frustrated and uncertain about how to recover the money she believes she lost. Cooke estimated the total at “at least six to $700,” and said she does not expect to see the money again without taking further action.
The repeated cancellations, combined with the closed storefront, pushed her to start looking more closely at the business and its owner. That search led her to review online feedback and licensing information tied to the massage therapist.
Licensing records and online reviews added to her concerns
According to state licensing records, the business is owned by Suzanne Moore. Local 4 also found that Moore’s license has been expired since last December. Those records became part of Cooke’s concern that something was wrong with the business arrangement.
Cooke said she also read recent customer reviews that warned people not to prepay for services. In those comments, she said, customers wrote that the therapist would not show up. Cooke said seeing that feedback made her wonder whether she was the only one who had been affected.
For someone who had gone to the same therapist for years, the combination of missed appointments, an inactive license and a shut storefront made the situation feel far more serious than a simple scheduling problem.
Moore says she has been out of business since February because of health problems
Local 4 reached out to Moore a few days before the story aired, and Moore responded by text. She said she has been out of business since February and has been unable to reopen because of health problems.
Moore wrote that if and when she is physically able to work, she will honor packages. She also said she does not own a business anymore and described her health as poor.
Her text message did not give a date for when services might resume, and it did not address Cooke’s specific allegation that she had paid for appointments that never happened. Still, it offered Moore’s explanation for why the location has not been operating as Cooke expected.
Small claims court may be Cooke’s next step
Cooke says small claims court is the most likely way she could try to recover the money. But she says she is still weighing that option because it could mean missing work and spending more money on the effort itself.
She says the situation has left her feeling stuck between trying to move on and trying to get back what she paid. Even so, she says she wanted the issue raised publicly so other people would think twice before paying in advance for services that may not be delivered.
Her message is less about anger than caution. Cooke says she simply does not want another customer to end up in the same position.
Why prepaid service packages can leave customers exposed
Cooke’s experience underscores a common risk with prepaid service packages: customers often pay first and learn later that they may have limited options if appointments are canceled or the business stops operating. In this case, Cooke says she relied on a longtime relationship and on the promise that the packages would be honored.
When a business changes locations, closes, or falls behind on operating requirements, customers can be left trying to sort out refunds on their own. Cooke’s case also shows how quickly a simple scheduling problem can turn into a financial dispute when prepayment is involved.
For Cooke, the issue now is not another massage appointment. It is whether she can recover money she believes she already paid in good faith, and whether other clients can avoid the same disappointment.
