Smile Style Clinic - want a refund

DavidBrown

I thought I read Style Smile was in Court in London before Christmas, charged with illegal dentistry treatments.

Anyone wanting their money back had better move very quickly.

DB

VC88 wrote: »

I had my teeth whitening with Smile Style Clinics on last week, Friday 23rd April, and I have had such a bad experience I am wanting to get my money back.

I contacted them a couple of weeks ago about making an appointment and they kept phoning and texting me non-stop for about a week. Every time I spoke to them it was a different person and always just asked me if i was still going to turn up for my appointment. When I actually made my appointment over the phone they told me that if I didn't get my desired colour the first time round, I could go back a second time and it would be included in the one price that I was going to pay. I also quoted the promotion code to get the whitening done for £199-£299 but I was made to pay £359 (the promotion doesn't expire till 30th April).

It says on their website that they're a clinic and only hire experts, etc. and the video demonstration gives the impression this is true. However, when I got there, it was a business park/building and the clinic was actually a tiny rented-out room. I was supposed to be going for a free consultation, after which I could decide if I wanted to go ahead with the procedure. I was given a form to fill out, which I was supposed to receive through email; when I told the woman that I hadn't received it because the call centre staff kept making mistakes on the phone (and had obviously mispelled my email address) she argued with me saying it was the junk filter preventing the email coming through. Also, the form gave safety instructions about what to do 72 hours BEFORE the procedure such as using certain toothpaste, etc. I told her I had not been given any of this information and she just didn't seem bothered. She then asked for my debit card as, apparently, the (same) card details I provided over the phone wouldn't work and then she just came out with "this will cost you £359 for what you will be getting done today". I felt sort of pushed into the procedure and didn't have an option to say I didn't want it done.

The equiptment was all taken out of a mobile bag/kit and even the tables, etc. were fold-away.

I wasn't examined - she looked at my teeth and basically told me what shade i was and what shade i wanted to be.

She was really rough with the preparation - she split my bottom lip because she forced the guard into my mouth and it was only after my lip started bleeding that she said the guard was "obviously too big" for me.

She told me she had to use a paste as my teeth were "too badly stained" to have the gel that they normally use, used on them. My teeth did have some discolouration but nothing like she was making them out to have!

The actual procedure was absolute agony. Even from the first treatment I had during that appointment, I was in excruciating pain. She kept laughing saying I would experience a "couple of shooting pains every minute or so" but that it wouldn't last long or be too painful. I was in constant pain, my teeth were extremely sensitive and i felt as though i was having shooting pains right up the middle of every tooth, right from the root to the top. it also felt as though someone was hitting the tops of my teeth with a small hammer, the pain was unreal!

Everytime i went to hold the side of my face to try and stop the pain, she would get really abrupt with me and shout "don't touch it, you will be sorry if it gets on your skin!". She wasn't professional in the slightest and kept asking me if i had touched my teeth, demanding to see my hands to see if i was lying and if they actually had the treatment on them.

I was dreading the second treatment a few minutes later but went ahead with it. then she disappeared out the room to fill a kettle up with water so she could mix the paste again - they didn't have proper water facilities in this rented room. I was in so much pain I just wanted to stop but she was gone for almost half of the 10 minute period and, had I known how to turn the equipment off, I would have done it myself.

The treatment is advertised on their site as being "up to six 2-minute treatments". I had three ten minute treatments and it wasn't relaxing like the website states.

The site states you will have music to listen to or TV to watch. I had a crappy radio station which didn't even have proper signal and just kept muffling and was basically just the news and traffic announcements.

During my treatment she hardly monitored me. she kept saying "i just have to phone someone" and she would phone her friend, next minute she'd be on the phone to someone else moaning about the building we were in and how they were having problems with the staff at this office block. She also kept going to her bag and drinking (and eating sweets though I'm not sure) from a can of coke, etc. She sat down maybe twice for a few minutes overall and even then she wasn't close enough to watch me, she just kept talking about her mother and sister and slagging them off about how they were grieving too much over her father who had just died. She really was unprofessional and a vile woman to listen to if i'm honest.


I received no proper advice after the treatment - i was told to stay away from red-based food and drink and to use toothpaste for sensitive teeth for a day or so. I told her I was in agony and she laughed and said I'd get used to it and not to open my mouth too wide after leving the building!

I was in so much pain I condiered calling in sick at work, I have never felt pain like it in my life. I took about 6 anadin painkillers and even they didn't mask the pain.

I was told I would receive a phone call about my second appointment (to get my teeth to the colour I wanted) within 2 or 3 days. I still have not been phoned, bearing in mind they phoned constantly BEFORE my appointment and even phoned me on saturdays and sundays. I phoned them yesterday and the man said he was last person in the centre and he would leave a note for his manager to get back to me today. This was 6pm and they are supposedly open until 10pm. I have had no call back. I went to the office where I got the treatment; they weren't there but my partner managed to speak to the woman from the company who took my number and said she would phone back around 6pm today. I have received no call.

They gave me a home kit to use despite criticising home kits on their site.

Anyway, my teeth have gradually been fading since Friday but are now back to their original colour - she had left gaps around the base of my teeth where she hadn't used the treatment. the colour difference was very noticeable, now there is no colour difference! I also have numerous white and cream patches all over my teeth from the treatment. my gums have been bleeding even when I don't brush them and part of my gum is torn, it seems. My gums were also white and patchy but have now gone back to normal, despite the sore part which is purple/red!

My teeth apparently went 6 shades lighter (10 is 'normal' for the first appointment) but only last 3 days. I spent nearly a month's wages on this.

Does anyone have any advice? Apologies for the long-winded post

brook2jack

Just to update smilestyle have now been sucessfully prosecuted for illegal practice of dentistry and fined plus costs. Anyone other than a dentist offering tooth whitening is doing so illegally, there are more prosecutions going through at the moment.

trumpton

About time too. Teeth whitening is mainly a scam imo, unless done properly by a dentist. Unfortunately the fines only amounted to £13k, which is not enough. It should be a more serious criminal offence to do dental procedures when you aren't a dentist. Here's the court report:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/220271.php

I am no great fan of dentists to be honest, but Toothsmith on the MSE health board gives good advice. I would read the big thread on teeth whitening before parting with any money.

brook2jack

The same people have been trading as just smile as well.