Groupon - Pearl National Teeth Whitening SCAM!

superwench

Progress! Phoned Groupon and stressed I wanted a refund and now I am getting a full refund (NOT CREDITS! actual money.) within 5 working days. Result!

Hope everyone else gets their money back too. E-mails seem to get nowhere - go for the phone option instead! Good luck!

VfM4meplse

babyb20 wrote: »

Recently had my teeth done through Pear National for £69 (groupon voucher) what a load of rubbish. They rented a small room in a building, not very professional. It all seemed rushed, in the end my teeth were patchy and my gums became very blistered and sore. I have tried contacting Pearl National and Groupon and had no reponse. Just be wary, I think you get what you pay for.

Mossfarr wrote: »

IMy overall impression? - not very professional. The 'therapist' was running late and it was just a room in an office building of mixed businesses. I was not asked if I had sensitive teeth and I overheard a conversation between two 'therapists' which made it clear that they had not been professionally trained. It was apparent that one was a 'temp' who had been trained by the other!
My therapist was also complaining that she was allergic to the air-conditioning and her nose & eyes were constantly streaming. Not her fault but a surgical mask would have been nice!!

Presumably the therapists must have been working under the direction (rather than close supervision) of a named dentist? Is there a reason you're not complaining to the practice and the GDC?

My own experience with Groupon has been extremely poor. I've got one experience to use up on Saturday, but unsubscribed from their alerts quite some time ago. Apart from anything, they are irritatingly unfunny.

brook2jack

It is illegal practice of dentistry and companies such as this are prosecuted.
If you have been harmed take photographs and go to a dentist to get checked out then contact the GDC to report the illegal "clinics". It is illegal for anyone other than a dentist to do tooth whitening unless it is a hygienist or therapist under a dentists direction.

Here is link to gdc http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Publications/Publications/GDC_Tooth_whitening_leaflet%20(2).pdf

Mossfarr

Hi everyone,
just to let you know my teeth are not sore today and they are VERY white. They look really good actually!
I don't think I would use Pearl National again though - not only because it was very painful afterwards - its more because I am not convinced that they are qualified to provide this service. I do worry that the staff wouldn't know what to do if something went badly wrong - a client having a severe allergic reaction for example!

I will pass on my concerns to both GDC and Groupon.
I am a great supporter of Groupon and I'm sure they don't want to be associated with a company whose operating practices are so open to question.
regards
Mossfarr

beautyqueen88

bit off topic but can i ask what exactly the process involves and how long it takes? i would like my teeth whitening but im a but of a wimp when it comes to the dentist!

brook2jack

There are several techniques but the most important thing is to ask your dentist if you are suitable first.

Whitening won't affect fillings and crowns so these may have to be replaced after whitening.

People with very sensitive teeth, gum disease,tooth decay other medical conditions may not be suitable.

Certain types of tooth colour may not react to whitening very well, and there is no guarantee what shade your teeth will end up. Every tooth seems to have a natural end point you can't whiten beyond.

You should see a hygienist first to remove any tartar, staining etc as that will stop the solution reaching the teeth.

The most stable result and best controlled is using trays, you have "putty" impressions (prints) of your teeth taken and sent to a laboratory to have special trays made. You normally come back a week later to fit the trays and be given solutions to wear in the trays ( a whitener and a de sensitiser). The trays (like a thin gumshield) are worn for a few hours each evening for a few weeks.

Normally the dentist will want to see you a couple of times to check how things are going and adjust the solutions if necessary. During this time you must avoid coloured foods/ black coffee etc.

Whitening is not permanent and top up treatments may be necessary in future.

Mossfarr

Hi eveyone,

in response to BEAUTYQUEEN88

I've had my teeth whitened three times.
The first time I went my dentist who charged £300.
He took impressions of my teeth and had rubber dental plates made for me. I was given the whitening gel which i had to put in the dental plates and i had to wear the dental plates for a few hours each day. It tastes like mild bleach - which is what it is!!
I was told it would take a few weeks but it actually took over four months before I got a decent result - and my teeth weren't really that bad! The actual whitening is painless but as time progressed my teeth got more and more sentitive. At one point I couldn't eat because it was too painful to bite or chew.

The second time I had my teeth whitened was by laser whitening (by a dentist on a cruise ship). It was quick, painless and a very good result with not much sensitivity.

The third time was this week by Pearl National - see my earlier post for the details.

Of my three personal experiences I will definitely opt for laser whitening again. I personally would not choose the option offered by my dentist - it was the most expensive, it took far too long, was messy, inconvenient and prolonged the agony for me!!

My advice to you would be - check with your dentist first and if he/she says your teeth are suitable then go for laser whitening - but choose carefully who you go to.

good luck

mossfarr

brook2jack

Research shows laser whitening actually doesnt give as good results as trays. Teeth look whiter at first because they are dried out then as they rehydrate the colour fades. Actually all the "laser" is is a heat source (light) lasers are not actually used in whitening. The ASA has taken action against people advertising laser whitening as it is nothing of the sort.

Most people have more sensitivity with zoom type whitening as with trays you can put desensitisers in.

It is also illegal for anyone other than a dentist or dental hygienist/therapist to carry out whitening.

Bennu

I also bought a Groupon voucher and firstly had to wait whole 7 weeks for my appointment! Yesterday I travelled all the way from Scarborough to Leeds for my appointment JUST TO BE SENT HOME!!!!! This whole thing seemed to be somewhat dodgy-I arrived and was dealt with by a receptionist that actually worked for a recruitment agency, then after 10 min of waiting a Pearl National receptionist came out (and I won't even mention she looked about 16 years old) just to tell me 'I'm sorry, we have no products to work with, so you will have to call and re-book your appointment'!! Rather than calling the customers and telling them the appointments are cancelled they chose to wait till we arrive and send us away because they did not know when the delivery van will arrive!
She then gave me a phone number I can call to re-book my appointment and the weird thing is- it was someone's mobile! When I rang the number no one answered. Then the receptionist said she will ring them from her mobile and give it to me so I can speak to them. Now I have to wait another 3 weeks for my appointment!
Now after reading all of this, I'm thinking of asking for a refund!

Thanks for sharing your views! If you ask me, don't deal with Pearl National.

Good luck everyone

Nina08

Bennu wrote: »

I also bought a Groupon voucher and firstly had to wait whole 7 weeks for my appointment! Yesterday I travelled all the way from Scarborough to Leeds for my appointment JUST TO BE SENT HOME!!!!! This whole thing seemed to be somewhat dodgy-I arrived and was dealt with by a receptionist that actually worked for a recruitment agency, then after 10 min of waiting a Pearl National receptionist came out (and I won't even mention she looked about 16 years old) just to tell me 'I'm sorry, we have no products to work with, so you will have to call and re-book your appointment'!! Rather than calling the customers and telling them the appointments are cancelled they chose to wait till we arrive and send us away because they did not know when the delivery van will arrive!
She then gave me a phone number I can call to re-book my appointment and the weird thing is- it was someone's mobile! When I rang the number no one answered. Then the receptionist said she will ring them from her mobile and give it to me so I can speak to them. Now I have to wait another 3 weeks for my appointment!
Now after reading all of this, I'm thinking of asking for a refund!

Thanks for sharing your views! If you ask me, don't deal with Pearl National.

Good luck everyone

I also bought a groupon voucher for Pearl National in Leeds, the whole thing was a disater from start to finish!!! There was a mix up with appointments and my friend and I were sent away til the next day.

When you get there, the room is a small rented office, with no sink facilities just 3 beds crammed into a little room (seems dodgy) we asked the girls/staff if the whole thing was just set up for the purpose of groupon, they both looked at each other and mumbled something about Pearl National being all over the UK.

aside from that, I was sent away from my treatment with burnt gums, before you start they explain that there can be some tingling, slash shooting pains.. but if it feels like burning you must tell them. I was quite uncomfortable during my treatment and tried to communicate this to them, which is not easy when your mouth is wedged open, they looked and said evrything was fine. This is day 3 since I had the treatment done and my gums are still very raw and sore, I am still having to gargle salty water 4 times a day to make sure they dont become infected and brushing them is very painful!!

MY ADVICE....... GET YOUR MONEY BACK, DO NOT USE PEARL NATIONAL, FIND A REPUTABLE DENTIST, ITS WORTH FORKING OUT THE MONEY FOR A GOOD TREATMENT! YOU ONLY GET ONE SET OF TEETH!