DontGetDuped's Hair Loss (& Fraud) Story

Tell us your personal story, how hair loss has affected you, and what you're doing to treat it. Also keep us posted on your progress.

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Forum rules
This section is for you to use to chronicle your experiences with hair loss and how you're treating it. Use this section to give us your story and keep everyone posted on your progress.

This section will prove useful in that whenever anyone wants to know how you're doing they can check here, and YOU can check here as time goes by to reflect on your own situation, what you've learned and the progress you've made (or not for that matter).

Post pictures of your hair loss and regrowth, tell us about your regimen. Keep us updated!

If you're starting a new thread, please call it "{Your Forum ID}'s story", replacing {Your Forum ID} with the handle you use to login to these forums.


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dontgetduped
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:39 pm

DontGetDuped's Hair Loss (& Fraud) Story

Post by dontgetduped » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:02 pm

i am a female in my late 20's, & i am writing in an effort to prevent people from going through anything like what i experienced. i had been experiencing significant hair loss over the past 2 years; enough so that i clogged my showers on a daily basis, would constantly pick hair off of my clothes, had a few comments made by friends & went to a derm who diagnosed me with "thinning." well, i started obsessing about the loss & began having emotional breakdowns over it. one day when researching the topic i came upon a "facility" in close proximity to where i lived for a free consultation & a well-advertised 6-month guarantee to regrow "my" hair policy. i figured, no harm, no foul.

i scheduled my consultation, went into a really posh office & was greeted by the man i'd seen on the website. he asked if i'd "seen the video; i hadn't, so i did. i then went into his office where he very top-level explained treatments (laser treatments, topical haircare & supplements) & then he talked about how satisfied people were, & he was soon flipping over a laminated card with the cost (all i will say is in excess of $10K). there was also a tiered-program... if i paid in full that day (the cheapest of all options), another cost if i simply paid a deposit, & then the most pricey of options ($2K more expensive than all the rest), if i didn't sign that day & came back to participate.

i thought "what the heck, i have nothing to lose (but more hair) & there was a guarantee." i told him that the only way i could pay (& wanted to because of rewards - not b/c i couldn't afford it otherwise) was via credit card; he was very insistent on not taking credit card. however, he finally agreed when i said there would be no other way for me. he agreed, took my deposit, charged me a credit card fee, i signed one-sheet that basically had my payment plan, no contract was reviewed, no guarantee was reviewed, no pictures were taken, & i had my first "laser treatment." the only thing i went home with was my treatment regimen, topical products & supplements; i know, that most of you are thinking that this would never happen to you & would proceed with more caution, but it's everything besides my seemingly reckless behavior that i want to warn people about.

i started taking & using them at the frequency the non-doctor owner/consultant/one-man show (OMS for short) of this whole operation recommended (the sarcasm is because of what happened afterwards; at this time, i had no doubts towards him & was eager for the program to work). well, within a few days, my scalp was on fire - it had inflammation (pus-filled & bleeding), i was in an incredible amount of pain (so much so i couldn't sleep)... i expressed this to the OMS & he personally tweaked my regimen - not once, but 3X to the point where i was no longer taking the topical or the supplements b/c the inflammation persisted. at this same time, i went to my own personal dermatologist who treated me for the inflammation & indicated that "100% all-natural" products can cause allergic reactions (sometimes severe ones) & that is what i was experiencing in his professional opinion.

based on this, the incredible pain & suffering over 2 weeks, the OMS being minimally responsive, i asked to be removed from the program & get my money back. well, from there on out all i can say is that i have been experiencing the biggest nightmare of my life. he has gone from telling me that he will return my money, yelling at me like a maniac, has gotten a fake lawyer involved, told me he will sue me because i didn't complete the program & violated the contract (one i never received & never got after asking for it for two months) & participating and enduring pain was simply not a possibility.

long story short, i'm not saying that this treatment doesn't work (in fact, i know people - of course, after the fact & after sharing my story with them - who have had tremendous success with the personal laser treatments in conjunction with topical treatments & supplements); however, i am urging anyone considering forking over a substantial part of (or possibly even all of) their life's savings do the following:

1) aggressively research the vendor you are considering (better business bureau, complaints.com & other such website)
2) ask to see the contract & if you are offered a tiered-payment system, do not rush to pay (i imagine that quite a few of you are thinking i'm silly for doing everything so rashly & i agree; however, we all make mistakes). ask to sit with the contract that day - read every page thoroughly. if you choose to agree to the contract, be sure to get a copy of it & fully understand your time line for canceling (this vendor said i had 3 days to cancel on a contract that i never saw or signed, even though he has a 6-month 100% satisfaction money back guarantee & my scalp erupting made me unsatisfied).
3) be aware of anything that gives you an "eh/uneasy" feeling... go with your gut & trust anything that makes you feel that the operation or person you are dealing with is shady or disingenous.
4) if the vendor does not provide you with a contract to review before signing it or a copy for any reason, RUN.
5) opt for the super-pricey option only after you have truly exhausted all your other options & committed to other proven-to-be true options. follow a regimen recommended by your dermatologist & if anything (since there is so much research about laser treatment helping) try a home-option first (they seem to range between $300-$600 & come with their own guarantees).
6) when you opt for the pricey option, please make sure there is a physician actively involved in this kind of treatment. a business man in a white jacket with pictures, videos & a convincing story is not enough.

hair loss is such a vulnerable - sometimes life-consuming - thing. again, i know some of you think i am incredibly unwise & i do feel that way, but this particular vendor did not uphold any part of his guarantee, his products caused severe negative side effects, he provided no contract in spite of countless requests & after-the-fact, i found out that countless trusting (& equally vulnerable) people had similar or worse experiences.

dontgetduped
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:39 pm

Some Hair Loss Options & Beware of Certain Vendors

Post by dontgetduped » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:04 pm

i am a female in my late 20's, & i am writing in an effort to prevent people from going through anything like what i experienced. i had been experiencing significant hair loss over the past 2 years; enough so that i clogged my showers on a daily basis, would constantly pick hair off of my clothes, had a few comments made by friends & went to a derm who diagnosed me with "thinning." well, i started obsessing about the loss & began having emotional breakdowns over it. one day when researching the topic i came upon a "facility" in close proximity to where i lived for a free consultation & a well-advertised 6-month guarantee to regrow "my" hair policy. i figured, no harm, no foul.

i scheduled my consultation, went into a really posh office & was greeted by the man i'd seen on the website. he asked if i'd "seen the video"; i hadn't, so i did. i then went into his office where he very top-level explained treatments (laser treatments, topical haircare & supplements) & then he talked about how satisfied people were, & he was soon flipping over a laminated card with the cost (all i will say is in excess of $10K). there was also a tiered-program... if i paid in full that day (the cheapest of all options), another cost if i simply paid a deposit, & then the most pricey of options ($2K more expensive than all the rest), if i didn't sign that day & came back to participate.

i thought "what the heck, i have nothing to lose (but more hair) & there was a guarantee." i told him that the only way i could pay (& wanted to because of rewards - not b/c i couldn't afford it otherwise) was via credit card; he was very insistent on not taking credit card. however, he finally agreed when i said there would be no other way for me. he agreed, took my deposit, charged me a credit card fee, i signed one-sheet that basically had my payment plan, no contract was reviewed, no guarantee was reviewed, no pictures were taken, & i had my first "laser treatment." the only thing i went home with was my treatment regimen, topical products & supplements; i know, that most of you are thinking that this would never happen to you & would proceed with more caution, but it's everything besides my seemingly reckless behavior that i want to warn people about.

i started taking & using them at the frequency the non-doctor owner/consultant/one-man show (OMS for short) of this whole operation recommended (the sarcasm is because of what happened afterwards; at this time, i had no doubts towards him & was eager for the program to work). well, within a few days, my scalp was on fire - it had inflammation (pus-filled & bleeding), i was in an incredible amount of pain (so much so i couldn't sleep)... i expressed this to the OMS & he personally tweaked my regimen - not once, but 3X to the point where i was no longer taking the topical or the supplements b/c the inflammation persisted. at this same time, i went to my own personal dermatologist who treated me for the inflammation & indicated that "100% all-natural" products can cause allergic reactions (sometimes severe ones) & that is what i was experiencing in his professional opinion.

based on this, the incredible pain & suffering over 2 weeks, the OMS being minimally responsive, i asked to be removed from the program & get my money back. well, from there on out all i can say is that i have been experiencing the biggest nightmare of my life. he has gone from telling me that he will return my money, yelling at me like a maniac, has gotten a fake lawyer involved, told me he will sue me because i didn't complete the program & violated the contract (one i never received & never got after asking for it for two months) & participating and enduring pain was simply not a possibility.

long story short, i'm not saying that this treatment doesn't work (in fact, i know people - of course, after the fact & after sharing my story with them - who have had tremendous success with the personal laser treatments in conjunction with topical treatments & supplements); however, i am urging anyone considering forking over a substantial part of (or possibly even all of) their life's savings do the following:

1) aggressively research the vendor you are considering (better business bureau, complaints.com & other such website)
2) ask to see the contract & if you are offered a tiered-payment system, do not rush to pay (i imagine that quite a few of you are thinking i'm silly for doing everything so rashly & i agree; however, we all make mistakes). ask to sit with the contract that day - read every page thoroughly. if you choose to agree to the contract, be sure to get a copy of it & fully understand your time line for canceling (this vendor said i had 3 days to cancel on a contract that i never saw or signed, even though he has a 6-month 100% satisfaction money back guarantee & my scalp erupting made me unsatisfied).
3) be aware of anything that gives you an "eh/uneasy" feeling... go with your gut & trust anything that makes you feel that the operation or person you are dealing with is shady or disingenous.
4) if the vendor does not provide you with a contract to review before signing it or a copy for any reason, RUN.
5) opt for the super-pricey option only after you have truly exhausted all your other options & committed to other proven-to-be true options. follow a regimen recommended by your dermatologist & if anything (since there is so much research about laser treatment helping) try a home-option first (they seem to range between $300-$600 & come with their own guarantees).
6) when you opt for the pricey option, please make sure there is a physician actively involved in this kind of treatment. a business man in a white jacket with pictures, videos & a convincing story is not enough.

hair loss is such a vulnerable - sometimes life-consuming - thing. again, i know some of you think i am incredibly unwise & i do feel that way, but this particular vendor did not uphold any part of his guarantee, his products caused severe negative side effects, he provided no contract in spite of countless requests & after-the-fact, i found out that countless trusting (& equally vulnerable) people had similar or worse experiences.

User avatar
stan21
Regular Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:29 pm

Re: DontGetDuped's Hair Loss (& Fraud) Story

Post by stan21 » Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:43 pm

Hey Don'tGetDuped, sorry to hear your situation. I guess the treatments can have different effects for different people.

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